3 years ago
Saturday 27 October 2012
Saturday 20 October 2012
Friday 19 October 2012
Monday 15 October 2012
Man Jumps from Space to earth Felix Baumgartner jumping out of a balloon 128,100ft
Austrian Felix Baumgartner has become the first skydiver to go faster than the speed of sound, reaching a maximum velocity of 833.9mph (1,342km/h). In jumping out of a balloon 128,100ft (24 miles; 39km) above New Mexico, the 43-year-old also smashed the record for the highest ever freefall. He said he almost aborted the dive because his helmet visor fogged up. It took just under 10 minutes for him to descend. Only the last few thousand feet were negotiated by parachute. Once down, he fell to his knees and raised his fists in triumph. Helicopter recovery teams were on hand moments later. "Let me tell you - when I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble. You don't think about breaking records anymore, you don't think about gaining scientific data - the only thing that you want is to come back alive," he said afterwards at a media conference. None of the new marks set by Baumgartner can be classed as "official" until endorsed by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI). Its representative was the first to greet the skydiver on the ground. GPS data recorded on to a microcard in the Austrian's chest pack will form the basis for the height and speed claims that are made. These will be submitted formally through the Aerosport Club of Austria for certification. Continue reading the main story The jump in numbers Exit altitude: 128,100ft; 39,045m Total jump duration: 9'03" Freefall time: 4'20" Freefall distance 119,846ft; 36,529m Max velocity: 833.9mph; 1,342.8km/h; Mach 1.24 There was concern early in the dive that Baumgartner was in trouble. He was supposed to get himself into a delta position - head down, arms swept back - as soon as possible after leaving his capsule. But the video showed him tumbling over and over. Eventually, however, he was able to use his great experience, from more than 2,500 career dives, to correct his fall and get into a stable configuration. Even before this drama, it was thought the mission might have to be called off. As he went through last-minute checks inside the capsule, it was found that a heater for his visor was not working. This meant the visor fogged up as he exhaled. "This is very serious, Joe," he told retired US Air Force Col Joe Kittinger, whose records he was attempting to break, and who was acting as his radio link in mission control at Roswell airport. The team took a calculated risk to proceed after understanding why the problem existed. Anxious viewing: Eva Baumgartner watches her son climb into the sky Baumgartner's efforts have finally toppled records that have stood for more than 50 years. Kittinger set his marks for the highest, farthest, and longest freefall when he leapt from a helium envelope in 1960. His altitude was 102,800ft (31km). (His record for the longest freefall remains intact - he fell for more than four and a half minutes before deploying his chute; Baumgartner was in freefall for four minutes and 20 seconds). Kittinger, now an octogenarian, has been an integral part of Baumgartner's team, and has provided the Austrian with advice and encouragement whenever the younger man has doubted his ability to complete such a daring venture. "Felix did a great job and it was a great honour to work with this brave guy," the elder man said. The 43-year-old adventurer - best known for leaping off skyscrapers - first discussed seriously the possibility of beating Kittinger's records in 2005. Since then, he has had to battle technical and budgetary challenges to make it happen. The Austrian first began to discuss seriously the idea of a record breaking jump in 2005 What he was proposing was extremely dangerous, even for a man used to those skyscraper stunts. At Sunday's jump altitude, the air pressure is less than 2% of what it is at sea level, and it is impossible to breathe without an oxygen supply. Others who have tried to break the records have lost their lives in the process. Baumgartner's team built him a special pressurised capsule to protect him on the way up, and for his descent he wore a next generation, full pressure suit made by the same company that prepares the flight suits of astronauts. Although the jump had the appearance of another Baumgartner stunt, his team stressed its high scientific relevance. The researchers on the Red Bull Stratos project say it has already provided invaluable data for the development of high-performance, high-altitude parachute systems, and that the lessons learned will inform the development of new ideas for emergency evacuation from vehicles, such as spacecraft, passing through the stratosphere. Nasa and its spacecraft manufacturers have asked to be kept informed. Kittinger (L) was the only person Baumgartner wanted to hear on the radio during the mission "Part of this programme was to show high-altitude egress, passing through Mach and a successful re-entry back [to subsonic speed], because our belief scientifically is that's going to benefit future private space programmes or high-altitude pilots; and Felix proved that today," said Art Thompson, the team principal. In getting to 128,100ft, Baumgartner exceeded the altitude for the highest ever manned balloon flight achieved by Victor Prather and Malcolm Ross, who ascended to 113,720ft (35km) in 1961. However, the FAI rules, state that to claim an official ballooning record, a balloonist must also bring the envelope down and therefore the Austrian's altitude will forever remain just an unofficial mark. A BBC/National Geographic documentary is being made about the project. This will probably air first in the UK and in the US in November, and in other territories sometime soon after.
