All language subtitles for Chasing.the.Jet.Stream.2019.1080p.WEBRip.x264-RARBG

- [Narrator] Swiss entrepreneur
and amateur skydiver,

Marc Hauser, is gripped
by an obsession.

He wants to fly faster
than anyone before.

- I have this strong feeling
that I'm able to fly

like a bird, like a
jet, like a human jet.

I had this when I
was really small

in kindergarten, like
in a superman's tale.

- [Narrator] In 2012 Marc gained
international recognition

when he established a horizontal
speed tracking record

of 304 kilometres per hour,
without a tail wind.

But with a tail wind, Marc

believes he could
go even faster.

- I set this first world
record and now I would

like to push the boundaries
with the best wind

you can get up there and
that's the jet stream.

- [Narrator] The jet
stream is a continuous

ribbon of super-fast
wind that circles

the northern and southern
hemispheres of the world.

It's believed to
contain 20 times

the energy needed for
all of humanity.

- I really wonder why
we don't use this

high-altitude wind power
as an energy source.

It feels like a
missed opportunity.

And I want to bring
attention to this subject

by jumping into the jet
stream as a skydiver.

I'm a real super chicken.

I'm so scared of heights.

So I do not believe in this
concept of overcoming fear.

- [Narrator] Marc Hauser
lives in Bern, Switzerland.

His day job is running a
branding company as well

as travelling the world
giving motivational speeches.

His passion is
aviation and he is

an accomplished
amateur glider pilot.

He learned to skydive to
overcome his fear of having

to jump out of his glider in
the event of an emergency.

- I knew that I will never
exit this aeroplane

because this aeroplane
was safe for me.

Okay, lets go.

Unfortunately I'm not
Superman and I'm a real,

real two metre chicken
and it was so hard

for me to become that
skydiver and maybe

that's why the skydiving
is still part of my life.

Usually skydivers
they fall down.

They really are free falling
and I was interested

in free flying and we did
not have a clue how fast

it can get so I said to
myself I will find out.

I carried these small
GPS devices and it was

getting faster and
faster and then I

decided okay, let's
break the world record.

And there, there was
no world record so it

was really easy to
establish the first one.

- [Narrator] Marc jumped from
an altitude of 4,200 metres,

free falling at a 45
degree angle to reach

a horizontal speed of 304
kilometres per hour.

That record remains valid today.

- Now we want to find
out what happens when

I jump into the strongest
tail wind we can find.

That's up there in
the jet stream.

No one did it before but
I think it's possible.

- [Narrator] First, Marc
wants to find out how

the jet stream was reached
in the past and whether

anybody else is already tapping
into jet stream power.

He made a surprising
discovery in Germany.

- When I talk to people
about going up into

the jet stream they tell
me, ah, it's not possible.

It's too high.

But today I'm here in Berlin
to visit the weather museum

and they set a world record
in altitude with kites.

They went up to more
than 9,000 metres,

more than 30,000 feet and
that was 100 years ago.

So maybe it's possible
to go up there.

That's why I'm here.

- [Narrator] Surprisingly,
harnessing high-altitude

wind energy for
electricity production

is less science fiction
than Marc thinks.

In Switzerland alone, he
discovers three startup

companies that are leading
innovators in this sector,

which could change the future
of how we acquire energy.

- This is one of our prototypes.

It's fully functional

- How can you harness
energy with this object?

- For starting we have these
rotors, which start to spin.

So it can hover up like a drone.

And once it's high up
where the wind is strong

we turn those rotors off
and then the wind drives

the movement of this wing
like a kite in the air.

And basically the energy is
transferred mechanically

through that tether
to the ground station

and the generator is
attached to the drum here

to produce then this
electrical power.

So the big difference to
a wind turbine is that

we don't have the tower, we
don't have a foundation.

We just have a wing
and the generator on

the ground and those are
connected by the tether.

And that saves about
95% of the material of

the wind turbine and that
makes us mobile and flexible.

