0:00:06 > 0:00:08Sunday 14th October.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Mission control. We're in perfect conditions for launch.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14The world is watching...
0:00:14 > 0:00:15To expedite the process...
0:00:15 > 0:00:21..as a man in a space suit flies a balloon to 128,000 feet.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25We are away. Felix is away.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27At the edge of space, he leaves the capsule,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29stands on a tiny step...
0:00:32 > 0:00:33..and jumps.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43He becomes the first person to fall faster than the speed of sound.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52But although the world watched, it didn't see the whole story.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59How seconds earlier, as he fell, Felix Baumgartner lost control
0:00:59 > 0:01:01and came close to disaster.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05What is he doing? He's spinning, isn't he?
0:01:05 > 0:01:10How on the way up, he was nearly forced to call off the whole jump.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17We have an emergency here. We could very well be cutting him down any minute.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21And how four years of struggles and setbacks
0:01:21 > 0:01:23pushed the mission to the brink of collapse.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Two flights, two mission aborts - stop selling me excuses.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33What's going on?
0:01:33 > 0:01:36He had the opportunity to get trained properly. He never took advantage of it.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Sometimes feels like it's just too much.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46This is the untold story of how a team of scientists
0:01:46 > 0:01:48and sky-divers...
0:01:48 > 0:01:49Rock and roll!
0:01:49 > 0:01:52..took a giant leap...
0:01:53 > 0:01:55..and stunned the world.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I had this dream when I was a little kid.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39And I'm still having it two or three times a month.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Always the same dream, you know,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45I'm just walking out here on the street,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47I run for a couple of feet, then I take off.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55It was always a show-off flight to my friends,
0:02:55 > 0:02:56cos they don't believe it.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59I'm always telling them, "OK, wait until you see this."
0:03:02 > 0:03:04You can do backflips, front flips, you can do spins,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06you can do whatever you want.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Then coming back after a couple of minutes and telling them, "See, I told you I can fly."
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Felix Baumgartner is gripped by an obsession.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30He wants to fly.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38Higher, further, faster than any human has ever dared.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47But to realise that dream, he needs to break a record
0:03:47 > 0:03:50that has stood for more than fifty years.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08In 1960, test pilot Joe Kittinger volunteered for a mission
0:04:08 > 0:04:12to test survival at the edge of the Earth's atmosphere.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Protected by just a pressure suit,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21he flew a balloon beyond 100,000 feet.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Not only did he survive the flight,
0:04:26 > 0:04:31at the edge of space, he did something extraordinary.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Joe fell 19 miles back to earth.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58His feat was so dangerous
0:04:58 > 0:05:02and technically difficult that it has never been matched.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Before Felix can take on HIS near-space mission,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19he needs to be trained.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Only one man has the skills and experience for the job.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Retired Colonel...Joe Kittinger.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37I think the first week after my jump I got a phone call from a guy
0:05:37 > 0:05:39wanting to beat my record.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43And monthly since then, for 50 years I've been getting calls.
0:05:43 > 0:05:4799% of them have no idea of the challenge.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01Joe has come out of retirement to help Felix break his record
0:06:01 > 0:06:03and become the first person
0:06:03 > 0:06:06to freefall faster than the speed of sound.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11It's kind of a weird thought
0:06:11 > 0:06:13when you look at all these supersonic planes.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19And when I do my jump, I'm travelling at the same speed.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Well, nobody's ever done it.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28I can't estimate, but it's going to be the dynamics, aeronautics,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30CG changes, turbulence.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Felix really doesn't have the experience
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and the background that I had.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41But he'll be going five miles higher than what I jumped from
0:06:41 > 0:06:46so I've got to be extra intense at looking at how he's doing.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58When I go supersonic speed, I almost become an aeroplane.
0:06:58 > 0:06:59You're a bomb.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01A bomb?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03You're a bomb.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07I want to be an aeroplane, not a bomb!
0:07:07 > 0:07:09You're a bomb that can manoeuvre.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13But I was born to fly.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16That's right, you were born to fly. And you'd better fly too!
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Felix has already turned his obsession with flying into a career.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35He is a professional BASE jumper.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42He's set records for the highest jump from a building...
0:07:45 > 0:07:46..and the lowest.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53But for this mission,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Felix needs to jump from 20 miles higher than he has ever been before.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Just getting there
0:08:05 > 0:08:08requires a multi-million dollar space programme.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Screw it in, screw it in. It's still got to go this way.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24A team of 20 engineers and scientists
0:08:24 > 0:08:29is working on the technology to fly Felix beyond the stratosphere.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35We're trying to take a human being up into space
0:08:35 > 0:08:36and have him come back safely.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38I've got a diagram here.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42I call it a plumbing diagram - we're space plumbers.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50All the way over.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52The man in charge is Art Thompson.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57Oh, my God! This is going to be big, isn't it?!
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Art has worked on rocket planes for NASA
0:09:02 > 0:09:05and stealth bombers for the US military.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12But for this mission, he's working for an Austrian drinks company.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16You really got to kind of hand it to them that they took on
0:09:16 > 0:09:22this commitment to do, in essence, a privately funded space programme.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28But Red Bull's budget of £3.5 million pounds
0:09:28 > 0:09:32comes with something these engineers aren't used to -
0:09:32 > 0:09:35a 12-month deadline.
0:09:35 > 0:09:41We've got schedules to make! We've got big schedules to make!
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Yeah!
0:09:46 > 0:09:53Despite the lack of time, Art's ideas for the project are ambitious.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57It starts out really simple
0:09:57 > 0:10:00as a napkin sketch in the middle of the night
0:10:00 > 0:10:02and eventually that ends up becoming more.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07It's a technical beast that keeps growing.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Just like Joe's day, the only way up for Felix
0:10:13 > 0:10:19is via the oldest aircraft of all - a balloon.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23It's almost like the space programme going full circle again.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26It started with the balloon, we've come back to the balloon.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31But this is no ordinary balloon.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34At nearly 30 million cubic feet,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37it's the biggest ever used for a manned flight.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41One tenth as thick as a polythene bag
0:10:41 > 0:10:45but strong enough to carry the space capsule that Art is building.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49At launch, it will be filled with helium
0:10:49 > 0:10:52until it's taller than a fifty-storey building.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55It's amazing that this
0:10:55 > 0:11:00piece of plastic, that is no thicker than a dry cleaner bag,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03is going to hold up all this weight.
0:11:04 > 0:11:10At around 63,000 feet, it will pass through the Armstrong line.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Beyond this point, the lack of pressure
0:11:13 > 0:11:16would be deadly without protection.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22As it rises, the gas will expand
0:11:22 > 0:11:25until the balloon is the width of a football field.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33It will take three hours to carry Felix 24 miles above the earth.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42Getting him there is hard enough.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Keeping him alive is even harder.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04We're talking about the medical and physiological considerations
0:12:04 > 0:12:06of an extreme altitude jump.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Felix and Joe meet the project's medical team.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15We have to go through the what-if's to understand what our choices are.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18It includes a former astronaut
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and the world's leading expert on altitude sickness.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23This is what happens in the body.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26The CO2, partial pressure of oxygen...
