News - History in the making: Space Jump

Felix Baumgartner... The man that no one knew until he made the most awesome leap in History!

14 October 2012.

On a desert setting, at infamous Roswell plane fiel in New Mexico, history was made again. But this time there were no aliens, no strange lights, no controversy or government cover up. This day one unknown pilot by the name of Felix Baumgartner broke the record for the highest parachute jump and, not only that, broke the sound barrier during the free fall.

I witness this moment live online... It was the second time (after 9-11 but with a much different felling) that I stood silent as I watched history in the making.

At the time you don't even realize what your watching, you just want the event happening and hope  everything to go smoothly. I look silent as he ascended to 120,000 ft in what looked nothing more than a state of the art NASA capsule used on the old Apollo missions hooked to a big fairy ballon. He rised for almost two hours and then (after a nerve recking pre-jump check list) he stood on the edge of space... and jumped!

My heart was in my mouth as he tumbled all over the place reaching more than 690 miles per hour. My thoughts as I watched im fall was "He's out of control! He's gonna crash! OM....G!" but as soon as the speed limit turned green (warning he had reached the sound barrier) he immediately stabilized and went to the "normal" free fall position. My mind was blown away by that! Was it control? Chance? Fate? I have no idea but he did it and minutes later the chute open and he just glided down for a few minutes landing safely.

The moment his feet touched the ground my feelings where the same as those on the control room, all over the world, whenever a single feat of man breaks all odds. The same as when our team wins the World Series, the same as when we kick the winning goal, the same as when we stood against the abyss and lived to tell it. Both arms held high and... WOOOOOHHHOOOOO!!

I can't explain it! But it in this "dying world" as some would call it... it brought me some hope! And for that mr Felix (and all of the Red Bull Stratos team) I thank you!