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The Science of Space Dive (pt 5/6) - The physics of free-fall

Felix Baumgartner’s team had to anticipate the risks of falling from high altitude. Their biggest fear was that as Felix fell he could become locked in a flat spin and lose consciousness. A flat spin would have been caused by his body becoming aerodynamically unbalanced, sending him into a rotation he might not be able to escape. If his head was at the centre of the spin, the g-force would pull the blood out of his brain, causing a blackout. If his feet were at the centre, the blood would have pooled in his head, causing a redout or an aneurysm.

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5 minutes