and Red Bull writes the checks covering it all, a team of filmmakers is assembling the elaborate system of cameras that will record his fall.

Baumgartner plans to ride a helium balloon called Stratos to 120,000 feet and step into the void. He figures the free fall to Earth will take five minutes and he’ll exceed the speed of sound (690 mph at that altitude) within 30 seconds. He plans to make the jump later this year. The goal, purportedly, is to help researchers better understand what happens to the body as it falls from such heights. And, of course, bring Red Bull a whole lot of publicity.

To achieve those objectives, 15 cameras aboard Stratos will record the adventure. Baumgartner will wear three more on his suit. The cameras will transmit “cinematic footage” in high-def. They are being modified to withstand the extreme cold — minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit — and low pressure experienced at that altitude. Some will be sealed in metal canisters filled with nitrogen.

It’s a far cry from the system used to record the jump Air Force Col. Joe Kittinger made from 102,800 feet — a record that still stands — in 1960. Back then, the Air Force made do with three old-school spring-wound cameras heated with hot water bottles. The footage of Kittinger’s jump is amazing and gives you a real sense of just how far Baumgartner will fall.

“We’re going to be able to document the whole experience for the world to see,” Kittinger says of Baumgartner’s planned jump. “Going up, standing up and jumping and then free falling. It’s going to be a wonderful experience.”

Video: Red Bull

See Also:

• Video: Before Free-Falling 23 Miles, You Must Bungee-Jump …
• New Definition of Crazy: 120000-Foot Supersonic Free Fall …
• The Man Who Will Fall to Earth
• From Bat Bombs to Goo Guns: Crazy Military Experiments

Authors: Chuck Squatriglia

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