On October 14, Felix Baumgartner jumped out of a helium balloon twenty-four miles above Earth’s surface. Baumgartner became the first human to break the sound barrier unaided by a vehicle. While most skydivers are unable to reach supersonic speeds because of drag caused by the atmosphere, Baumgartner succeeded because low air density at such a great height decreases air resistance.
Red Bull and Baumgartner conceived of the jump later dubbed Project Stratos by Red Bull in 2010. They set a goal to break four world records: longest free fall, highest manned balloon flight, first human to break the sound barrier without a vehicle and highest skydive. Baumgartner managed to break every record except for the longest free fall. He came up seventeen seconds short of the free fall record.
While I applaud Red Bull for engineering the suit and providing the equipment used in the jump, as well as Baumgartner for his bravery and dedication, I can’t help but wonder why Red Bull decided to launch Project Stratos and how stunts like this one might influence the commercialization of space exploration. Red Bull constantly sponsors extreme sports athletes like Project X with Shawn White or the first backflip of a rally car with Travis Pastrana. While these feats showcase extreme skill and precision, they also add to Red Bull’s image as a brand. Above all else, Red Bull is a company that has one goal: to sell a product. If they can associate their energy drink with awe-inspiring performances, they separate themselves from competitors such as Monster and add monetary value to their brand name. As of now, Baumgartner’s video has gathered twenty-seven million YouTube views making it one of, if not the most, successful Red Bull projects to date.
Companies like Virgin Mobile have started their own commercial space programs. A ticket on a Virgin Mobile ride into space costs around $200,000. These prices favor the few while leaving out the many. NASA’s space shuttle program enabled well-qualified and well-trained astronauts to explore space for the benefit of us all. Last May, Ashton Kutcher bought Virgin Mobile’s 500th ticket into space for only $200,000. I fail to see how sending celebrities like Kutcher into space helps us. I wish Kutcher would donate that money to NASA rather than experience space all for himself.
While Red Bull’s Project Stratos doesn’t go as far as Virgin Mobile, it provides further steps in associating space with business rather than science. As the narrator in Fight Club warns, “When deep space exploration ramps up, it will be corporations that name everything: The IBM Stellar Sphere, The Philip Morris Galaxy, Planet Starbucks.”
While you could argue that it doesn’t matter whether companies have selfish motives because if a NASA project and a Red Bull or Virgin Mobile initiative have the same end result, the difference in motives becomes meaningless. However, as consumers and a society we must remember that corporations are not people; they exist for the sole purpose of profit. If companies own things like space programs it promotes a consumerist culture focused on money rather than on the value of education and human exploration. •