Sunday 14 October 2012
Friday 5 October 2012
Thursday 4 October 2012
Tuesday 2 October 2012
World Sound System Music Festival postponed
The organisers of the inaugural World Sound System Music Festival, originally scheduled for October 13 and 14, 2012, at the Constant Spring Golf Club, have announced that the event has been postponed.
The two-day musical feast intended to showcase 16 of the top sound systems from across the globe, and included overseas sounds such as Shashamane Internati
onal (Africa), Downbeat The Ruler (NY),One Love (Italy), Saxon High Power (UK) and King Turbo (Canada). The brainchild of internationally acclaimed singer, Freddie McGregor, whose Big Ship Productions was at the helm of the production. It was with much regret that Freddie announced the postponement of the event.
"We all wanted this event to be a reality for this year and we really did our best to get things moving. We had commitments from sponsors for which we are grateful, but, unfortunately we had difficulties with getting the necessary work permits in time for the event. Therefore, we had to take the painful decision to postpone the festival until next year," Freddie explained.
According to producer, Ricky Chin of Ricardo Chin Production Services (RCPS), the two-day festival was of such magnitude that there was absolutely no way that they could have scaled down without compromising the production.
"The World Sound System Music Festival is no ordinary event. We are talking about sixteen of the highest ranking sound systems drawn from the four corners of the earth housed in one venue, which we plan to transform into the wickedest dancehall anywhere on Planet Earth. We expect the entire Jamaica and music fans from across the world to be part of this history-making event,and because of that we just could not afford to compromise anything production-wise. We are hoping that the World Sound System Music Festival will put Kingston on the map as the entertainment capital of Jamaica," Chin declared.
The festival is now scheduled for 2013, and according to Freddie, he and his team will be working assiduously to stage a magnificent event that truly pays tribute to the important role the sound system has played in the development of Jamaica's music.
“The sound system is where it all started and the World Sound System Music Festival is acknowledging and paying tribute to the ‘sound’. We owe a great debt of gratitude to persons like the great Count Machuki, Sir Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid and all the early pioneers whose vision and ingenuity have made all of what is happening with our music possible. And, as Jamaicans, we need to come out and celebrate our rich musical heritage. The youngsters will learn a lot about our music and those with experience will get a chance to relive those glorious days,” stated the award-winning singer and producer, who has built a solid foundation through his Big Ship Productions label.
The captain of the Big Ship, while noting that the theme of the event will remain the same: ‘The Lights and Sounds of Jamaica’, apologised to the sound system owners, the selectors and all those who were looking forward to the event.
"We all wanted this event to be a reality for this year and we really did our best to get things moving. We had commitments from sponsors for which we are grateful, but, unfortunately we had difficulties with getting the necessary work permits in time for the event. Therefore, we had to take the painful decision to postpone the festival until next year," Freddie explained.
According to producer, Ricky Chin of Ricardo Chin Production Services (RCPS), the two-day festival was of such magnitude that there was absolutely no way that they could have scaled down without compromising the production.
"The World Sound System Music Festival is no ordinary event. We are talking about sixteen of the highest ranking sound systems drawn from the four corners of the earth housed in one venue, which we plan to transform into the wickedest dancehall anywhere on Planet Earth. We expect the entire Jamaica and music fans from across the world to be part of this history-making event,and because of that we just could not afford to compromise anything production-wise. We are hoping that the World Sound System Music Festival will put Kingston on the map as the entertainment capital of Jamaica," Chin declared.
The festival is now scheduled for 2013, and according to Freddie, he and his team will be working assiduously to stage a magnificent event that truly pays tribute to the important role the sound system has played in the development of Jamaica's music.
“The sound system is where it all started and the World Sound System Music Festival is acknowledging and paying tribute to the ‘sound’. We owe a great debt of gratitude to persons like the great Count Machuki, Sir Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid and all the early pioneers whose vision and ingenuity have made all of what is happening with our music possible. And, as Jamaicans, we need to come out and celebrate our rich musical heritage. The youngsters will learn a lot about our music and those with experience will get a chance to relive those glorious days,” stated the award-winning singer and producer, who has built a solid foundation through his Big Ship Productions label.
The captain of the Big Ship, while noting that the theme of the event will remain the same: ‘The Lights and Sounds of Jamaica’, apologised to the sound system owners, the selectors and all those who were looking forward to the event.
— at Havendale, Kingston.
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