This video shows an Austrian skydiver’s record-breaking jump from the stratosphere in 2012

This article is more than one year old.
Published on January 5, 2021 at 10:49
Updated on January 6, 2021 at 10:07
3 min read
By AFP Hong Kong

A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times on Facebook, Twitter and Weibo alongside a claim that it shows a US astronaut jumping down to earth from a capsule in space. The claim is misleading; the footage in fact shows Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner jumping from the stratosphere in 2012.

The four-minute and 53-second video was published on Facebook here on December 4, 2020.

Screenshot captured on January 5, 2021, of the misleading Facebook post

The post’s simplified Chinese caption translates partly as: “A US astronaut jumped from 39 kilometres in space with flesh and blood towards the Earth, and bore the falling at a supersonic speed. At the moment of life and death, he challenged the limit of human beings with fearlessness and scientific spirit, which is amazing. It took him four minutes and 20 seconds.”

The video was shared tens of thousands of times alongside similar claims on Facebook here, here and here; on Twitter here, here and here; and on Weibo here, here and here.

However, the claim is misleading.

A keyword search based on the text “RED BULL STRATOS”, which is visible at the video’s 3:46 mark, found that the jumper is in fact Austrian skydiver and pilot Felix Baumgartner, not a US astronaut.

Screenshot taken on January 5, 2021, of the video showing words on the wall

The same video was published on YouTube by Britain's BBC here on March 17, 2016. The corresponding footage starts from the beginning of the YouTube video to its four-minute mark.

The YouTube video’s headline reads: “Jumping From Space! - Red Bull Space Dive - BBC”.

The video’s caption reads: “The moment has finally arrived, it's time for Felix Baumgartner to perform the space dive. Taken from Red Bull Space Dive.”

Below are three screenshot comparisons between the video shared in the misleading Facebook post (L) and the YouTube video published by BBC (R):

Screenshot comparisons between the video shared in the misleading Facebook post (L) and the YouTube video published by BBC (R)

Baumgartner's stunt -- which broke three world records -- can also be seen on YouTube here in a video posted on Red Bull’s official channel on October 15, 2012.

More footage of the jump is available on the official Red Bull Stratos website.

“On October 14, 2012, Austria’s Felix Baumgartner astonished millions watching live around the world with a parachute jump from the edge of space. That galvanizing moment was the culmination of years of work by an elite team determined to find ways to improve aerospace safety, and the mission’s legacy lives on,” reads part of the webpage.

The jump is also noted on Baumgartner’s personal website here.

Both Baumgartner’s and Red Bull Stratos’ website list the jump height as roughly 39,000 metres, which the social media posts accurately note.

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