But the big picture is
really, going offshore.

Here we can put our system
on floating platforms.

Basically the whole ocean is
now available for wind energy.

- [Narrator] So far
Twingtec tested various

prototypes up to an
altitude of 300 metres.

But they are aiming higher
and expect to build

their first commercial
100 kilowatt generator

in a container sized
unit, by 2020.

- What do you think, is it
just a dream to harness the

energy power of the jet
stream one day in the future?

- Well there is what people
call the low level jet streams,

which are about 500 to
1,000 metres above ground.

That's definitely in reach
in the next decade.

I'm sure.

To really go to 10 kilometres,

I think it's
technically feasible.

If the need is there, we will
go there and make it happen.

- [Narrator] Next,
Marc goes to witness

the most unconventional
wind energy

concept that is
currently being tested.

This is at the Technical
University of Rapperswil.

Inventor Michael Perberger
explains his vision.

- Let me show you an
animation about how

this system will really
work in operation.

Our system is
completely modular,

so you can transport
it over land or sea.

The system can be assembled.

So on the one hand
you have the wings.

On the other hand you have
the circular structure,

which is mounted onto the
generator and as a start

the generator function
is inverted to a motor.

So that the cycling starts.

The lift is created.

Once it reached the operating
altitude the motor function

will invert into the generator
function when sufficient wind

speed is there and that
converts the wind energy into

electricity and bring it
down through the cable.

- It really looks like
science fiction to me.

Beautiful but science fiction.

- Well, it is science
fiction but it works

and it is really my
vision to bring it down

to earth so that humankind
will benefit from it.

- [Narrator] To reach
jet stream altitudes

Michael wants to
link these airborne

generators into a chain
one on top of the other.

It sounds unbelievable
but the test results

from a model in a wind
tunnel are promising because

the underlying physics of
the concept is simple.

- Well, each wing
can be controlled

by it's singular servo motor.

So in the configuration
that you will see

now we will create downwards
lift on the back side.

So the system will have a
negative angle of attack and in

the front side you will have
a positive angle of attack.

And this will create the lift

and this will create
the downlift.

So in total we will have a
lift up and the rotation,

which will then be
converted into the energy.

- So then the angles of the
wings they change constantly?

- Correct.

Every millisecond every
wing is receiving

its command where to
be positioned and this

will depend on the location
along that circle.

- Imagine, this is 2.5
metres per second

at a wingspan of one metre.

If you would go up to the
jet stream with 45 metres

per second and a wingspan
of six metres you would

get 60,000 times more
power out of this system.

- It's not only about the wind
energy of the jet stream.

We can not harness this yet.

But there are companies.

They are reaching higher and
higher now and they can start

tomorrow with the right
investors, they are ready to go.

- [Narrator] Marc
is inspired by his

insights into these cutting
edge technologies.

Perhaps they could solve
the world's energy crisis.

However, his goal
of flying through

the powerful jet stream
seems even more daunting.

To reach the jet stream as
a skydiver Marc decided

to try his luck with a hot
air balloon and he found

the best qualified
pilot in Switzerland,

European balloon
Champion Stefan Zeberli.

- You can not go up there
with a hobby pilot.

You need the real professionals.

Stefan Zeberli he is amazing and
he is really into his task.

- [Narrator] Together
they work on a vital

piece of high-tech
aviation hardware,

the step required to safely
exit the balloon's basket.

- The best case would be a
door to open but in this case

we have now a special
edition by Stephan Zeberli.

Patented Exit with
two flat wood plates

and I can really step
out pretty easily.

And I have a platform where
I can jump in a standing

position like this I can hold
myself here and I can fly.

- I think the whole
project is a good idea

and it is not really a big
problem to do it I think.

But there are many
many things which can

not be 100% calculated
from the beginning.

We only can do what
the weather wants.

- [Narrator] Unpredictable
weather is always

a huge risk when you
travel in a balloon.