0:12:26 > 0:12:31The doctors have identified a series of high-altitude dangers.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37First, a life-threatening condition called hypoxia.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Definition of hypoxia.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43It's a deficiency of oxygen. These are the symptoms.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48You may get impaired efficiency, drowsiness, poor judgement,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51visual blurring, extreme fatigue,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54you're not really functional at that point.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57But there's a bigger threat -
0:12:57 > 0:13:03the lack of atmospheric pressure above the Armstrong line.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Ebulism. Definition - tissue vaporization. It's dramatic.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09It's life-threatening.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16Above the Armstrong line, you don't have the pressure
0:13:16 > 0:13:21of the atmosphere holding the gas in your blood stream.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26The gas is trying to find the fastest path out of your body.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Out of every orifice you have, you'll start to ooze fluids.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32Your body wants to swell up twice its size.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36It's like the worst possible horror film.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39We can show you a video of a guy that had that in a chamber,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43suit pressurised, it becomes disconnected from a life support.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46He remembered his tongue was boiling.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52'You're so far away from anything, any medical treatment,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55'any help at all. If something goes wrong,'
0:13:55 > 0:13:58you're by yourself. That is really scary.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01This is what I'm thinking about all the time.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Where do you want to abort? At what level of risk do you want to abort?
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Only way to ensure his safety is stay on the ground.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10He's not going to do that.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13We're talking about risk factors - that's a crock.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16We're going to do this project. Let's just get out of this,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18accept a little bit of risk and press on.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24'The consensus is that he can survive the experience.'
0:14:29 > 0:14:31I hope we're right.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Felix has one key piece of safety equipment
0:14:43 > 0:14:46that he has to learn to trust -
0:14:46 > 0:14:49his pressurised space suit.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Joe takes him to be fitted
0:14:53 > 0:14:58at the same company that made his space suit 50 years ago.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12It's a piece of art.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14It's all hand done.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16She just assembled these two pieces,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20you can not see where she just sewed that together.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22- It's impossible. - I think it's right there.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25- Where?- No, I don't think so! - THEY LAUGH
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Cos I can't find it either.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34It will take a team of people more than a year
0:15:34 > 0:15:37to build the customised suit.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40A single flaw could be deadly.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46You have to be very exact about everything.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51If you did do something wrong, it could be someone's life, you know, so...
0:15:51 > 0:15:53But they check us much too much.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01Space suits are designed for protection, not for free-falling.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06This is a whole new world for Felix.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Ready to do this?
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Screw it in, clockwise. Screw it in.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Run it up to 3 PSI.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30FELIX SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY
0:16:30 > 0:16:33The suit is inflated with air,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36creating a protective cocoon around the body.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Can I jump?
0:16:41 > 0:16:44This pressurised air keeps you alive at altitude
0:16:44 > 0:16:47but makes movement difficult.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Three, two, one.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Get full flex. All the way back.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56Good.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Do that again.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09'It's hard to describe how it feels.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12'Your movements are totally limited.'
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Is that hard? Is that OK?
0:17:16 > 0:17:20'You can't breathe that easy any more.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22'It's difficult, you know?'
0:17:22 > 0:17:24You don't feel a damn thing in that suit.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30When I go for a skydive,
0:17:30 > 0:17:34I want the air floating around my body.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36I want to feel it, I want to feel the speed,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39I want to feel the temperature.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Work with the air, use it,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43so you can move your body while falling down.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51'So first time wearing the pressure suit,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54'pumped up like this,'
0:17:54 > 0:17:57it was like, "Where's my freedom? It's gone!"
0:18:02 > 0:18:08Felix will have to learn how to freefall in a rigid pressure suit.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14The first person ever to do that was Joe.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Hey, Joe. Remember this?
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Yeah. Looks familiar.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23It's a picture of Joe going out of the gondola.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28To me it was a lot simpler, a lot easier.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30I'd worn pressure suits a long time.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32I'd flown aeroplanes in pressure suits
0:18:32 > 0:18:35so I was used to flying with a pressure suit.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38I'd got used to how uncomfortable it is.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Yeah, and I'm not a fighter pilot.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44I didn't spend much time in a pressure suit
0:18:44 > 0:18:45so that's the big thing.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47You are an attitude.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Back in '55, '56, '57,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03space was something that no-one ever thought would happen.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Some people actually said we could never go there.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10When Joe began his mission, NASA was just being formed
0:19:10 > 0:19:14and space travel was still a thing of the future.
0:19:14 > 0:19:20His jump was part of a research programme called Project Excelsior.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22I wasn't interested in skydiving,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25I wasn't interested in setting records.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29I was interested in getting escape systems for pilots and astronauts.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32I never get tired of watching the footage.
0:19:32 > 0:19:37- It's incredible.- I don't either. - It's just incredible.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Oh, you know, it was the most significant thing
0:19:39 > 0:19:42to happen in my life, that parachute jump was.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46It's just as vivid in my mind today as it was the day I did it.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53On 16th August 1960,
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Joe left earth on a mission to see if a pilot could survive
0:19:57 > 0:20:01an emergency bailout from the edge of space.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06His every word was recorded for research.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09What I have here really is a transcript
0:20:09 > 0:20:13and this is what I said.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18I said, "Overhead it's black, probably because of the polarization.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22"Beneath me I can see the clouds. Quite fantastic."
0:20:25 > 0:20:29The balloon carried Joe 19 miles above the earth.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34It's just a beautiful, beautiful setting.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40But then all of a sudden you realise that it's hostile. VERY hostile.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47As he was preparing to jump, Joe made a terrifying discovery...
0:20:49 > 0:20:51..he had a hole in one of his gloves.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55My hand started swelling twice it's normal size.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59I was really distressed.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05I thought, "Well, if I tell the ground that I have this problem,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07"they're going to make me abort."
0:21:11 > 0:21:14But I was there as a test pilot,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18and my job now was to jump.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I took a deep breath...
0:21:27 > 0:21:31I stood up, moved to the door...
0:21:31 > 0:21:33I said "Lord, take care of me now."
0:21:51 > 0:21:56"Awfully bright. Cold in my legs.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59"Can't get my breath."
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Joe ignored the pain in his hand
0:22:05 > 0:22:09and recorded everything he could feel and see as he fell.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13I said, "Gosh, I'm not accelerating very fast,"
0:22:13 > 0:22:16cos you have nothing to define speed.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21There's no signposts going by, there's nothing visual at all.
0:22:23 > 0:22:29In fact, Joe was falling at 614 mph,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31just short of the speed of sound.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37"70,000. Beautiful.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40"Hit it in 35 secs.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45"60,000. 50,000."
0:22:47 > 0:22:49The further I fell, the happier I got,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51because I knew I was going back down to a safer environment.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56And that's a nice thought.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07At 18,000 feet, after a four-and-a-half minute freefall,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Joe's chute opened.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14"Oh, gee, that sure feels good, that cold air.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17"Ah, boy. Thank you, God, thank you.
0:23:18 > 0:23:24"Thank you for protecting me during that long descent. Thank you, God."
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Joe's injured hand eventually healed.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40The data from his freefall helped develop a parachute escape system
0:23:40 > 0:23:42used by high-altitude pilots.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48Now, Joe has to train Felix to do what he did,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51only faster and further.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56It was the highlight of my life.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Until I have to beat Felix's new record.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05And I know how to do it now, cos they've got all the equipment.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08I don't know if Felix told you, but I'm his backup.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10If he breaks his leg or something
0:24:10 > 0:24:12I'm going to be his backup for the jump.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14It's not commonly known,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17but, uh, that's the agreement that Felix and I have.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21I don't ever want to see this like this again.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23You stretch your lines out.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27From now on, I don't want to see a cord like this.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29C'mon now, we're better than that.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Back at mission headquarters,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Art and the team are struggling with the capsule.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Three, two, one.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40- Woo! - APPLAUSE
0:24:40 > 0:24:43We'll see what the load cell says.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Even simple tests hit problems.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50The sensor's messed up.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00This project is so mentally, physically, intense...
