Parachute Jump From The Edge Of Space Sets Records In 23 Mile Leap, Reaches Speeds In Excess of 600 MPH
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner completed a record-breaking freefall from space Sunday near Roswell, N.M.
He reached speeds of more than 600 mph during the 128,000-foot skydive to earth.
Baumgartner broke the record for both the highest jump and the fastest jump in a freefall.
On the ascent, he also broke the record for the highest manned balloon flight.
Felix Baumgartner: ”On a mission like this, you need to be mentally fit and have total control over what you do, and I’m preparing very thoroughly.”
Felix consistently challenges his personal limits while pushing the physical boundaries of human flight. In 2003, Felix completed an unprecedented flight across the English Channel with a carbon wing, and subsequently began to consider an even bigger goal: the supersonic freefall. With a team of the world’s top scientists, engineers and doctors behind him, Felix will attempt to rewrite history and advance aeronautical research with Red Bull Stratos.
No personal parachute system has ever been used for a supersonic freefall from the edge of space. Years of development and testing have resulted in innovations including revolutionary drogue technology to stabilize Felix Baumgartner if necessary.
Baumgartner in capsule that he will leap from
Is it really possible for a human being to break the speed of sound in freefall?
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What does it mean to “break the speed of sound”?
Breaking the speed of sound refers to catching up with – and surpassing – the speed at which sound waves are produced in the air. The speed of sound is affected by temperature: where the air is colder, sound travels more slowly. At about 100,000 feet above sea level, Felix Baumgartner will need to accelerate to about 690 miles per hour to match the speed of sound, known as Mach 1. Then if he continues to accelerate and surpasses the speed of sound, he’ll be “supersonic.”
Is there really a sound “barrier”?
No, it’s a figure of speech. The concept stems from the mid-20th century, when early high-speed aircraft sometimes experienced extreme instability, and even broke up, as they neared the speed of sound. Today we know that such instability is caused by shock waves that build up in the “transonic” zone – the range of speeds approaching the speed of sound. Sometimes shock waves even collide with each other, a phenomenon known as the “shock-shock interaction,” creating results that can be similar to an explosion. Fortunately, the impact of shock waves becomes less severe with higher altitude, because air becomes less dense. And once an object passes through that imaginary “sound barrier” to catch up with and surpass the speed of sound, flight is smooth.
What other hazards will Felix Baumgartner face as he attempts to break the speed of sound?
The list includes temperatures well below freezing, too little oxygen to breathe, the tendency to spin uncontrollably and air pressure so low that without protection blood is said to “boil” with vapor bubbles.
What will protect Felix Baumgartner from these hazards?
Strategies include intensive training to prepare him for possible instability: the team has developed a graduated, multi-stage test program in which he jumps from successively higher outdoor altitudes, as well as a choreographed step-off from the capsule so that he achieves a streamlined position. Equipment is also important: an innovative full-pressure suit and helmet provide oxygen, protection and pressurization, and a special drogue parachute is available for stabilization if necessary.
Why won’t Felix reach terminal velocity before he breaks the speed of sound?
Terminal velocity, a concept familiar to skydivers, refers to the point at which a falling object stops accelerating. Drag, or resistance, is one of the key factors causing terminal velocity. Bailing out at a very high altitude, where the air is thin, should enable Felix to break the speed of sound before reaching more dense air that will create drag and eventually result in his terminal velocity. Still, he’ll want to streamline his body as quickly as possible to aid his acceleration.
How will we know that Felix has broken the speed of sound?
Equipment in Felix’s chest pack will capture and record the necessary data for review by the mission team as well as by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale world governing body.
What can be learned by breaking the speed of sound in freefall?
The data gathered about the effects of supersonic freefall can provide valuable tools for researchers looking to develop safety procedures for the pilots and astronauts of today and tomorrow – and for future space tourists. Proof that a human can break the speed of sound in freefall could provide support for the development of sub-orbital bailout procedures that currently don’t exist. In noting that the Red Bull Stratos team will be capturing as much physiological and environmental data as possible, medical director Jon Clark says: “We try to anticipate as much as we can about supersonic speed, but we really don’t know, because nobody has done this before.”
HARNESS AND CONTAINER
- The container houses the drogue stabilization chute and the two landing parachutes (main and reserve), while the harness attaches the entire rig to Felix Baumgartner and holds two oxygen bottles, which can supply at least 10 minutes of oxygen at altitude.
- On the front of the harness there are four handles:
Right Chest Level (red): Deploys main chute; simultaneously cuts away drogue
Right Hip Level (yellow): Cuts away main chute so reserve can deploy without tangling
Left Chest Level (red): Deploys reserve chute; simultaneously cuts away drogue
Left Hip Level (yellow): Cuts away reserve in case of accidental deployment
DROGUE STABILIZATION CHUTE AND G METER
- The drogue stabilization chute and G meter offer breakthrough skydiving technology. This is the first personal drogue equipment ever designed for supersonic deployment, and it’s the first ever designed to function completely independently of the main and reserve parachutes.
