Felix Baumgartner | Remembering his Stratospheric Legacy

In the world of high-altitude ballooning, there’s one man that stands head-and-shoulders above them all: Felix Baumgartner. It feels like only yesterday that millions of people watched with baited breath as he ascended higher than anyone had ever gone before without the luxury of rocket propulsion. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, he then skydived back to Earth from over 127,000 feet and broke the sound barrier in the process.

All that to say, waking up this morning to the news of his untimely passing hit us particularly hard here at Sent Into Space, so please join us as we pay tribute to the man, the myth, the legend: Felix Baumgartner.

Taking to the Skies

Felix Baumgartner certainly wasn’t one to keep his feet on the ground, judging by the smorgasbord of record-breaking aerial stunts he performed throughout his life, anyway. At 30 years old, he claimed the world record for the highest base jump ever, launching himself from the top of Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. This clearly gave him a taste of the high life, as he followed that up with a whole host of other daring base jumps from lofty landmarks including Christ the Redeemer, Millau Viaduct and Taipei 101.

However, his aerial activities weren’t just limited to base jumping, and in 2003 Felix became the first person to ‘skydive’ across the English Channel while strapped to a custom-made carbon-fibre wing. Impressive stuff – and certainly a creative way to avoid the Eurostar fare!

Baumgartner's Jump From Space

Clearly jumping from a couple of hundred metres wasn’t enough to satiate Felix’s appetite for ariel stunts, since in 2010 it was reported that he was working with Red Bull and a team of scientists to break Joseph Kittinger’s long-standing world record of skydiving from 102,800 feet.

This wasn’t like any other run-of-the-mill jump though; bodily fluids – including blood – start to boil beyond the Armstrong Limit at around 63,000 feet, so the feat would require a pressurised spacesuit to protect Felix’s body from the extreme conditions of Near Space. This actually almost lead to the project’s downfall, with Baumgartner struggling from claustrophobia due to the restrictive nature of the suit. However, he didn’t let this beat him and worked tirelessly with a team of psychologists to overcome his fears.

On 14th October, 2012, Felix ascended into the stratosphere aboard a bespoke flight capsule, propelled by an enormous helium-filled balloon. As the altimeter clicked over to read an altitude of 127,852 feet, he took the ultimate leap of faith and stepped off the platform into the unknown. Not only did he break Kittinger’s 50-year-old record by a whopping 25,052 feet but he also became the first human being to break the sound barrier outside of a vehicle – a feat that until then had been confined to the pages superhero comics!

Remembering Felix Baumgartner

Put simply, Felix Baumgartner is a true legend, not only in the world of high-altitude ballooning but also in extreme sports circles and far beyond. He stands as a testament to what can be achieved when you follow your dreams with true conviction, and his passing reminds us to live every minute like it’s our last. Felix is famously quoted as saying: “Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you really are.” Little did he know how large he’ll loom in our collective memory for many years to come.