Supersonic Skydive by “Fearless Felix”
On Sunday, October 14, 2012, Felix Baumgartner, will attempt for the third time in one week to skydive from the edge of space 23 miles above the Earth. If successful, Austrian Felix Baumgartner will be the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, and set the world record for the skydive from the highest altitude possible. Hopefully the third time is the charm. Two launches in Roswell, New Mexico, planned for earlier this week were postponed – on Monday and Tuesday – due to high winds and a cold front.
WATCH IT LIVE 10/14/12 8:30am MDT (14 October 2012 14:30 UTC/GMT)
You can watch it streaming Live on internet on the Red Bull Stratos site which uses over 35 cameras in air and on ground, including three cameras mounted on Felix’s suit; or alternatively watch on YouTube’s RedBull channel.
Follow on Twitter @RedBullStratos.
JUST THE FACTS
- Favorable weather conditions are preconditions for launch. Winds must be less than 3 mph on the ground up through higher altitudes, because turbulence could break the ballon carrying Baumgartner. Any precipitation (rain, snow), high humidity (fog), or visibility under 3 miles is cause for canceling the launch.
- Felix Baumgartner, age 43, is a native of Salzburg, Austria. Nicknamed “Fearless Felix” he dreamed of being an astronaut as a child, and parachuted for Special Forces in the Austrian military.
- The Stratos project has been planning this jump from the stratosphere for more than five years. This is a private venture. Red Bull – the energy beverage company – is the sponsor of the Stratos Project, with Albuquerque-based Applied Technology Associates and ASRC Aerospace, ATA Aerospace providing the balloon launch services, personnel, equipment, engineering support (see: www.aptec.com).
- Baumgartner completed practice jumps from 71,580 feet (13.5 mi) and 97,146 feet (18.4 mi), in March and July, 2012, respectively.
- The current skydiving altitude record was set in 1960 by former Air Force colonel Joseph Kittinger, who jumped from 102,800 feet, approximately 19.4 miles, and reached a speed of 614 miles per hour. The now 83-year old Kittinger is on the Stratos team, providing support as the Mission Control’s primary point of radio contact with Felix Baumgartner during ascent.
- Baumgartner will jump from 120,000 feet – 23 miles above Earth – in a pressurized space suit. Baumgartner will free fall for 115,000 feet, an estimated to 5 minutes and 35 seconds. About 35 seconds into his free fall his speed will accelerate to nearly 700 mph, which exceeds the speed of sound and breaks the sound barrier.
THE RISKS AND THE REWARDS
While Baumgartner is an experience skydiver, his attempt is extremely dangerous. His specially-designed spacesuit and balloon use materials so thin and lightweight, that a slight disturbance could tear the material. As he jumps into the stratosphere, temperatures will be around -70 degrees Fahrenheit. As he enters the troposphere, temperatures could be in the range of -90 degrees F. The air at that altitude is so thin, only 1% of the air we breathe on the ground, that during his freefall if the pressurized suit fails or is punctured, the rapid change in air pressure would “boil” the gas in his blood.
Assuming success, Baumgartner will achieve two new records – highest altitude for a skydive, and the first to break the sound barrier. As the first to break the sound barrier, Baumgartner’s experience is a laboratory for scientists to understand the effects. His experience will also validate the specialized, next-generation pressurized spacesuits that astronauts will wear.
WHY?
Why do people attempt life-threatening firsts and records? In the 20th Century, such as climbing Mount Everest, the answer was, “Because it’s there.” This is the age old purpose, to fulfill our imagination.
Here’s a verse from Cold Play’s “Speed of Sound”:
“Birds go flying at the speed of sound,
to show you how it all began.
Birds came flying from the underground,
if you could see it then you’d understand,
ah, when you see it then you’ll understand?”
Get in the Mood for a vicarious Supersonic Free Fall. Watch Cold Play –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TahH7B_aUZcad
Watch Baumgartner’s Practice Jump from 18 miles –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_SzUnkYcR4
GODSPEED, MR. BAUMGARTNER, GODSPEED!
