Felix Baumgartner – First Person to Break Sound Barrier in Free Fall

Felix Baumgartner is the first person in the world to break the sound barrier in free fall. He was aided by the Red Bull Stratos team and has the highest vertical speed in free fall and the greatest free fall distant. Felix Baumgartner reached an altitude of 120,000 feet in the air, which took about 3 hours. He was in a capsule that was lifted into the air by a balloon. His estimated free fall top speed was 1,342.8 km/h. After 35 seconds of free fall, he was able to reach super sonic speeds and break the sound barrier. This relates to engineering because engineers had to design a suit for Felix Baumgartner to allow him to survive at 120,000 feet in the air. Engineers also had to design a parachute to slow Felix Baumgartner from super sonic speeds. There is a video above showing the mission highlights.

Related Stories:

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2012/10/confirmed-felix-baumgartners-free-fall-from-space-sets-five-new-world-records-45463/?fb_comment_id=525238997504958_93037485

https://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-01/120000-foot-jump-daredevil-space-diver-become-first-human-break-sound-barrier-free-fall/

http://theconversation.com/felix-baumgartner-set-to-skydive-through-the-sound-barrier-how-10057