2:28 p.m.: The live feed has gone silent for now, and my hands have stopped shaking, hopefully for good. A press conference is scheduled to begin shortly, according to the slate on the screen. I’ll be sticking with it until then. But tweet me your reactions.
2:22 p.m.: According to the indicators provided by the Stratos team, Baumgartner surpassed the speed of sound, but we’re still awaiting official confirmation.
2:19 p.m.: Unofficially Baumgartner has achieved a 4 minute and 22 second freefall, which does not break Kittinger’s record for elapsed time of a free fall, although Baumgartner has broken the record for the highest manned balloon jump. There has been no confirmation yet that Baumgartner achieved Mach 1.
2:18 p.m.: Baumgartner has landed safely with recovery crew nearby. The balloon has been cut from the capsule and is beginning its descent.
2:12 p.m.: Baumgartner says, “My visor is fogging up.” But his chute has successfully deployed as he approaches warmer temperatures.
“’Couldn’t have done it any better myself,” said Kittinger over the radio. Baumgartner’s mother, Eva, appears stunned and simultaneously elated with joyful tears in her eyes.
2:10 p.m.: Baumgartner has jumped and he is in a stable descent! Prior to jumping, Baumgartner said as part of a small speech that was difficult to make out, “I’m coming home.”
2:05 p.m.: The door is open and Felix is sliding forward preparing to jump.
2:02 p.m.: The inside cabin pressure continues to drop as Baumgartner prepares for his eventual exit. The door will open once the pressure in the capsule reaches that of the minimal air pressure outside the cabin.
1:57 p.m.: “Okay, we’re getting serious now, Felix,” says Kittinger as he instructs Baumgartner to depressurize the capsule. A loud hiss of air can be heard.
1:55 p.m.: Baumgartner is adjusting air supply valves and moving consoles in preparation to jump. He has just moved his seat “to the forward position.” The balloon is holding at about 127,800 ft.
1:49 p.m.: The egress check has begun, starting with the de-pressurization of the suit.
1:47 p.m.: The balloon is now large and spherical. A valve will be triggered to release some of the helium from the balloon and slow the ascent further. The balloon has now passed 127,000 ft. — more than 24 miles up.
1:44 p.m.: The team has decided that Baumgartner will jump even with reported problems to his heat visor. A landing with Baumgartner in the capsule was being considered.
It also appears the balloon, at just over 122,000 ft. has reached its maximum float.
1:42 p.m.: The balloon has now passed the target of 120,000 feet.
1:39 p.m.: The capsule’s ascent has slowed as the air gets thinner. The size of the balloon has changed significantly, expanding to near its maximum volume — 30 million cubic feet.
The projected height of the balloon’s float is now 125,000 ft.
1:32 p.m.: Baumgartner’s visor is down to protect his eyes from the glare of the sun and he has now broken the record for the highest manned balloon flight passing 114,000 ft.
1:30 p.m.: Baumgartner is on track to break the record for the highest manned balloon flight. The current record is113,740 ft.
1:28 p.m.: The face-plate heater issue continues to be a problem. The mission is still a “go” at two hours in and close to 110,000 ft.
1:24 p.m.: And we’re back with the feed. Whew. (Come on YouTube, hang in there.)
1:20 p.m.: The YouTube video feed has cut out for us and, according to YouTube’s counter over 4 million people are watching the feed live right now, which probably explains it.
According to the data on the team’s Web site, Baumgartner has passed 105,000 ft. It’s very likely we may not see this as it happens if the feed continues to present problems.
1:18 p.m.: Yep, it appears Baumgartner is, indeed, tweeting from the capsule (Note 2:45 p.m. Still working to confirm with Red Bull about this, although The Guardian’s Jonathan Haynes has tweeted that Red Bull’s public relations team has confirmed that Felix is not on Twitter. I spoke with Derrick Lerum at Red Bull
1:14 p.m.: The temperature outside the capsule is starting to rise as it approaches the edge of space, and the capsule is expected to hit the 100,000 ft. mark shortly — 20,000 ft. shy of the target altitude. Baumgartner’s highest jump to date is at just over 97,000 feet.
The team is continuing to troubleshoot the faceplate heat mechanism.
1:06 p.m.: The capsule is now drifting West, back in the direction from which it was launched.
In the meantime, we have a few photos coming through:
12:26 p.m.: Baumgartner and Kittinger are now running a simulation of the steps Baumgartner will need to go through in the lead-up to his jump. The capsule is now at 58,000 ft.
12:21 p.m.: Baumgartner is now in the stratosphere. Baumgartner is now approaching 54,000 ft. up.
12:17 p.m.: “Everything is in the green,” according to Baumgartner as he ascends past 51,000 ft.
12:11 p.m.: The capsule has successfully cleared the jet stream. The temperature continues to drop to -86 degrees outside, although it is being regulated around 55 degrees inside.
12:08 p.m.: If you’re wondering how big the balloon is relative to others, it is three times as large as the largest balloon ever to hoist a human being. The balloon has just passed 44,000 ft.
There was some concern about the capsule drifting towards the East where the population begins to increase near the border with Texas. The capsule, however, is moving Southwest, according to the latest update from meteorologist Don Day.
Baumgartner is estimated to break the sound barrier at about 30 seconds into the jump, holding it for about 20 seconds.
12:44 p.m.: The capsule has passed the Armstrong Line and is continuing past 70,000 ft. The video feed has gone quiet for the time being as we wait for Baumgartner to hit the 120,000 ft. mark.
12:33 p.m.: The capsule is now well past 60,000 ft. and approaching the Armstrong Line at 63,000 ft., where the body’s fluids would begin to boil without the assistance of a pressurized capsule or suit. It is now 86 degrees below zero outside the capsule.
1:04 p.m.: There appears to be an issue with the face plate heater, which is meant to prevent fogging and icing. A camera shot from underneath the capsule shows a pitch-black sky.
12:59 p.m.: Tweets are going out from Felix Baumgartner’s account. I’m trying to confirm if Baumgartner is, indeed, tweeting from the capsule, which is over 81,000 ft. up at this point.
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