Baumgartner Sky Dives From 24 Miles High, Sets Record, Breaks Sound Barrier

Last Sunday, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner, 43, set the record for the highest ever sky dive, jumping from a balloon capsule approximately 24 miles above Earth and breaking the sound barrier on the way down. He reached a maximum speed of 833.9 mph -- Mach 1.24 -- and became the first person to do so wearing only a high-tech pressure suit.

The descent, from a height about three times the average cruising altitude for jetliners, took about nine minutes, with Baumgartner free-falling for about half of that time. He then deployed a parachute and landed safely in eastern New Mexico.

The event, which was livestreamed to the Internet, was watched in real time by some 8 million viewers around the world. While some declared the jump from the stratosphere little more than a stunt and others complained because Baumgartner wasn't doing it to raise funds for some charity, many more loved it for its sheer audacity. There also were some scientific learnings from the endeavor, and the data collected should lead to improved technologies for high-altitude bailouts for pilots and for astronauts' space suits.

Joe Kittinger, 84, the holder of the former high-dive record, was a key participant on the team supporting Baumgartner, and it was his voice on the radio to Baumgartner during the ascent giving  both encouragement and instructions. Kittinger set his record in 1960, while, as a U.S. Air Force captain, he jumped from more than 19 miles up to test a high-altitude parachute system for the military.

"I had a guardian angel look after me and the same guardian angel looked after Felix," Kittinger said. "I think God has a special guardian angel that's space-qualified that he sends to take care of people like Felix and I."

Baumgartner's jump was not without a couple of hitches. At one point while still in the capsule, he reported a problem with the heater in his helmet's faceplate, a difficulty so serious that if not resolved, could have forced the team to abort the mission. Once he jumped, he needed to be able to see the horizon in order to maneuver into a stable position. He and his team did resolve that problem, however. And after Baumgartner jumped, he initially went into an uncontrolled spin, which, if left unchecked, would have been life-threatening. He could have deployed a stabilization chute to stop the spin, but that would also mean that he wouldn't go supersonic. Fortunately, he was able to pull out of the spin without using the chute.

The dive was sponsored by Red Bull, an "energy" drink that's mostly sugary water. Its advertising says it will "give you wings," though multiple studies have debunked the so-called sugar high. Still, its ads made it a logical sponsor for a high-flying event.

After the jump, Baumgartner said, "When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about breaking records anymore, you do not think about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is to come back alive."

And he added, "Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are."

More on this story can be found at these links:

Skydiver Survives 24-Mile High Jump, Breaks Sound Barrier. Fox News
Felix Baumgartner: Joe Kittinger Says "It Was Like Déjà Vu." The Telegraph
Why Does the World Need People Like Felix Baumgartner? Aljazeera
Why Felix Baumgartner's Mission Was Nearly Aborted at the Last Minute. PopSci
Felix Baumgartner Suit Camera Captures Dizzying Uncontrolled Spin. Huffington Post
 
The Big Questions

1. Baumgartner's jump likely happened as it did at least in part because of what was learned 52 years ago when Kittinger made his jump. In what ways is your faith today built on what generations of Christians before you learned about following Jesus? Who, specifically, are your spiritual "ancestors"?

2. What specific things do you know about the practice of faith because of what spiritual ancestors discovered?

3. Had Baumgartner's faceplate problem not been solved, he would not have been able to see the horizon and maneuver into a stable position after jumping. In what sense is faith a way of seeing that helps you find stability in life?

4. What sorts of spiritual preparation do you undertake in the course of an average week? What difference does that make?

5. After all the hoopla and preparation, and after the long climb to altitude, Baumgartner had to actually step outside the capsule, and after a pause, he had to actually let go. What for you has corresponded to this moment? When have you had to let go? Was it a matter of "letting go and letting God"? What was the result? Who was part of your support crew? Did you feel the presence and/or guidance of God?

Confronting the News with Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

2 Kings 2:13
"[Elisha] picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan." (For context, read 2:1-14.)

This verse is from the account of the great prophet Elijah ascending to heaven. As he did, his mantle (cloak) fell from his shoulders. Elisha, Elijah's apprentice, then picked up the mantle, which was a symbolic way of showing that he was now stepping into the prophetic role that Elijah had filled.