0:25:00 > 0:25:01COMPUTER CHIMES
0:25:01 > 0:25:05..a lot of my crew is convinced I'm trying to kill them.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09The capsule's engineering is more complicated
0:25:09 > 0:25:13than anyone could have predicted.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17The project is falling behind schedule
0:25:17 > 0:25:22and Red Bull's budget has trebled to nearly £10 million.
0:25:22 > 0:25:23Engineering's a process of discovery
0:25:23 > 0:25:26and we discover things take longer, or are more complex...
0:25:26 > 0:25:30It sends over a project manager from Austria to whip the team into shape.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33We're still processing information...
0:25:33 > 0:25:36We discovered that we need another electrical engineer
0:25:36 > 0:25:38and a technician, which we don't have right now.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41'It's just two different worlds colliding.'
0:25:41 > 0:25:43How can a marketing person
0:25:43 > 0:25:45help somebody managing an engineering project?
0:25:45 > 0:25:48We can't necessarily hire somebody to do the job
0:25:48 > 0:25:50if we don't have information.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52It's their money. Red Bull can move in and take over,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54but they can't speed it up.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Red Bull insists there can be no more delays.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16I hate standing up early. LAUGHTER
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Which is not early for most people,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20but eight o'clock to me is like the middle of the night.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29Felix's training in the pressure suit begins at a facility
0:26:29 > 0:26:33used by the military to simulate conditions on the edge of space.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42Overseeing the test is Joe's colleague, Mike Todd.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46'It's really a training exercise for Felix.'
0:26:46 > 0:26:48He has a limited suit experience
0:26:48 > 0:26:51and the more experience we can get him in the suit,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53the more confident he's going to be at altitude.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Sir, whenever you're ready, go ahead and reach up to the top
0:26:58 > 0:27:00and bring your visor down slowly.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06The suit's flexibility is still causing Felix concern.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Now he'll find out what it's like working in it for several hours.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19'I've seen people struggle with pressure suits.'
0:27:22 > 0:27:24'You're in your own little environment,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26'it's a little plastic bubble,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30'and you've always got something touching your skin some place
0:27:30 > 0:27:31'which reminds you that you are.'
0:27:37 > 0:27:39He's coming up.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Felix is depressurised to 76,000 feet -
0:27:47 > 0:27:49way beyond the Armstrong Line.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55It's getting hot in here, Tom. It's getting hot in here.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03The water bubbling
0:28:03 > 0:28:05is what would happen to his blood without protection.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13The higher you go, the more the suit inflates,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16so it's getting harder to move.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20Plus your neck ring is lifting your head.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23- INTERCOM:- Everything looks good. How are you doing?
0:28:23 > 0:28:26It really hurts my stomach.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Got stomach pain now.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35'It's getting hot and cold inside your body.'
0:28:35 > 0:28:36You can feel how you start sweating.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Your respiration rate has definitely changed.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43'You feel claustrophobic, you know?
0:28:43 > 0:28:46'I was really close to telling the guys, "Hey, get me out of this suit.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48'"I can't deal with that any more."
0:28:48 > 0:28:50'I was really fighting against it, you know?
0:28:50 > 0:28:54'Fighting against my own fear, fighting against my own mind.'
0:29:03 > 0:29:06'Everybody's counting on you.'
0:29:06 > 0:29:09Everyone thinks you're a really cool guy, you can deal with it,
0:29:09 > 0:29:12and, I mean, I have to accomplish a jump from 130,000ft,
0:29:12 > 0:29:13breaking the speed of sound,
0:29:13 > 0:29:17and I can't even stand being in the suit on the ground.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27Do we have experience from other pilots? What do they say?
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Sure. They do feel more and more confident,
0:29:29 > 0:29:34the more and more they do it, but ah, it's a learning curve.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36And you're getting it.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Felix's anxiety about the suit
0:29:42 > 0:29:46brings back uncomfortable memories for Mike Todd.
0:29:47 > 0:29:4940 years ago, he worked with another civilian
0:29:49 > 0:29:53attempting to jump from extreme altitude.
0:29:58 > 0:30:04Nick Piantanida was a 33-year-old skydiver
0:30:04 > 0:30:06who had dreams of beating Joe's record.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Nick was going at 125,000 feet.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14David Clark supplied him with a pressure suit
0:30:14 > 0:30:18and we supplied him with a parachute.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22Didn't quite have the backing that we have on this project,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25nor did he have the experience.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30Like Felix, Nick had never worked in a pressure suit.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37Despite intense training, he never felt comfortable in it.
0:30:41 > 0:30:46On 1st May, 1966, he took off in his balloon.
0:30:49 > 0:30:50'Testing, 1, 2, 3.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52'1, 2, 3.'
0:30:55 > 0:31:00A recording of his communication with mission control has survived.
0:31:17 > 0:31:22Two hours into his ascent, something went terribly wrong.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24'Visor...'
0:31:24 > 0:31:25'What was that, Nick?'
0:31:25 > 0:31:26'Emergen...'
0:31:26 > 0:31:28Emergency, cut him off.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36He was probably up around 50,000 feet and some way or another,
0:31:36 > 0:31:40the visor was either opened accidentally or intentionally,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42we really don't know.
0:31:45 > 0:31:46The people on the ground
0:31:46 > 0:31:49immediately cut the balloon away from the gondola.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53By the time they got to him, they found him
0:31:53 > 0:31:57outside of the gondola with the visor partially open.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Nick was in a coma caused by hypoxia -
0:32:03 > 0:32:05a lack of oxygen to the brain.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10He died four months later.
0:32:23 > 0:32:28'Am...I the next one who fails?'
0:32:30 > 0:32:33'I'm 40 years old, and I want to get older, you know?'
0:32:39 > 0:32:40Good.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42All right, let's go.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50The scientists want to analyse the aerodynamics of Felix in flight.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58It's the kind of low-altitude jump that Felix is used to...
0:33:01 > 0:33:04..but wearing the suit, even unpressurised,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06makes it a challenge.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33It's like watching a hawk in flight.
0:33:36 > 0:33:37I deal with aircraft,
0:33:37 > 0:33:43and we make machines that do certain flight dynamics.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48In this case, the machine is Felix.
0:33:52 > 0:33:57At this altitude, Felix falls at around 100 miles an hour.
0:34:00 > 0:34:05Jumping from 24 miles up, he'll be in a near-vacuum.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11The lack of resistance means he'll just keep accelerating.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16Faster than a jumbo jet after 25 seconds.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22Moments later, faster than a .45 calibre bullet.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27And after 35 seconds, he'll exceed 700 miles an hour.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34As he passes through the sound barrier,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37the team want Felix to be in the delta position,
0:34:37 > 0:34:39tracking head down.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45They think this is will be the safest position to go supersonic.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50But it's a theory that has never been tested.
