Space Geeking Out - Red Bull Stratos
October 14, 2012
Posted By: Shaunescy
This image is from the Red Bull Stratos Facebook page.
My son has a fascination with space. I think all little boys do. I remember one night when he asked me to make up a song at bedtime about an astronaut. I think I did pretty well sending him off to sleep dreaming of stars and rocket ships, floating around in a jetpack.
Then I had a real sinking feeling. The space program is decommissioned and I wasn't sure about how I felt about fueling astronaut dreams for a little boy who would potentially never see a peopled space launch.
Then something cool happened. Private companies started their very own space programs. Amazing! At this very moment Felix Baumgartner is ascending to 23 miles above the earth. You can watch the live stream here http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/ . Once he reaches the zenith, he is going to literally jump out with a parachute, free falling back to earth. Before he opens the chute he will break the sound barrier falling at around 700 mph!
And it's not just Red Bull. The guy who started paypal Elon Musk, has a space program too. SpaceX . For real. A private citizen is building rockets!
And that's not all. . .Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Records, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Atlantic now has Virgin Galactic .
I don't know about you but I am absolutely thrilled and filled with hope for humanity. We really can do anything. It is an amazing time!
