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Silicon Valley Nation: The engineer(ing) behind Felix Baumgartner's free fall
Brian Fuller
10/10/2012 5:45 PM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO--When Felix Baumgartner attempts the unthinkable--jumping out of a capsule in the stratosphere and plummeting to earth--he'll be placing his life in the hands of an engineer named Mike
Todd.
Baumgartner is the Austrian daredevil who is trying to skydive from the highest point ever, more than 120,000 feet. His attempt, scheduled for Thursday (Oct. 10), was postponed because of high winds around Roswell, N.M., where a stratospheric balloon will lift him toward space. The next attempt is scheduled for Oct. 14.
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"I've become quite attached to Felix," Todd ( right) said in a video interview. "He's depending on me to keep him alive."
Classic engineering understatement. Six people have died trying to beat Joe Kittinger's record free fall in 1960. Todd, who made 821 jumps from 1959-70 for Pioneer Parachute, is responsible for much of the suit design and maintenance.
The project
Baumgartner's attempt is part of a ballsy promotional campaign from the jitter pushers at Red Bull. Todd, who is an accomplished skydiver himself, is responsible for the pressurized suit that will protect Baumgartner as he descends through the atmosphere, through temperatures that could reach -70 degrees F and speeds of more than 700 mph.
The suit, similar to those worn by high-altitude pilots, is designed to a temperature range of +100°F / -90°F. Pressurized to 3.5 PSI, the suit should prevent the bends and help Baumgartner avoid, well, exploding.
A hockey-puck-sized controller system will monitor pressure as he descends and adjust pressure accordingly.
The composite-composed helmet weights 8 pounds and features an oxygen regulator that will provide Felix with 100 percent oxygen to breathe from various sources. Those sources include liquefied oxygen on the ground before launch, from the capsule's liquefied system when he's on board, and from a pair of high-pressure gaseous oxygen cylinders during the free-fall descent, according to the project site.
The chest pack ( pictured, right) includes an inertia measurement unit, GPS beacons, telemetry equipment, an HD camera, a module that will be used by the world governing body for air sports and aeronautical world records.
An inertia measurement unit (IMU) that will report altitude (pitch/angle) and spin. He has a main chute and a reserve chute, both about 265 square feet.
The effects
When Kittinger set his record 52 years ago, he leaped from 102,800 feet (31,300 m), fell for 4:36, hit 614 mph before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m). The only problem? His pressurized right glove failure during ascent and his right hand swelled up to twice its normal size.
Once Baumgartner falls, at "35 to 37 seconds after his step off, he should be going Mach 1, around 690 mph," says technical director Art Thompson. "He’s going to break the speed of sound at a little above 100,000 feet. He could reach up to 740 mph." Baumgartner will free fall for more than five minutes, deploying his main chute at 5,000 feet. The whole trip, from leap to landing, should take 15 minutes. And when his feet hit the ground, he'll look for Mike Todd and give him a great big hug.
"A lot of times you give yourself too much credit by thinking 'Well I did that.' But you really didn't," Todd says. "There's always somebody behind you that's helping you get things done. An individual just can't do things on his own when it comes to …major projects."
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Baumgartner is the Austrian daredevil who is trying to skydive from the highest point ever, more than 120,000 feet. His attempt, scheduled for Thursday (Oct. 10), was postponed because of high winds around Roswell, N.M., where a stratospheric balloon will lift him toward space. The next attempt is scheduled for Oct. 14.
[Get a 10% discount on ARM TechCon 2012 conference passes by using promo code EDIT. Click here to learn about the show and register.]
"I've become quite attached to Felix," Todd ( right) said in a video interview. "He's depending on me to keep him alive."
Classic engineering understatement. Six people have died trying to beat Joe Kittinger's record free fall in 1960. Todd, who made 821 jumps from 1959-70 for Pioneer Parachute, is responsible for much of the suit design and maintenance.
The project
Baumgartner's attempt is part of a ballsy promotional campaign from the jitter pushers at Red Bull. Todd, who is an accomplished skydiver himself, is responsible for the pressurized suit that will protect Baumgartner as he descends through the atmosphere, through temperatures that could reach -70 degrees F and speeds of more than 700 mph.
The suit, similar to those worn by high-altitude pilots, is designed to a temperature range of +100°F / -90°F. Pressurized to 3.5 PSI, the suit should prevent the bends and help Baumgartner avoid, well, exploding.
A hockey-puck-sized controller system will monitor pressure as he descends and adjust pressure accordingly.
The composite-composed helmet weights 8 pounds and features an oxygen regulator that will provide Felix with 100 percent oxygen to breathe from various sources. Those sources include liquefied oxygen on the ground before launch, from the capsule's liquefied system when he's on board, and from a pair of high-pressure gaseous oxygen cylinders during the free-fall descent, according to the project site.
The chest pack ( pictured, right) includes an inertia measurement unit, GPS beacons, telemetry equipment, an HD camera, a module that will be used by the world governing body for air sports and aeronautical world records.
An inertia measurement unit (IMU) that will report altitude (pitch/angle) and spin. He has a main chute and a reserve chute, both about 265 square feet.
The effects
When Kittinger set his record 52 years ago, he leaped from 102,800 feet (31,300 m), fell for 4:36, hit 614 mph before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m). The only problem? His pressurized right glove failure during ascent and his right hand swelled up to twice its normal size.
Once Baumgartner falls, at "35 to 37 seconds after his step off, he should be going Mach 1, around 690 mph," says technical director Art Thompson. "He’s going to break the speed of sound at a little above 100,000 feet. He could reach up to 740 mph." Baumgartner will free fall for more than five minutes, deploying his main chute at 5,000 feet. The whole trip, from leap to landing, should take 15 minutes. And when his feet hit the ground, he'll look for Mike Todd and give him a great big hug.
"A lot of times you give yourself too much credit by thinking 'Well I did that.' But you really didn't," Todd says. "There's always somebody behind you that's helping you get things done. An individual just can't do things on his own when it comes to …major projects."
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