The Mission

 Red Bull Stratos, a mission to the edge of space, will attempt to transcend
human limits that have existed for 50 years.
 Supported by a team of experts Felix Baumgartner plans to ascend to 120,000
feet in a stratospheric balloon and make a freefall jump rushing toward earth at
supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground.
 Mission will help in scientific study as well.
 The Red Bull Stratos team brings together the world's leading minds in
aerospace medicine, engineering, pressure suit development, capsule creation
and balloon fabrication.
 It includes retired United States Air Force Colonel Joseph Kittinger, who holds
three of the records Felix will strive to break.
 Joe's record jump from 102,800 ft in 1960 was during a time when no one knew
if a human could survive a jump from the edge of space.
 Felix Baumgartner

 Born in Salzburg, Austria in 1969, Felix began skydiving at the age of 16 and
polished his skills as part of the Austrian military's demonstration and
competition team.
 In 1988, he began performing skydiving exhibitions for Red Bull. The
company's out-of-the-box thinking and Felix's adventurous spirit clicked, and
they've collaborated ever since.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
 2012 - (14th,October,2012) Felix Baumgartner successfully jumped from 24.2
miles / 39 kilometres above the Earth and completed a free fall at a speed
of 1137 kmh (Mach 1.24).
 2007 - BASE jump from world's tallest building, Taipei 101 Tower, Taipei,
Taiwan (1,669 feet).
 2003 - Channel Crossing, Dover, England to Calais, France; first crossing of
the English Channel with a carbon wing .
 1999 - World record BASE jump from the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia (1,479 feet)
Mission History
ON AUGUST 16, 1960 JOE KITTINGER BECAME
A REAL-LIFE SUPERHERO.