0:34:50 > 0:34:55We're putting Felix into a condition that really has never been done
0:34:55 > 0:34:59and has never been documented for sure,
0:34:59 > 0:35:03so we don't know what happens to the body at the speed of sound.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08What they do know is when an object like a plane goes supersonic,
0:35:08 > 0:35:12it is catching up with and pushing through its own sound waves.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18In early jets, this caused extreme vibration.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23No-one knows what it will do to Felix.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27As he pushes closer to the sound barrier,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31he may potentially have parts of his body that are supersonic
0:35:31 > 0:35:34while other parts of his body are not.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37You end up with a vibration
0:35:37 > 0:35:40that could cause physical problems,
0:35:40 > 0:35:42because your body is very
0:35:42 > 0:35:44susceptible to vibration and wave patterns,
0:35:44 > 0:35:45so if you get the wrong pattern,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48you can cause internal damage to organs.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51We've created computer models
0:35:51 > 0:35:55trying to see what we think is going to happen,
0:35:55 > 0:35:57but after doing all the math,
0:35:57 > 0:35:59it's still a guess.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08The test jumps help Felix feel safer in the suit.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21But back on the ground, the more research the team does,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24the more risks they have to deal with.
0:36:24 > 0:36:25Yeah.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27So what's your preference right now?
0:36:27 > 0:36:28Is it feet first or head first?
0:36:28 > 0:36:30He wants to go head first.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Just to slide up to the door...
0:36:32 > 0:36:36The latest is a high-altitude phenomenon called flat spin,
0:36:36 > 0:36:39something Joe experienced on one of his early jumps.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42'When I was freefalling, all of a sudden'
0:36:42 > 0:36:44I had this violent, uh...
0:36:44 > 0:36:45rotation.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50And it was so violent, I could not pull my arms in,
0:36:50 > 0:36:54I couldn't do anything, I was just...paralysed.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Joe's camera captured the violence of his spin.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Matter of fact, I spun at 120 rpm.
0:37:03 > 0:37:04I was unconscious.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06I could have died.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Spinning with your head
0:37:13 > 0:37:14at the centre of rotation
0:37:14 > 0:37:17means the G-force pulls the blood out of your brain,
0:37:17 > 0:37:19causing a blackout.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24Spinning with your feet at the centre means
0:37:24 > 0:37:26the blood rushes into your brain,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29causing what's known as a redout.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Both could be lethal.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42So the whole team throw themselves at one problem -
0:37:42 > 0:37:45how to stop a supersonic spin.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51'How much of a spin is too much for you to recover from?
0:37:51 > 0:37:52'Nobody really knows.'
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Stop, stop, stop, stop!
0:37:54 > 0:37:55It's stopped.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57HE LAUGHS
0:37:57 > 0:38:00- Was that fast enough that time? - 'When I'm spinning so fast'
0:38:00 > 0:38:02that I can't bring my arms in, that's too much of a spin.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05That was my first take on it. But I didn't know how much that was,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07so I went up and skydived
0:38:07 > 0:38:09and I tried different things, and I took a G-meter up,
0:38:09 > 0:38:12see how much the Gs spun.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Skydiver Luke Aikens tests lots of systems,
0:38:15 > 0:38:19but can't find one that will cope with the force Felix will achieve.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Then he has a brainwave.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30Supersonic bombs use a small stabilisation chute
0:38:30 > 0:38:33known as a drogue to land point-first.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Maybe it could be adapted to help Felix.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43So I'm out of control, fire the drogue, boom.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45It just grabs you and flips you right-side up.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50Pretty amazing how well that works.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54So now I'm going to spin this thing around.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59If he's spinning about this fast for six seconds,
0:38:59 > 0:39:01we came up with a device that will automatically fire the drogue.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04You'll see the light come on in the drogue,
0:39:04 > 0:39:05boom, the drogue fires.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11The drogue chute is a last resort.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Felix will only use it in an emergency.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19If something gets bad, he has that option.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21If not, we never see that thing,
0:39:21 > 0:39:23and all this hard work is for nothing.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36Felix continues his series of low-altitude test jumps.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40His confidence in the suit is building.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52Until it all goes very wrong.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57What is going on here?
0:39:57 > 0:39:58That's his parachute!
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Felix has accidentally cut away his main parachute
0:40:03 > 0:40:05and now he can't find the handle for his reserve.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07What's that and what's that?
0:40:09 > 0:40:14At 2,000 feet, just seconds from it being critical,
0:40:14 > 0:40:15he finds it.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18Here, we've got to go get him.
0:40:18 > 0:40:19We've got to go get him.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26The unfamiliar suit and parachute
0:40:26 > 0:40:29meant Felix had pulled the wrong handle.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32I thought, "What's going on with my handle?"
0:40:32 > 0:40:33And then I figured,
0:40:33 > 0:40:36"Hey, this is the reserve cut-away handle..."
0:40:36 > 0:40:38And you were getting close to the ground by then.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41- I saw the ground coming up, and I thought...!- Yeah.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43- "That's going to hurt."- Yeah!
0:40:43 > 0:40:45Scared me.
0:40:45 > 0:40:46I know! HE LAUGHS
0:40:46 > 0:40:48It scared the ... out of me as well.
0:40:48 > 0:40:49- Trust me.- Yeah.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52Ahhh. Still alive.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Don't do that, OK?
0:40:55 > 0:40:56No, I'm not.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05All the safety relies on the engineers, you know?
0:41:05 > 0:41:08There are so many things that I have no control of.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11Stuff that I don't know. I have to trust these guys.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16The difference between them and me is,
0:41:16 > 0:41:21if they fail, they don't lose their lives.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28My biggest desire is to keep Felix safe.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33I feel like his life is in my hands,
0:41:33 > 0:41:37and the last thing I want to do
0:41:37 > 0:41:40is kill my friend, so...
0:41:49 > 0:41:52The science team's struggle with safety
0:41:52 > 0:41:54is making the engineering more complex.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00And the technology is still not ready.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05The launch date is delayed,
0:42:05 > 0:42:07and Felix arrives with a team from Red Bull
0:42:07 > 0:42:09for an emergency meeting.
0:42:11 > 0:42:12We've been spending a lot money
0:42:12 > 0:42:15and we are far behind all the deadlines.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17A lot of things are not working out as they are supposed to be,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19and this is...
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Let's call it judgement day, you know.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24Art, even if he is my friend,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27I can't afford to work like this
0:42:27 > 0:42:30and that's why I strongly recommend
0:42:30 > 0:42:33we take Art off as project leader today.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35It's not that we're going to fire Art.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37He just has to step back to the second line.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40We're going to take Patrick as project leader.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47But Art and his team have no idea
0:42:47 > 0:42:51that he's about to be replaced by his second-in-command.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53Did you ride in with the crazy man?
0:42:53 > 0:42:54Yes.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03Felix insists that the camera stays outside the office
0:43:03 > 0:43:06and the microphones are turned off.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09THEY SPEAK WITHOUT SOUND
0:43:33 > 0:43:34'Just told him.'
0:43:34 > 0:43:36We just told him.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42Of course, he didn't like the idea,
0:43:42 > 0:43:47but I'm so focused on the project, that no matter what it takes,
0:43:47 > 0:43:49I'm willing to do it to make this happen.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51Just when you think you have it all figured out,
0:43:51 > 0:43:53all of a sudden you get another surprise.
0:43:53 > 0:43:58It's the most complicated mess I've ever been involved in.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13STUDIO CHATTER
0:44:15 > 0:44:20Despite the chaos behind the scenes, Red Bull isn't giving up.
0:44:22 > 0:44:28..the daring and dangerous attempt to break world records that have stood...
0:44:28 > 0:44:33You jumped out of a balloon at 102,000ft?
