posted 11-02-2012 07:32 PM               

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Originally posted by issman1:
Poor Felix must not know that the NASA budget is minute compared to what other US government agencies receive.

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posted 11-05-2012 08:58 AM               

I particularly enjoyed the suit manufacturing and fitting at the David Clark company referring to its history of suit manufacture and speaking to the seamstresses.

The photography was excellent although I thought some scenes a little long and maybe some of the running through the desert "action man "type scenes could have been cut out.

For me however the most interesting aspect was how it really highlighted the achievement of Colonel Joe Kittenger so many years ago with some very nice early footage.

The more I watched made me wish the whole program was about these early "Project Manhigh" and similar experiments of which I know relatively little .

Colonel Kittenger seemed very lucid and affable and with a quick look on Wikipedia of his post jump history I would have liked to know more about him, much as I realise the program was based upon Baumgartner.

posted 11-05-2012 10:25 AM               

Joe Kittinger - well, what can you say? I just hope I have that much vitality in my 80's. Clearly a linchpin in the project and calmly encouraging as the "capcom". I'm so glad that this programme brought Joe's landmark achievements to a wider audience as much as those of Baumgartner.

posted 11-13-2012 05:57 PM               

The complex engineering challenges of developing the man-rated balloon capsule and launching a delicate 30million cubic-ft 0.0008in polyethylene walled helium balloon in a 20min launch window are underlined.

The four year development and one year production by David Clark of a state-of-the-art pressure suit designed not just for high altitude protection but with sufficient articulation to enable supersonic freefall is explored. The success of Stratos will positively impact man-rating certification of future pressure suits for higher altitudes. More details of the suit are here.

The level of USAF co-operation is clear as Baumgartner undergoes pressure suit/altitude chamber testing to 76,000ft at Beale AFB and flight ascent simulation to 125,000ft at Brooks AFB, in addition to the extensive involvement of Col. Joe Kittinger in the project.

The seriousness of the endeavour comes across throughout the documentary. According to Stratos Technical Director Art Thompson in this excellent article:

"One of the things that has allowed us to gather the experts we have, and work with the level of people we’re working with, is that they perceive us to be very serious about what we do. It’s definitely not a stunt."

"The objective is science. You don't go into a situation like this to set a record. You go in to get knowledge."

"I think all of us are dedicated toward the science, and none of us would be involved if this was a stunt."

Stratos Life Support Engineer Mike Todd's experience of the fatal 1966 flight of Nick Piantanida to 125,000ft is explored, but the role/interest of NASA flight surgeon and SF freefall parachutist Dr. Jon Clark is not examined in detail. An excellent TEDxUSC video presentation by Dr. Clark on the Stratos Project and its relevance to the Columbia accident and next generation entrepreneurial space exploration is available STRATOS Dr Jon Clark TEDxUSC.

One of the most interesting aspects of the documentary was the contrast/comparison of the experiences of Joe Kittinger and Felix Baumgartner. Kittinger had rudimentary equipment and 33 jumps to Baumgartner's 3,000+ jumps, but Kittinger had much more experience in a pressure suit environment. Kittinger's exit was unstable whereas Baumgartner fell stable for 34 secs, but both endured severe flat spins. Both confronted psychological issues and it raises the serious question of the survivability of less experienced personnel.

According to Art Thompson in the December 2012 Red Bulletin:

"The scientific data that we have collected with the Red Bull Stratos project include Felix’s complete biometric values, subsonic to transonic to supersonic and back again. These data are of interest to medical practitioners and will help to develop future treatments for accidents in the supersonic range. The load values of suit, helmet, gloves, and parachute will make equipment safer in the future. We are the first to collate such data."

"The U.S. Air Force, NASA, and private companies have already asked if they can have access to our data. They are all interested in what happens when you exit at such high altitudes. It will take some time to analyze the data from the flat spin and to deduce an exact pattern of how people with less skydiving experience than Felix can survive a fall from such a great height."

posted 11-26-2012 11:09 PM               

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Originally posted by Lou Chinal:
Anyone have any info. on the drogue chute he carried as a back-up?

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