"JUMPING OFF THE STRATOSPHERE"



 

This past Sunday on October 14, 2012 Felix Baumgartner took a step, or rather a gigantic leap, into the history books, after subjecting himself to a 4:00 free fall off a capsule in Earth’s stratosphere. Wearing a specially designed suit, he plummeted towards the our planet from the mind blowing height of 35, 045 meters, reaching a top speed of around 1,340 km/h and breaking through the sound barrier. After another grueling 5:00 minutes Felix reached the ground safely with the help of NASA certified parachute. This amazing feat not only gave Felix a few world record titles to display on his mantle, but also helped show us what great extremes the human body can endure.

While watching this video ("Sapce Jump") I tried to imagine what it must have been like to be in Felix Baumgartner shoes as he was preparing to jump. To look out of the capsule door and watch as the Earth spreads out below you, knowing that this is a view that only a handful of people have been able to behold firsthand throughout all of history. At that moment I would have felt empowered, as if I could do anything in the world that I put my mind to. I am curious to know if he was able to see the stars and inky blackness of space surrounding him or, if at that point, anticipation and a healthy dose of fear were taking over his mind and senses. When listening to mission control telling Felix to move out onto the edge of the seat I had the sudden urge to start laughing. To have been able to see his face at that moment as he, oh so slowly, inched out into space would have been priceless. In my mind I can a liken the event to one particular “Mr. Bean” episode were Bean goes to the swimming pool and attempts to jump off the high diving board. For anyone who has not viewed this show I strongly recommend you look it up, this resemblance has kept me laughing silently to myself for the past two days.

Having a fairly adventurous spirit myself, I by no means ever want to attempt Felix’s jump, however in the future I would love to be able to experience the thrills of less dangerous activities such as bungee jumping and sky diving. Feeling the wind rushing around you would be incredible, the ground rushing up to meet you as gravity rockets you down, the only sounds the beating your own heart and the screaming of the wind in your ears. The adrenaline born from speed is one of the best feelings I could ever imagine. I love running across a grassy field with the wind whipping around me or racing through the trees on my skis down the mountain. In these moments all my troubles melt away and I feel as light and as free as a bird.  This summer I had the opportunity to try cliff jumping. It was one of the most exhilarating moments I have ever had. Running off the cliff. Launching myself three stories into the air before plummeting like a rock into the water. I still get goose bumps thinking about it. It would be amazing to experience something like the “Sky Jump”, just maybe not quite an event that extreme or dangerous. I commend Felix Baumgartner for his courage and perseverance in his adventure, and thank him for showing us how to push our limits to achieve what we all thought was impossible.