- If Felix becomes unstable, he may need the drogue chute to keep from spinning uncontrollably. However, in his quest to break the sound barrier, he doesn’t want to deploy a drogue unless absolutely necessary, as it could slow him down. The solution: If Felix experiences 3.5 Gs or more for a continuous period of 6 seconds, a G meter will open the drogue stabilization chute automatically.
- A drogue deployment button will also be available on Felix’s glove. If he holds down this button for three seconds, the drogue stabilization chute will fire.
PARACHUTES
- If all goes as Felix envisions, the main parachute is the only parachute in his rig that will be deployed. This nine-cell, ram-air, 270-square-foot/25-square-meter canopy will not open automatically. It is expected that Felix will pull the handle to deploy it at 5,000 feet/1,524 meters.
- Felix’s main and reserve (emergency) parachutes are rated to be opened at 150 knots, which means that he must slow to about 172 mph / 277km/h for safe deployment.
- Felix can deploy his reserve parachute manually, but the system also includes CYPRES (Cybernetic Parachute Release System) technology to deploy the reserve automatically if he exceeds a vertical speed of 35 meters (115 feet) per second at a predetermined altitude (around 2,000 feet / 610 meters).
QUICK FACTS
- The combined parachute system components – Felix’s overall rig – will weigh about 60 lbs./27 kg. In comparison, a typical skydiving rig weighs about 20 lbs./9 kg., and a BASE jumping rig weighs 10 to 12 lbs./4 to 5 kg.
- Packing the reserve parachute takes about an hour, while packing the main parachute and drogue stabilization chute requires about 20 minutes each.
- Normal skydiving rigs don’t have a mechanism to cut away the reserve parachute, a skydiver’s last resource in an emergency. But if Felix’s reserve chute inadvertently deployed at high altitude, his landing could be delayed so much that he’d run out of oxygen. In that unlikely situation, Felix can use a handle to cut away the reserve parachute and return to freefall, finally pulling his main parachute once he reaches a “normal” altitude.
- No parachute is guaranteed for higher than 25,000 feet/7,620 meters. Felix will jump from approximately 120,000 feet/36,600 meters.
- Drogues have typically been attached from the middle of the skydiver’s back, but Felix’s drogue stabilization chute hangs from his shoulders to help reduce the potential for dangerous spinning.
The initial concept for the Red Bull Stratos personal parachute system was developed – and the design process has been spearheaded by Luke Aikins, the Red Bull Stratos skydiving consultant, in collaboration with Felix and the mission’s science team, including expert consultants from Sage Cheshire Aerospace. Luke then took his ideas to Kelly Farrington, founder of Velocity Sports Equipment. Kelly refined Luke’s design and worked with the Red Bull Stratos team to fine-tune and manufacture the harness and container system and drogue. Meanwhile, Precision Aerodynamics supplied the main parachute and reserve parachute, the CYPRES automatic release system was provided by AIRTEC, and the altimeter that Felix will use to stay aware of his altitude is from by Larsen and Brusgaard.
About Velocity Sports Equipment
Velocity Sports Equipment opened in 1998 to cater to a new breed of skydiver. Its founder, Kelly Farrington, grew up dreaming of solutions to extreme but mostly hypothetical jumps. The Red Bull Stratos mission provides a very real opportunity for him to showcase his company’s unique design talents and creativity. Velocity Sports Equipment has built a specialized parachute harness system, incorporating a unique drogue system for complete stability that is unlike current sport and military tandem systems. In an emergency, there is no need to pull the ripcord to deploy the parachute; it’s automatic. For more information: www.velocityrigs.com
About AIRTEC
A serious investment into research and development, combined with high-quality practices, has made AIRTEC the technological leader in the field of Automatic Activation Devices. AIRTEC’s innovative expertise and precise manufacturing has produced CYPRES (Cybernetic Parachute Release System), a technology that affords the Red Bull Stratos team the highest levels of safety and reliability to achieve its goals.
About Larsen and Brusgaard
Larsen and Brusgaard is the preferred supplier of visual wrist mounted altimeters for the Red Bull Stratos project. The cutting edge technology and design used in L&B’s altimeter, Altitrack, allows for secure use in harsh environments and trying conditions and the continuous R&D gives the Red Bull Stratos team the latest in altitude awareness. L&B is proud to support this mission with Altitracks for pilot Felix Baumgartner and skydiving consultant Luke Aikins.
