Classroom science: Felix Baumgartner’s jump from space

On Sunday, 14th October 2012, Felix Baumgartner stepped out of a capsule and into the record books, with four records (awaiting certification):

Once the full set of data from the jump becomes publically available, the opportunity for use in the classroom is immense. Here are some ideas of what you can do with the video and the preliminary data below.

You could also let me know your ideas through the online community group Resources - Secondary Physics.

Primary to KS3

Play the video and pause just before he jumps, just after he has jumped, and just before he opens his parachute. Get students to talk about what forces are acting on Felix, and draw diagrams to show them. To extend this further, get the students to explain how the forces are balanced some time after he opens his chute, and yet he has slowed down.

KS3 to post-16

From the preliminary data below, students can calculate:

For post-16 students, you can take this further by looking up the mass of the capsule and estimating the volume of helium needed to lift it off the ground and make estimates of how much the balloon will expand on the way up.

Preliminary data from the Redbull Stratos website

Altitude Felix Baumgartner stepped off the capsule:
39,045 meters / 128,100 feet

Fastest speed achieved during freefall:
1,342.8 km/h / 833.9 mph (Mach 1.24)

Time elapse before reaching speed of sound during freefall:
34 seconds

Vertical distance of freefall:
36,529 meters / 119,846 feet

Total time spent in freefall:
4 minutes 22 seconds

Parachute pulled:
5,300 ft above the ground

Total time from the moment he jumped to landing:
9 minutes 9 seconds

Distance between launch and landing positions:
70.5km / 43.8miles

This BBC news item shows Felix talking about the jump and includes footage from his chest camera, showing his spin during freefall.

This BBC news item discusses how Felix’s heart-rate changed during his jump.

These two links are from interviews about the jump with Anu Ojha, one of our Space Ambassadors and Director of the National Space Academy, at the National Space Centre, Leicester.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/space-dive-record/4312628
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00yxrt8