X-1
You have to admire Chuck Yeager if you’re any kind of aviation buff.
For all intents and purposes, the Bell X-1 was a death trap, and people didn’t know precisely what would happen if/when an airplane broke the sound barrier. So despite several tests in the X-1, Bell test pilot Chalmers “Slick” Goodlin demanded $150,000 to break the sound barrier and additional hazard pay for every minute he spent above Mach 0.85.
The men with the clipboards turned to Yeager, who was also working as a test pilot in the newly formed United States Air Force in 1947. They asked him what he’d charge to attempt to fly faster than sound. His response? “The Air Force already gives me a paycheck.”
Yeager flew the X-1 at Mach 1.07 at 45,000 ft. on October 14, 1947, becoming the first pilot to officially fly faster than the speed of sound.
Here’s the kicker: On October 12, 1947, Yeager fell off a horse and broke two ribs. He was so scared that officials would remove him from the historic flight that he went to a veterinarian for treatment. Yeager was in so much pain on the day of his flight that he had to use the end of a broom handle to close the hatch on the X-1.
With that level of intestinal fortitude, Yeager became the first man to break the sound barrier, and the X-1 became the first plane to do it.
The X-1 was a joint venture between the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (Now NASA) and United States Army and Air Force. It was built in 1945, and in 1948 the X-1 would max out at about 1,000 mph.
Yeager and his friend and fellow test pilot Jack Ridley would break another record with the Bell X-1A, a similar plane with larger fuel stores that allowed for longer engine burning. Yeager achieved a record of Mach 2.44 on December 12, 1953 in a flight that nearly killed him. Yeager lost aerodynamic control due to inertial coupling at approximately 80,000 ft. Yeager dropped 51,000 feet in less than a minute but regained control of the X-1A at 29,000 feet and landed the plane safely.
The X-1, and its variants, X-1A, X-1B, X-1D, and X-1E were rocket-powered airplanes, not “jets.” Three X-1’s were lost due to explosions. On November 9, 1951, X-1-3 blew up while being fe-dueled after a successful test flight. The explosion destroyed the aircraft, destroyed its B-50 mothership, and seriously burned pilot Joe Cannon. An X-1A exploded while being prepared for launch on August 8, 1955. An X-1D was also lost.
Three X-1’s survive. The original plane is on display next to The Spirit of St. Louis in the Milestones of Flight gallery of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. An X-1B is at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. An X-1E is on display at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, on the grounds below Yeager’s historic flight.
X-1 Specifications
General
Crew: 1
Length: 30 ft 11 in
Wingspan: 28 ft
Height: 10 ft
Empty weight: 7,000 lb
Max. takeoff weight: 12,250 lb
Engine: 1x Reaction Motors XLR-11-RM3 liquid fuel rocket, 6,000 lbf
Performance
Maximum speed: 957 mph (Mach 1.26)
Range: 5 minutes (powered endurance)
Ceiling: 71,900 ft
Thrust/weight: 0.49
Armament
Never armed. X-1C was intended to test the affects of supersonic flight on weapons, but the advent of production supersonic craft like the North American F-86 Sabre made this unnecessary. The X-1C never went beyond the mock-up stage.
Essential Reading
The definitive book on this subject is “The X-Planes: X-1 to X-45” by Jay Miller. It’s about $50, but it’s a worthwhile reference with almost 1,000 photographs. “Chuck Yeager and the Bell X-1: Breaking the Sound Barrier” is a $9 hardcover bargain, but a much better option is Yeager’s autobiography “The Quest for Mach One.”
You should also see the 1983 film “The Right Stuff.” It’s a long film that features the Gemini program, but early on the movie nicely retells Bell approaching Yeager to fly the X-1 past the sound barrier and his historic flight.
Online resources:
- Wikipedia — Good place to start
- Dryden Flight Research Center — NASA maintains a great gallery and fact sheet
- ChuckYeager.com — Yeager’s official website
- Smithsonian’s Milestones of Flight entry
- About.com — Good entry on the history of the X-1