Sonic Boom Of The Human Kind

As our blog readers will know, the science of sonics is something we are fascinated by. To date we have covered all manner of sonic related subjects and today we are going to look a true and remarkable ‘first’ in the history of mankind.

Last October, Felix Baumgartner established a world record for the highest human freefall – from a height of 128,000 feet, effectively from outer space! However, his achievement did not end there because when Baumgartner fell towards the earth his body created a shockwave which was actually heard by many people watching the live tv coverage, including four separate groups of official observers in different locations.

Scientists have since confirmed that Baumgartner did in fact break sound barrier as he fell to earth, so he has claimed another ‘first’ – the first human (not in a machine of any kind) to break the speed of sound and so create the first, true human sonic boom.

One question is: how could they prove this?
Answer: Experts have since looked at the signature and timing of a sound which was captured during the fall alongside footage shot from the ground. Their conclusion?

"The wave form of the sonic boom has been isolated and is consistent with existing sonic boom characteristics' data," said one of the experts.

To hear this human sonic boom click on the link and it will take you to a video clip. Listen caretfully to the audio commentary and you will hear the sonic boom, albeit faintly in the background, followed by someone's vocal reaction to it.