Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Skydiving Success


By Jenn O’Neill

On Sunday, October 14th, Felix Baumgartner (otherwise known as Felix the Fearless) successfully landed his 24 mile high skydive. After traveling for only 17 minutes at speeds up to 800+ miles an hour, Baumgartner was not only able to break this record, but broke the sound barrier. When asked what the experience was like, Baumgartner said, “"It's hard to describe, because I didn't feel it. You know, when you're in that pressure suit, you don't feel anything. It's like being in a cast." (National Geographic News). Of course, there are risks that come with being a daredevil. If his pressurized suit were to rip, the lack of atmospheric pressure would cause his blood to boil. But Baumgartner approached the task in an optimistic manner. His desire to break the record outweighed the numerous risks this jump entailed. The date of his jump was actually on the 65th anniversary of the previous record holder, Chuck Yeager.  It also occurred at the same time as the seven NFL games being played and was still able to make headlines and hash tags on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.  "In 65 years it goes to show there are still challenges to overcome, and you should never lose sight of trying to achieve them," Baumgartner said. "I would be proud to be a part of that group of explorers." (National Geographic News)


Photo credit to National Geographic News

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