
Red Bull Stratos Skydive Rescheduled for today - thehodge
http://www.redbullstratos.com/the-mission/launch-progress/
======
raganwald
FYI, this is the anniversary of Chuck Yeager breaking the speed of sound in
the Bell X-1 in 1947:

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_X-1>

~~~
meric
How appropriate, today is the day Felix Baumgartner broke the speed of sound
in a pressurized suit.

------
arrrg
Could someone explain to me whether this is a marketing stunt and nothing more
or whether there is some substance behind this? Put another way: Will any
scientists or engineers (at least potentially) learn something interesting
from this?

It's cool no matter what, but it would be even cooler if there were some
substance behind it.

~~~
kloncks
Besides proving our thoughts on what happens to the human body going through
the speed of sound, there's an aspect of safety as well.

If successful jumping at 120,000 feet, that means that NASA could deploy these
same space suits as an exit plan for astronauts in an emergency.

~~~
anonymfus
>that means that NASA could deploy these same space suits as an exit plan for
astronauts in an emergency.

What? For exit plan you need a way to slowdown astronaut from orbit first.

~~~
sudhirj
That might not be necessary... won't atmosphere provide enough lateral braking
too? Either way, that's easier to do and requires far lesser equipment and
prep than a re-entry capsule.

~~~
zerohp
The lateral braking provided by the atmosphere causes objects to burn up.

~~~
Evbn
Just cover the suits in ceramic tile.

~~~
intended
I don't know if you are joking or not (I'm guessing you are), but I'll take a
bite at this.

Those ceramic tiles have to be placed in the right alignments to dissipate
heat. So we are now talking about a rigid 'suit'. So for the rigid structure
we'll need reinforcements and ways to move and handle stress and structural
load at high velocities - we don't want that transmitted into the human body.
(We've tested supersonic velocities, but not re-entry)

The parachute will also have to expand in size to handle the extra weight.
Going down this line I we soon get to a point where we may as well call the
whole thing a pod and be done with it.

All of it pretty much hinges on ceramic tiles needing to be oriented and then
added structural weight.

------
Mithrandir
His parachute deployed! :D

And he landed! <http://i.imgur.com/l8z0k.png>

There was some issue with his heat visor, but that was resolved.

Edit: More images I screen-snapped (sorry about the low-quality, I'm sure HQ
images will be out soon):

<http://i.imgur.com/ZWvSs.png>

<http://i.imgur.com/ZNQu2.png>

<http://i.imgur.com/ZFRIq.png>

<http://i.imgur.com/eZBhB.png>

------
uptown
LIVE NOW! <http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/>

------
Arjuna
For those that are curious, the stream is being narrated by Robert Hager
[1][2].

[1]
[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3688609/ns/nbcnightlynews/t/robe...](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3688609/ns/nbcnightlynews/t/robert-
hager/)

[2] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hager>

~~~
Pyrodogg
Thanks. I didn't recognize the voice but I was really glad that they had a
nice narrator for all of this live internet coverage.

------
raganwald
Joseph Kittenger's Project Excelsior jump:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Excelsior>

~~~
pauschi
wow. is he that white haired guy in base station? seems he was also that guy
who has set the previous freefall record in the 60s.

~~~
raganwald
Yes, Kittinger is the man walking Felix through the procedures. This is the
Dynamic Duo of high altitude jumping. I felt a shiver listening to them, this
is a day I think I will tell my children about.

p.s. Kittinger is 84!

~~~
toomuchtodo
Looks like the freefall duration record wasn't beaten :(

~~~
raganwald
I'm personally wondering of Felix did that deliberately to leave Joe in the
record books.

~~~
colkassad
He was also complaining just before that that his visor was fogged over.
Perhaps he deployed because of that.

------
aparadja
Does someone know the reason behind the poor quality of audio coming from
Felix? You'd think they had the resources to put in a decent microphone, and
data transfer -- judging by the high quality video -- shouldn't be a problem.

~~~
ginko
I often wondered about a possibly connected thing about airplane pilot's
microphones:

Why is it that pilots, when addressing the fliers over intercom always have
terrible sound quality? You'd think that airlines could afford a high-quality
microphone considering the cost of the plane and the pilot's time. Air traffic
control should appreciate quality audio as well.

There could be some ruggedness requirement to these microphones that takes
precedence over audio quality. Maybe they must withstand decompression?

~~~
lmirosevic
Maybe the raw sound input is run through a band pass filter that attenuates
all noise outside of the human vocal range. This would make the voice sound
"bad" but it would actually make it clearer to understand, especially in noisy
environments.

