Wyoming Meteorologist Talks About Red Bull Stratos Record Setting Jump [AUDIO,VIDEO]

On March 15th, 2011, Austrian Felix Baumgartner jumped out of a capsule, carried by a hot air balloon,from the altitude of 71,581 feet. This was just a test jump for the Red Bull Stratos Team that hopes to take this same capsule to 120,000 feet for a record shattering jump later this year. K2 Radio's Meteorologist Don Day is a part of the team and he sat down with Brian Scott to talk about the jump and the preparations that continue.

I mix my meteorology with my experience as a balloonist, My job is all encompassing from the start to finish for this jump.

This is also the first time the equipment, the team, and the procedures have been tested together under real flight conditions. Felix is only the third person to have ever jumped from such a high altitude. Although, this won't be his highest freefall attempt, it's high enough to test the functionality of the pressurized space suit and the capsule's abilities.

This is a significant milestone stemming from five years of testing and intensive work. The effort takes more than 100 expert personnel who have been building and creating one-of-a-kind technology, and sometimes coming together from across the world.

Preliminary data from the International Air Sports Federation (FAI) shows how this successful test measured up.

Altitude reached: 71,581 feet

Parachute opened at: 7,890 feet

Freefall time: 3 minutes and 33 seconds

The fastest ascent rate of the capsule: 1,200 feet per minute (estimate)

Speed reached in freefall: 364.4 miles per hour

Here is a video from one of the unmanned test flights that was just released.