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Felix Baumgartner’s Chest-cam Footage Will Make Your Head Spin

It was out of this world. Yesterday Felix Baumgartner, extreme athlete and owner of the some rather large balls, jumped out of a capsule that was lofted to a height of 39,045 metres (or 128,100 feet) above the Earth’s surface. This was Red Bull Stratos at its zenith. At that point, more than 8 million viewers watched the YouTube live stream of Baumgartner free falling into the record books.

He registered world records for the highest manned balloon flight, the longest distance in free fall, and fastest speed of free fall. At 1,342 kilometres per hour (or 834 mph), Baumgartner became the first person in the world to break the sound barrier with his body! Not all the records were broken though. His free fall of 4 minutes and 19 seconds was 17 seconds shy of Joseph Kittinger’s historic jump in 1960.

While recordings of the broadcast are available on YouTube, we’ve not been privy to any of the footage from the cameras attached to his limbs. That will most likely make its way into the documentaries due out in a month. However, it seems an Austrian TV station has gotten hold of some video captured by Baumgartner’s chest pack camera as he plummeted towards the Earth. Watch it below. It’ll make your head spin.

UPDATE: Red Bull has released a video clip that shows views from Baumgartner’s chest-cam and the cameras attached to this thighs.

[via The Verge]

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Awesomeness Featured Science & Technology Video Clips

Red Bull Stratos: To the Edge of Space

If you watched the 10 best jumps ever compilation, you may have marvelled at Joseph Kittinger’s most amazing high altitude jump. Kittinger holds records for the highest parachute jump (31,300 m), longest freefall (4 minutes, 36 seconds), and fastest speed achieved by a human being through the atmosphere (988 km/h). 50 years on and a challenger enters.

Ace BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner has teamed up with Red Bull and the Kittinger himself in attempt to make history. The mission is called Red Bull Stratos and would have Baumgartner ascending to a height of 36,600 m above the earth and jumping off the gondola. His stratospheric freefall jump would then beat Kittinger’s record and would make Baumgartner first human to break the speed of sound with his own body.

Red Bull Stratos was announced in January of this year and the record-breaking attempt will take place between September 20th and December 31st. Check out this little clip as they prepare for their mission to the edge of space.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyGmTV0q2kY

More info about the mission can be found at Red Bull Stratos.

[via The Awesomer]