~~~
aparadja
That's actually a very likely explanation. Thank you.

------
dexter313
Felix's helmet heating apears to be broken. They've also cut the radio talk
between Felix and Joseph.

~~~
pilgrim689
yea I heard that too, and then the live feed stopped working as they were
talking about the problem... freaked me out! But the feed is back on now....
Was the heating fixed?

(edit: the feed cutting was probably just me, just saying it was an
unfortunate time for it to do so)

edit 2: They just said that the problem is specifically for the visor (to
prevent fogging and icing), not the whole helmet... They still haven't found
out what's wrong.

~~~
mindstab
Last I saw his breath was still fogging the screen so not yet

------
bmac27
Just incredible to watch something like that live. Held my breath the whole
time, particular through free fall. When you see him sitting up there from
120,000 feet like he's on a rocking chair, it sort of puts into perspective
any time you think you were brave in your life!

------
molmalo
People, I've just made this little hack to show the location in a map:

Go to <http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/>

and open the console to run:

    
    
      $("body").append('<script src="http://www.openlayers.org/api/OpenLayers.js"></script>')
      $("body").append("<div id='Map' style='width: 500px; height: 500px; position: absolute; left: 100px; top: 800px;'></div>")
    

then (once openlayers.js is loaded), run this:

    
    
      CreateMap = function ()
      {
          var lat            = 33.3405;
          var lon            = -103.7601;
          var zoom           = 14; 
          var fromProjection = new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:4326");   // Transform from WGS 1984
          var toProjection   = new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:900913"); // to Spherical Mercator Projection
          var position       = new OpenLayers.LonLat(lon, lat).transform( fromProjection, toProjection);
       
          map = new OpenLayers.Map({
          div: "Map",
          projection: "EPSG:900913",
          layers: [
              new OpenLayers.Layer.XYZ(
                  "OpenStreetMap", 
                  [
                      "http://otile1.mqcdn.com/tiles/1.0.0/osm/${z}/${x}/${y}.png",
                      "http://otile2.mqcdn.com/tiles/1.0.0/osm/${z}/${x}/${y}.png",
                      "http://otile3.mqcdn.com/tiles/1.0.0/osm/${z}/${x}/${y}.png",
                      "http://otile4.mqcdn.com/tiles/1.0.0/osm/${z}/${x}/${y}.png"
                  ],
                  {
                      attribution: "Data, imagery and map information provided by <a href='http://www.mapquest.com/'  target='_blank'>MapQuest</a>, <a href='http://www.openstreetmap.org/' target='_blank'>Open Street Map</a> and contributors, <a href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/' target='_blank'>CC-BY-SA</a>  <img src='http://developer.mapquest.com/content/osm/mq_logo.png' border='0'>",
                      transitionEffect: "resize"
                  }
              ),
              new OpenLayers.Layer.XYZ(
                  "Imagery",
                  [
                      "http://oatile1.mqcdn.com/naip/${z}/${x}/${y}.png",
                      "http://oatile2.mqcdn.com/naip/${z}/${x}/${y}.png",
                      "http://oatile3.mqcdn.com/naip/${z}/${x}/${y}.png",
                      "http://oatile4.mqcdn.com/naip/${z}/${x}/${y}.png"
                  ],
                  {
                      attribution: "Tiles Courtesy of <a href='http://open.mapquest.co.uk/' target='_blank'>MapQuest</a>. Portions Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech and U.S. Depart. of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency. <img src='http://developer.mapquest.com/content/osm/mq_logo.png' border='0'>",
                    transitionEffect: "resize"
                  }
              )
          ],
          center: [0, 0],
          zoom: 1
      });
      map.addControl(new OpenLayers.Control.LayerSwitcher());
      
      
      //    map = new OpenLayers.Map("Map");
      //    var mapnik         = new OpenLayers.Layer.OSM();
      //    map.addLayer(mapnik);
       
          markers = new OpenLayers.Layer.Markers( "Markers" );
          map.addLayer(markers);
      
          marker = new OpenLayers.Marker(position);
      
          markers.addMarker(marker);
       
          map.setCenter(position, zoom);
      };
      
      CreateMap();
      
      
      setInterval(function()
      {
      	markers.removeMarker(marker);
      	var lat = parseFloat( $("#latitude").html());
      	var lon = parseFloat( $("#longitude").html());
      	
      	var fromProjection = new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:4326");   // Transform from WGS 1984
      	var toProjection   = new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:900913"); // to Spherical Mercator Projection
      
      	var position       = new OpenLayers.LonLat(lon, lat).transform( fromProjection, toProjection);
      	marker = new OpenLayers.Marker(position);
      	markers.addMarker(marker);
      	map.setCenter(position, map.zoom);
      
      },2000)
    
    

Now, at the bottom of the page, you have a map with a marker showing the
current location.

