5 Reasons Why The Felix Baumgartner (Red Bull Stratos) Spacedive Today Was Pure Awesome

Felix Baumgartner: successful jump from the Red Bull Stratos capsule today at 128,097 feet
 

Check out other recent Red Bull Stratos posts here on AirPigz

 After trying but failing last week to launch the largest manned helium balloon ever from Roswell New Mexico, and then battling similar challenging winds this morning, Felix Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos crew succeeded in getting off the ground late this morning Mountain Time. And then after a successful ascent, Felix left the capsule step at 128,097 feet above the Earth setting records for the highest manned balloon flight, the highest jump ever, and the fastest freefall speed. The actual speed will be posted later once it's official, but it does indeed appear that Felix went faster than the speed of sound on his journey back to Earth!

The 4 minute 19 second freefall begins right here at 128,097 feet!

 I was away from my office and my computer when the jump took place, but I did watch it live on my phone... a pretty unbelievable feat to say the least. How things have changed since the days when Joe Kittinger made his jump from 102,800 feet in 1960 - a record jump that stood until earlier today. Seeing Felix on the ascent and then leaving the capsule step live was amazing, awesome, and fantastic. What a thrill to be able to experience this project with a live broadcast!

 I figured there were plenty of sources out there for info on the jump today, so rather than just repeat the same info I'm offering up 5 reasons why I think the Red Bull Stratos spacedive today by Felix Baumgartner was pure awesome.

Felix Baumgartner and Technical Project Director Art Thompson celebrate success!

Reason 1: Joe Kittinger involvement

 The fact that the man who set the high altitude jump record as part of Project Excelsior back in 1960 was directly involved in the Red Bull Stratos project is simply spectacular. Had the 84-year-old Joe Kittinger only made a statement or posed for a pic or two with Felix, we would have missed out on the way that these two projects and these two very unique men have been brought together. Even more encouraging is that fact that this was never seen by either man as an issue of pride... Joe was thrilled to be part of the effort of another man to break his records. Unlike our modern culture of extreme sports and chest-beating self glory, this is how real men behave.

 If you're interested in knowing more of Joe Kittinger's fabulous life, check out his autobiography Come Up and Get Me: An Autobiography of Colonel Joe Kittinger - and if you purchase it (or any other products) after using this link, AirPigz receives a small referral payment from Amazon. It doesn't cost you anything extra and AirPigz gets some much needed support!

Click to read more ...

Godspeed Felix Baumgartner (Red Bull Stratos) - Spacedive Balloon Launch Set For Early Sunday Morning 10-14-12

 The video above shows the attempt to launch Felix Baumgartner out of Roswell New Mexico last Tuesday (October 9, 2012) as part of the Red Bull Stratos project, an effort to make a jump from the edge of space at 120,000. The video shows how to winds were too strong to launch, and that Felix had hopes that they would be able to try the launch again two days later on the 11th. The weather forecast wasn't favorable for the 11th, but it is currently favorable for a launch early Sunday morning October 14, 2012, presumably at 8am EDT / 6am MDT.

WATCH LIVE: the launch, ascent, and jump by Felix Baumgartner will be broadcast live via RedBullStratos.com/live - this is also your best source for an update on the current launch countdown.

UPDATE: 9:48am EDT Sunday October 14, 2012
Red Bull Stratos update was just given at www.redbullstratos.com/live - Winds are calm on the ground but again blowing too strong at 700 feet. Felix is in the capsule and ready but the balloon is not inflated and the launch is on hold until 9am MDT (11am EDT / 8am PDT) - winds are expected to be suitable around 9am MDT.

click pic to enlarge - then right click to save for use as a cover pic on your facebook page

 You might want to join me in showing support for Felix by making the above pic your facebook cover pic for the day. Click the pic to enlarge it, then right click and save-as to save the pic on your computer... then you can upload it and set it as your cover pic on your facebook page.

