It turns out that supersonic man Felix Baumgartner was even more supersonic than we previously thought. He actually reached 1357.6km/h, which is 1.25 the speed of sound. His heart rate was extremely high at the exact time of the jump.
At the exact moment of the jump his heart was racing at 185 beats per minute, which is considered the maximum heart rate that a 35-year-old adult should have while exercising. Baumgartner is 43 years old, the same age he was at the time of his record-breaking October space jump.
So yes, it’s confirmed: he was indeed the first man to break the sound barrier with no mechanical propulsion, only using his body in free fall over New Mexico. He also keep a supersonic speed for half a minute, while his heart kept pumping anywhere from 155 to 175 beats per minute.
Here’s the complete — and terrifying — official data:
- He started to spin at 60 revolutions per minute and kept spinning like that for 13 seconds (vomit).
- He jumped from an altitude of 127,852 feet (38,969m), 248 feet (76m) lower than the initial figure but still record-breaking.
- He experienced 25.2 seconds of absolute weightlessness at the beginning of his freefall.
- He never exceeded 3.5G of acceleration for more than six continuous seconds.
- His skull remained under 2G at all times, which is within the safe zone.
- His total freefall time: 4 minutes, 20 seconds.
The updated records:
- Maximum vertical speed: 1357.6km/h/Mach 1.25
- Highest exit (jump) altitude: 38,969.4m
- Vertical freefall distance*: 36,402.6m
*without drogue or stabilisation device