Space Jump Hoax: Viral Video Misidentifies Austrian Skydiver as Australian Scientist

Recently, a viral video claiming to show an Australian scientist jumping from space has been circulating on social media. The post asserts that the scientist jumped from a height of 128,000 feet, completing a journey of 1,236 km in just over 4 minutes.

Social Media Posts

The video accompanying the post shows a person in a spacesuit falling through the atmosphere, with the curvature of the Earth visible in the background. This dramatic footage, combined with the extraordinary claims made in the caption, has captured the attention of social media users and led to widespread sharing across multiple platforms.

Source | Archive

We also found the same claim spreading on Facebook platform as well.

Source | Archive

Source | Archive

Fact-Check

Our investigation reveals that this video does not show an Australian scientist jumping from space as claimed. Instead, the video and accompanying claim refer to an event involving Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver.

On October 14, 2012, Baumgartner performed a jump as part of the Red Bull Stratos project. He descended from an altitude of 128,100 feet (39,045 meters) above New Mexico, USA. This height is within the stratosphere, below the conventionally defined edge of space (the Kármán line at 100 kilometers above sea level).

Source: Red Bull Official Youtube Channel

The total descent time was approximately 10 minutes, including a freefall portion of 4 minutes and 19 seconds. This differs from the 4 minutes and 5 seconds claimed in the viral post. Baumgartner covered a distance of 24 miles (39 km), which is less than the 1,236 km mentioned in the viral post.

During his descent, Baumgartner achieved a maximum speed of 843.6 mph (1,357.64 km/h), exceeding the speed of sound. He jumped from a helium balloon rather than a spacecraft. For protection against the extreme conditions, Baumgartner wore a specially designed pressure suit.

Felix Baumgartner's mission on October 14, 2012, was a groundbreaking endeavor in aerospace technology. He ascended to an altitude of 24 miles above Earth in a helium balloon and made a historic freefall jump, becoming the first skydiver to break the sound barrier. The mission provided invaluable data on spacesuit design, human physiology under extreme conditions, and parachute systems. This daring feat captivated millions of viewers worldwide and contributed to advancements in aerospace safety and technology.

Summary

The claim that an Australian scientist jumped from space at 128,000 feet is false. The event in question involved Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from the stratosphere in 2012. This jump was a significant achievement in the field of skydiving and aerospace, but it did not involve an Australian scientist or a jump from the edge of space.

Source: India Today, BOOM Live, CNN, Felix Baumgartner, Redbull