Update: [Added] Go first to <http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/>

Update 2: Replaced tiles, with the ones from MapQuest, code for mapquest
extracted from: <http://openlayers.org/dev/examples/mapquest.html>

Update 3: fixed little bug introduced ;) Sorry! And placed the map below the
video now, so it's easier to view.

~~~
dudurocha
Wonderful! Thank you so much. I know it's a bit too much, but there is a way
of making a 'route' of the positions?

~~~
molmalo
Sorry, I just relaxed and just watched the live stream :), I'll see if I can
do it before the jump.

~~~
dudurocha
No problem. I just can't relax watching it!

~~~
molmalo
:) Sorry man that I couldn't deliver, I was just too excited watching, lol :P

And then, when I had it almost done, they were about to start, and then, they
removed the lat/lon info on the page.

------
kloncks
Delayed by 20s in case a tragic accident occurs.

------
TomGullen
Here's the live video feed: <http://www.youtube.com/redbull>

------
dropshop
3,749,231 watching now popele watching live on youtube, this must be a record?

Update: 4,924,693 watching now Update: 5,056,344 watching now

~~~
xSwag
3.2M now, never seen it so high.

~~~
dropshop
3,694,025 watching now!!! WOW

~~~
waterlesscloud
For comparison, Monday Night Football is usually low 20,000,000 range.

------
benmanns
Here's the JSON endpoint with the data from the launch:
<http://services.redbullstratos.com/LiveData/Get>

------
lifeformed
At first glance, skydiving from 10k feet and 100k feet seem like they wouldn't
be any different. I'm sure there are intricacies that make the jump very
difficult, but it _seems_ like you just let gravity do the work, and the chute
automatically deploys for you. Can anyone help me understand what the
intricacies are?

EDIT: nevermind, seeing him spin but regain control removed my doubt of the
difficulty.

~~~
doug11235
Air temperature and pressure are much different at the higher altitude.

~~~
Evbn
Is that a diver challenge or a suit challenge?

------
codesuela
How much bandwidth do 5.4 mio viewers consume? Can someone give me a number?

~~~
meritt
360p uses 0.5Mbit/s.

5.4M * 0.5Mbit/s = ~330 GB/s

~~~
sovok
It went as high a 8 mio viewers, so ~488 GB/s. Maybe a new record for Youtube?

~~~
dag11
I and many others were streaming in HD, though, so surely the total bandwidth
must be much higher.

------
dennyferra
Unfortunately I barely missed the live jump. Will a recorded video be posted,
or is there one already available?

~~~
yotsechan
Yes, the video will be posted youtube.com/redbull in the next few hours.

------
chasing
All in the name of selling sugary sodas. Noble.

~~~
manaskarekar
No. The sugary soda is what pays for this inspiring and informative break from
the shit on the learning channel.

~~~
chasing
It's interesting, for sure. But the goal is to get you to drink more Red Bull.
It's a very unique ad, but still an ad. For a sugary beverage people should
probably actually be drinking less of, not more.

~~~
manaskarekar
You're right, it's an ad at the end of the day.

But there are much worse (debatable) products that spend money on really
shitty ad campaigns. So this isn't really bad.

I personally respect Red Bull for having found a niche (crazy adventure sports
of all sorts) and making possible whole careers in these amazing sports.

At the end of the day, not a lot of people believe you NEED Red Bull to make
this jump, but thousands of kids around the world are being inspired right
this minute.

~~~
chasing
I agree, but then I get worried that the same kids don't understand what
sponsorship means, and that they'll assume that drinking Red Bull is what
people like this do, and then they'll start up a very unhealthy and addictive
habit (drinking lots of Red Bull). Which is pretty bad.

