Felix Baumgartner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Felix Baumgartner
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Baumgartner in 2013
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| Born | 20 April 1969 Salzburg, Austria
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| Other names | B.A.S.E. 502 – Fearless Felix |
Felix Baumgartner (born 20 April 1969) is an amazing skydiver and daredevil from Austria. He is famous for his incredible jump from the edge of space on 14 October 2012. As part of the Red Bull Stratos project, he jumped from a giant helium balloon high above the Earth. He landed safely in New Mexico, United States.
During this jump, he became the first person to break the sound barrier without being in an aircraft! He set new world records for the highest skydive, the longest freefall, and the fastest speed during a freefall. He fell from about 39 kilometers (24 miles) high and reached a top speed of 1,357.64 kilometers per hour (843.6 mph). This was faster than the speed of sound! While he still holds the records for vertical freefall distance and speed, the record for exit altitude was broken two years later by Alan Eustace.
Felix Baumgartner is also known for doing many other dangerous stunts throughout his career. He even trained in the Austrian military, where he practiced parachute jumping and learned to land very precisely.
Contents
Early Life and Daring Stunts
Felix Baumgartner was born in Salzburg, Austria. As a child, he dreamed of flying and skydiving. He has achieved many amazing feats:
- In 1999, he set a world record for the highest parachute jump from a building. He jumped from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- On 20 July 2003, he became the first person to skydive across the English Channel. He used a special carbon fiber wing to glide across.
- He also holds the record for the lowest BASE jump ever. He jumped from just 29 meters (95 feet) off the hand of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- On 27 June 2004, he was the first person to BASE jump from the completed Millau Viaduct in France.
- On 18 August 2006, he became the first person to skydive onto, and then BASE jump from, the Turning Torso building in Malmö, Sweden.
- On 12 December 2007, he made an unauthorized BASE jump from the 91st floor of Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan. This building was the tallest in the world at that time.
The Red Bull Stratos Project
In January 2010, Felix Baumgartner began working with a team of scientists and his sponsor, Red Bull. Their goal was to attempt the highest skydive ever from a helium balloon.
Practice Jumps
Before the main jump, Felix completed two important test jumps:
- On 15 March 2012, he made his first test jump from 21,818 meters (71,581 feet). He free fell for about 3 minutes and 43 seconds, reaching speeds over 580 km/h (360 mph). The entire jump lasted about eight minutes.
- On 25 July 2012, he completed his second test jump from 29,456 meters (96,640 feet). It took him about 90 minutes to reach this height. His free fall lasted about three minutes and 48 seconds.
The Main Jump
The big jump was planned for 9 October 2012, but bad weather caused a delay. The launch was rescheduled and took place on 14 October 2012.
- Felix Baumgartner jumped from a world-record height of 38,969.3 meters (127,852 feet).
- He free fell a record distance of 36,402.6 meters (119,431 feet).
- He then parachuted the final 2,566.7 meters (8,421 feet) to land safely in eastern New Mexico.
During his freefall, Felix set the record for the fastest speed of free fall at 1,357.64 km/h (843.6 mph). This made him the first human to break the sound barrier without being inside a vehicle. He was in free fall for 4 minutes and 19 seconds. His radio contact during the jump was Joseph Kittinger, who held the previous freefall record from 1960.
His altitude record was broken two years and 10 days later by Alan Eustace.
Getting Ready for the Jump
Felix had to wear a special pressure suit for the jump. At first, he felt claustrophobia (a fear of small, enclosed spaces) inside the suit. But with help from a sports psychologist and other experts, he was able to overcome this challenge.
Other Interests
Car Racing
In 2014, Felix Baumgartner joined Audi Motorsport to drive an Audi R8 LMS in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring race. He had raced Volkswagen Polo cars in 2013. He trained hard for the race and helped his team finish in ninth place overall.
Boxing
Felix Baumgartner has also competed in professional boxing, winning one fight.
Personal Life
Felix Baumgartner has been in a relationship with Romanian television presenter Mihaela Rădulescu since 2014.
Awards and Achievements
Felix Baumgartner has received several awards for his incredible achievements:
- In 2012, he won the Bambi award in the "Millennium" category.
- In December 2012, Top Gear magazine named him one of "The Men of the Year 2012".
- He won the Laureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the Year on 12 March 2013.
- He received the Mankind Award at The 2013 Spike Guys' Choice Awards.
- Flying magazine ranked him number 46 on their 2013 list of "51 Heroes of Aviation." He is the youngest living person on that list.
- In 2017, he was named second in Most Stylish Men by Be Global Fashion Network.
See also
In Spanish: Felix Baumgartner para niños
- Space diving
- Eugene Andreyev — a former record holder for the longest-distance free fall jump.
- Michel Fournier — an adventurer who has been planning a similar high-altitude jump.
- Nick Piantanida — flew the highest balloon flight before Baumgartner in 1966.
- Project Manhigh — an early military project that sent men in balloons to the stratosphere, setting altitude and parachute jump records.
- Pyotr Dolgov — who died in 1962 during a high-altitude jump.
- Charles "Nish" Bruce — an individual who attempted to break the highest altitude record in the early 1990s.
- Steve Truglia — an English stuntman who was planning a similar jump.
