Latest news with #Mach1
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Science
- Indian Express
‘Only one way for the blood to leave your skull': Meet the man who jumped to Earth from the edge of space
On October 14, 2012, Felix Baumgartner made history by becoming the first human to break the speed of sound in freefall. As part of the mission, he ascended to the stratosphere in a helium balloon, wearing a specially designed space suit. From an altitude of 128,100 feet (39 km), he stepped off the capsule into the vast emptiness, embarking on a skydive that would push the limits of human endurance and technology. However, the jump was not without its challenges—Baumgartner entered a dangerous spin that could have jeopardized the mission and his life. Reflecting on his experience, he shares what it truly felt like to jump from the edge of space. 'I'm the guy who jumped from space,' Baumgartner recalls in a video. 'I wanted to be the first human outside of an aircraft breaking the sound barrier.' The ascent was a feat in itself—climbing nearly 40 kilometres above Earth in a balloon was a mental and physical test. As he prepared to exit, he carried twice his normal weight due to the bulky pressurised suit, making even a perfect jump difficult. 'It's very difficult to do a perfect exit. Do not over-rotate because if I start over-rotating, there's no air that you can use to slow down.' Baumgartner stepped off the capsule, beginning his descent back to Earth. For the first few moments, everything seemed under control. 'For the first 25 seconds, it looked like everything was under control.' Then, after 34 seconds of freefall, he achieved something no human had ever done before: 'I hit Mach 1 and I broke the speed of sound.' At that moment, he became the fastest man in freefall, reaching a maximum velocity of 843.6 mph (1,357.6 km/h). However, scientists had warned about the possibility of an uncontrollable spin. 'A lot of those scientists said prior to the jump, 'You're going to spin like crazy.' And the other half said, 'We don't think anything is going to happen.' I was mentally prepared to spin, but I was hoping that I wouldn't.' Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario began to unfold. 'Now, if you watch the next couple of seconds, you see at that moment, he slowly starts to spin. It's getting faster.' The rotation became violent, and he had no air resistance to stabilise himself. 'There's no protocol. There's nobody in the world telling you, 'Felix, if this happens, you have to do this,' while the whole world is watching.' His body was being pulled by extreme G-forces, pushing blood away from his brain. 'Speed: 600 miles per hour. There's only one way for the blood to leave your skull, and that's through your eyeballs. If that happens, you're gonna die.' In a split-second decision, Baumgartner relied on the emergency safety system designed to counteract spins. 'I had a G-Wiz attached to my hand. A G-Wiz is a device that fires a drogue chute that pulls you out of that flat spin. That's why I put my hands in.' His instinctive reaction worked: 'The trick is that the G-Wiz senses less G-force, and that means I'm getting it under control. I turned around, and I was stable as well.' As he descended further, he noticed a change in his surroundings. 'Look at the sky—it's blue now. So we went from black sky back to blue sky.' Nearing the lower atmosphere, he saw flares dropped by his support team to indicate wind direction. 'Luke was dropping some flares, and it gave me the perfect direction for the winds.' Finally, he deployed his parachute and landed safely in the New Mexico desert. 'For the very first time, after hours and hours inside that spacesuit, I'm breathing regular air.' He had done it. The mission was a success. 'Now I'm really happy because even the landing worked just perfect.'
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PTI congratulates Boom Supersonic on successful supersonic flight
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The airport that is the home of Boom Supersonic's Overture facility is congratulating them on a successful flight. PTI extended their congratulations to Boom Supersonic after Tuesday's successful supersonic flight, piloted by Tristan 'Geppetto' Brandenburg. The flight test happed in at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California. The XB-1 aircraft, described by Boom as 'the world's first independently developed supersonic jet,' completed 11 successful test flights at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California before going for Mach 1 on Tuesday, making it the first civil aircraft to go supersonic over the continental United States. 'Boom Supersonic's accomplishment today is a testament to their dedication to innovation and the future of air travel,' said Paul Mengert, Piedmont Triad Airport Authority's board chair. 'We are proud to support and celebrate this pioneering step towards making supersonic passenger flights a reality.' 'PTI is honored to be the home of Boom Supersonic's Overture Superfactory, where the nextgeneration of supersonic airliners will be manufactured,' Kevin Baker, Executive Director ofPiedmont Triad Airport Authority, said. 'Today's success with the XB-1 demonstrator brings us closer to a future where passengers can experience faster and more efficient air travel.' With XB-1, Boom aims to prove that independently-built supersonic flight is possible and to test specifics related to Overture, such as technology and safety protocols, according to Boom spokesperson Aubrey Scanlan. Overture will be roughly three times the size of XB-1, and it's planned to carry 64-80 passengers on intercontinental flights at speeds of up to about Mach 1.7 (or 1,304.36 miles per hour). That is about . All of that while using non-petroleum sustainable fuel. Already , as well as pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines. Boom is in the process of building a factory in Greensboro where it plans to build the passenger jet that will fly faster than the speed of sound. The factory is set to add $32 billion to the North Carolina state economy over the next 20 years along with more than 2,400 jobs. Plans call for the assembly line to be in operation later next year. The first jet could take flight in 2026. The company hopes flights should be ready for passengers by 2029. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Bloomberg
28-01-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Boom's Supersonic Test Jet Breaks Sound Barrier for First Time
A supersonic jet built by Boom Technology Inc. broke the sound barrier for the first time on Tuesday, advancing its bid to resurrect high-speed passenger flights two decades after Concorde's demise. Boom's XB-1 demonstrator aircraft surpassed Mach 1 while flying at an altitude of 34,000 feet across the Mojave Desert in California. The aircraft hit supersonic speeds thrice during the 33-minute flight, the Colorado-based company said.
