Red Bull Stratos

With a passion for exceeding borders, especially in the air, Red Bull Stratos pilot Felix Baumgartner is an expert parachutist, previously best known for completing an unprecedented freefall flight across the English Channel using a carbon wing. Born on April 20, 1969, Felix grew up in Salzburg, Austria, where as a young boy he was inspired to skydive and fly helicopters by astronauts he watched on TV. 

Dedicated to progression, Felix set a record for history‘s lowest BASE-Jump (from Rio de Janeiro‘s Christ the Redeemer statue) and twice set world records for the highest BASE-Jump from a building. As licensed gas balloon pilot, he has earned private helicopter licenses in Austria and the United States as well as his commercial European license. Felix was honoured on Vienna’s “Street of Champions”, and with his achievements have come honors including the BAMBI “Millennium” Award, Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year, and National Gerographic Adventurer of the Year.

On August 16, 1960, Joe Kittinger made history as he ascended to 102,800 feet/31,333 meters and jumped to Earth, establishing that it would be possible for humans to survive in space. Following a distinguished USAF career, Joe set two world ballooning records, and he has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement in Aviation trophy from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, among many other honors. Joe shares his knowledge to help address the challenges of Red Bull Stratos, and as “Capcom” (capsule communications) he will be Mission Control’s primary radio contact with Felix Baumgartner during ascent.

Mike Todd worked in Lockheed’s High Altitude Life Support and Pressure Suit Division, and he fitted pressure suits for Steve Fossett and Einar Enevoldson’s record-breaking Perlan Project. As the Red Bull Stratos life support engineer, Mike is responsible for the pressure suit (engineering, system design, coordination, operation, handling, oxygen components, and fitting and field support) and how it functions in conjunction with other mission components.

One of the most distinguished figures in aerospace medicine, Dr. Jonathan Clark is a six-time Space Shuttle crew surgeon who served in top roles at Johnson Space Center. He currently teaches at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Medical Branch. In the leadership role of Red Bull Stratos medical director, Jon works to protect the health of Felix Baumgartner and to establish new safety protocols for future aviators and astronauts.

Art Thompson possesses more than 30 years of experience in innovating design that has produced such major aerospace milestones as the B-2 “Stealth” bomber. Today, Art is vice president of Sage Cheshire Aerospace, Inc., the hub of technological activity for Red Bull Stratos. As technical project director, he has hand-picked the mission’s extraordinary team, and he oversees and drives engineering program management overall. Art’s Sage Cheshire team is building the Red Bull Stratos capsule and developing numerous other vital systems on site.

Dr. Andy Walshe helps organizations worldwide to explore human potential. The Australian native is director of high performance for Red Bull global athlete development and previously designed the performance program for the U.S. Olympic ski and snowboard teams. He provides high performance support for the entire Red Bull Stratos team, particularly Felix Baumgartner.

A professional skydiver with a history of tackling unusual aviation challenges, Luke Aikins is one of the designated Safety and Training Advisors for the U.S. Parachute Association. As a member of the Red Bull Stratos team, Luke designs Felix Baumgartner’s airborne training sessions, personally launches simulation jumps, and focuses on Felix’s chest pack, parachute and drogue chute setups

Dr. Marle Hewett is a senior consulting engineer to the aerospace industry and teaches for the University of Alabama, Huntsville. A retired Navy Commander, Marle was chairman of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Aerospace Engineering Department and subsequently was an engineer for facilities including NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. He coordinates Red Bull Stratos operations and directs procedures for testing and, ultimately, launch.

The Red Bull Stratos team is composed of world-leading experts in medicine, science and engineering, including a former NASA crew surgeon, record-breaking aviators and designers of some of the most innovative aircraft ever produced. Among them: Art Thompson from Sage Cheshire Aerospace, who assembled and led the mission team, and Joe Kittinger, the aerospace legend who has been Felix’s mentor every step of the way.