0:44:33 > 0:44:35- Absolutely. Sure did. - What did that feel like?
0:44:35 > 0:44:41- What sounds like a plot of a far-fetched Hollywood movie... - This year, the skydiver...
0:44:41 > 0:44:46THEY SPEAK FOREIGN LANGUAGES
0:44:46 > 0:44:51..going up 37km into the sky and then jumping out.
0:44:51 > 0:44:56Then I step off. Within the first 30 seconds, I'll reach the speed of sound.
0:44:56 > 0:44:57Wow. Good luck...
0:44:57 > 0:45:00..to both of you and we appreciate you joining us.
0:45:09 > 0:45:14The whole world now knows about Felix's jump.
0:45:14 > 0:45:19HE SPEAKS GERMAN
0:45:19 > 0:45:23'A friend of mine, he built this stone for me as a gift
0:45:23 > 0:45:26because it says "Born to fly" on that stone, and now we put the stone
0:45:26 > 0:45:28right in front of my house.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30It says "Born to fly" on it, so I love it.
0:45:38 > 0:45:39Not so good.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47If you lose your English, just say I'm proud of my son.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51Every time. When they ask you something - do you think it's dangerous? "I'm proud of my son."
0:45:51 > 0:45:53How was he as a little kid?
0:45:53 > 0:45:54I'm proud of my son.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56Just say that.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58I am proud of my son.
0:48:01 > 0:48:06Back at base, things are going from bad to worse.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09Following Art's demotion,
0:48:09 > 0:48:12the engineers are on the brink of mutiny.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18I don't approve of this leadership change. It doesn't work for me.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20And I don't believe it works for the team.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24You know, it may have made sense to Red Bull but for us,
0:48:24 > 0:48:25it hasn't been productive.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28'I said I can't work under those terms,
0:48:28 > 0:48:30'so I'll be leaving on Wednesday.'
0:48:31 > 0:48:34I give my resignation from this team.
0:48:37 > 0:48:38I come in later.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41I'm kind of like the step-parent who comes into the relationship and
0:48:41 > 0:48:46all the kids are not really ready to respect the instructions.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48It doesn't matter if they're right or wrong,
0:48:48 > 0:48:50they're just there to push back because you're not the one
0:48:50 > 0:48:53who was here when the rules were set originally.
0:48:53 > 0:48:59So you're saying it's going to be about three weeks, did you say?
0:48:59 > 0:49:00No, about a month.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04About a month? That's a concern.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08Hey, Patrick? My concern here on this is that we've got a partial system,
0:49:08 > 0:49:10we still don't have flight hardware.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12It's going to take another month.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15Is this just going to keep going on indefinitely?
0:49:15 > 0:49:17Why don't we have a complete system two months ago?
0:49:24 > 0:49:25Well, it's a little behind the schedule
0:49:25 > 0:49:29we had from five months ago but, it's not nearly as far behind as
0:49:29 > 0:49:34everything else on the project from six or seven months ago.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38All right, so there we have it.
0:49:38 > 0:49:43There's a lot of work to be done
0:49:43 > 0:49:48and it's very frustrating to be kept out of the loop.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58'I hate to be isolated, I do.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03'This is what they do to people in prison.'
0:50:09 > 0:50:15After only a few weeks as technical director, Patrick resigns.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20Going through some of the things we've got to accomplish today, obviously...
0:50:20 > 0:50:22Art is back in charge.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26And his team are back working together.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29My job is a hard job to fill.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31I guess that's job security in some ways.
0:50:31 > 0:50:37I've got an incredible amount of emotional and mental endurance.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40We lost about six weeks in the turmoil there.
0:50:42 > 0:50:43We've got to make up for that time.
0:50:43 > 0:50:50- Let's go from here. You'll go from that split right there.- Hey-hey!
0:50:50 > 0:50:53Three more times and we've got it.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56We're working together, the shop's working well.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58We're getting things done.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00It feels like we're back on track as far
0:51:00 > 0:51:03as it feels like we're back on track as far as being a team.
0:51:07 > 0:51:14- Looks pretty good. - Progress! Progress. It's good.
0:51:18 > 0:51:23The project is two years late and £9 million over budget,
0:51:23 > 0:51:26but at last it has a capsule ready to be tested.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30Now all it needs is a pilot.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50Felix is back in training.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53And that means he has to
0:51:53 > 0:51:56confront his anxieties about freefalling in the suit.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01This time, he's jumping with it pressurised.
0:52:03 > 0:52:10This is supersmall. This really sucks. Let's put the shoes...
0:52:10 > 0:52:12I don't want to wear the helmet before I have shoes on.
0:52:14 > 0:52:19Mike, put the helmet away.
0:52:19 > 0:52:23I think Felix probably feels a little bit of anxiety,
0:52:23 > 0:52:27you know, everything's, coming together.
0:52:27 > 0:52:33Now it becomes more upon his performance and less upon
0:52:33 > 0:52:35maybe the science team
0:52:35 > 0:52:39so he's more and more in the limelight
0:52:39 > 0:52:45Hold on a second. Hands away. I can't work with this ... .
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Felix is going to 28,000 feet.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55He's never jumped from higher
0:52:55 > 0:52:59and he's facing the restriction of a pressurised suit.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05This is the most extreme freefall he's ever done.
0:53:05 > 0:53:06Joining him is Luke Aikens.
0:53:23 > 0:53:28At these altitudes, everyone needs to wear an oxygen mask.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36As Felix completes final checks, Luke,
0:53:36 > 0:53:39in the foreground, takes off his mask.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50He leaves the plane and hangs on waiting for Felix.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02But Felix isn't ready.
0:54:10 > 0:54:11Luke doesn't know it,
0:54:11 > 0:54:15but the lack of oxygen means his brain is shutting down.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21He's going hypoxic and it means he's losing his grip.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28Suddenly he falls..
0:54:34 > 0:54:38Luke is effectively unconscious and falling to earth at 160mph.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45Felix is confused and jumps out after him.
0:54:56 > 0:55:02The team has no idea of the drama unfolding above them.
0:55:04 > 0:55:10Luke needs to come round. His parachute won't open automatically.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16- Can you see them?- Yup.
0:55:18 > 0:55:25Just seconds from the ground, Luke regains consciousness and pulls his chute.
0:55:35 > 0:55:36How did it go?
0:55:36 > 0:55:37I don't remember jumping out.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39You don't remember jumping out?
0:55:39 > 0:55:41I remember giving Felix thumbs up I the door,
0:55:41 > 0:55:46I climbed out and then I was in freefall looking for Felix. Did we leave together?
0:55:46 > 0:55:50- No, you were...- I just went, right? That's what I thought I did.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53Luke said he didn't even remember jumping out.
0:55:54 > 0:55:55I was out of it...
0:55:57 > 0:55:58He took his face mask off.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04You usually don't jump from altitudes like this.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07Everyone talks about the hypoxia and the effects of it
0:56:07 > 0:56:11and how it comes on and you think everything's fine and it's not.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13I'm losing all my flexibility.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16In an emergency situation, it becomes scary.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20Felix is shaken by Luke's near miss.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23The suit is blown up and I can't move.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26He's focusing his anger on the suit,
0:56:26 > 0:56:28convinced he can't jump safely in it.
0:56:28 > 0:56:33It's not moving in this direction, so it's like I can't see it.
0:56:33 > 0:56:37So I'm not jumping in it anymore. This thing is crap.
