Supersonic Mans Record Freefall Will Be Streamed Live on YouTube

History is in the making in New Mexico as skydiver and BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner attempts to become the first human to go supersonic on his own, with a little help from gravity.

The Red Bull Stratos project is attempting to set the record for the highest ever parachute jump, at 120,000 feet or 36,500 meters.

The current record was set 52 years ago, when USAF pilot Joseph Kittinger jumped from 102,800 feet or 31,300 m as part of a series of experiments on high-altitude jumps performed by the Air Force. Kittinger is actually a consultant in the Stratos project.

The attempt at breaking that record along with the sound barrier was scheduled for Monday, October 9th, but has been delayed to Tuesday at the earliest.

Because the jump depends on perfect weather conditions, the team can't schedule it too far in advance. They have a two-week launch window.

A cold weather front and high winds, for the jump anyway, prevented it from taking place on Monday, but weather experts working with the team explained that a day or two of good weather for launching a balloon usually follows a cold front.

The team is already making the final preparations for the jump, regardless of the delay. Right now, Baumgartner and the team are going through a rehearsal of the entire pre-launch procedure which takes seven hours.

No matter when the jump will take place, you'll be able to watch it happen live on YouTube. The Red Bull YouTube channel will be streaming the entire thing live. There won't be a video feed from the jump itself, but there will be a data feed positioning Baumgartner and showing his current speed.

The conversation between him and Col. Kittinger, who will be the only one talking to Baumgartner during the jump, will also be available.



Via: Supersonic Mans Record Freefall Will Be Streamed Live on YouTube