 There's another interesting twist to the attempt to make the spacedive on Sunday October 14, 2012. This date is 65 years to the day since Chuck Yeager was the first person to fly an aircraft faster than the speed of sound. He accomplished this on October 12, 1947 flying the Bell X-1. Even more, 89 year old Chuck Yeager will celebrate this date by riding in the back of an F-15 that will go supersonic at essentially the same time and place that he did it back in 1947. They will depart Nellis AFB near Las Vegas and then travel to the area around Edwards AFB (called Muroc at the time) to recreate the supersonic flight. You can learn more in this article: Famous pilot Yeager re-enacting right stuff 65 years later.

 But the big news tomorrow will be about Felix Baumgartner and his attempt to be the first person to go supersonic without being inside an aircraft. He may attain a speed of 690 mph while in freefall, a speed sufficient to push him past the speed of sound!

Godspeed Felix Baumgartner.

Watch Shuttle Endeavour's Last Journey Live... Low And Slow Thru Los Angeles

Endeavour 'crossing' thru LA today (photo: Jeff Gritchen/Getty Images: via LA Times)

 Los Angeles TV station KTLA is providing some live coverage of the Shuttle Endeavour slowly making its way from LAX to the California Science Center in Exposition Park where it will be put on display. Watch the live feed here.

 I don't know how long the journey will take, but when I posted this live at 5:49pm EDT (Saturday 10-13-12), the Shuttle was still making the slow 12 mile journey.

 It's great to see from the media coverage (like the string of LA Times stories where the pic above came from) how much the locals are enjoying and appreciating their opportunity to see Endeavour up close like this. It's a great day in LA!

More LA Times Endeavour coverage

To The Edge Of Space And Beyond! X-15 CoolPix 2Fer

(click pic for hi-res)  North American X-15 on the B-52 wing about 50 years ago

 With all this Felix Baumgartner edge-of-space talk, I found myself getting all misty-eyed thinking about the North American X-15 and the amazing things that little black beast accomplished in the late 50's and early 60's. I figure this is a good time to offer up a couple hi-res CoolPix images for you to gaze at.

 To put it all in perspective, Felix plans to jump from 120,000 feet, but the X-15's highest flight was in 1963 when Joe Walker reached 354,199 feet. However, almost all of the fastest X-15 flights occurred in and around that 120,000 foot altitude. These fastest flights ranged from 3,900 mph all the way up to 4,519 mph! And without question, the X-15 provided so much important data for understanding both the space environment, and the transition from space back into aerodynamic flight.

 I hope you enjoy these two nostalgic pix of one of the most fascinating flying machines ever designed and built, but I also wanna encourage you that I can feel an 'X-15 week' here at AirPigz coming on before long... and wow, that's gonna be cool : )

[In the X-15 days and still today, the USAF and NASA award astronaut wings for flight at 50 miles in altitude (264,000 feet) - thus consided a 'spaceflight', while the FAI considers spaceflight at 100 kilometers (328,000 feet) in altitude]

 (click pic for hi-res) One of the three X-15's built landing on the California lakebed in 1961

Winds Cancel Red Bull Stratos (Felix Baumgartner) Spacedive Launch Attempt 10.9.12

Felix Baumgartner after balloon launch for 120,000' spacedive was cancelled due to wind

Red Bull Stratos spacedive to be re-scheduled... 
possibly as early as Thursday October 11, 2012
(check RedBullStratos.com/live for schedule and live broadcast)

UPDATE: 6:34pm Wednesday October 10, 2012
Next launch attempt tentatively scheduled for Sunday October 14 as the weather forecast shows that Thursday's weather will not be suitable. The next weather window for Felix Baumgartner and Red Bull Stratos opens on Sunday Oct 14 - a three day pre-alert as well as daily weather updates will follow and lead into the next launch day... watch RedBullStratos.com/live for official updates.
 

