Yesterday I happened upon the Discovery channel at 11:35, 5 minutes after he ascended. He was at about 5000+ mi. They announced it was going to take @ 3 hours. I thought there is no way I can sit and watch it. But I kept going back to it (flipped back and forth from the Packers/Texans game.) I remember the landing on the moon, the Challenger and others. I am fearful of heights, and the more they talked about it, showed pictures of the earth, showed Felix sitting there alone in space, the balloon ascending further and further away, and especially watching the distance in feet he was above the earth, the more panic-y I was getting. I kept praying for his safety the whole time. When he started blinking non-stop and when the door opened and he stepped out never to step back in again, my heart was ready to burst. Not only for his milestones, but for what this can mean in the future. The safety and the journeys of future programs in space. What a remarkable thing he has done for us.
The pod was cut away from the balloon and descended to earth with its own parachute. I understood there is valuable data to be obtained from it. Just as this journey for Felix was. It wasn't merely a dare-devil stunt. Please check his history, the story of the team, and why they did this and you will understand.
Last edited by NanaCsews2; 10-15-2012 at 05:57 PM.