Live: Felix Baumgartner Freefall Attempt

Those large discs on the ground are centre pivot irrigated farm plots.

My son just said that Felix Baumgartner's balls are so big, they can probably be seen from space. I guess we'll see. :)

very kewl !

What's more amazing, that he is doing this or that 3 million people are watching

When it was that wanker Branson from virgin, i was rooting for the atmosphere. This time i am rooting for Baumgartner

Am watching this thing live on their web site, but the commentator is incredibly annoying. Why can't they just let us listen to mission control, instead of some rambling fool?

A big disappointment as far as coverage goes.

I feel like a kid again watching this.

What's more amazing is that Joe Kittinger did this in 1959

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=jvRG7LzKcDA&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DjvRG7LzKcDA

At that altitude, "records" are irrelevant. This guy is in it for the record, which is fine. Kittinger had balls of steel. Parachute jumps are easy when you know they've been done before. Not so easy for the first guy to try something new.

The interior of the capsule sounds like interior of the EVA pod from 2001 a space odyssey.

Congratulations to Felix and his team.

That was cool to watch live.

Fan-freakin'-tastic!!

Congratulations Felix! Awesome work to him and his crew.

Warren Z at October 14, 2012 1:51 PM
"The interior of the capsule sounds like interior of the EVA pod from 2001 a space odyssey."

Issac Isamov commented that science fiction was really science with a touch of fiction.

Agree with Knacker... Awesome... now did he pull the chute a bit early to keep Kittinger's name in the record books? If so, a hell of a hat tip to a mentor!

Wow! I noticed right after he jumped that MY hands were sweaty.

What?!

No government assistance?

I would love to see the world from that perspective but be danged if I want to do 700 MPH straight down with just a space suit and a parachute to keep me alive.

Way to go Felix!

I didn't think it would be possible to go over mach 1 (in freefall). Wow!

That was awesome! The spin was scary...buffeting at the sound barrier..?

BTW the video link is broke but still available here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/9607604/Skydiver-Felix-Baumgartner-attempts-to-break-sound-barrier-live.html

8 million people watched that on you-tube live. Is that a record?

I wondered, whether, standing on the highest precipice (just) in the world whether he got vertigo, or though "Fode, I can't do this" or some such; just amazing!

Red Jeff, he might possibly have been releaved that he COULD open his chute!

The second shuttle disaster only had to get down to 150,000 feet intact and then the astronauts could have jumped out in their parachute gear and survived. :-( Amazing.

Totally awesome. When they finally got the pressure right and the door came off, that was quite the sight.

Amazing bravery by Sir Baumgartner.

883 mph Mach 1.24

"Freefall Attempt"

Attempt? there was never much doubt about the 'freefall' part.

The attempt was for a landing to walk away from.

A bit of trivia.

It was on this day in 1947 that Chuck Yaeger first broke the sound barrier in an aircraft.

Have to hand it to Felix, I get vertigo, just climbing down from the roof of my house.

Bet he has no problem getting dates.

I imagine a movie version with Arnold saying "This makes me very humble, I do not want to die in front of my wife and my girlfriend."

Big balls.

My response to an associate's query as to whether I would try that.

"Naw, I'm too old now for such stuff....survived a lot of other silly stuff...besides now I don't bounce well." (slightly edited for a general audience).

Today I read that Kittinger was on his ground crew. That makes me happy.