P2 in Space - the Red Bull Stratos Project

B

Barry_Green

Moderator
Hey all, if you've noticed I've been a little scarcer around these parts for the last few months, part of that is because we've been working on a high-profile project, and finally Red Bull has issued some press releases so we can talk about it more. (There's still lots of questions we can't answer, but hey, at least we can start the discussion)... Anyway, it's kinda cool so I thought I'd share.

Basically, I've been working as an Imaging Technician for Jay Nemeth's aerospace cinematography company, FlightLine Films. And FlightLine's current major project is to handle all the video systems for the Red Bull Stratos project, which is taking daredevil Felix Baumgartner to the upper limits of the stratosphere, to the very edge of space, about 23 MILES above the surface of the Earth. Then he'll jump, in an attempt to break the sound barrier and exceed Mach 1, in freefall, before parachuting to Earth.

As part of that, FlightLine is engineering, designing, and building an onboard electronics capsule that will document the whole event, including supporting a live broadcast from space (or the very edge thereof), as well as supplying footage for the documentary that's being produced by the BBC and National Geographic.

Here's a press release from Red Bull.

And here's a video featuring Jay discussing some of the challenges the FlightLine team has faced in taking this equipment and getting it ready for the challenges of surviving in space and still recording and broadcasting, in as tiny a module as possible and as lightweight a module as possible.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later.
I AGREE


Long, longtime DVXUsers may remember that Jay was the cinematographer I hired to get the very first footage ever from the HVX200 when it was first being introduced, back in late 2005. He's a profoundly talented engineer and cinematographer, who's been working in aerial cinematography and aerospace since about 1984.

The electronics keg was custom engineered for this project, and features three microwave transmitters, routers, downconverters, and a whole lot of HPG20 P2 recorders. We needed to design a system that can sustain massive temperature shifts, pressure changes, near-zero-g conditions, and the shock of impact when the capsule hits earth.

It's been an amazing project to work on and I'm glad we can finally at least let the cat out of the bag. The project was on the cover of this month's Popular Mechanics magazine too. If you want to follow along, keep up on the www.RedBullStratos.com webpage, or follow Felix Baumgartner on Facebook.



 
Last edited:
It should remind you of Col. Kittinger -- he's the current record holder, and he's on the Red Bull Stratos team. He's an active participant in the Stratos project. :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
There should be an automatic action that forces any User with under 500 post, that questions Barry's advice in a thread, to watch this and future videos from this series.

Thanks and conrats!
 
Last edited:
Fahad said:
so, i'm assuming this record isn't going to stand for much longer?
Click to expand...
Well, the goal is to break those records, yes. Colonel Kittinger jumped from about 100,000 feet; Stratos' goal is to get Baumgartner above 120,000+. Kittinger's maximum speed was below the speed of sound, but the additional 20,000 feet height, combined with the practically zero wind resistance, should have Baumgartner breaking the speed of sound really quickly.

Consider that in general, the terminal velocity of a human in freefall is about 120mph, and in the incredibly-low-resistance environment of the stratosphere Baumgartner should exceed 700+ mph within the first 30 seconds or so...

So, yes, if all goes well, all of Colonel Kittinger's records will be superseded by Baumgartner's.

For those who may remember the stunt where a parachutist strapped a jet wing on his back and flew across the English Channel... that's the same guy.
 
I've been reading up on this stunt for the past few months. What an honor to be such an integral part...congrats, Barry! Hoping that all goes according to plan for Felix and the whole crew. I'll be anxiously awaiting the coverage!!!
 
if this baumgartner fellow chickens out, barry will have to take the jump for us. but instead of wearing a specialized suit, he will be using a superman cape.
 
ugafan said:
if this baumgartner fellow chickens out, barry will have to take the jump for us. but instead of wearing a specialized suit, he will be using a superman cape.
Click to expand...
Okay, now look -- if I *did* have to make that jump, you can dang well bet that I would INSIST on there being a Superman cape attached.

Or, actually, what I think would be awesome would be to have a pair of wings on the back of the spacesuit. You know, "Red Bull Gives You Wings"?

That would be awesome... :D
 
Andrew McCarrick said:
23 miles? The edge of space (KármánLine) is considered to be 62 miles.
Click to expand...
The Edge of Space is a term that generally refers to Near Space which is the area between 20 and 100km, an altitude higher than most commercial aircraft can fly, but below orbiting spacecraft. The SR-71 at 80,000+ ft. was often described as flying to the edge of space. The air pressure at 120,000 ft. is a fraction of that on the surface and virtually a vacuum. During the first 30 seconds of the descent, Felix will feel no wind going past him or be able to control his attitude. At 100,000 feet, the thin air traveling past him at around 700 mph will feel like 35 mph, and he can begin traditional skydiving maneuvering.
 
Long time since I've updated this thread. Partly because the project was put on hold for a while to resolve some legal issues, and partly because -- well, now that it's back on, we're working round the clock to get this man jumping out of the space capsule! But the project is back on full speed ahead, and we've been working the last few weeks towards our first manned flight (which is why you've barely seen me around these last few weeks! :) )

For those interested in seeing what we're doing, probably the best place to check is www.redbullstratos.com, and if you want up-to-the-minute news updates, I would recommend Felix Baumgartner's Facebook page. We on the project aren't allowed to reveal anything that's not already public knowledge, but Felix is making posts about our successes and our delays, and -- hey, he's the star of the show, so he can say things that we can't.

As Felix says in his latest post, today's jump was scrubbed due to fog at the landing site, so we got the morning off, which is why I've had a chance to catch up a little on a few things (and make myself a bit of a pest in the Digital Bolex thread). But I'm glad to say we've got even more DVXUsers on the project now, besides me and Jay Nemeth we've now welcomed Jack Daniel Stanley to the team. The whole thing is really an amazing project to work on and we're all a bit amped out of our skulls about it... wish us luck for the next attempt!
 
I volunteer. For anything. Sooooooooo drooling right now. Need an audio guy to jump too? I'd be so there, LOL! Boompole and all............

On a serious note, I have always been intrigued with what challenges audio would have in space (even near-space). Might try to pick your brain on that, Barry.

Mind if I share on FB, with my film-making friends? LOL, they all know how I talk about the challenges of space travel, and how that's kind of a pipe dream for me. And this is probably about as close as I am going to get to the real thing: Knowing someone on a forum who is working on gear that will be in space and knows people that have been there.
 
Last edited:
Just programming my evening's viewing tonight when I spotted this and remembered Barry's post. It's screening in Australia on channel 73 (7mate) at 11.15pm as Red Bull Stratos Live: Mission to Space. Looks like it runs for almost two hours so there's every chance I'm going to fall asleep watching it (I have to get up 3 hours after it finishes) but I'll give it a crack because I know Barry's involved.

Just did a web search and looks like it's actually live so for all others it's 16.21 here right now so about 7 hours from the timestamp of this post to watch it in your own country, you'll have to find the channel yourself.

EDIT: or online

I doubt Barry's going to be online any time soon but I look forward to a run down afterwards.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, we are in the frigid New Mexico desert at 3:30 in the morning, and even then I find a way to check in on DVXUser!

The live broadcast is the way to follow it. I'm the guy who powers up the capsule, so if you see someone in the capsule who isn't Felix, it's a good bet it's me.

The launch is all up to the winds now. We are ready and fired up, the capsule is ready, Felix is ready. We just need the winds to cooperate and we will be launching sometime three hours from now!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top