But there is also the lack

of oxygen in jet
stream altitudes.

This can cause a
life threatening

condition called hypoxia

leading to confusion and reduced
levels of consciousness.

Death follows soon after.

Anyone in the balloon
is required to breathe

pure oxygen and must
undergo training to be

able to identify the onset
of this deadly condition.

Marc and Stefan go to the
Swiss military aeromedical

centre for hypoxia
training, a simulation

of what happens to
them, physiologically,

when they go up to the
altitude of the jet stream.

- [Narrator] The oxygen in the
chamber is slowly reduced

to simulate the balloon climbing
to jet stream altitudes.

Oxygen is removed
from Marc and Stefan

and the tests begin,
drawing diagrams

and counting down numbers
in steps of three.

- [Narrator] Confusion
is an early sign

of the onset of hypoxia.

- [Narrator] They now
simulate a climb to

the altitude of the jet stream.

- [Narrator] This
is amusing now,

but if they climb to these
altitudes without oxygen,

confusion will rapidly
end in death.

- [Narrator] Stefan's
hand starts to shiver,

so the trainer
quickly rescues him.

- [Narrator] During the debrief,

Marc confesses to a
worrying episode.

- [Narrator] It's
crucial to learn

about the hypoxia risks
in the jet stream.

But physical preparation is
also vital for Marc's success.

He's carrying a long
term knee injury

which could end his
skydiving ambitions.

- I hurt my knee in the
Swiss Army and I had six

surgeries so far and I'm
waiting now for a replacement.

But I would like to
make the jump first.

But now it doesn't
look too good.

It's really swollen
and I have to make

some exercise to be
fit for the jump.

And it hurts.

- [Narrator] Marc is so worried
that a poor landing could

destroy his knee, he travels
to see his doctor for urgent

treatment and some reassurance
that he will be okay.

- So the main problem of
your knee joint is that

you have a displacement between
the patella and the femur

so it tends to dislocate and
because of that you developed

cartilage degeneration in
the femur-patella joint.

- [Narrator] The
doctor recommends

a steroid injection to help him.

- The knee is a
never ending story.

Yeah, I hope I will
not black out.

- That's it.

During the landing phase
he has really to make sure

that he is coming into
the right position

on his knee and not twisting
something like this.

- [Narrator] To fight the
fear of permanent knee damage

Marc decides to enrol in a
parachute course in Spain,

to practise his
landing techniques.

- So the challenge for
him is to understand

how to fly the canopy correctly.

Understand the aerodynamics
and the physics

involved in making the
canopy land well.

And what Marc's been
doing in the air he's

been practising this
movement again and again.

So that when he does get
into this slightly more high

stressful environment he is
ready to do the right movement.

That's the physical side of it.

The mental side may take a
little longer to overcome.

But you have to applying
yourself to physical practise.

- I tried to combat my
fear in different ways

but finally I never
overcame the fear

and fear is still a
part in every jump.

So I'm ready.

- [Narrator] Practise time and
from now on, Marc will be

filmed by professional
skydiving cameraman Tom Naef.

- Did you see what
my problem is.

I like to fall on my knees.

I think they are
designed for landings.

But it is always good to survive
the first jump and as long

as you can walk away from a
landing it was a good landing.

- You could do another couple
of landings like this.

- That was survival
training for my knee.

But it's good.

- [Narrator] Marc
keeps practising .

- [Tom] Yeah, nice one.

- [Narrator] After a series
of successful landings,

Marc wants to move on to a
shakedown jump from a balloon.

So the team meet in a
quiet Swiss village,

on a tranquil morning.

- We are ready for the
balloon jumps in Switzerland

and it's autumn and the
weather is perfect, not too

much wind and we have a world
champion in the basket.

So I hope everything
will run smooth.

- The first time Skydivers
are coming in the balloon

they have a little bit
scare because only until

they are high enough to
jump out of the balloon.

- I'm very excited about
the first balloon jump.