0:56:38 > 0:56:43Felix forces the team to abandon testing altogether.
0:56:43 > 0:56:47I'm very disappointed. What we thought was working OK
0:56:47 > 0:56:51and was going to be fine is suddenly not OK anymore.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55We're going to have to go back and think about what we're doing.
0:57:18 > 0:57:23Felix walks out on the mission and catches the first flight home.
0:57:27 > 0:57:33It sometimes feels like, I can't do it. It's just too much.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36There's a lot of stuff that has never been done before
0:57:36 > 0:57:39and I don't have a lot of time to prepare myself for stuff like this.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42Like in a suit, I mean pilots have a couple of thousand hours
0:57:42 > 0:57:45in that suit - I just have 20.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48Just having the suit on my body, feeling it,
0:57:48 > 0:57:52the smell and everything makes me kind of anxious,
0:57:52 > 0:57:55I'm sitting there like, I don't feel good today.
0:57:55 > 0:58:00I'm not sure, I don't like the suit today. I'm telling myself, hey,
0:58:00 > 0:58:05c'mon, tough it out, you have to go through this because it's getting closer.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07This is the year that we have to deliver
0:58:07 > 0:58:10and know you're having a problem wearing the suit?
0:58:10 > 0:58:13But I couldn't stand it so I told Mike, I opened my visor again,
0:58:13 > 0:58:16get me out of the suit. I just can't do it today.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23Red Bull offers Felix professional help.
0:58:27 > 0:58:30Imagine that you are now in the room where the tests are.
0:58:31 > 0:58:34You see the oxygen mask.
0:58:36 > 0:58:41You see the mask, you smell it,
0:58:41 > 0:58:43you know you can cope with it.
0:58:48 > 0:58:51We're kind of second-guessing what's going on in Felix's head,
0:58:51 > 0:58:55and whether it's the fear of the jump of the fear of the suit
0:58:55 > 0:58:59or just the fear of possibly failing at something.
0:59:01 > 0:59:04But there's something going on in his head that he has
0:59:04 > 0:59:06to get a hold of.
0:59:06 > 0:59:10This shouldn't be something that you have to talk somebody into doing.
0:59:11 > 0:59:13You're going to get someone hurt if you do.
0:59:29 > 0:59:31It has been six months
0:59:31 > 0:59:34since Felix's anxiety in the suit ended his training.
0:59:38 > 0:59:41The engineers are now in the final stage of their work.
0:59:41 > 0:59:46They just need to test the capsule under pressurised conditions.
0:59:48 > 0:59:51Check location of all four parachute handles.
0:59:54 > 0:59:57But Felix has refused to return from Austria.
0:59:57 > 1:00:00OK, the outside is 20,600ft...
1:00:00 > 1:00:05The team have been forced to bring in a substitute for the test.
1:00:05 > 1:00:09The test pilot that we have, Rob Rowe, is a real pro
1:00:09 > 1:00:13and, ah, we have a lot of advantages of having him doing it,
1:00:13 > 1:00:15because of his professionalism.
1:00:16 > 1:00:18Rob is a charm to work with,
1:00:18 > 1:00:22he never complains about anything, he's very easy going.
1:00:22 > 1:00:25He considers himself more of a tool for the project.
1:00:30 > 1:00:33News of the team's progress has reached Felix.
1:00:36 > 1:00:40I saw the video of when Rob was in the chamber in Brooks,
1:00:40 > 1:00:43and I got so jealous just watching him.
1:00:43 > 1:00:46Because he is in my suit. This is my suit.
1:00:46 > 1:00:50This is my spacecraft. Everything was developed for me.
1:00:50 > 1:00:54And just seeing him in the suit, sitting in my capsule,
1:00:54 > 1:01:00playing with all the buttons and stuff made me start thinking,
1:01:00 > 1:01:03like, hey, I mean, I lost a whole programme.
1:01:06 > 1:01:08'I have to find a solution.'
1:01:13 > 1:01:16Felix is running out of time.
1:01:16 > 1:01:19He steps up his personal training.
1:01:23 > 1:01:26I'm working on my fitness and my mental skills.
1:01:28 > 1:01:30I'm doing a lot of scuba diving,
1:01:30 > 1:01:34because it's very similar to wearing that suit.
1:01:34 > 1:01:36If I can handle this, I can also handle the suit.
1:01:38 > 1:01:42But Felix's team is losing confidence in him.
1:01:44 > 1:01:46He had the opportunity to train properly,
1:01:46 > 1:01:47he just never took advantage of it.
1:01:47 > 1:01:50He needs to be in the suit.
1:01:50 > 1:01:51He needs to be part of the team.
1:01:51 > 1:01:55You need to be dedicated to do this.
1:01:55 > 1:01:58And if you're not dedicated, you've got no business being here.
1:02:00 > 1:02:04This is something I want so bad
1:02:04 > 1:02:07and I'm willing to go that extra mile to reach that goal.
1:02:07 > 1:02:09And if they don't believe I can do it,
1:02:09 > 1:02:13that even gives me a lot more motivation.
1:02:39 > 1:02:42A year has passed since Felix halted his training.
1:02:44 > 1:02:47Everything is now ready for the final jump.
1:02:48 > 1:02:50Except him.
1:02:54 > 1:02:58He finally returns to face the team - and the suit.
1:03:01 > 1:03:06The capsule already demonstrated that it's capable of doing the job.
1:03:06 > 1:03:11It's already been tested and stamped and approved.
1:03:11 > 1:03:14Now it's Felix's turn to get stamped and approved.
1:03:21 > 1:03:25Everybody's out there. Everybody's fired up, so it's kind of cool.
1:03:26 > 1:03:33This is a complete rehearsal of the capsule's ascent to 125,000ft.
1:03:33 > 1:03:37It's a final test of the technology, and of Felix.
1:03:38 > 1:03:41We've got cold temperature, we have low pressures,
1:03:41 > 1:03:43we have a pressure suit involved.
1:03:45 > 1:03:48It's as close as we can get to the actual flight
1:03:48 > 1:03:50without taking off the ground.
1:03:51 > 1:03:55To simulate the exact conditions of the real jump,
1:03:55 > 1:03:59Felix is locked inside the suit for four hours.
1:04:05 > 1:04:07Can you read me, Felix?
1:04:07 > 1:04:10Attaboy. How's your cabin doing?
1:04:13 > 1:04:15The team watch his every move.
1:04:26 > 1:04:28The last time I was putting that helmet on,
1:04:28 > 1:04:32just the smell of the rubber made me feel so bad.
1:04:32 > 1:04:35This time, everything is totally different.
1:04:35 > 1:04:39It's still the same smell, but it's related to something else.
1:04:39 > 1:04:41It's not my enemy anymore.
1:04:42 > 1:04:43You're doing great, Felix.
1:04:43 > 1:04:46The instrumentation looks great, you're doing good. Keep it up!
1:04:46 > 1:04:50I think that the biggest link that I created is that
1:04:50 > 1:04:54where you're going to go - normally you should not be there.
1:04:54 > 1:04:58But as soon as you wear that suit, that allows you to be there.
1:04:58 > 1:05:02That's the only way to survive in that hostile environment.
1:05:02 > 1:05:05And just by thinking about that changes the whole picture.
1:05:07 > 1:05:11Whatever was there, he's resolved,
1:05:11 > 1:05:17I think we're all not only impressed but amazed that he turned it around.
1:05:19 > 1:05:21180 degree change.
