It's Official: Mach 1.25...

That's how fast Felix Baumgartner fell in his record-setting jump...

First Baumgartner “Head Cam” Video...

The camera was actually mounted on his chest, not his helmet.  But who cares?

Baumgartner's Technology...

A great article at ExtremeTech explaining all the high-tech stuff that allowed Felix Baumgartner to make his jump yesterday...

Baumgartner Did It!

He's certainly set one record (highest balloon ascent), and probably set another (going supersonic while in freefall).  He landed safe and sound, didn't even fall down though he was wearing the heavy and clumsy flight suit.

The world got to watch the entire thing, thanks to the 30+ cameras plastered all over the capsule and Baumgartner's suit, the amazing visible light and infrared ground cameras, and the equally amazing helicopter-mounted cameras that tracked him while under canopy.  We watched him land under canopy, and fall to his knees – presumably in thanksgiving for a safe adventure.

Wow.  Just wow.

I love it that this whole thing was privately-funded as a marketing venture, something foretold by several science fiction stories I read as a kid in the '60s.  And even more, I love it that Baumgartner insisted on getting Joe Kittinger (the previous record holder for high-altitude jumping) involved.  That was a class act, Mr. Baumgartner, a real class act...

Stratos...

Red Bull Stratos is the name of the mission, a commercially-funded mission to the edge of space (to quote their PR materials).  As I write this, the capsule, with Felix Baumgartner, is ascending through 110,000 feet altitude, and still rising at about 1,000 feet/minute.  The photo at right is from live video taken by cameras on the ground.  Taking full advantage of modern technology, the capsule and Baumgartner himself are plastered with cameras, and we're watching it live, so clear that it's almost as if it were happening in our back yard.

This is in stark contrast to the current record holder's jump, made by Joe Kittinger back in 1960.  For that jump, Joe Kittinger had very little in the way of instrumentation or imagery.  Furthermore, Felix's position is known with a precision that was completely unachievable back in 1960.

Joe Kittinger is still alive and kicking, at age 84, and he's a part of Felix's team.  He's the primary communicator on the ground, talking with Felix.  Nice.

Baumgartner Has Launched...

...on his way up to a record altitude (in a balloon), and from which he's planning to more records – especially for altitude, and for the first time ever, for a supersonic freefall...