It's important that Marc
practises a stable exit

and gets into transitions into
a tracking position to gain

as much speed as possible
straight from the beginning.

- For the exit what's the plan?

- It will be a base exit
on the belly and stabilise

first and then transition
into tracking forward.

I will jump pretty
much the same way

as I would like to jump
from the jet stream.

- [Narrator] Today the
balloon is flying

to 4,000 metres or
about 13,000 feet.

This is almost halfway
to the jet stream,

but a safe altitude
without oxygen.

The primary purpose for this
jump is to learn how to

parachute into still air and
to iron out any unforeseen

problems, in preparation for
the high altitude jump.

- [Marc] Landing on the
knee but we survived.

We survived.
- [Tom] Nice

- Yes

- [Narrator] When Marc attempts
his high altitude jump,

everyone with him in
the balloon basket,

will need to breathe oxygen.

Marc will take a personal
oxygen supply in

the form of a small bottle,
strapped to his body.

In the jet stream
they will be exposed

to temperatures of
minus 50 degrees.

So they want to
test the bottle in

an extreme cold
chamber facility.

Raphael, a skydiver friend
of Marc, with engineering

know-how, is coming along to
double check the reliability of

this oxygen system, a life
dependent piece of equipment.

- Now we are here in the
cold chamber and we will

make some material check
with the oxygen system.

The first one, we test the
oxygen bottle in minus

50 degrees and now the bottle
is inside for 30 minutes.

So if it still works now it
will work up there for sure.

- [Narrator] Immediately
there's a problem.

- Doesn't work anymore.

It doesn't work.

It's all frozen up.

It doesn't work anymore, shit.

That's really bad news,
it's not green anymore.

- [Rafael] It's not
flowing actually.

Try.

- The problem is here
because it's frozen.

This one too.

It's not flowing anymore.

- So I think the membrane
got damaged in the cold,

which makes that the
air is constantly

flows out instead
of being on demand.

- So we have to protect
this one against freezing.

It will be protected anyway
when it is on my shoulder here.

But we need additional
protection for this membrane.

- We kind of overkilled it
in there with 35 minutes

at minus 60, which we're not
going to have in the air.

We probably gonna be max
15 minutes at minus 50.

- But that was a rough
test and you have to test

things in the roughest
conditions you can find.

- [Narrator] Marc suits up for
a more realistic scenario.

- Okay, let's try the oxygen
system in real conditions.

The valve is here and I
will breath here and it's

connected to the bottle and
it should save my life.

- We are gonna try to do
15 minutes to see if we

still have the leakage
problem when he is wearing

the full system and when he
has the valve under his suit.

This is the test we are
gonna do now and I'm

going in there to see
if it still holds up

or if the valve membrane
still freezes up.

We hope not.

- [Narrator] They both
enter the chamber at

minus 60 degrees for
a 15 minute soak.

- It feels like forever.

- [Narrator] Marc quickly
discovers that when he

exhales inside his helmet,
it immediately freezes

over and completely
obscures his vision.

- So he did a full
exhale into the helmet

without the snorkel and
this is the result.

It's completely fogged up and
this would be a worst case

scenario in the air because
we can't see anything.

- [Narrator] The
15 minutes is up,

time to see if the oxygen flows.

- Valve is fine.

Do a breath.

Still working?

Breathe out!

Normal breathing.

Okay stop.

Perfect.

Let me check the temperature.

Zero degrees, it's fine.

Let's get out.

- [Marc] Five minutes more.

- You do?
Okay.

- I love it.

I love it when it's cold.

It's an extreme sport so I have

to stay inside this
fucking chamber.

Yes, I will.

Until the bitter end.

- [Narrator] Marc's
obsession with

the jet stream can be stressful.

Fortunately he can count on

the moral support
of his daughters.

- My dad he always wanted
to do and try new things.

He is an adventurer very much.

So I think it's perfect
for him to do this jump.

He tries to explain every
aspect of it to us.