1:05:25 > 1:05:29He's dedicated and motivated and he'll do a good job.
1:05:31 > 1:05:34Felix has proved he has what it takes to get safely
1:05:34 > 1:05:36to the edge of space.
1:05:39 > 1:05:41Now all he needs to do...
1:05:41 > 1:05:43is jump.
1:06:08 > 1:06:11Preparations for launch are underway.
1:06:12 > 1:06:15And the world's media arrives in New Mexico.
1:06:18 > 1:06:22It has taken £18 million and years of hard work,
1:06:22 > 1:06:25but the team are ready for take-off.
1:06:30 > 1:06:33I've been working four years on this project,
1:06:33 > 1:06:36I've been waiting 52 years for someone to beat my record.
1:06:36 > 1:06:38It's been a long journey.
1:06:38 > 1:06:42We're delighted that we're finally at the final step.
1:06:47 > 1:06:50Felix himself has come a long way,
1:06:50 > 1:06:54he had no pressure suit experience at all at the beginning of this.
1:06:54 > 1:06:57And now he is very confident in a pressure suit.
1:06:57 > 1:07:00So I'm very proud of him.
1:07:17 > 1:07:20The team prepares for a launch after sunrise.
1:07:21 > 1:07:24They send up weather balloons to check the wind speed.
1:07:26 > 1:07:28My biggest fear of the entire thing
1:07:28 > 1:07:32is getting the balloon off the ground.
1:07:34 > 1:07:36It's going to be 750ft tall,
1:07:36 > 1:07:40so that's about three-quarters the size of the Eiffel Tower.
1:07:40 > 1:07:43Conditions to launch this type of balloon have to be perfect.
1:07:51 > 1:07:55Joe will be directing Felix from Mission Control.
1:07:58 > 1:08:01He will talk him through each stage of the mission.
1:08:02 > 1:08:04I'm sitting there, empathising with him.
1:08:04 > 1:08:07And when he jumps, I'm jumping with him.
1:08:07 > 1:08:10I've done it myself
1:08:10 > 1:08:12and I know exactly what he's going through.
1:08:16 > 1:08:19Wind speeds are perfect.
1:08:20 > 1:08:23The race is on to inflate the balloon before the weather changes.
1:08:25 > 1:08:28Joe, this is Felix in the capsule, do you read me?
1:08:28 > 1:08:31I read you very loud, how do you read me?
1:08:31 > 1:08:34But there's a problem with the radio.
1:08:34 > 1:08:37- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.- ..in the capsule, do you read me?
1:08:37 > 1:08:41Felix, I can read you five-square, but you're obviously not reading me.
1:08:41 > 1:08:45It takes more than half an hour to fix.
1:08:45 > 1:08:48We need to switch over to radio two.
1:08:48 > 1:08:51We need him to hurry up or we're going to run out of time.
1:08:51 > 1:08:54The weather window is closing fast.
1:08:54 > 1:08:55Get out the door, let's go!
1:08:55 > 1:08:57OK, helium good, let's start.
1:09:01 > 1:09:03We got to press on. We're way behind schedule!
1:09:08 > 1:09:10The wind is beginning to rise.
1:09:17 > 1:09:18I gotta tell you,
1:09:18 > 1:09:20the wind is blowing this balloon all over creation!
1:09:34 > 1:09:40Felix, the wind's came up. We'll have to abort.
1:09:40 > 1:09:42No way.
1:09:44 > 1:09:46Sorry to tell you.
1:09:50 > 1:09:53This is going to be a painful mission debrief.
1:09:59 > 1:10:03The team's mistakes have cost them one of their two balloons.
1:10:03 > 1:10:06And the confidence of their pilot.
1:10:08 > 1:10:11We've got to figure out what the issues were
1:10:11 > 1:10:13as far as the radio comm, cos with the switch...
1:10:13 > 1:10:16- My radio comm? - It wasn't intentional.
1:10:16 > 1:10:18- It just happened?- Yeah.
1:10:18 > 1:10:20In such an operation as this, things just happen?!
1:10:20 > 1:10:22We're looking at what we need to be better organised...
1:10:22 > 1:10:25Now we're down to one balloon.
1:10:25 > 1:10:26We have to have the right conditions.
1:10:26 > 1:10:28So what's the plan?
1:10:28 > 1:10:30Right now, Don's looking at weather.
1:10:30 > 1:10:32Next step is figure out the day.
1:10:37 > 1:10:41The team will have to wait four days for another chance.
1:10:56 > 1:10:58'You have to start up your system again
1:10:58 > 1:11:03'and think through the process, and then it's not going to happen,'
1:11:03 > 1:11:05then you have to do it all over again. It's just exhausting,
1:11:05 > 1:11:08so, I don't know how much more I can do this, you know.
1:11:08 > 1:11:10So, I really hope this is going to happen tonight.
1:11:12 > 1:11:14Hello, Eva.
1:11:14 > 1:11:18- How are you? Alles gut!- Alles gut.
1:11:37 > 1:11:38Felix, do you read me?
1:11:38 > 1:11:40Read you loud and clear, sir.
1:11:40 > 1:11:43We've got to get closer to going.
1:11:46 > 1:11:48You were born ready, Felix.
1:11:50 > 1:11:53This time, the team is on schedule.
1:11:53 > 1:11:57But with only one balloon, there is no room for error.
1:11:58 > 1:12:00We're all with you, buddy.
1:12:00 > 1:12:02Standing by, Joe, ready to go.
1:12:04 > 1:12:06Stand by and get ready for your trip to space.
1:12:10 > 1:12:11We are go for launch!
1:12:36 > 1:12:40- Oh, beautiful!- Beautiful, wow!
1:12:45 > 1:12:47Look at it go!
1:12:53 > 1:12:56- CHEERING - Release!
1:13:12 > 1:13:14Felix, you're on the way to space.
1:13:14 > 1:13:17Rock'n'roll! Thank you so much, guys.
1:13:17 > 1:13:19And you're going up just great.
1:13:43 > 1:13:47Felix, you're going up at 1,200ft per minute. Right on track.
1:13:47 > 1:13:50Everything's looking good, you're doing great on the cabin.
1:13:50 > 1:13:52And everything is green.
1:14:00 > 1:14:04We know you will, Felix, we've got confidence in you.
1:14:11 > 1:14:14That's a good view of the airfield down there.
1:14:14 > 1:14:18You've passed about 30,000, you're doing 100mph.
1:14:21 > 1:14:23And you're moving across New Mexico.
1:14:23 > 1:14:26100 miles an hour. Really?
1:14:28 > 1:14:32Actually, 112 right now, you're flat moving out.
1:14:47 > 1:14:50Just before Felix passes into the deadly atmosphere
1:14:50 > 1:14:52above the Armstrong line,
1:14:52 > 1:14:54he makes an alarming discovery.
1:15:04 > 1:15:08Phil, check your monitor. Phil, check your monitor.
1:15:08 > 1:15:12"Phil, check your monitor" is Joe's emergency code.
1:15:12 > 1:15:15We have a problem, we have a problem.
1:15:15 > 1:15:19The television signal from the control room
1:15:19 > 1:15:22is cut to allow Felix to talk openly.
1:15:22 > 1:15:25Face plate heat is all the way up...
1:15:25 > 1:15:29The millions watching at home see nothing of what follows.
1:15:45 > 1:15:49If Felix has no face-plate heat, his visor will keep fogging up.