 It was the "highest step in the world". Joe Kittinger made history as he
ascended to 102,800 feet in a high-altitude balloon and jumped to Earth,
setting four world records. During a distinguished USAF career, Joe served as a
test pilot, Squadron Commander, and Vice Wing Commander.
 Joe is a National Aeronautics Association Elder Statesman of Aviation; was
awarded a Lifetime Achievement in Aviation trophy from the Smithsonian
National Air and Space Museum; was made an Honorary U.S. Army Golden
Knight; and is enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame, the U.S.
Ballooning Hall of Fame and the National Skydiving Museum Hall of Fame.
 He shares his knowledge to help address the challenges of Red Bull Stratos, and
as "Capcom" (capsule communications) he will be Mission Control's primary
point of radio contact with Felix Baumgartner during ascent.
JOE KITTINGER
Mission History
 2005: Felix Baumgartner and Red Bull begin to lay the groundwork for a stratospheric freefall
that would expand the boundaries of human flight.
 2007: Planning and team recruitment begins along with capsule development at Sage Cheshire
Aerospace in Lancaster, California.
 2009: Felix Baumgartner conducts first high-altitude training in pressure suit from 27,000 ft.
 2010: Felix obtains his U.S. gas balloon license, Wind tunnel testing/training conducted in
pressure suit.
 2011: Chamber tests are conducted at Brooks-City Base in San Antonio, Texas. Capsule is "man-
rated" (confirmed appropriate for human transport) to 121,000 feet.
 2012:
1. Launch site of Roswell, New Mexico, USA revealed.
2. Unmanned test launches to the stratosphere confirm equipment is ready for manned test
jumps.
3. First manned test complete in March: Felix freefalls successfully from 71,615 ft .
4. Second manned test achieved in July, the highest jump and fastest speed for Felix
Baumgartner. Altitude: 97,063 feet and freefall speed: 536 miles or 864 kilometres per hour.
TECHNOLOGY
HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON
 Type: The balloon is filled with helium to create lift. Helium is non-flammable,
non-toxic if vented to the atmosphere and a safe, predictable method of ascent.
 Material: It is constructed of strips of high-performance polyethylene (plastic)
film that is only 0.0008 inches thick. In total, these strips would cover 40 acres
if they were laid flat. Polyester-fibre reinforced load tapes are incorporated to
do the weight bearing.
 Size, volume and shape: The balloon for Felix's mission from the edge of
space will be nearly 30 million cubic feet in capacity - 10 times larger than Joe
Kittinger's balloon in 1960.
 At launch, it will be tall and thin, stretching 55 stories high. As the balloon
ascends, the helium will expand and the balloon will slowly fill out to an almost
completely round shape:
 Length of uninflated balloon before launch: 592.41 feet. Height of balloon at
take-off: 550 feet. The height from the top of the balloon to bottom of the
capsule will be: 695 feet. Size of balloon at 120,000 feet: Height 334.82 feet /
Diameter: 424.37 feet
 Weight: The uninflated balloon weighs 1680 Kgs.
CAPSULE
 STRUCTURE
The overall structure of the capsule, which will weigh around 2,900 pounds (1315 kg) fully loaded, can
be described in four components:
 PRESSURE SPHERE
The pressure sphere contains the capsule instrumentation and it's where Felix will be positioned
throughout the ascent. It is molded from fiberglass and epoxy painted with fireproof paint.
 CAGE
The cage surrounds the pressure sphere and supports the capsule overall, made from welded Chrome-
Moly (chromium molybdenum) aircraft tubing/pipes. The cage frame is the point where the capsule
attaches to the balloon and it will also bear the load for the parachute system and capsule touchdown.
 SHELL
The shell surrounds the pressure sphere and cage and is the part of the capsule that is visible to the
observer.
The shell is a foam-insulated skin covered in fiberglass and paint, providing protection and
insulation in the stratosphere, where temperatures near -70° F (-56.7 C).
 BASE AND CRUSH PADS
The 8-foot-diameter capsule base is the broadest part of the vessel, providing protection in the form
of the base panel and crush pads.
The base protects the capsule from sharp objects during landing and also provides a mounting area
for the balloon system control box and other systems such as batteries.
The crush pads, designed to handle 8 Gs on impact, provide shock absorption for the capsule's
parachute landing
THE CAPSULE WILL PROTECT FELIX
BAUMGARTNER FROM SUBZERO
TEMPERATURES IN A PRESSURIZED
ENVIRONMENT WITH OXYGEN.
PRESSURE SUIT AND HELMET
PRESSURE SUIT
 Felix Baumgartner's full-pressure suit and helmet are his personal life support system. Once Felix
jumps, this system will be his only protection until he reaches the safety of the lower atmosphere.
 - The suit is designed to provide protection from temperatures of +100°F to -90°F.
 - When pressurized to 3.5 pounds per square inch (roughly equivalent to the atmospheric pressure at
35,000 feet), the suit can help to avert symptoms of decompression sickness (the "bends").
 Above about 62,000 feet, the liquid in Felix's tissues could turn to gas and expand dangerously, a
condition called ebullism, but the suit will maintain pressure around his body to prevent such
expansion.
 The exterior of the suit is made of a material that is both fire retardant and an insulator against
extreme cold.

