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Felix Baumgartner: The record-breaking jump by the numbers
After Felix Baumgartner’s record fall from the sky, we decided take a quick look at some of the numbers that accompany this amazing feat. And some of these numbers are simply mind-boggling. Just the sheer thought of falling from that height and travelling at that speed is awe-inspiring. Here are some of the interesting numbers that go along with the records:
849 505 cubic meters — The volume of the helium balloon that was used to lift Baumgartner into the stratosphere.
39 045 meters — The approximate height that Baumgartner jumped from.
1 500 m — the approximate height that Baumgartner will have deployed his parachute for his final descent.
1 342 km/h (834 mph), or Mach 1.24 — The maximum speed reached, breaking the sound barrier and becoming the first man to achieve that without any outside assistance or powered means, using only the power of gravity.
1315 kg — the weight of his capsule.
2 hours 21 minutes — The amount of time it took him to reach his final altitude.
220 rpm — The rate of spin that Baumgartner could reach if he were to lose complete control of his fall. According to tests, 140 rpm can be harmful and possibly even fatal.
118 kg — The of his pressurized space suit.
65 years — the exact amount of years to the day that Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in a jet for the firs time.
55 stories — The height of the Height of the helium balloon that hoisted Baumgartner and his protective capsule into space.
34 seconds — The amount of time it will take to accelerate to Mach 1 with only the aid of gravity.
5.4 kg — The weight of the chest pack which contains all of his monitoring and tracking systems.
9.6 km/h — The maximum wind speed for a safe launch. Initially the launch was delayed for one day as a cold front brought strong winds to the drop site.
3 — The number of cameras attached to Baumgartner’s suit to record his descent. He had one on each thigh and one on his chest pack.
2 — The number of practice runs before the record-breaking attempt. His first practice fall was from 71 000 feet in March 2012, and his second was from 97,000 feet in July.
Less than 1% — The air pressure at the altitude of Baumgartner’s jump.
0 – The amount of jumps he plans next. Baumgartner plans to fly helicopters on fire fighting and rescue missions and settle down with his girlfriend in Austria.
-23.3 degrees Celsius — The approximate air temperature 39 km up when Baumgartner steps out of his capsule.
-68 degrees Celsius — The minimum air temperature the pressurized spacesuit can withstand.
We don’t have the faintest clue but believe it cost an arm and a leg — The total cost of the Stratos project, which took more than seven years , two practice runs, and hundreds of thousands of dollars on developing safety equipment and the helium balloon.