InfoViz Cockpit View of Record Space Jump

I recall, one year ago this week, sitting at home on the edge of my seat, intently watching on my wallscreen the live countdown to Felix Baumgartner‘s stunning Red Bull Stratos mission to “transcend human limits” by calmly stepping off an ultra-high-altitude balloon capsule. On the way down he would go supersonic and set numerous records, most significantly the highest-altitude human jump (128,100 feet).

To mark the anniversary, the Stratos folks have just released a well-done information-visualization of his feat, featuring for the first time Felix’s own actual view of the jump – a nicely arranged combination of synchronized views as he hurtled to earth captured by three cameras mounted on Felix’s space-suit, including his helmet cam.  You’ll also see gauges noting his Altitude, Airspeed, G-Force, and “Biomed” (heart rate, breath rate).

A couple of datapoints which stood out for me: After his ledge salute and headfirst dive, Felix goes from zero to 100 mph in 4.4 seconds, hitting Mach 1 (or 689 mph) in just 33.2 seconds.  It’s also fascinating to watch his heart rate, which (exemplifying his astronaut coolness under pressure) actually decreases from 181 bpm at jump to around 163 bpm as he quickly adjusts; it then rises and falls as he encounters and then controls a severe spin.

His chute deploys about halfway into this nine-minute video, but watching to the end is worth it as he masterfully glides to earth, landing in a suave trot on his feet.  Enjoy this look back at a universal Superman.