<p>Amazing:</p>
<p>[Watch</a> Supersonic Skydive Live: Felix Baumgartner Set to Jump Sunday](<a href=“National Geographic”>National Geographic)</p>
<p>They mentioned the egress checklist which my husband is referring to as the “fall to your death” checklist. Hope he makes it!</p>
<p>He’s about to go! Wonder how fast his heart is racing?</p>
<p>Omg. He is out. 20 sec delay. Hope all is well.</p>
<p>So scared for him!</p>
<p>So glad he survived. I’m sure he’s bummed he didn’t break the record for longest free-fall, though.</p>
<p>Touchdown! Success! CNN says Felix is claustrophobic.</p>
<p>The guy who was calling this was so inept. Telling him the wind was blowing the wrong way; NOT telling him the elapsed time so he would have a decent chance to break the record for time in free-fall (was 17 seconds short of it). Good grief! </p>
<p>So glad he survived, though. How intense.</p>
<p>I was watching live feed online, but also CNN which seemed to have a more live feed, about 30 seconds ahead of the internet. So the guy is ready to jump, and CNN goes back to the commentators in the studio!!! I couldn’t believe it. Fortunately, I went back to the internet and the camera showed him jumping, falling, then a long distance shot of the tiny body rolling and tumbling (which was very scary) and finally straightening out.</p>
<p>But I can’t help thinking… 40+ years ago we were watching giant rockets blast 3 men into outer space, we were watching men in space suits walking in outer space and landing on the moon. Here we are, 40 years later watching 1 guy going up in a balloon… (what’ that, 19th century technology?), jumping out and falling to earth with a parachute… We have sure come a long way???</p>
<p>NJRes, I had my computer on standby with the sound muted while watching CNN. As soon as they did that, I muted the TV and watched the rest on the computer. I guess CNN did not trust the delay.</p>
<p>I can’t help thinking of Chuck Yeager and the famous crash of the NF-104 Starfighter. (Interestingly, pilots still argue about this with some claiming it was Yeager’s fault and others not.) The most famous description is Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff, which kind of matches what was in the movie of that name.</p>
<p>Here is a short version. The story is incredible: topping out at 104,000 feet or so, the rocket jet’s nose won’t come over - perhaps because there was just enough air at that height - and it starts to tumble and spin and spin and spin like a gyroscope, falling 9000 feet a minute as Yeager fights to get the plane oriented. At 21,000 feet he manages to pop open the parachute that slows the plane after landing. As the plane stops spinning and the tail comes up so the nose is pointed down, he keeps trying to get control. He jettisons the parachute, hoping he can the engine going, but the nose comes up and the plane starts spinning again. (The rear stabilizer may have locked in the position for going up toward space.) Finally, at 7000 feet, after falling about 100,000 feet in a wildly spinning airplane, Yeager ejects. He’s hit in the visor by molten rocket fuel and then the ejection seat, which was caught in his parachute lines, slams into his head. His oxygen suit pumps pure oxygen onto the molten fuel and he catches fire. His glove melts on to his hand but he manages to push his visor off and the fire goes out. </p>
<p>He hits the ground hard and a guy passing on the highway runs over. Yeager asks him for a knife. He takes the guy’s penknife and cuts away his melted glove along with chunks of his hand. </p>
<p>Here’s Tom Wolfe: “A few minutes later the rescue helicopter arrived. The medics found Yeager standing out in the mesquite, him and some kid who had been passing by. Yeager was standing erect with his parachute rolled up and his helmet in the crook of his arm, right out of the manual, and staring at them quite levelly out of what is left of his face, as if they had an appointment and he was on time.”</p>
<p>That is freaking amazing.</p>
<p>Lergnom, what a story! Wow.</p>
<p>Well, the speed record did not last that long. Apparently, another skydiver, also named Felix, beat it:</p>
<p>[Stratos</a> jump successful! ORIGINAL VERSION - YouTube](<a href=“Stratos jump successful! ORIGINAL VERSION - YouTube”>Stratos jump successful! ORIGINAL VERSION - YouTube)</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I couldn’t climb a tall mountain or make it to the south pole, but I could probably manage falling down for a few minutes, if I got a good strong shove to start me on my way.</p>