So I'm not worried about it
anymore, at least not that much.

He knows his boundaries.

He is not a crazy guy.

- It's wonderful to have a
supportive family and when I can

bring them on and I can involve
them in the adventure.

That's the best part.

So I have my ground control by

my family and that's important.

You need some anchors
on the ground

and I have good heavy ones.

- [Narrator] The jet
stream is strongest during

the winter months and Marc
plans to execute his new world

record jump over the Swiss alps,
during the coming winter.

But the precise timing is
difficult to predict and so

he's asking the help of an
expedition meteorologist.

- Well Marc, we have
the blue marble.

Here we have the North pole.

We see the polar
front jet stream.

Here is Alaska, Northern Canada,
Yukon territory and now

the jet leaves North America
here over Newfoundland.

- And here, that's
pretty fast down here?

- [Ralph] Here it's
pretty fast, yes

- [Marc] Can we have
a cut through this?

- Yes we could have a look
at the cross section here.

Uh, the cross section shows
230 kilometres per hour.

Roughly 10 kilometres
above sea level.

- That's pretty high.

Is there any chance the
core could come down?

- Yes, in winter time
with lower frontal

elevation we have the
chance that the core

might be at seven or
eight kilometres.

- And how wide is
the jet stream?

- 400 millibars and 150.

It is close to 6,000 metres in

the vertical extension
of the red area.

- [Marc] That's
exactly what we need.

- Yes, we need a strong jet core

but preferable on a
lower elevation.

- And tell me how
many days in advance

can you predict
such a jet stream?

- With today's numerical
models it is possible

to date two or five days
ahead with great confidence.

- Could you make five days?

- I will try, I will try.

- [Narrator] Ralph
seems to be a good

influence on the weather gods.

December is looking
promising and Marc

wants to know what
Stefan Zeberli,

the balloon pilot thinks
about the weather forecast.

- Right now I'm really nervous

because it's not fake training.

It's real adventure now and even

my lips are getting dry now.

Yes, that's the real stuff.

- [Narrator] Suddenly,
the race is on.

In two days Marc has to be
ready to reach the jet stream

but his jumpsuit is still in
need of a bit of attention.

- Yeah, that's a real
homemade astronaut suit.

We are tailors now.

We need this thermal protection
in the balloon basket

because in the cold chamber
I was really freezing.

It's a bit late for
work like this.

We had months and
months to prepare

but now we are
running low on time.

Yeah, it's a night
shift but it's 01:30

so that's a good
time to work anyway.

- [Narrator] It
was a long night,

but one crowned with success.

- And here we have
the spacesuit.

It was a night shift and that's

something you can try at home.

- [Narrator] All
Marc's equipment

is now ready for final testing.

- Here we have the
flight sight GPS.

I will mount the GPS
here and they record

the speed and the altitude
and all the way points.

That's the GPS, a most
important device.

- [Narrator] But not everything
is going according to plan.

- I just got a message
from Stefan and it

looks bad for Tuesday
because now we have clouds.

- The new forecast this
morning became worse.

The top of the
clouds are forecast

around 3,000 to 4,000
metres and that's too high.

With this situation that's
really clear not to fly.

- Shit, shit.

You see, I do
accept the weather.

I really do, I really do.

- [Narrator] Stefan's
instincts are right.

The changing weather leads to

severe snowfall all
over the Alps.

So Marc has no option
except to wait

for the conditions to improve.

- I think we still have a
chance for the late 2017

maybe late December but
probably it will be 2018.

It's so difficult to find this
one day where we can jump.

We need not too much
wind on the ground.

We need a lot of wind up
there in the jet stream.

We need no clouds.

We need the whole team
in shape and very fit

and so all these small
little elements

they must fit together
and that's not easy.

Sometimes there are
serious doubts about

the project, about
everything falling in place.

Yes, serious doubts.

- [Narrator] After
months of waiting,

Marc and the team are forced
to relocate to Australia.