 A lot of people all over the world were watching and hoping for the massive 29.47 million cubic foot helium balloon to be completely filled and launched out of Roswell New Mexico today, but the winds were too strong to safely launch. An early morning attempt to send Felix Baumgartner up to a record breaking 120,000 feet for a freefall from the edge of space was re-scheduled for later in the day (approximately 1:30pm EDT) but at 1:42 EDT the mission was aborted as the winds were just too strong to launch the balloon. The entire Red Bull Stratos team is now working to calculate when the attempt can be tried once again... possibly as early as Thursday October 11, 2012. The intent is the same as before, to reach 120,000 feet for the spacedive back to Earth.

 Felix Baumgartner entering the Red Bull Stratos capsule for the launch attempt today

 This is the third and final Red Bull Stratos jump planned... and the one that is expected to break the record jump set on August 16, 1960 by Joe Kittinger (USAF Captain at the time of the record, later a Colonel) of 102,800 feet as part of Project Excelsior. The first Red Bull Stratos jump was made by Felix from 71,581 feet on March 15, 2012 and the second from 96,640 feet on July 25, 2012. This third mission will shatter the 1960 record if they reach the intended altitude of 120,000 feet.

Helium balloon minutes before cancelling the launch due to wind at 1:42 EDT on 10.9.12

 The are many risks and hazards associated with a project like this, but the first two jumps by Felix have gone much smoother than the serious challenges Joe Kittinger experienced in his three high altitude jumps (more on that in a future post) - but the expectations are high for a successful mission for Felix, and hopefully that'll take place very soon.

 It's truly remarkable that Joe Kittinger is participating in the Red Bull Stratos project as a technical advisor and inspirational cheerleader... and the picture below of Felix (born 1969) and Joe (born 1928) together is really rather amazing when you consider what these men have accomplished and how many years are between their efforts.

 You might be interested in checking out this excellent book: Come Up and Get Me: An Autobiography of Colonel Joe Kittinger - and if you purchase it (or any other products) after using this link, AirPigz receives a small referral payment from Amazon. It doesn't cost you anything extra and AirPigz gets some much needed support!

 Felix Baumgartner (Red Bull Stratos) and Joe Kittinger (Project Excelsior) together

Godspeed Red Bull Stratos.

Video: Red Bull Stratos Spacedive (Felix Baumgartner) Delayed Til Tuesday 10-9-12

Animation of the process set to unfold tomorrow - the Red Bull Stratos spacedive

UPDATE: 9:47am Tuesday October 9, 2012
LAUNCH DELAYED - earliest launch time now 1:30pm EDT.
(Watch RedBullStratos.com/live for launch update info) Winds on the surface in Roswell are light but at 800 feet they were about 20mph... the winds must be very light from the surface to approximately 1,000 feet so that the entire balloon is experiencing the same wind for the launch process.

(7 pix and 2 videos)

 The Red Bull Stratos spacedive from 120,000 feet (at the edge of space) was scheduled to take place today with a launch in Roswell New Mexico, but weather issues have pushed the attempt back until tomorrow, Tuesday October 9, 2012. You're probably already somewhat familiar with Felix Baumgartner and this effort to break the 120,800 foot jump record set by Joseph Kittinger back in 1960, and you might even know that Kittinger (now 84 years old) is participating in the program as a technical advisor and inspirational cheerleader, but do you know much about the details of the equipment for the jump? If not, check out the following info to get your self 'up to speed' so to speak.

 BE ADVISED: the Red Bull Stratos spacedive will be broadcast live at RedBullStratos.com/live with a target launch time of 5am Pacific time / 8am Eastern time. As I understand it, the ascent to 120,000 feet will take less than three hours, so the jump from the capsule might occur before noon Eastern time. Be sure to check out the 'how to watch live page' to get more info on the various options for viewing the mission. An extensive broadcast effort with 35 cameras has been put in place - this might be really amazing coverage! You can also get an alert about the launch time by joining the Red Bull Stratos Mission - Live on facebook.

