Spatial Similitude

By an extraordinary coincidence, the material of the parachute which brought Felix Baumgartner to earth, resembled so much my picture of a garlic skin.

While understanding his universe is the ultimate breakthrough in knowledge, at lesser levels, man has tried to fly, to explore his stratosphere, his own solar system, his own and neighbouring galaxies. In the countless excursions where satellites have gone out of earth's atmosphere to various destinations, near and far (at spatial scale), one of his bigger problems has been re-entry into the earth's gravitational field, which can scorch and burn almost every material. He had to, therefore, create special alloys (called heat-shields), despite which those are the most tense moments.

Felix Baumgartner's daring feat reflects this persistence in the direction of the quest for other moorings. While all kudos are due for this feat to Baumgartner and the team that helped him, if I congratulate myself fancifully for my picture, I do not think I would be blamed for immoderation.

From USA Today:

Felix Baumgartner completes record-setting space jump

7:36PM EDT October 14. 2012 - UPDATE: Felix Baumgartner successfully completed his space jump, a 24-mile skydive.

USA TODAY's Marco R. della Cava has the details:
Sky adventurer Felix Baumgartner completed a 24-mile skydive Sunday, wrapping up a five-year effort to shatter a world record set 52 years ago.
A 30 million-cubic-foot helium balloon hoisted a 3,000-pound capsule carrying Baumgartner toward an adventure that was postponed Monday and Tuesday -- and for a few hours today -- due to high winds.

Today's date is significant: On Oct. 14, 1947, pilot Chuck Yaeger broke the sound barrier for the first time in an aircraft. As Baumgartner heads up, the only voice in his ear is that of retired Air Force Col. Joe Kittinger, 84, his mentor on this Red Bull Stratos project and the holder of the record the Austrian is trying to beat....