Felix Baumgartner and the Impact of "Stratos"

One man's fall has spurred the rise of something incredible. Millions watched live as Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner leapt out of space pod 24 miles above the earth's surface. Using a specialized space suit designed by funding from the energy drink company Red Bull, Baumgartner traveled at speeds of over 800 miles per hour as he plummeted towards earth. There were a few scary moments where Baumgartner couldn't control his spinning, experiencing up to 3.5 G's (which result in excessive blood-rush to brain and unconsciousness), but he eventually stabled out and was able to complete the massive jump successful and safely.

This was huge moment in human technological development for several reasons, but most importantly, because it is one of the few times a private company has funded 100 percent of a space technology project. Red Bull codenamed the project "Stratos" (for Strarosphere jump), and there was absolutely zero funding from the government of our country or any other. I think this indicates a major change in the development of technology. I think as we continue to progress on this technological road we will see many more companies like Red Bull hiring their own scientists and building new technologies with less government oversight and control. These companies could possibly sell these technologies to multiple countries, very different from the way the "space race" played out in the mid 1900s.