Skydiver Felix Baumgartner Completes 18 Mile Jump


Needless to say, I will not be doing this:

Daredevil Felix Baumgartner this morning landed from his 18-mile dive back to Earth from the edge of space, in a plummet that reached a speed of more than 500 mph.

Mission Control gave the go ahead this morning for the launch, saying “God Speed Felix” from Roswell, N.M., where the mission is being hosted. Baumgartner, an Austrian national, was lifted in a capsule carried afloat by a huge helium balloon.

The balloon took 90 minutes to get to 90,000 feet. The crane holding the capsule went up as fast as it could to get the capsule under the 210-foot tall balloon as it rose. After he jumped, Baumgartner was in freefall for three minutes and 48 seconds . After five minutes, his parachute opened, at which point it took another seven to 10 minutes to descend to Earth. Baumgartner’s speed went from 0 to 536 in 25 seconds flat.

“Fearless Felix” was in free fall for an estimated three minutes and 48 seconds. His top speed was approximately 536 mph, Brian Utley, an official observer on site, told The Associated Press.

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