Did Felix Baumgartner (Red Bull Stratos) Go 200mph, Mach 1.24 Or Faster Than The Speed Of Light? (+ Video)
Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 10:31AM 
Felix Baumgartner: Sunday October 14, 2012 about to leave the capsule at 128,097 feet
Check out other recent Red Bull Stratos posts here on AirPigz
The Red Bull Stratos team had calculated that Felix Baumgartner would very possibly go supersonic on a spacedive from 120,000 feet... and with the actual stepping off point of 128,097 feet last Sunday, his chances for that high of a speed seemed even more likely. Interestingly, MSNBC reported that Felix actually went faster than the speed of LIGHT on Sunday! Wow! That would have really been impressive! However, I'm pretty confident that Felix did not exceed the speed of light during his spacedive, and I'm pretty sure that my long-held opinion that MSNBC doesn't have the first clue remains solidly intact.
But concerning the speed of SOUND, the unofficial report from the Red Bull Stratos team is saying that Felix went Mach 1.24 or about 833 mph. The higher exit altitude would seem to fit with the idea that Felix not only got past the speed of sound, but got well past it. And unlike the speculation offered up by some before the attempt, Felix didn't burn up and he didn't explode when he exceeded the sound barrier. In fact, he didn't even feel anything when he went supersonic.
Felix Baumgartner head down in a Red Bull Stratos test jump in June 2012
But I'd like to offer up a little different perspective here. I'm guessing Felix's speed was really more like about 200mph. Am I doubting that Felix went supersonic? Of course not. I'm a huge fan of what was accomplished by the entire Red Bull Stratos team (and their subcontractors) and I'm quite confident that Felix did exceed the speed of sound while in freefall. But the kind of thinking that was sure he would burn up or explode if he went supersonic is also a little confused in wrapping their head around that 833 mph figure. Felix's airspeed, meaning the the speed that would have registered on an airspeed indicator if he had one, was most likely more like 200mph.
Great overview video of the entire mission: launch to landing
Since there was so little air when he was at the extremely high altitudes, the air pressure he felt was greatly reduced despite the high speed he was traveling. My speculation is that from an actual airspeed perspective, this jump felt about the same as it would have if he had made if from 15,000 feet and gone head-down in freefall. Given the extra mass that Felix had with the equipment he was wearing, the relatively aerodynamic shape of the snug fitting suit and helmet, and the head-down position, he would likely be able to hit up to about 200 mph on any skydive. A typical skydiver in a flat stomach-toward-the-earth position falls with an airspeed around 120 mph. But when that typical skydiver pulls their arms back to their side and goes into a head down position, they can easily reach 180 mph.
So, the point here is that while Felix did go supersonic, it really felt like a pretty normal airspeed to his body and suit. Anyone thinking that it was like Felix was driving a convertible car at 833 mph on the ground needs to think again. However, there were lots of other factors on this jump that made it hardcore extreme. With temperatures as cold as -90 Fahrenheit to fly thru, the lack of life-supporting oxygen outside the suit, the extreme low atmospheric pressure, and the length of time that Felix was living inside that suit (both physiological and psychological stress) before the actual jump all made the mission both a huge challenge and extremely dangerous.
For me tho, one of the most impressive and powerful parts of the whole project is found in the words that Felix spoke just before he left the capsule:
I know the whole world is watching right now and I wish the world could see what I can see. Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you really are... I'm going home now.
Well done Felix Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team!
Reader Comments (6)
UH... speed of light.... or sound? No denying....this WAS INCREDIBLE!
It's worth knowing that Mach changes with altitude. Since air at 120,000 feet is less dense than air at sea level, and since the speed of sound decreases as the density of the medium through which it travels decreases, to break the sound barrier you can go somewhat slower at a higher altitude.
NASA's GRC has a great calculator that will give you a Mach number for a given speed at a given altitude, taking into account the atmospheric makeup of the layers of gases surrounding the Earth.
The reason he went 833.9 mph was his initial top speed where the air pressure is next to nothing, probably at around 115000 feet. The further he fell, the slower he went until he got to 10000 feet and was traveling at around 120 mph I'd imagine.
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