PRESSURE HELMET AND VISOR

 The helmet shell is molded from composite materials, which help to keep its weight low (about 8
pounds), yet are strong and resistant to impact.
 The visor is distortion free in the critical vision area because visual cues are important both in the
capsule and for orientation during descent and landing.
 The helmet's oxygen regulator will provide Felix with 100 percent oxygen to breathe from various
sources.
 An independently operated sunshade is fitted over the visor so that Felix can adjust it to his needs.
 - The visor has an integrated heating circuit to prevent fogging and icing.
 TO COMBAT
THE
CHALLENGES
OF THE
WITH IMPROVEMENTS LIKE MOBILITY MISSION, FELIX
AND PERSONALIZED ADJUSTMENTS, BAUMGARTNER
THIS FULL-PRESSURE SUIT MAY SERVE IS PRESSURIZED
AS THE PROTOTYPE FOR THE NEXT FROM HEAD
GENERATION OF EXPLORERS. TO TOE
PARACHUTE
 No personal parachute system has ever been used for a supersonic freefall from the edge
of space. Years of development and testing have resulted in innovations including
revolutionary drogue technology to stabilize Felix Baumgartner if necessary.
HARNESS AND CONTAINER
 The container houses the drogue stabilization chute and the two landing parachutes
(main and reserve), while the harness attaches the entire rig to Felix Baumgartner and
holds two oxygen bottles, which can supply at least 10 minutes of oxygen at altitude.
DROGUE STABILIZATION CHUTE AND G METER
 If Felix becomes unstable, he may need the drogue chute to keep from spinning
uncontrollably. If Felix experiences 3.5 Gs or more for a continuous period of 6 seconds,
a G meter will open the drogue stabilization chute automatically.
PARACHUTES
 If all goes as Felix envisions, the main parachute is the only parachute in his rig that will
be deployed. This nine-cell, ram-air, 270-square-foot/25-square-meter canopy will not
open automatically. It is expected that Felix will pull the handle to deploy it at 5,000
feet/1,524 meters.
 Felix's main and reserve (emergency) parachutes are rated to be opened at 150 knots,
which means that he must slow to about 172 mph / 277km/h for safe deployment.
Camera and communications systems
 Camera and communications systems are essential to establish visual
contact with Felix Baumgartner, to document the mission's progress in real
time and for future review, and to broadcast the images to a global
audience.
 IN-FLIGHT CAMERAS
 CAPSULE
 Nine high-definition cameras
 Three 4K (4,000 x 2,000-pixel) digital cinematography cameras
 Three high-resolution digital still cameras
 Pressurized electronics "keg" containing more than 125 electronic
components and approximately two miles of wiring
 PRESSURE SUIT
 Three small high-definition video cameras: one on each thigh and one on
Felix's chest pack
LAUNCH TIMELINE
 The best weather conditions for balloon launch usually occur at dawn. Here is an approximate timeline.
 Launch minus 8 hours
 After a weather and safety briefing, the team inspects the equipment and communications systems, then pulls the
boxed balloon and equipment out of the hangar while a separate crew works to clear the runway of dirt, debris and
other objects. The capsule and balloon are delivered to the launch area on a cleared runway. More checks and re-
verifications are conducted.
 Launch minus 4:30 hours
Crew Chief contacts Mission Control for permission to lay out the flight train components. Balloon is laid out on a
layer of Herculite. Then balloon, parachute and capsule are connected.
 Launch minus 2:45 hours
Layout of flight train is complete.
 Launch minus 2:15 hours
 Balloon's helium valves are rechecked and verified.
 Launch minus 1:15 hours
All capsule checks are complete.
 Launch minus 1:00 hours
Crew chief contacts meteorologist and requests permission to begin inflation.
 Launch minus 0:55 hours
Inflation begins.
 Launch minus 0:30 hours
Felix is sealed in capsule which is cradled on a crane and pressurization begins.
 Launch minus 0:10 hours
Inflation is complete.
 Launch minus 0:05 hours
Crew chief inspects the entire flight train and removes all safety restraints
 Launch minus 0:01 hours
Balloon bubble is released from launch arm.
 LAUNCH
As the balloon rises, the crane bearing the capsule drives rapidly down the runway to meet it. The crane releases the
capsule when it's vertical with the balloon. The balloon lifts the capsule off the crane and the ascent begins.
WHAT THIS MISSION MEANS:

 RED BULL STRATOS SEEKS TO ADVANCE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES IN

AEROSPACE FOR THE BENEFIT OF MANKIND.

 A central aim of the Red Bull Stratos project is to collect valuable data for
science that could ultimately help improve the safety of space travel and
enable high-altitude escapes from spacecraft. The jump will also attempt to
break an assortment of records such as highest speed in freefall, highest
jump, highest manned balloon flight and longest freefall.
 Mission Accomplished: Felix
Baumgartner completes a World Record
Breaking Jump.

"Sometimes you have to go up really high to

understand how small you are.“
- Felix Baumgartner

Preliminary Figures:
Altitude: 128,097 ft
Duration of freefall: 4:19
Total jump time: 9:03
Speed: 1137 kmh (Mach 1.24) 833 mph