Mr Felix Baumgartner is off parachuting again. Although, for Felix at least, jumping from a plane is not enough: Felix Baumgartner is skydiving from space.
How high can we go?
Yes, from space. The 40-year-old former Austrian special forces soldier is readying to leap from 120,000ft (23 miles). His attempt, if successful, will usurp the current record, set back in 1969 when US Air Force jumper Joseph Kittinger Jnr dropped in from 102,800ft.
Just what is it with us humans? Higher, faster, longer, further, deeper, fatter – skip the last one – we just have to keep pushing it. This is why people book skydiving experiences worldwide, it is just that Felix is taking the same desire to the extreme.
But surely there has to be a limit to what we can achieve? Take away the technology and we are simply bone, muscle, tissue, and fat. Physiologically we are limited. But despite our physical constraints, we humans keep on developing and records keep falling.
Felix Baumgartner is skydiving from space
Before he jumps, Felix Baumgartner will be in the upper edges of the stratosphere; to put the altitude into perspective, Mount Everest is 6km high, Felix is jumping from 36.8km.
Falling through the ozone layer, he could hit 768mph. If he does there will be a lot of noise about it – he will be breaking the sound barrier: Boom!
Aware of the dangers, Baumgartner told The Times: “The edge of space is an incredibly hostile environment which takes no prisoners.”
However, according to NASA, the atmosphere doesn’t end until around 122km, so we still have some way to go; there are still the mesosphere and the thermosphere to jump through yet.
And if you think we won’t do it, think again: We always do it!
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