Near Space Parachute Jump Sets New Record

When it comes to setting a record in anything that has to do with aerospace, some records last a long time but most don’t, and such is the case with the most-recent record for the highest freefall parachute jump (which, before Baumgartner, had stood for decades...).

Only 2 years ago, Felix Baumgartner set a record for the highest parachute jump when he stepped out of his Red Bull sponsored gondola hanging beneath a gas filled balloon at 128,100 feet. This record was broken last week when a computer scientist named Alan Eustace parachuted from an altitude of 135,890 feet. During his descent, it’s reported that Eustace reached a speed of 822 miles per hour.
 
While similar technologies were involved in both high-altitude jumps, there were striking differences. Baumgartner rose to altitude beneath his balloon in an enclosed gondola, while Eustace was suspended below the balloon wearing a pressure suit and literally left hanging out in the open.
 
Numerous reports have cited that Eustace works for Google, and it would be logical to assume Google had something to do with this, but that is not the case. Eustace worked with the Paragon Space Development Corporation and its StratEx team for almost 3 years to bring a successful conclusion to this challenge.

However, there is also another player in this event. In a press release from World View Enterprises they wrote, “Following the record-breaking 135,908-foot space dive accomplished by Google’s Alan Eustace and the Paragon StratEx team, World View Enterprises, the commercial balloon spaceflight company, has acquired the technology from this history-making project. The acquisition will advance the company’s mission to pioneer a new frontier at the edge of space for travel and research.”
 
World view enterprises is working on a near space commercial project that will carry passengers to the edge of space in a luxurious gondola suspended below a large gas filled balloon. The gondola will return to earth by means of a large ram air parachute.
 
Oh yes, World View is now taking reservations for their first commercial flights.

FMI: http://worldviewexperience.com/stratex/