Stratosphere skydive succeeds and sets several records
OCT 15, 2012
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.026440
New York Times : Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner successfully parachuted from a record-setting altitude of 38.62 km on 14 October. He also set the record for fastest free fall when he reached a speed of 1342 km/h, or Mach 1.24. Both records were previously held by Joe Kittinger, a retired US Air Force colonel who helped Baumgartner plan the dive. Kittinger still holds the record for longest free fall despite Baumgartner’s greater free-fall distance. The dive was used to gather data about human survival during a free fall from the edge of space and the effectiveness of the specially designed pressurized suit that Baumgartner wore.
© 2012 American Institute of Physics