Felix Baumgartner may be in this spot tomorrow - at 120,000 feet ready to jump

Live broacast details - where to watch and what to expect, plus brief mission overview

From launch to landing - the full Red Bull Stratos mission sequence

Click to read more ...

Remembering Neil Armstrong For His Biggest Accomplishments

 I admit that I take a different view of life and our earthly 'accomplishments' than most people do. Interestingly, it appears Neil Armstrong did as well. His death this past Saturday (August 25, 2012) put the man who first walked on the moon in the biggest spotlight since he took those steps back in July 1969. But the spotlight was not Armstrong's favorite place to be. In fact, you could probably say it was just about his least favorite place to be. And given the instant (and lasting) stardom that the first moonwalk brought him, it's a pretty amazing accomplishment that he succeeded in staying out of the spotlight.

 Was Neil Armstrong a weirdo or a recluse? It doesn't seem so... it appears his biggest motivating factor in laying low was that he didn't feel he deserved so much attention and stardom for what was really a group accomplishment driven by the hard work of thousands of additional people. That level of humility is extremely remarkable. Personally, I look up to Neil Armstrong far more for that than for the reality that he happened to be the right guy at the right time to be able to take those first steps on the Moon. Sure, he was a true engineer nerd/geek who also had great piloting skills and an excellent ability to solve critical flight problems as they were happening, and I respect and admire all that. But being a humble human being is the real accomplishment in my book.

 I've intentionally waited a few days to say anything here about Neil because it's my estimation that he wouldn't really like all this media attention over his death. I figured I'd spend a few days contemplating the fact that he now knows what happens to a human being when we die, and honestly, nothing that happens on Earth (or the Moon) can compare to that. I've always found it very curious that we humans spend so much time and energy paying attention to when people die, but most of us act as though we care nothing for wanting to seek answers to life's biggest question: what happens when we die?

 I had always understood that Neil Armstrong was a Christian. As a Christian myself (and a person who always wonders how and why things work) I've felt I was in pretty good company knowing that a large number of astronauts, engineers, and otherwise sharp-and-critical-thinkers are also fully willing to acknowledge (even with all of our scientific progress) that we really don't know much about life and the universe... and we have no trouble at all seeing the Bible as truth, now more than ever.

 In my research about Neil's life, I found the following account of his thoughts when he experienced the Temple Mount site in Jerusalem:

 Inside the Temple Mount, much of the original staircase and the arched, elaborately carved Herodian ceilings survive. According to archeologist Meir Ben-Dov, "On his way in and out of the Temple, Jesus must have walked here." Ben-Dov recalls that he was once asked by Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut, to show him an area in Jerusalem where Jesus might have walked. Ben-Dov took him inside the Hulda Gates in the Southern Wall and Armstrong said that he was just as thrilled to stand on this staircase as he had been when he took his first steps on the moon. (from the Southern Wall wiki)

 Godspeed, Neil Armstrong.

Caption Contest #76 Winner - Born To Be Wild!

 Congrats to Tim C. for winning the moon minibike caption contest - I hope he'll be able to make it to OSH12 to enjoy his bacon sandwich prize! And as always, thanx to everyone who submitted captions and voted. This will probably be the last contest until after Oshkosh, but we'll pick it up again sometime in August.

 And I'm thinking you'd have to be pretty wild to be riding a NASA minibike in low-g (and zero-g?) conditions in a vomit comet. Especially with that spacesuit on restricting your ability to control the thing. But NASA really did consider the possibility of a minbike on the moon - you can read a little about it in this AmericaSpace.com post: How NASA Didn't Drive on the Moon.

