Felix Baumgartner died, known for the 39,000 meters supersonic jump (that is, in the middle of the stratosphere). Hero of extreme flight, he challenged human and technological limits.
Felix Baumgartnerfamous basis jumper And paratrooper Austrian, he died at 56 in a paragliding accident in Porto Sant’Elpidio, in the Marche region. According to the first reconstructions, a sudden illness would have made him lose control of the vehicle, causing the impact in a private swimming pool. For Baumgartner, who made his home heaven, it was the tragic epilogue of a lived life suspended between risk And passion.
The supersonic leap that made history
Baumgartner entered history on October 14, 2012, when he made a jump in free fall from almost 39,000 meters, that is, from the flood stratosphereovercoming the speed of sound without any mechanical means. It was part of the Red Bull Stratos project: he established record of altitude, fall free And speed (Mach 1,25), touching the 1,357 km/h and remaining for over 25 seconds in the absence of weight, with a maximum heart rate of 185 bpm.
For the first time the subjective of the flight
Launched by capsule at high altitude, its leap has been shown in subjective by Gopro cameras: an immersion in the void with moments Of rotation Uncontrolled, unreal silence and interventions of the stabilizer parachute. The event captured the attention of eight million spectators connected on YouTube, transforming the company into a global phenomenon.
The stages of approach: tests from 21,800 and 29,455 meters
Before the record launch, Baumgartner He had already exceeded extreme shares. On March 15, 2012 he jumped from 21,818 meters, touching the 572 km/he testing suit And parameters vital. On 27 July 2012 he replied from 29,455 m reaching 862 km/h, approaching the wall of sound and demonstrating the full reliability of the equipment in limit conditions.
The other companies: Taipei 101 and flight with wing suit
Before 2012 Baumgartner he had already distinguished himself for iconic jumps, such as the one from Taipei 101 In 2003, at the time the highest skyscraper in the world. In 1999 he crossed The sleeve channel with a special wing suit without motor, becoming the first man to do it in these conditions (See above).
Scientific preparation and strategy
Behind each leap there was one preparation scientific meticulous, the study of equipment And suits high -tech, calculations meteorological extremely precise. In his companies Baumgartner did not seek only the record: often collaborated with scientists and doctors to explore the limits of body human in extreme conditions.