They are following the winter
season because jet stream

winds blow faster in
colder areas of the world.

In Melbourne Marc meets
a new team member,

retired Flight
Lieutenant Steve Gale.

He volunteered to help
with logistics and

the complicated applications
for flight permits.

- [Marc] Steve Gale was
very crucial in our project

and he still is, because
you need one person

in place in Australia to
make everything happen.

So without Steve
there is no jump.

- Clearly Marc is a
maniac but there is

this infectious thing
that goes with somebody

that just really wants
to break some bounds.

It draws me straight in.

How do you do?

Please to meet you finally.

Jesus, you are as big as,
actually bigger than I expected.

All the stuff has arrived.

- [Narrator] Importing oxygen
bottles from Emergency

Medical Systems, in Germany,
was Steve's first job

to help Marc chase the jet
stream over Australia.

- I'm so relieved that
everything arrived in time.

But it was last minute delivery.

The oxygen equipment is
one of the most essential

parts and that's
what we need to get

the green light to
get to altitude.

- Wow, this is the good stuff.

I don't think it's getting
any better than this.

We got the equipment.

We are getting the approvals.

You're here.

It's happening.

It's the real deal.

I'm excited.

It's cool to be part of this.

- [Narrator] As a next
step the Australian

Parachute Federation
wants to scrutinise

Marc's equipment and test
his skydiving skills.

The test is organised
by chief instructor

Yaakov Bokay, a former Israeli
Special Forces soldier.

He will decide whether
Marc will qualify for

a permit to jump from
altitudes up to 7,600 metres.

- There is a few aircraft
parking over here.

Just avoid it.

Any questions about here?

- We are going to land
in this area, right?

- [Yaakov] All this
belongs to you

- [Narrator] Tom flew in
from Spain to continue

his support of Marc's mission.

- I have never been to Australia

and I'm looking
forward to jump here.

It's gonna be great.

Especially because we will
have an exclusive flight.

The plane just for us.

It's not happening every day.

- [Narrator] The team is
also enjoying the support

of Martin Voll who flew in
from Germany exclusively

to prepare the crucial
oxygen system.

- [Narrator] Here in
Goulburn, Martin assembles

the entire oxygen
system for inspection.

- I really feel in
absolute safe hands

So that's mine?

- The small one is
for you as well.

That's for the circuit pack.

This is only reserve
and here we have

a two litre tank as well.

That's enough for two
persons for five hours.

- So we are fully
equipped and we can go.

- [Martin] We should be.

- Now we rehearse what we
will do in the balloon

on altitude when he is
switching from his system

where he breathes in the
balloon to the carry-on

oxygen system that he's
gonna have in free fall.

So we gonna take the
belt off first.

And he switches in one second
from one system to the other.

- What you did now is perfect.

- [Marc] We will do
it again up there.

- Awesome, good luck guys.

Okay, so what we like to do
is a really nice opening

the canopy and landing
in the target and safe.

You see the door?

- [Narrator] Mike Gardiner,
a local Australian fixer,

has also joined Marc's team.

He is taking care of logistics.

- I can't see anything.

Wings are in the way.

Here they come.

Well, that's fantastic.

- My feeling is that
everything will go straight

and the world record
is very near.

- Well, he is accelerating now.

They both dropped
their shoots out.

Both coming down now.

Shoot opened safely.

Both close together now.

Well, that was something.

- [Tom] Welcome back.

- Very happy.

Nice job guys.

- Nice, I think we
can tick that box.

Tick the box.

Done.

- I'm really happy
with the safety.

Because number one is safety.

It was very professional.

- [Narrator] After a successful
day, Marc receives official

clearance to jump from 25,000
feet, that's 7,620 metres,

the highest altitude allowed
for skydiving in Australia.

Marc was hoping to
get a clearance

for up to 10,000 metres,
but that was impossible.

