Impact on the Red Bull Stratos Project

The connotation and impact on Red Bull Stratos project with Felix Baumgartner Jump from the Strathopshere can be measured on many levels.

The Red Bull Stratos team has been launching its unmanned and manned balloon flights from the outskirts of Roswell International Air Center. If the runway could talk, it would have a long list of historical moments to share. Today you can find a graveyard of used airliners lined up alongside the taxiway and Elvis’ 1962 Jetstar at Roswell International Air Center. Word around the block says it was the last airplane Elvis owned. Going further back in time, the ‘Enola Gay’ Boeing B-29 Superfortress, returned to Roswell Army Air Field after dropping its atomic bomb on Japan in 1945. (On display at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum)

Joe Kittinger, having been involved in stratospheric balloon projects during his time in the U.S. Air Force more than 50 years ago, is very much in tune with the importance of these desert testing grounds. As mentioned, Dr. Robert H. Goddard built and tested the first liquid-fueled rocket. Dr. Goddard recognized the need for more space and moved his research to Roswell, New Mexico in 1930. A breakthrough came in 1941, when one of his rockets punched through the sky to 9,000 feet.

The People Talk

Perhaps most noteworthy is not only the records broken, rather the thought-provoking conversations online:

A few Examples:

“The best part of skydiving is the free fall. Problem with skydiving from 10,000 feet is that the free fall is over in a minute. Free fall for like 5 minutes would be nuts. I would do it in a heartbeat.” Gizmodo

“Watched the jump on my phone with the Palestinians who run the bagel place near my house,” tweeted @tomgara in New York City. “The universal cheering had a semi-olympic quality.” Tweet via Los Angeles Times

“A NASA engineer who specializes in astronaut escape systems said Baumgartner’s mission “gives us a good foundation” for improving the odds of survival for professional astronauts, space tourists and high-altitude pilots and passengers.” Huff Post Tech

“Indeed, it is no small feat to free-fall over 24 miles… Felix taught us that having the vision, the fortitude, to focus on the result is not easy, but deeply rewarding. However, in order to do it, Felix spent a lot of time with some experts.” Forbes

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