~~~
sbarre
Because no one other than you can see through the marketing spin?

~~~
chasing
If marketing didn't work, they wouldn't do it.

------
dsr12
I really liked the mission timeline page: <http://www.redbullstratos.com/the-
mission/mission-timeline>

------
kristopher
It seems like some of YouTube's region-based relay stations are down.
Temporarily changing DNS to a US-based ISP is advisable. (Viewing from Japan)

------
ubershmekel
The original scheduled launch on the morning of 9 October 2012 was delayed and
cancelled because of a 25-mile-per-hour (40 km/h) gust of wind at the launch
site. Technicians at the launch site also found that one of the capsule's
communications radio was faulty.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull_Stratos>

------
LinaLauneBaer
I am having terrible problems using youtube to view the live stream. I am
getting "stops" for about 5-10 seconds constantly. Sometimes I have to refresh
the whole youtube page to get it working again. Earlier they said that over
100 sites are streaming the event... does anybody know about the best working
site?

~~~
revelation
See ServusTV with german commentary:
<http://www.servustv.com/cs/Satellite?pagename=Stratos/Layout>

------
molmalo
IS someone else having trouble with youtube, showing "static" ? (can't connect
to live stream)

~~~
jcollins1991
For me it wouldn't load in Chrome but works perfectly in Firefox (on OSX)...

~~~
toufka
yep - wouldn't work on my locked-down Firefox, but did fine on my vanilla
Safari.

------
thesis
Can someone explain why they say it will take 2 hours for him to reach his
altitude? Right now he's 12.5 miles up after 35:26 minutes.

Will he slow down as his altitude increases?

I keep hearing them talk about dropping ballast -- is there a danger in
ascending too fast?

~~~
kloncks
12.5 miles is 66k feet. He's at 44k.

EDIT:

But yes, he will also slow down as he goes up. The balloon will also change
shape and expand greatly in size.

~~~
thesis
Ok, I didn't realize the number to the right of the clock was meters and not
miles. I guess the decimal instead of the comma threw me off.

------
bestest
Once again, title creators succumb to the power of relativity. My eyes keep on
skimming on this topic, and it makes me want to laugh and cry at the same
time. "Today" is awesome.

------
ccarpenterg
Freefall live on YouTube: <http://www.youtube.com/user/redbull?v=MrIxH6DToXQ>

------
mckoss
Almost 5 million people watching live now. Compare to presidential debate with
67 million viewers - not bad!

~~~
meritt
The debate should have taken place suspended from a weather balloon.

~~~
garretruh
Yes, and every time a statement's "fact-check" that comes back as false, they
move a little closer to the edge.

------
sbarre
11AM EST is the current estimated launch time..

Anyone know how long the ascent is going to last before he actually jumps?

~~~
raganwald
Two hours?

<https://twitter.com/BBCPallab/status/257483119807045632>

------
Shtirlic
Where is the outside camera located?

------
dhughes
He has a lot of external stuff on his suit I'm worried at Mach 1 it will be
torn off.

~~~
SoftwareMaven
That's Mach 1 in nearly no atmosphere. Nothing there to tear stuff off.

~~~
dhughes
I thought even at that altitude there would still be a significant amount of
atmosphere but apparently not. Even 39km there's still a lot of atmosphere to
go but I guess it's pretty thin.

When interviewed Kittinger said something _"To all those who said Baumgartner
suit would tear apart I salute you with a middle finger!"_ I laughed but
thought it was unnecessary harsh since at some point he may enter thicker
atmospheric region going 1,340km/h.

The design of aircraft are angled to near points and aircraft skin of
supersonic craft are made of exotic materials to withstand thousands of
degrees Celsius. I figured Mach 1 in a bulky suit thin atmosphere or not at
some point something may tear, give way or heat up suddenly.

------
brown9-2
In the US at least, you can also watch live on TV on The Discovery Channel.

------
morequestions
Question - is he going to land in the same country he took from?

~~~
cjbprime
Looks like he's still over Roswell, NM; presumably so.

------
nphrk
Just landed!

------
Heliosmaster
roughly in 1hr from now he will get to the desired altitude.

------
tisme
The guy commenting on the video seems absolutely clueless.

------
nodata
To Red Bull: fix your coverage next time! Your website and Twitter feeds
weren't really ever carrying the latest information pre-launch, and your blog
was 24 hours out-of-date whenever I checked. (Also YouTube was buffering, it
wasn't my connection). Bit of a mess from the PR-masters imo.

~~~
goostavos
Are you positive it wasn't your connection? It worked perfectly for me, as
well as (seemingly) quite a few others.

I'm going to go buy a Red Bull now.