1:15:51 > 1:15:57If he can't see the horizon, or his instruments, he can't jump safely.
1:15:59 > 1:16:01We have a choice -
1:16:01 > 1:16:04to continue up a little bit and see if it gets better
1:16:04 > 1:16:07as you get lots of cold, or abort.
1:16:11 > 1:16:12What do you think we should do?
1:16:12 > 1:16:14I think we're seeing face-plate heating...
1:16:14 > 1:16:17I don't see it fogging up.
1:16:24 > 1:16:27Here's the problem - he thinks he doesn't have face plate.
1:16:27 > 1:16:28It's his own perception,
1:16:28 > 1:16:32and if he doesn't trust that he doesn't have face plate,
1:16:32 > 1:16:35he's not a safe person and he probably wants to abort.
1:16:38 > 1:16:42Mike, I want you to have our helicopter be in position -
1:16:42 > 1:16:45we might have to cut him down.
1:16:45 > 1:16:49We have an emergency here, and they should be ready to act.
1:16:53 > 1:16:56As Felix rises above 80,000 feet,
1:16:56 > 1:17:01the team need to reassure him that the visor will work when he jumps.
1:17:01 > 1:17:03If he didn't have face-plate heating,
1:17:03 > 1:17:05he'd be fogged up completely.
1:17:05 > 1:17:09OK, Felix, here's what we think we should do.
1:17:09 > 1:17:13He has to unplug his visor from the capsule power
1:17:13 > 1:17:16allowing it to be powered by the pack on his chest.
1:17:16 > 1:17:20But that could cut his communication to mission control -
1:17:20 > 1:17:22and he may never get it back.
1:17:28 > 1:17:31Are you going to go for an umbilical disconnect?
1:17:35 > 1:17:37Yeah, he's going to the bathroom.
1:17:37 > 1:17:39It's a good time to do it.
1:17:42 > 1:17:48Felix has now risen past Joe's altitude of 102,000 feet,
1:17:48 > 1:17:51but he faces a serious dilemma.
1:17:51 > 1:17:56if he carries on, he may have no sight and no contact with his team.
1:17:56 > 1:18:01Abort, and he may never get another chance.
1:18:11 > 1:18:15He needs to hurry up and find out if it's going to work or not
1:18:15 > 1:18:17so we know if we're pressing on to 128.
1:18:21 > 1:18:23Felix, are you good there?
1:18:36 > 1:18:38Felix decides to risk it.
1:18:38 > 1:18:40OK, do you understand the procedures?
1:18:40 > 1:18:43If you thumbs up, we keep going, thumbs down, we cut you loose.
1:18:47 > 1:18:51Roger. Go ahead, Felix, and good luck and God bless you.
1:19:15 > 1:19:17Can you hear me, Felix?
1:19:25 > 1:19:27Felix, I'm reading you loud and clear too.
1:19:27 > 1:19:29We have good communications...
1:19:29 > 1:19:33Plugged into the chest pack, he still has communication.
1:19:33 > 1:19:34Hold your breath
1:19:34 > 1:19:38and let's see if we get the condensation again, Felix.
1:19:38 > 1:19:40Hold your breath and let's see if we get condensation.
1:19:43 > 1:19:47Felix, it appears as if it's dissipating
1:19:47 > 1:19:49while you've got your breath held -
1:19:49 > 1:19:50is that what you're seeing?
1:19:53 > 1:19:55I think that means that it's working.
1:19:57 > 1:19:59How you doing, Felix? Hanging in there, buddy?
1:20:12 > 1:20:13Felix is going to jump.
1:20:14 > 1:20:18The world is allowed to watch once more.
1:20:18 > 1:20:23OK, confirm you're ready to start the res check.
1:20:25 > 1:20:27OK, here we go, Felix! Item one.
1:20:27 > 1:20:31Depress the suit, reinstall hose and cover.
1:20:33 > 1:20:37Suit is depressurised, hose and cover are installed.
1:20:37 > 1:20:38Attaboy!
1:20:38 > 1:20:43Activate suit and chest-pack cameras.
1:20:45 > 1:20:48Suit and chest-pack cameras are on.
1:20:49 > 1:20:52Verify face seal tight.
1:20:56 > 1:20:58Verify face seal is tight.
1:21:01 > 1:21:03Move seat to the forward position.
1:21:05 > 1:21:08Seat is in the forward position.
1:21:08 > 1:21:11OK, we're getting serious now, Felix.
1:21:11 > 1:21:14Depressurise the capsule to 40,000 feet
1:21:14 > 1:21:17and confirm pressure suit inflation.
1:21:17 > 1:21:20Confirmed, the suit is pressurised.
1:21:20 > 1:21:23Depressurise the cabin to ambient altitude.
1:21:28 > 1:21:31There it is! There's the world out there.
1:21:33 > 1:21:34Move seat to the rear capsule.
1:21:37 > 1:21:39Lift legs into the door threshold.
1:21:42 > 1:21:44In position at the threshold.
1:21:47 > 1:21:49Glide the seat forward.
1:21:56 > 1:21:57Release seatbelt.
1:21:59 > 1:22:03Attaboy. That's good. OK. Stand up on the exterior step.
1:22:03 > 1:22:05Keep your head down.
1:22:05 > 1:22:07Release the helmet tie-down strap.
1:22:12 > 1:22:15And our guardian angel will take care of you.
1:22:31 > 1:22:33FELIX BREATHES HEAVILY
1:22:48 > 1:22:51WIND WHOOSHES
1:23:22 > 1:23:25Is he...? What is he doing?
1:23:25 > 1:23:28He's spinning, isn't he?
1:23:28 > 1:23:31Felix has just gone supersonic.
1:23:31 > 1:23:34But he's lost control.
1:23:52 > 1:23:54Gosh darn.
1:24:17 > 1:24:19APPLAUSE AND WHOOPING
1:24:22 > 1:24:23Woo-hoo-hoo!
1:24:32 > 1:24:361 minute 30 seconds, and stable as a rock.
1:24:43 > 1:24:45INDISTINCT
1:24:46 > 1:24:48Felix, are you calling me?
1:24:48 > 1:24:51Keep talking, Felix, keep talking.
1:24:51 > 1:24:54Three minutes' freefall. Three minutes' freefall.
1:25:10 > 1:25:12Felix, you're at the coldest altitude.
1:25:12 > 1:25:15The further you fall, the warmer it's going to get.
1:25:29 > 1:25:33CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:25:45 > 1:25:49Felix, we're so proud of you. You did absolutely fabulously.
1:25:49 > 1:25:53Absolutely fabulous. I couldn't have done any better myself.
1:26:02 > 1:26:04WHOOPING AND CHEERING
1:26:30 > 1:26:32Yes!
1:26:34 > 1:26:35Oh, my God.
1:26:35 > 1:26:38That was so scary you cannot believe.
1:26:39 > 1:26:43I think I just lost 1,000 of weight off my shoulders.
1:26:43 > 1:26:46I wanted to hug the whole world.
1:26:46 > 1:26:47Come on, buddy.
1:26:50 > 1:26:52Without this guy, I couldn't have done it.
1:27:08 > 1:27:10Yes!
1:27:10 > 1:27:11Colonel.
1:27:38 > 1:27:43It had a wonderful conclusion. I am now a has-been.
1:27:43 > 1:27:44But a famous one!
1:27:44 > 1:27:46THEY LAUGH
1:28:16 > 1:28:20Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd