On Sunday, October 14, 2012, one man completed his quest to make the longest base jump ever. After an aborted attempt a few days prior, all systems were go on a gloriously beautiful New Mexico day. That history past (Joe Kittinger) and history present (Felix Baumgartner) were working together makes this story all the more special. As his friends, loved ones, team members, and fans looked on, a delicate looking balloon rose through the atmosphere to the highest point in man’s recorded history (127,570 ft) with one man enclosed in a capsule created by the Red Bull Stratos team. Think about it, Felix didn’t attempt this jump once. He’s done prior test jumps that still boggle the mind, though they fell short of the record 102,800 completed by Joe. Now history has been made by a team of huge minds and brave hearts.
Congratulations to the Red Bull Stratos team. What an amazing feat! And if you missed it, then read the Guardian UK blog to get a sense of the suspense we were all feeling prior to the jump.
Felix Baumgartener is about to make the historic jump from the edge of space (photo courtesy of Red Bull Stratos):
Safely floating down to Earth…
