Get vertigo: Relive Felix Baumgartner's epic space jump in video
A new extended video, tied to a GoPro Super Bowl ad, shows eight minutes of Baumgartner's epic jump.
"There it is. There's the world out there."
It's been a great day for writing about views of the Earth from high, high above our lovely planet.
First, there was news of the Global Space Balloon Challenge, an educational competition to build and launch high-altitude balloons that will take place in April. And now comes extended video (see below) from Felix Baumgartner's amazing space jump in October, 2012, when he leaped from 128,097 feet for a duration of 9 minutes and 3 seconds (the freefall portion of the jump lasted 4 minutes and 19 seconds). During the descent, he went supersonic for a few seconds, hitting upward of 800 mph. But not before he got his first unobstructed view of the planet the first time he stepped outside his capsule and said the above words.
Thanks to io9, we know that the video may be best watched after taking Tums, or at least having a nice bucket nearby, just in case the vertigo is too much. Either way, for anyone who is a fan of exploration of the skies, or incredible feats of endurance or athleticism -- especially if you, like me, were lucky enough to be watching Baumgartner's jump live -- this is a very, very big treat. Enjoy.
Watchers of the video will get an additional treat -- as if the video itself wasn't enough: The voiceover at the beginning is from none other than Joe Kittinger, who set the world record for highest jump in 1960. Kittinger was an adviser on Baumgartner's 2012 jump.
The release of the new extended video of Baumgartner's jump appears to be tied to a GoPro Super Bowl ad (see below), which teases the incredible feat -- and hopefully, introduces it to many people who had missed it when it happened.
Correction, 1:45 p.m. PT: This story has been updated to specify the full duration of Felix Baumgartner's space jump. The jump, from exiting the capsule till landing on Earth, lasted 9 minutes and 3 seconds.