In 2012, Felix Baumgartner went where no man had before, shattering several world records after he jumped to Earth from the stratosphere as a part of the Red Bull Stratos project. Yet like any spectacular feat, this achievement was not without a whole lot of hard work and a few SNAFUs along the way.
From the test run to the final record count, here are 10 photos explaining how Felix Baumgartner jumped to Earth from Space.
1
Shoot for the Stars
No matter how bouncy your neighbor’s trampoline was or how high your community pool’s diving board stood, there will always be someone who jumped higher than you — daredevil Felix Baumgartner.
2
High Jump
On October 14, 2012, Baumgartner, an Austrian-born stuntman, made history after leaping off of a helium balloon in the stratosphere — roughly 24 miles off the ground — and landing back on Earth as a part of his collaboration with Red Bull, Red Bull Stratos.
3
Going Up
The project came to be two years earlier in 2010 when Baumgartner partnered with the energy drink brand — and, of course, a handful of scientists — in an attempt to break the record for the highest skydive. After a few delays, the project finally got off the ground (pun unavoidable) in 2012, when Baumgartner began practicing, jumping first from 71,581 ft and later, 96,650 ft.
4
False Starts
Despite his pair of successful test runs, the initial jump was postponed twice, first on October 9, 2012 and again on October 11, 2012, due to inclement weather and a technical glitch aboard the capsule.
5
It’s Go Time
Three days later, on October 14, 2012, Baumgartner made the two-and-a-half-hour trek up into the stratosphere. Despite an issue with his visor heater and a brief discussion with Mission Control, the daredevil and his team decided to go through with the stunt.
6
Words of Wisdom
Before the jump, Air Force veteran Joseph W. Kittinger II, the first person to space dive from the stratosphere, offered some words of reassurance to Baumgartner. "OK, we're getting serious now, Felix,” he said.
7
Let’s Go!
At 12:08 MDT, Baumgartner took the leap, jumping down to Earth from an approximate height of 24 miles off the ground.
8
Air Blunders
Reaching a maximum velocity of 834 mph, the jump quickly took a turn for the scary, the athlete uncontrollably spinning throughout the air for roughly a minute and a half, a sensation he said was like “swimming without feeling the water.”
9
Going Down
Fortunately, Baumgartner ultimately got back on track and proceeded to freefall for a total of 4 minutes and 16 seconds. Nine minutes later, he touched down in New Mexico.
10
A Wild Legacy
Alongside becoming the first person to break the sound barrier without the use of an engine, the athlete broke several world records, including maximum vertical speed and vertical distance of freefall.
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