There is a sense in which Baumgartner was picking up Kittinger's "mantle" when he made his jump. The fact that he asked Kittinger to be on his team showed that he was conscious that he was indebted to and building on what had been learned from Kittinger's work.

Questions: In what ways did your spiritual ancestors communicate their faith discoveries to you? How are you passing on your faith discoveries to generations coming after you? Elisha was told he needed to walk with Elijah if he was to receive the mantle of prophecy himself. How willing are you to "walk" spiritually with another, whether a contemporary or perhaps one of the historic mystics or spiritual leaders of the church (walking with them by studying their writings), in order to absorb more fully their ministry and to inherit a measure of their insight or passion? Do you think as a culture we have the patience to "walk" for a distance?

Mark 1:9, 12-13
"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ... And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him." (For context, read Mark 1:9-13).

Mark 1:9-13 tells, in summary fashion, of the way Jesus was prepared for his ministry, first through baptism, and then through a formative time in the wilderness in which he fasted and faced temptations.

Elsewhere, the gospels tell that Jesus took time for daily spiritual preparations as well, seeking time to be alone and pray (see, for example, Mark 1:35.)

Questions: This links to our news story in that the sky dive required significant and careful preparations. In fact, without those preparations, the unexpected problem with the helmet faceplate could not have been fixed. What problems of life have you found yourself spiritually prepared to address and resolve? Are you disciplined in your spiritual preparations? Have you ever been surprised by difficulties along your spiritual journey that might have been anticipated if you had been more intentional in preparation?

Acts 9:18
"And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized ..." (For context, read 9:1-19.)

After Paul had his blinding-light encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, he was initially unable to see. Eventually, through the ministry of the prophet Ananias, Paul's sight was, in the words of the text, "restored." His spiritual sight, however, wasn't simply restored; it was reoriented so that he now saw things differently. We might even say that the horizon he was heading for was changed.  

Questions: It was important for Baumgartner to be able to see the horizon to stabilize himself after jumping. What helps you keep your eyes on the horizon that orients your faith and life? When have you had a blinding-light moment that knocked you off your perch and changed your horizons, your perception of the universe? Did you require some measure of disorientation before you could see the world in the light of Christ?

Psalm 8:3-4
"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?" (For context, read 8:1-9.)

After his jump, Baumgartner said, "Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are," which sounds similar to the comment of the psalmist above.

Questions: What role do such things as wonder, awe, a sense of insignificance have on your sense of where you fit into the world God has made? The song "America the Beautiful" was originally named "Pike's Peak," and was the direct result of the wonder the author felt when she looked out from that peak onto the plains of Kansas in one direction and the mountains of Colorado in another. What event or sight has given you the perspective of the psalmist, a sense of wonder and awe at God's creation?  

For Further Discussion

1. What is your view of daredevil events -- of taking extreme risks? Should Christians engage in such things? Why or why not? Should participation in such actions be banned by the government? Why or why not?

2. Thanks to Baumgartner, we now know that given the right equipment and training, a person can survive a jump from great height. Does the usefulness of this knowledge make the risks worthwhile? If there were no useful outcome, would that change your feeling about whether it is right to undertake these risks?

3. Although some promos ahead of this event described it as a "mission to the edge of space" or a "space jump," that's not technically true. The internationally recognized boundary where the atmosphere "ends" and space "begins" is at 62 miles above sea level, a boundary known as the Kármán line, and Baumgartner didn't go nearly that high. Does the hype diminish the accomplishment? Explain your answer.

4. Events like this sky-dive push the boundaries of human accomplishment. Should that in any way change what we think we need from our Creator? Explain your answer.

5. Comment on this newspaper comic strip, Arlo and Janis. In one particular strip, Arlo, the father, has just confronted his young son, Gene, about some infraction or other. Gene protests, "But, Dad! I'm only human!" Arlo responds, "That's no excuse, son!" Gene says, "It isn't? I thought I'd found a loophole."

6. Did you watch the actual event live or through a recording? Did you watch at all? If live, how involved were you emotionally during the event? Do you feel the same level of involvement/empathy toward someone making a spiritual commitment? What about toward those engaged in a mission? Do you keep track of how they are doing or does your interest lag?

Responding to the News

This is a good time to think about how our faith is, on the one hand, "received" from those who've gone before and, on the other hand, "discovered" in our attempts to live faithfully in today's world.