Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump?

comanchepilot

comanchepilot

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Joe Farrell, yeah, him
Listening to the air-ground comms Baumgartner was not repeating the checklist - and they repeatedly needed to get him to do someone to acknowledge. It looked like for a moment there he was about to jump out still hooked up to the oxygen system and the missed a couple of other callouts.

Could have been just comms problems . . . but looked like something more serious because he was not doing what they were telling him to do for a moment or three - and even then required re-prompting and raises voices from Joe.

Anyone else have that same thought?
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

Ayup.
 
Was thinking the same thing. He asked for them to "wait 2" twice before that also.

Could have been anything from hypoxia, to trying to wake up from a nap, to finishing visualization/meditation of the jump.

Someone will have to ask him and see if he says.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

I was wondering if maybe there were communication problems. If you watched the meters and stuff they seemed to say the oxygen levels were adequate.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

Whatever dude. He pulled it off.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

Dunno. He was wired to the bone, if he was hypoxic ground comtrol knew.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

I suppose poor O2 concentration could cause something like that, if they weren't using 100% O2 for safety reasons, but I'd be surprised if that were the case. Any other reason for hypoxia would have been almost immediately catastrophic given the environment he was in.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

I think it was a comms issue - his statement before jumping was really hard to understand as well. I think he said something very profound, but I couldn't make it out.

The only thing that was bizarre was his desire to open the hatch before the pressurization equaled out, despite being told numerous times that it wasn't ready yet.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

SkyHog said:
I think it was a comms issue - his statement before jumping was really hard to understand as well. I think he said something very profound, but I couldn't make it out.

The only thing that was bizarre was his desire to open the hatch before the pressurization equaled out, despite being told numerous times that it wasn't ready yet.
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That would have been my instinct. Watching that I was thinking "dude pull that door off and get the f outta there!"
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

When he didn't respond I immediately tried to put myself in his situation. It was quickly apparent that I would have been thinking about a way to avoid having to jump out of that thing.
 
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Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

I have to admit, hypoxia was my first thought too. But as others have said, I'm sure if there was any issue with his O2 sats, ground control would have known about it, and the jump would have been scrubbed.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

PERCENT of O2 is worthless without knowing the pressure inside the cabin and the suit. They did not have that displayed.

Running 26-27% O2 in a pressure of less than 10psi is a recipe for hypoxia. You need 100% O2 inside the suit at least 5PSI to avoid hypoxia . . .

The atmospheric pressure at 12000' is nominally 19" or so. Of that 19" you see 21% O2 - which gives you about 4.2PSI of O2 and that when you start REQUIRING O2. Many people see pulseox under 90 at 9000 . . . ..

The medical telemetry would hopefully include something simple like pulse Ox. But they were hell bent on completing the mission today- there they are at 128,000' = what are they going to do? Bring it back down? With 8 million people watching on computers, the press reporting it live around the world, and they going to scrub it? Talk about get-there-itis . . . .
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

Communicate is second on the list. He was busy aviating.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

ClimbnSink said:
Communicate is second on the list. He was busy aviating.
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Sure hope so . . . my money is still on hypoxia.

Dunno about how private companies work the problem but the poor comms and issues with checklist compliance would have terminated any mission I've ever been on . . .
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

Even for golf?

comanchepilot said:
Sure hope so . . . my money is still on hypoxia.

Dunno about how private companies work the problem but the poor comms and issues with checklist compliance would have terminated any mission I've ever been on . . .
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Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

I mentioned to my son-in-law that I sure didn't see the same level of communications and checklist discipline that I would expect from an astronaut or test pilot. And that it could be explained by him being a skydiver.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

It's simple. His giant balls draw oxygen away from his brain and you get permanent hypoxia.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

comanchepilot said:
PERCENT of O2 is worthless without knowing the pressure inside the cabin and the suit. They did not have that displayed.

Running 26-27% O2 in a pressure of less than 10psi is a recipe for hypoxia. You need 100% O2 inside the suit at least 5PSI to avoid hypoxia . . .

The atmospheric pressure at 12000' is nominally 19" or so. Of that 19" you see 21% O2 - which gives you about 4.2PSI of O2 and that when you start REQUIRING O2. Many people see pulseox under 90 at 9000 . . . ..

The medical telemetry would hopefully include something simple like pulse Ox. But they were hell bent on completing the mission today- there they are at 128,000' = what are they going to do? Bring it back down? With 8 million people watching on computers, the press reporting it live around the world, and they going to scrub it? Talk about get-there-itis . . . .
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My only point was that 1) certainly they designed the system to pressurize the guy to a normal earthly level and 2) he should have been given adequate O2 concentration within that environment to not be hypoxic. I got hypoxic at 32k ft when my cabin pressure rapidly and completely dumped and I was breathing 9X% O2, so I know from experience what you are talking about......but me thinks there are smart dudes behind all of this that at least planned for that kind of thing not to happen. We have indeed flown plenty of space exploration flights, including many EVA's (dating back to as early as the Gemini program), so I'm guessing that part of the technological trade isn't exactly new ground at this point. Then again, anything is possible.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

How many guys here have been in a pressure suit?

They don't pressurize you to 1000mBar. 750 is more like it. To go to 1000 bar is a major increment in stiffness and weight. 500 mBar is even better- but if you do that, you need 100% O2. Same physiology as at 24,000 feet inside that sac.

