In October 2012, Felix Baumgartner, as part of the "Red Bull Stratos" mission, ascended to an altitude of approximately 39 kilometers above Earth with the help of a helium balloon. From this height, he jumped back toward Earth. This altitude was in the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere, where the sky appears completely black, and the Earth looks small and spherical.
Felix had to prepare for this mission for six years. Initially, it was thought the training would take only two years, but the complexities of designing the capsule, suit, and other preparations extended the timeline. A special helium balloon was created for him, which was as large as 33 football fields. The balloon was so delicate that it required 20 people to control it.
His suit was also specially designed to protect him from the extreme cold (minus 72°C) and maintain pressure inside his body. However, the suit was highly uncomfortable, and he often found it difficult to breathe because it completely isolated him from the outside environment. To mentally and physically prepare for spending extended periods inside the suit, Felix underwent months of training.
The first few minutes after the jump were the most challenging. Initially, he fell normally, but soon his body started spinning uncontrollably in one direction. Then, he began spinning in the opposite direction, with the rotation becoming increasingly rapid. This was a terrifying situation for him because there were no protocols or prior training for handling such conditions at that altitude.
When Felix entered the denser layers of the atmosphere, known as the Armstrong Line, air pressure began to increase. This dense air helped slow his rotation and stabilize his body. At that moment, his speed exceeded the speed of sound, reaching approximately 844 miles per hour (1,357 km/h), which is 75 miles faster than the speed of sound.
This marked the first time in history that a person traveled faster than the speed of sound purely due to the force of gravity.
