Skydive From Space

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Well, I have another Desktop Wallpaper for you.  As you can probably tell, I am pretty excited about the impending skydive from space by extreme sportsman, Felix Baumgartner.  In case you haven’t heard, the adrenaline-fueled Australian will be attempting a record-breaking jump from 120,000 feet.  The current record was set by U.S. Air Force Capt. Joe Kittinger back in 1960 when he jumped from 102,000 feet.

It is important to note that while this mission is being a called “a leap from the edge of space,” space doesn’t really start until about 327,000 feet, so the statement is a bit of a reach.  Nonetheless, this is the first skydive that will break the sound barrier, and the mission will also set marks for longest-duration freefall and highest manned balloon flight.

One of the reasons I think this mission is so interesting is that Baumgartner is basically skydiving in a hightech spacesuit.  It’s pressurized and comes fully equipped with GPS, g-force meters, custom parachute to prevent tail spin, wide angle cameras, and state-of-the-art thermal gear to withstand the subzero temperatures of space. Suits like this will eventually allow us to jump from all the way up to 327,000 feet and beyond.  Maybe one day you’ll even be able to eject from a space station in orbit and safely land back on Earth.

Here is a great photo of the current suit from all angles (click to zoom in):

And here’s a zoomed-in labeled photo for all the details:

As of now, the launch is planned for early in the morning this Sunday, about 1 day and 13 hours from now.  You can watch the countdown here.

Let’s hope the weather cooperates.

-RSB