Gadling

Felix Baumgartner’s supersonic freefall on October 14 had high hopes. The Red Bull-sponsored space jumper wanted to become the first human to break the sound barrier without a plane. To do that, he would have had to set a world record 125,000-foot dive armed with gear that would slow him down and keep him alive during the nearly six-minute free fall.

Now, nearly four months later, data collected during the jump has been analyzed and the results are even more amazing that first thought.

Baumgartners vertical speed, for example, was first thought to be about 833 miles per hour, Mach 1.24. Later analysis indicated an actual speed of 844 miles per hour, Mach 1.25. That’s important information to get right, considering it was the first physiologic data ever captured from a human freefalling faster than the speed of sound.

Conducting a private peer review, NASA astronauts, U.S. Air Force officers and representatives from commercial aerospace companies such as Virgin Galactic, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, XCOR, Sierra Nevada Corporation and more were involved.Some other interesting statistics from the jump:

• Baumgartner’s heartbeat reached a maximum of 185 beats per minute.
• 25.2 seconds of absolute weightlessness were experienced during the initial free fall.
• A period of turning and spinning reached a maximum rate of 60 revolutions per minute.
• In a “flat spin” position for about 13 seconds, Baumgartner stabilized his trajectory using skydiving skills.
• The space suit used was custom designed to provide the mobility needed for a controlled free fall, enhance visual acuity, GPS tracking and thermal protection.
• The jump altitude was 24 percent higher than the previously known highest exit altitude.
• Technically, Baumgartner was not in danger with all physiologic data well within anticipated parameters, never exceeding safety margins.

What was it like?

“It feels like you are floating into space, and then you pick up speed very fast – but you don’t feel the air because the air density is so low,” said Baumgartner in a Red Bull press release. “For almost 35 seconds I couldn’t sense the air around me because basically there was none. That kind of helpless feeling is annoying as a professional skydiver. And then when you finally enter a thicker air layer you have to keep yourself completely symmetrical because otherwise you start spinning, which is what happened to me.”

Let’s take another look:

Getting in the air and to a destination has its challenges for even the well traveled. We hope weather will cooperate and flights will be on time. On the plane we might hope for ample overhead bin space and a neighbor who is either chatty or not, depending on our mood. Thoughts like “will I be able to find the lavatory?” probably never cross our minds … unless we are a challenged traveler, impaired in some way.

When we think of travelers with disabilities, thoughts often end after they board the aircraft first, along with upper-class passengers, those who carry the airline’s credit card, those with small children, the elderly and military members in uniform. But to blind or visually impaired travelers, simply getting to the lavatory can be difficult.

BrailleWise is changing all that, giving visually impaired people greater independence and comfort when using the lavatory on airplanes.A product of the School of Design at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the new BrailleWise aircraft lavatory brings an organized system for reading Braille and other tactile information. Using BrailleWise, visually impaired air travelers can quickly find and use lavatories on planes.

Once in a cabin lavatory, a visually impaired traveler can feel Braille “beams” at waist level, indicating the location of the toilet bowl, the flush handle and the washbasin. While those things might seem easy to find in the small confines of an airline restroom, a visually impaired person struggles with even this simple task in total darkness, often with the aid of a crew member or friend.

With the good bearings provided by the BrailleWise system, visually impaired travelers can move around freely and independently without the need to feel around and risk touching unsanitary areas.

Travel companies try hard to accommodate those with handicaps of all sorts and each has their own specific concerns.

Those with serious mobility issues, for example, have a lot more to be concerned about than getting off and on aircraft. Enter the Tek Robotic Mobilization Device (RMD), which enables paraplegic people to sit or stand with no outside help, opening up travel that such limited mobility would have prevented in the past.

Watch this amazing video:

Airline fees are hard to escape, but its not like we don’t try. Many travelers today have adapted to a world of baggage fees, service fees and in-flight fees, accepting them as part of the deal. Others avoid fees when they can by carrying on luggage rather than checking it or avoiding in person/over-the-phone fees by making changes on line. But even those savvy travelers can’t seem to stay ahead of the game, and for good reason. A recent study found over 50 domestic airline changes in 2012.

These fees are a considerable source of revenue for airlines, bringing in an estimated $36.1 billion in 2012, an 11% increase over 2011. To keep that revenue action happening, airlines have increased or changed the definition of fees. Bundling or un-bundling fees has had a negative impact as well.

“These changes have had a tremendous impact on U.S. travelers, especially on families. Travelers really have to be extra cautious when booking a flight. U.S. carriers are becoming creative at charging consumers extra fees,” says Alicia Jao, VP Travel Media at TravelNerd on their web site, that features the only airline fees comparison and search tool.TravelNerd compared the fees of major U.S. airlines in January 2013 to those reported by the airlines throughout 2012. What they found were over 50 changes in fees since last year.

Direct fee increases made up 36 of the 52 changes noted. Bundling or unbundling of fees, along with increasing fee price ranges and redefining fee policies added up to more fees for travelers.

“A new trend that we’re currently seeing is carriers bundling and tiering services,” says Jao. “This practice is not only more confusing for travelers, but it also complicates price comparison. Even airlines that have touted fewer fees are joining the game, indicating only more fees in 2013.”

Singled out as notorious for charging fees in the study? Ultra-low cost airlines Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air. Given kudos? United Airlines, which actually lowered their overweight bag fees from $200 to $100 for bags 51-70 pounds and from $400 to $200 for bags 71-100 pounds.

Looking for ways to save on airline fees? Check this quick video for some budget travel tips: