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Felix Baumgartner in freefall test in California on June 21, 2012.
Image by Luke Aikins, courtesy Red Bull Stratos, www.redbullstratos.com
ExWeb record jump current: word from private space suit designer and wing suit glider about Baumgartner attempt

Posted: Oct 09, 2012 12:22 am EDT

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(Tina Sjogren) If all goes to plan in a few hours Felix Baumgartner will ascend in a helium balloon to an altitude of 120,000 ft/36,576 m and jump out of his capsule becoming the first person to break the speed of sound (768 mph at sea level) during freefall. The skydiver already reached 536mph/863kph in training. To imagine the speed: compare to average flight speed for a commercial airliner at 500 mph. As for the altitude, the Kármán line, at 62 miles (100 km) above sea level, is conventionally used as the start of space. But space for man usually starts at 62000 ft (19 km) says test pilot, balloon pioneer and Felix's...

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