Daredevil Pulls Off Amazing 13-Mile High Jump From Edges of Space

It’s good to know that in the absence of a NASA budget, American ingenuity remains strong and our sites set high. Real high.  Space Race high.  In an era of private sector space exploration, daredevil Felix Baumgartner is setting new heights, literally. Twenty-three high to be exact.   The jump, that has not taken place yet (and which we've covered in the past), would bring Baumgartner to the brink of stratospheric extremes never experienced by mankind.  But the daredevil did take a milestone step towards his earth-shattering goal this past Thursday by plunging 13 miles in the custom suit made for the epic jump.

In a video released this week,  Baumgartner and his Red Bull sponsor team take a plunge from 71,587 feet, approximately two-thirds of the way to a new world record.  The launch was made from Roswell, NM and was a "complete success" according to the engineering support crew.

The test flight was significant in its crossing of the stratospheric Armstrong Line, where the atmospheric pressure tests the capacity of the custom made self-described “Space suit of the future.”  A great suit indeed.  The daredevil reached a speed of 365 mph and withstood air temperatures of -70 F degrees, enough to instantly crystallize all liquid in the astronaut’s body if exposed.  The suit functioned perfectly for three minutes and 43 seconds before Baumgartner opened his parachute at 7,890 feet and floated a soft landing.

The mechanism making the dream a reality is a large helium balloon attached to a custom closed capsule that opens onto a jump platform.

The jump did not reach the level of 'space plunge' where the jumper is almost jumping in Zero G and using inertia to be carried back to earth, but the 23 mile planned jump would smash all space jump records.

“I like the challenge," Baumgartner said. "I have a passion for aviation, and I love working on things that start from scratch," he explained. The planned leap will theoretically make Baumgartner the first space diver to break the sound barrier, with projected speeds of 760 miles per hour.  Will the Baumgartner simply disintegrate in air? The Blaze will keep a close watch.  The jump is planned for this Summer.

Take a look at Thursday's leap below: