Le parachutiste autrichien felix baumgartner biography

1. Felix Baumgartner: The Austrian Extreme Sportsman
2. A Fearless Leap into the Unknown
3. A Remarkable Achievement
4. A Lifesaving Future

Felix Baumgartner: The Austrian Extreme Sportsman

Felix Baumgartner is an Austrian extreme sportsman who made history on October 14, 2012, by completing a unique parachute jump from the stratosphere. He became the first person in the world to reach supersonic speeds during a parachute jump. The jump began at 24 miles (38 kilometers) above the Earth and concluded in the New Mexico desert. After a successful landing, Baumgartner raised his hands in victory, receiving a standing ovation from the control center in Roswell, New Mexico. At the time of landing, neither Baumgartner nor the control center knew if he had surpassed the speed of light. However, the significance of his achievement was evident to all.

A Fearless Leap into the Unknown

Just three hours earlier, Baumgartner had left a specially designed capsule, which was lifted into the sky by an ultrathin helium balloon. At that moment, Baumgartner was three times higher than the altitude at which jet airliners typically fly. An hour after takeoff, Baumgartner performed a trial sequence of "jumping" movements. Following this, ballast was dropped, and the helium-filled balloon rapidly accelerated. The first challenge awaited Baumgartner as he exited the capsule – a single careless touch of its walls could easily damage his protective suit. Any breach in the spacesuit would have resulted in serious oxygen problems, not to mention the outside temperature at that time being -70 degrees Celsius. The hostile environment could have literally destroyed the brave jumper, with the liquids in his body forming deadly bubbles. Fortunately, Baumgartner left the capsule without any issues, and the descent proceeded smoothly. He deployed his parachute just moments before reaching the ground.

A Remarkable Achievement

It is interesting to note that Baumgartner's unique jump took place exactly 65 years after American test pilot Chuck Yeager became the first person to achieve supersonic speed in an airplane. Approximately 30 cameras captured Baumgartner's historic jump, but the live broadcast was delayed by nearly 20 seconds. Among those who assisted Baumgartner was Joe Kittinger, who had attempted to reach supersonic speed during a jump from 19.5 miles in 1960. Kittinger had only managed to reach a speed of 614 miles per hour. Baumgartner had been pursuing this record for five years, having made two previous jumps in the same area – one from 15 miles in March and another from 18 miles in July. Baumgartner declared that this record-breaking jump would mark the end of his career as an extreme jumper; he has no plans to make any further jumps.

A Lifesaving Future

Baumgartner's protective suit performed exceptionally well, effectively shielding him from the shockwaves generated when breaking the sound barrier, according to Jonathan Clark, the medical director of the operation. Prior to the jump, there were rumors that NASA would be interested in the new spacesuit if the operation was successful. Now, with Baumgartner's successful landing, interest in the spacesuit has increased. The jump was sponsored by the energy drink manufacturer Red Bull, who also provided the observation cameras installed on the capsule, a special helicopter, and on the ground.

In the future, Baumgartner plans to lead a relatively more settled life; however, he will not completely abandon extreme activities. He intends to pilot helicopters for various rescue and firefighting operations, both in the United States and Austria.