Felix Baumgartner Went Faster Than We Thought

We followed the exploits of Felix Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team with interest back in October of 2012. Baumgartner climbed into a specially designed capsule attached to a massive balloon and hitched a ride to 24 miles above the Earth's surface. Once at that height, Baumgartner jumped.

Baumgartner wore a special pressure suit that allowed him to survive the extreme cold and speed he would achieve during his freefall back to earth. The goal of Baumgartner and his team was to become the first person to break the speed of sound without using an aircraft. Baumgartner and his team believe that they have set several world records, but the team's findings haven't been verified yet by the Federation Aeronautique International.

That is the international association that certifies record claims for aviation and aerospace achievements. Baumgartner and his team have come forward and announced that he actually achieved a speed faster than was originally reported. The original speed Baumgartner achieved was reported as 833.9 mph.

That speed worked out mach 1.24. The Red Bull team announced this week that Baumgartner actually achieved a maximum vertical speed of 843.6 mph, or Mach 1.25. Another change comes in the altitude from which Baumgartner leapt. The original altitude estimate was 128,100 feet. The new, more accurate report, is 127,852.4 feet.

[via CNET]