 I love motorcycles, but I think the 4-wheel Lunar Roving Vehicle was the better idea for moon cruisin' : )

Celebrate Independence Day With A New Spaceport America Logo & Website

All new Spaceport America logo gives a great look to the future of reaching into space

 I'm a logo freak (possibly a snob) so anytime a new logo emerges I'm very interested (and usually disappointed) - wow, not this time! I love this all new Spaceport America identity named 'Spirit'. I think it perfectly embodies the emerging efforts here in the United States to reach for the final frontier. Its release is also well timed to go along with Independence Day... I hope you catch the spirit : )

(check out this recent Virgin Galactic update)

Spaceport America hangar with Virgin Galactic mothership and spaceship inside

Press Release announcing the new logo and the launch of their new website:

(Las Cruces, NM) - Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built, commercial spaceport, has launched a new look for its brand on Independence Day. "Spaceport America is helping a new American Revolution take place in the commercial space industry, and what better time to showcase our new brand than the Fourth of July," said Christine Anderson, Executive Director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA).

Spaceport America’s new look was unveiled in time for Independence Day on July 4, 2012, simultaneous with the launch of an all-new website (http://www.spaceportamerica.com) on that day, marking the beginning of a new marketing effort to introduce Spaceport America to the world.

The new identity, named "Spirit", represents two stars coming together; the collaboration of innovative efforts to propel man's reach into space. The Spaceport America identity is created from the colors of our nation with red symbolizing energy, strength, and power and blue symbolizing trust, loyalty and wisdom. It reflects Spaceport America’s core commitment to the spirit of exploration, the promise of human potential, and the powerful combination of vision and courage as it launches the next generation of space.

Also this week, the NMSA announced it has obtained a temporary Certificate of Occupancy from the New Mexico Regulations and Licensing Department for the Spaceport Operations Center (SOC), a dome-shaped building adjacent to the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space that will support operations. The design of the interior SOC fit-out is underway and final build out construction is expected to begin by the end of 2012. When complete, the SOC will house NMSA staff and their primary contractors that will handle facilities operations, security, fire and EMT service.

"Our new identity emphasizes our dedication to the highest level of service to both our launch customers and the hundreds of thousands of expected annual visitors from around the globe," said Anderson. “We look forward to soon adding access to the newly finished SOC facility to our guided ‘Preview Tour’ this summer.” Anderson continued, "Once Phase Two construction is completed in 2013, we will have created a whole new kind of visitor experience, and the new Spaceport America brand identity and website are key steps along the path of offering the world an invitation to space."

Preview Tour days, times and reservation information can be found by going to: www.ftstours.com.

Virgin Galactic: On Track For Powered Flight By The End Of 2012

SpaceShipTwo glide test yesterday in the very blue Mojave sky  (photo: facebook)

 Virgin Galactic is progressing nicely toward the first powered flight of the suborbital space transport system by the end of 2012. Yesterday, a successful glide test with Virgin Galactic chief pilot Dave Mackay as co-pilot marked the first time a non Scaled Composites pilot has flown the SpaceShipTwo prototype, also known as VSS Enterprise. And a few days earlier on June 26, 2012, VSS Enterprise completed a glide test in addition to the team completing a full duration test firing of the rocket motor for the spacecraft - the first time these two large tasks have been conducted in one day.

Awesome front view of the gliding SpaceShipTwo from yesterday  (photo: facebook)

 The rocket motor firing was performed by Sierra Nevada Space Systems, the prime contractor for the RocketMotor2 (RM2) system. The 55-second test was the thirteenth full-scale flight design RM2 hot fire. All objectives were completed. In addition to this test, on June 20 a full-scale RM2 test firing took place for the first time at Scaled Composites’ test site in Mojave California, under full direction of the spaceship’s Rocket Motor Controller. This firing provided an end-to-end test of the rocket motor systems – a critical step in preparation for powered flight.

Virgin Galactic chief pilot Dave Mackay after his first flight in SS2  (photo: facebook)

 The tasks and goals to be achieved are huge in this test phase for the entire system of mothership, spaceship and rocket motor, but tremendous progress is being made with great success. It sure appears that it won't be long before an actual powered flight takes place which will bring this commercial space venture much closer to putting paying passengers in the cabin of SS2 and giving them the ride of their life! Godspeed Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites!