Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Maximum Speed - Felix Baumgartner Sonic Boom Video Believed To Show Skydiver Break Sound Barrier

On Oct. 14, extreme skydiver Felix Baumgartner, a.k.a. "Fearless Felix," completed a record-breaking jump, plummeting from 128,100 feet up, or about 24 miles.

Now, the jump's sponsor, Red Bull, has announced that a team of

Footage from Baumgartner's chest-mounted suit camera documented the jump in all its death-defying, supersonic glory. Project director Art Thompson is working with sound experts to verify Baumgartner s speed, cross-referencing the video with data from his chest pack.

At a news conference following the jump, Brian Utley of the International Air Sports Federation (an international group that works to determine and maintain aviation records) said Baumgartner reached a maximum speed of 833.9 mph during the jump, which amounts to Mach 1.24. If he's correct, Baumgartner is wearing nothing more than

Baumgartner told the Associated Press that supersonic travel was "hard to describe because you don't feel it." With no reference points, "you don't know how fast you travel."

Though the jump was one for the record books, Baumgartner told NBC's "Today" it was . When asked if he enjoyed it, he replied, "Honestly, no."

"This is hard work. Later on, when my parachute opened, this was the first moment where I enjoyed it a lot because I knew it was over and I m alive," he added.

A documentary about Baumgartner is set to air Nov. 11 on the National Geographic Channel. "Space Jump" will feature previously unseen footage of Baumgartner's dive.

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