Jumping From Space-- The Consequences Quiz

Answer: Parachute

Reasonably so--a parachute would create drag and prevent you from speeding up and reaching a terminal velocity during your descent; Baumgartner was outfitted with parachutes (and he used them...he'd have to, right?) in case of emergency and to secure his landing. Had he used one of his chutes during the flight he would not have broken any records for fall speed.

The other items, however were used by Baumgartner to improve his attempt and protect him on the way down. Aside from a specially designed suit (which I'm sure everyone will want a copy of) to improve aerodynamics our diver spent months training with professionals to ensure his safety and technique were in the bag.

But seriously. Now that he's done it, everyone's going to want to do it. Not good.

Answer: Mesosphere

We reside six kilometers below the troposphere (and don't need to venture out too often in my opinion), but I'm sure it won't stop people from trying to go further; Felix Baumgartner opened a door we'll never close. Jumping from a height of thirty-nine kilometers, he was more than halfway into the stratosphere on his way to the mesosphere (which is at fifty kilometers). The stratosphere begins at twenty kilometers up and it contains most of our weather balloons.

Now when your kids ask "why can't we just go into the stratosphere to get to the store?" you can say "Maybe when you're older." Watch out though-- the kids will say "but Felix Baumgartner just did it." Sigh.

Answer: Red Bull

Red Bull (who've spent years sponsoring their own flugtags, drifting championships and extreme events) were likely candidates for this particular stunt considering their slogan is "Red Bull-- it gives you wings" (when really it's meant to restore mental alertness and wakefulness when experiencing fatigue or drowsiness). Baumgartner's stunt was thus dubbed the Red Bull Stratos.

Although viewers of the stunt never watched him pop open a can of Red Bull during his ascent or descent, you can be sure that any company would take advantage of their newsworthy events.

Their Red bull Paper Wings competition for paper airplane flying just doesn't make the front page.

Answer: Commercial airlines

Commercial airliners ascend to this level during a typical flight (unless it's extremely short-term) with help of a pressurized cabin to ensure the people inside the plane can survive the flight. That's not news though-- people have been flying without the need for constant oxygen masks since the late 1930s (1938 to be exact) when the Boeing 307 was first built.

The problem is that now that people are more aware of the capabilities and modern advances, we're going to be getting those "why don't we fly higher?" questions.

These people probably aren't getting enough air to begin. The typical altitude of a helicopter is anywhere below ten thousand feet, less than a third of a commercial airliner. Superman can fly where he wants; pigeons are the lowest to the ground and they seem to spend most of their time at ground level getting underfoot and cooing at pedestrians.

Answer: The Speed of Sound

"The Speed of SOUND?!" these people will scoff, "I can do that on a freeway during rush hour!"

They can't really. The Speed of Sound is Mach 1; it's between six and nine hundred miles per hour. Their Jettas can't even reach that. Mach 1.24 is pretty respectable though; a Concorde can reach just over Mach 2 (at the most), a Hypersonic Jet (which does exist thanks to Boeing) can reach between Mach 5 and Mach 10, and the Speed of Light is off the charts.

Answer: Gustav Holst

Gustav Holst was born in England in 1874 and he created the orchestral pieces known collectively as "The Planets". If he were from Austria, we'd probably expect him to have been to each one by now, but he's not, so it's okay.

Arnold Schwarzenegger may have terminated and run as Governor of California, but he was born in Austria in 1947. He was also Mr. Universe, but he never even left the troposphere. So HA!
Ferdinand Porsche was born in Austria in 1875; he created an automotive empire and designed the Volkswagen Beetle. He was not alive when the company's German engineers designed the Volkswagen Up, but had he been, we'd probably want it to fly.
Erwin Schrödinger was born in Austria in 1887. He's most famous for putting a cat in a box for science (or did he?); he should have put it in a weather balloon instead.

Answer: Weather balloons

Nick Piantanida was the original record holder ascent-wise; he reached almost thirty-eight miles up before parachuting down in 1966. His subsequent jump was a failure when his face mask faced intense pressure and he was brought back down. He died in a coma in the same year.

Baumgartner, likewise, used a balloon filled with helium to reach his thirty-nine kilometer height. With an extra forty plus years of technological advancement he was able to overcome the issues faced by Piantanida and make a successful jump.

These balloons though! What can't they do? If "Up!" taught us anything, they can lift anything.

Answer: YouTube

At the time of the jump, eight million people were tuning into the live feed at the exact same time making it the largest viewing online to date-- YouTube's other videos must've been slow to load; sorry Bieber fans.

This poses new opportunities, but also heightened expectations; the capability to hold eight million people could spark the need for more concert live feeds, online debates and announcements, and more. In 2006, YouTube was purchased by Google. Coincidentally, the recording of the feed, articles about the jump, and even this quiz can be accessed from Google too. Conspiracy?

Answer: Record for longest time buried in sand

David Blaine started his career as a magician but soon realized his powers would be better spent completing excruciating feats of endurance including being frozen in a block of ice, living in a giant fishbowl in New York, and shackling himself into a gyroscope for a while. Although Blaine attempted to be buried alive for his 'Buried Alive' stunt in 1999 (which was a success) he was never buried in sand. He spent a month (forty-four days actually) in a plexiglass case above the Thames for 'Above the Below' in 2003 and he attempted to break the breath-holding record for 'Drowned Alive' in 2006.

We all anticipate his needless jump from the space station back down to Earth.

Answer: Aerials

BASE stands for Buildings, Antennas, Spans, and Earth; Spans includes bridges and dams while Earth would be cliffsides and mountains. BASE jumping is extremely risky and should only be attempted by professionals. It literally involves jumping off high things and pulling a chute.
Baumgartner has jumped from Christ the Redeemer, Taipei 101, and the Turning Torso amongst other famous landmarks. He has also jumped from the stratosphere.
Born in Austria in 1969, Baumgartner is essentially a professional parachutist and record breaker.

And if it's his last outing we'll all be shocked.