Type: The balloon is filled with helium to create lift. Helium is non-flammable, non-toxic if vented to the atmosphere and a safe, predictable method of ascent.
Material: It is constructed of strips of high-performance polyethylene (plastic) film that is only 0.0008 inches thick. In total, these strips would cover 40 acres if they were laid flat. Polyester-fibre reinforced load tapes are incorporated to do the weight bearing.
Size, volume and shape: The balloon for Felix’s mission from the edge of space will be nearly 30 million cubic feet in capacity – 10 times larger than Joe Kittinger’s balloon in 1960.
At launch, it will be tall and thin, stretching 55 stories high. As the balloon ascends, the helium will expand and the balloon will slowly fill out to an almost completely round shape:
Length of uninflated balloon before launch: 592.41 feet. Height of balloon at take-off: 550 feet. The height from the top of the balloon to bottom of the capsule will be: 695 feet. Size of balloon at 120,000 feet: Height 334.82 feet / Diameter: 424.37 feet
Weight: The uninflated balloon weighs 3,708 pounds
INFLATION AND LAUNCH INFRASTRUCTURE
Helium is delivered on two large trucks. Another truck with a “launch arm” restraint holds down a portion of the balloon during inflation. At launch, the arm moves out of the way to allow the balloon to ascend. Simultaneously, a large crane drives in to position the capsule under the balloon. The crane releases the capsule, the balloon lifts it off the crane, and the ascent begins.
OTHER INFORMATION
Was the balloon specially developed for the Red Bull Stratos mission?
The balloon is a standard design utilizing principles and materials that have been refined over 60 years of high-altitude scientific balloon flights.
Are there hazards associated with helium balloon flight?
Balloons are susceptible to wind, which can literally tear them – particularly at critical times.
How long does it take to inflate the balloon?
The overall launch process for this kind of balloon requires approximately 8 hours of preparation immediately before launch, including about 45 to 60 minutes for insertion of the helium.
How big is the launch crew?
The balloon launch crew itself is about 12 to 15 people, all of whom must wear clothing that won’t snag the balloon. A number of individuals will clear the runway of fine debris before laying out the balloon. Fewer than 10 people actually handle the balloon, and those who do wear cotton gloves.
Why does a helium balloon rise?
Helium is lighter than air. If the balloon is large enough in relation to the weight of its payload, the helium will ascend and bring the payload with it.
How fast will the balloon ascend?
The balloon will ascend at about 1,000 feet per minute. At some points, its ascent could be as fast as 1,400 feet per minute. Upon reaching about 100,000 feet, however, it will likely slow to roughly 750 feet per minute until it levels off at approximately 120,000 feet above sea level.
How is the balloon steered?
Wind is used to direct a balloon’s trajectory. Wind speed and direction vary at different altitudes so balloons are steered by changing altitude to reach the desired wind conditions. Releasing helium causes a decrease in altitude, while dropping ballast allows a balloon to rise.
How does the balloon avoid other aircraft in the sky?
The balloon will be tracked by the mission team while in the air. The mission team coordinates closely with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to obtain clearance for flight and special reflective tape is incorporated into the seams so that it can be seen on radar.
Felix’s target altitude is described as “float altitude.” What is that?
Float altitude is the point at which the balloon levels off and stops ascending. Although helium is lighter than air, at higher altitudes air density is reduced. Float altitude is reached when the average density of the balloon is the same as the density of the surrounding atmosphere.
What happens to the balloon after Felix jumps?
After Felix has landed, Mission Control will trigger the separation of the capsule and balloon, so that the capsule can descend under its parachute. A nylon “destruct line” will release the helium so that the balloon returns to Earth. Then, the team will gather the envelope into a large truck, a process that can take several hours.
Is the same balloon being used repeatedly for tests, as well as the final mission?
No. The test balloons are smaller than the almost 30 million cubic foot balloon used for the ascent to 120,000 feet. None of these delicate balloons can be re-used. In fact, once Felix’s balloon is even taken out of its box it must be launched promptly or discarded.
Who is responsible for launching the balloon?
ATA Aerospace provides the balloon launch services, personnel and equipment for Red Bull Stratos. Key personnel on the ATA team include crew chief Ed Coca, meteorologist Don Day and project leadTracy Gerber. A joint venture of Albuquerque-based Applied Technology Associates and ASRC Aerospace, ATA Aerospace offers the expertise of an extensive history in large-scale balloon launches, including serving as the prime contractor on the AFRL Space Technology Research, Analysis, Integration and Test (STRAIT) contract. On this contract, ATA Aerospace provides the program management; engineering services; integration, test, and launch support; on-orbit support; and test facility operations and management for satellite and high-altitude systems and subsystems including buses and payloads. For more information: www.aptec.com
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