7mate special to broadcast Red Bull Stratos 120,000ft freefall stunt
A Seven News special will broadcast live the Red Bull Stratos mission, which will see skydiver Felix Baumgartner freefall 120,000 feet to earth, on 7mate on Monday 8 October. The broadcast will also be broadcast via YouTube.
The announcement:
Premium content producer, Red Bull Media House, has announced the Red Bull Stratos mission will be broadcast live via a global partnership with YouTube and an Australia partnership with the Seven Network. Both platforms will transmit a live broadcast of the historic mission, produced by Red Bull Media House. The mission, due to take place on 8th October, will see athlete Felix Baumgartner attempt a record-breaking freefall from 120,000 feet above the earth. If successful, he will become the first man to break the speed of sound with his own body.
This mission to the edge of space is an inspirational, scientific endeavour that has been in development for over five years. More than 35 moving and still image cameras will be used to document the mission including two ground-based optical tracking systems which will allow viewers to track live Felix’s entire freefall from the moment he steps off of his capsule, to when he deploys his parachute, to his triumphant landing.
The incredible feat will be broadcast live and exclusively on television via a Seven News special on 7mate, allowing viewers to follow the jump from the balloon’s launch in Roswell, New Mexico, to Felix’ descent back to earth, from their living room in Australia. The special will be broadcast nationally on 7mate from 10.00pm AEST on Monday, 8th October.
Building on the success of the Red Bull YouTube Channel, which boasts over 500,000 subscribers, the Red Bull Stratos project will capitalise on the audience built through Red Bull Media House’s exclusive partnership in YouTube’s original programming initiative. Red Bull Media House’s extensive expertise in live broadcast production will deliver an embeddable live stream to any digital platform including mobile on the day of the Red Bull Stratos mission. The live stream will be broadcast on www.redbullstratos.com, on the Red Bull Channel on YouTube, on www.facebook.com/redbullstratos.
Due to weather variables, which require specific conditions to be perfect in order to launch, it is not possible to identify an exact date for the Red Bull Stratos mission and live online broadcast. At this time, the weather window opens on 8th October.
The mission promises to deliver valuable scientific data and protocols that could save the lives of high altitude explorers who may need to survive emergency bail-outs from above the Armstrong line (62,000 feet). Col. Joe Kittinger is the only man alive who has been close to where Felix will go. In 1960, he set the current freefall record from 102,800 feet as part of the Project Excelsior mission with the United States Air Force. Col. Kittinger is an advisor on the Red Bull Stratos mission, and will be the only voice in Felix’s ear over radio communications throughout his ascent and freefall.
Source: Red Bull Press release
I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Joe Kittinger and his hot-air balloon team in 1988. I must say they were all completely fearless people to the point that you would doubt their logic and reasoning abilities – or simply wonder just how much hyperbole was in the stories they would tell each night over a beverage or twelve.
I checked it all out and it was all true and even modestly so! Back on August 16, 1960 Joe jumped from 31.3km (102,800 feet), free fell for over four and half minutes and hit speeds of just under 1,000 km/h. Joe was also the first person to gas-balloon solo across the Atlantic. Felix has since taken Joe’s record and is looking to better the altitude mark again.
People like Joe and Felix blur the line between bravery and what I would call madness, buttwhat they would call ‘calculated risk’.
I know I’ll be watching it!
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