They are most uncomfortable d_mned things I have ever encountered.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

He was on 100% O2 all the way up -- necessary to prevent the bends. Nevertheless, I thought the same, and the CNN science guy seemed to think so, too, even if he didn't say it explicitly. However, later in the checklist, they went to "thumbs up" acknowledgement and visual observation of completed items (which seemed to be done promptly), so I think it was probably a comm system issue, not physiological.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

This article says his visor fogged up, which said malfunction almost caused the jump to be aborted.

-Rich
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

bbchien said:
How many guys here have been in a pressure suit?
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No that sounds even worse than my current flying get-up (to include the anti-exposure "poopy-suit" when water temp requires).
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

I was looking also for some inflation of his pressure suit . . . with the door open and there being effectively a vacuum, his suit never firmed up. That seemed a little unusual to me. I thought I heard the checklist item being read as 'pressurize suit' but it never got firm.

I know its simply not possible to survive at any level up there so there obviously was sufficient O2 for consciousness - whether there was enough to function at a high level or if it was claustrophobia . . . either one would do it!
 
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Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

One would think that, now having accomplished the feat he should hang it up and not cheat health and longevity again with acts intended only to get more daring.

HR
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

Lawreston said:
One would think that, now having accomplished the feat he should hang it up and not cheat health and longevity again with acts intended only to get more daring.

HR
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He alluded to as much in the news conference.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

bbchien said:
How many guys here have been in a pressure suit?

They don't pressurize you to 1000mBar. 750 is more like it. To go to 1000 bar is a major increment in stiffness and weight. 500 mBar is even better- but if you do that, you need 100% O2. Same physiology as at 24,000 feet inside that sac.

They are most uncomfortable d_mned things I have ever encountered.
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Interesting. Makes me appreciate what the U-2 and SR-71 crews went through flying missions in those suits.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

comanchepilot said:
The medical telemetry would hopefully include something simple like pulse Ox. But they were hell bent on completing the mission today- there they are at 128,000' = what are they going to do? Bring it back down? With 8 million people watching on computers, the press reporting it live around the world, and they going to scrub it? Talk about get-there-itis . . . .
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I don't know for certain what the medical telemetry consisted of, but it would seem insane to NOT have a pulse oximeter on him. And equally insane to succumb to get-there-itis at 128,000'. According to the live commentary on DSC, the plan B was absolutely to just bring it down. The downside safety-wise would be the more rapid descent and rougher landing. But if his O2 was reading low enough that his high level functioning was compromised, I can't imagine they wouldn't go for the safer option.

Claustrophobia... now there's a thought. Or maybe it was just nerves.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

nddons said:
Interesting. Makes me appreciate what the U-2 and SR-71 crews went through flying missions in those suits.
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I saw the ER-2 pressure suit up close.

It has a "high tech" cable on the front of the helmet because the $@#^ inflation tends to push the neck over the pilot's nose otherwise. That's gotta be a great view....
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

If the suits suck to move in doesnt that explain sluggishness?
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

It was weird that he seemed to forget that the decompression needed more time before the door could be opened, and had to be reminded twice... that can't be explained by weak comm signals. He almost seemed panicked when he first mentioned "Joe, the door won't open." I could see by the little virtual gauges in the video feed that it was not ready; you have to wonder why he didn't just look at his own instruments and check the handle position before mentioning it.

But I think he was just stressed and distracted...and eager to get it over with. The faceplate heat problem was probably uppermost in his mind. I was actually very surprised that they continued despite it, and I'm sure it was a big "if" that one would rather not be stuck with as one jumps out of a balloon at over 120,000 feet. There are worse malfunctions, but getting iced up would only lead to a greater chance of becoming unstable in free fall, or getting hurt landing. But even with everything nominal, yeah, it'd be claustrophobic and generally nerve-wracking. The ascent must have seemed like an eternity to him.

During the press conference he said that as he made the decision to get in position and commit to the jump, he considered it a survival situation... he was primarily concerned with coming back alive. That would explain a lot of his behavior.
At any rate, he didn't unravel or anything, and he used his previous high-altitude jump experience to make a very good jump under the circumstances.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

comanchepilot said:
PERCENT of O2 is worthless without knowing the pressure inside the cabin and the suit. They did not have that displayed.

Running 26-27% O2 in a pressure of less than 10psi is a recipe for hypoxia. You need 100% O2 inside the suit at least 5PSI to avoid hypoxia . . .

The atmospheric pressure at 12000' is nominally 19" or so. Of that 19" you see 21% O2 - which gives you about 4.2PSI of O2 and that when you start REQUIRING O2. Many people see pulseox under 90 at 9000 . . . ..
Click to expand...

They had a pressure gauge in PSI up while I was streaming online, and it was right up at 8.2 ish even while he was showing some of those hypoxia-esque symptoms.
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

His actions were normal because he was nervous. He is afraid of heights. :lol:
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

DavidWhite said:
It's simple. His giant balls draw oxygen away from his brain and you get permanent hypoxia.
Click to expand...

Haha

I agree that there seemed to be a hypoxia issue. It was not as clear and concise of a checklist procedure (read, complete, read back) as I would have liked either. My other thought revolves around the 'he was busy aviating' comment. Its possible Felix practiced the egress checklist so many times, he knew it very well and was becoming impatient with the read back to ground control. Not a good thing though...
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

35 AoA said:
No that sounds even worse than my current flying get-up (to include the anti-exposure "poopy-suit" when water temp requires).
Click to expand...

Is that the body bag with the hole for your face?
 
Re: Anyone think Felix Baumgartner might have been a little hypoxic there at the jump

Geico266 said:
His actions were normal because he was nervous. He is afraid of heights. :lol:
Click to expand...

What about women and electricity?
 
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