Austrian Skydiver Prepared to Leap From Edge of Space

Cutting_Crew writes "Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner will attempt a supersonic free fall on October 8th as the worlds highest skydive. According to the Christian Science Monitor 'The current record for world's highest skydive stands at 102,800 feet (31,333 m). It was set in 1960 by U.S. Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger, who serves as an adviser for Baumgartner's mission. If Baumgartner succeeds on Oct. 8, he will break not only that mark but also the sound barrier, becoming the first skydiver ever to fall at supersonic speeds, Red Bull Stratos officials said. During the July 25 jump, Baumgartner's top freefall speed was 537 mph (864 kph) — about as fast as a commercial airliner.' Let's hope that the weather on the 8th is as good as they hope for. It would be awesome to have a real time camera feed from his helmet."

Re:Dubious source

[busyqth]

You went to the Christian Science Monitor to get the information on the current altitude record? You're going to get your statistics from the people who think dinosaurs and humans coexisted? Good luck with that.

I don't think you know what Christian Science is.

It'd be awesome to have a real time camera feed

[Anonymous Coward]

Good luck with that, Red Bull haven't released any of the footage for the warm up jumps other than a few teasers, let alone streaming/televising a dangerous stunt (for want of a better word) live.

If anything went wrong their corporate image would take a big knock so I assume they'll wait until they know it's a success before announcing it and then they'll probably see how they can best 'monetize' the footage.

Re:Dubious source

[Eseell]

The CSM has only financial links to Christian Science, and generally has better science journalism than the mainstream media. That isn't a particularly high bar to clear, but don't let the name put you off.

Sad, IP even touched this story

[rolfwind]

What's sad is at the end of the story:

Baumgartner and his team had originally hoped to attempt the record jump in 2010, but they were delayed by a legal challenge that claimed the idea of the dive was suggested to Red Bull by California promoter Daniel Hogan. That lawsuit has been settled out of court, and the mission is moving forward.

God, we really built an entitlement society. People now think that a concept farts out of their brain, that it must be a) unique and b) theirs for all eternity. Now it seems the old adage of "Genius: one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration" should be changed to "Genius: one percent inspiration. Sue the suckers who put in the 99 percent perspiration."

Re:Dubious source

[TheLink]

Sounds to me like you're staying away from religion for religious reasons ;).