Felix Baumgartner He died in a tragic accident that took place yesterday, Thursday 17 July, a Porto Sant’Elpidioin the Marche: the jumper base And 56 -year -old Austrian paratrooper was flying with a motor paragliding and crashed on the edge of the pool of an accommodation facility, probably following an illness.
Baumgartner had become famous all over the world in 2012when it became the first man of history to make a leap in free fall almost 39,000 meters of height (i.e. from full stratosphere), exceeding the speed of sound Without any mechanical means and beating 3 world records. On that occasion, he touched the 1,357 km/h, remaining for beyond 25 seconds in the absence of weight.
His life, however, was marked by other epic companies: in 2003 he had crossed The sleeve channel With a special wing suit without motor, the wingsuit (becoming the first man to do it in these conditions), but already in 1999 he had been the first to launch himself from Petronas Tower by Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia, and by the statue of Christ Redeemer of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.
The leap in free fall from the stratosphere
On October 14, 2012 Felix Baumgartner successfully completed the jump from the capsule Red Bull Stratoslaunching from a height of over 24 miles (More than 39 km), reaching a speed of about 1,357 km/h and in free fall for well 4 minutes and 22 seconds.
Baumgartner employed about 34 seconds To reach a Mach speed 1,25 (1,357.6 km/h), thus exceeding the sound barrier And generating a sonic boom that was heard both by those who were witnessing the event directly from the New Mexico desert, but also the 8 million spectators connected live streaming. The paratrooper reached a maximum heart rate of 185 BPM, rather high but understandable given the extreme physical stress to which he was subjected at that moment.
At 34,000 feet (about 10,400 meters) of altitude the suit yes he automatically depressed: after more than 4 minutes of free fall, Felix opened the parachute at 2,750 meters high, and then landed. Only at that point, he could slightly open the visor.
The company was recorded thanks to 15 cameras installed directly on the suit. With a single launch they were established 3 world records: themaximum height reached by a aerostatic ball with crew (from which he launched), the greatest height of a launch from an aerostatic ball and the maximum speed Reached by a man in free fall.
To carry out the Red Bull project he worked a team of about 300 people and before the launch Baumgartner made some test launches. In the first, March 15, 2012, from 21,818 meters, touching a speed of 572 km/h to test the suit and vital parameters; in the second on 27 July 2012, from more than 29,400 meters above sea level, reaching i 862 km/h and approaching even more to wall of sound, to demonstrate the reliability of the equipment.
Previous extreme companies
After this extreme challenge, Baumgartner He decided to withdraw: before 2012, however, the jumper base had already distinguished himself for other iconic jumps, which led him together with the following to establish a total of 14 World Record over his life.
In 1999, as mentioned, he was the first man to launch himself with a parachute by Petronas Tower by Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia, and then jump from the right hand of the statue of Christ Redeemer of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.
In 2003 he was also the first to cross the Sleeve channel using only one Wingsuit. There Felix traveled the 35 km of the sleeve that divide England from France, with a flight that lasted 14 minutes: even in that case he wore one special suit, designed to bear i -40 °together with wings of coal fibersome oxygen cylinders and a parachute.
In 2007, however, he established another record, launching himself first from Tapei 101in Taiwan, at the time the skyscraper highest in the world: Following that company, every future entry in the country was forbidden.