Later in the evening the team
are meeting the new balloon

pilot, Steve Gryphon who has
spotted a favourable weather

window for Marc's jet
stream mission in two days.

They need to decide where to
launch and where to land.

- Going from the
burst straight to

the airfield is eight
or 7.5 kilometres.

- Okay, but this would
be off-track then?

So I would land in open field?

- [Tom] The lower you
get the more you have

to scan the area for poles.

- Looks like a good
place to land.

There are only about
four guys in Australia

with the experience to
go to these altitudes.

So we are really happy that
we have Steve on board.

- I've flown balloons
up into the higher

levels for quite a few times.

I held the Australian
altitude record

for balloons for quite a
few years at 31,000 feet

- [Marc] So that's
clearly jet stream.

- And you can see that's
gone to 30,000 feet and

the core of the jets becoming
more evident on the.

- [Marc] That's where
I would like to be.

- Yes, like we are in the right
place, right under the core.

115, that's come up a lot.

- We will be on the lower
side of the jet stream?

Not really in the core?

- [Griffin] No, but we are
right underneath the core

where we are looking
at launching from.

But it's just not as fast.

What's your target speed?

What do you wanna?

- We are certainly
looking for speeds

above 300 kilometres
above ground.

But we will be surprised what
the result will be at the end.

- [Tom] Track hard buddy.

- Track hard.

Go steep, maintain heading.

- Don't fuck up
with the heading.

Not good.

- Don't die, don't die

- [Narrator] The team gathers
on a local playing field

and prepares for a
launch after sunrise.

Martin, the oxygen specialist,
begins by installing

the vital oxygen
system in the balloon.

- When do these guys need
to start oxygenating?

- When they should start?

Maybe 20 minutes before start.

- Okay.

- So we have 20
minutes left I think.

- [Narrator] This
system is for Tom

and Steve the balloon pilot.

- [Steve] The wind speeds
have come down a bit.

It's over the top of Condobolin.

- [Narrator] A last minute
check on the strength

of the jet stream reveals
some mixed news.

- The forecast winds have
dropped dramatically

overnight and they
are saying that

the jet stream is about
20 knots slower.

So I'm just trying to figure out

how that's going
to impact on us.

- Maybe we have jet
stream, maybe we don't.

Jet stream is by definition
winds above 60 knots.

100 kilometres per hour.

And now we are at this.

- Just on the edge.

So let's take the chances.

At least we can get
a safe landing.

That's really the main
condition that we need.

- [Narrator] Tom will
also fly in the basket

to assist Marc and do his
final safety checks.

He will stay with Steve
the balloon pilot,

once Marc has jumped.

- It will definitely feel
more comfortable with

that thing on my back
because I'm used to.

It's not planned that I jump.

I definitely stay in the basket.

That is if everything
goes alright.

Yes, Steve.

In the worst case you just hang

onto me and we jump together.

- I expect the temperature to be

around minus 35 to minus 40.

Fairly cool.

- [Narrator] It's
essential that the team

pre-breathe pure oxygen
prior to take off.

This will purge their bodies
of nitrogen and prevent

them getting a potentially
fatal episode of the Bends.

- We had just one day
with clear weather.

We had no chance
to do a dry run.

So we had to really
go for the real

flight at the first time.

Of course that was not ideal
but it was calculated risk.

- See you at 25,000 feet.

- [Narrator] At ground level
the conditions are perfect

as the balloon begins its
ascent into the jet stream.

- After take-off
everything went fine.

We had a beautiful
sunrise and 30 minutes

later at 7,000 metres
the problems started.

- [Narrator] As they ascend
higher the temperature

drops dramatically and the
oxygen mouth regulators

for the pilot and Tom freeze
in the open position.

- [Narrator] So now instead of
the oxygen being supplied on

demand by each breath it pours
out of the open regulators.

The hissing sound is
the oxygen escaping.

They risk losing all
of their oxygen

before they can
complete the flight.

They press on and climb higher.

But suddenly, without warning,

the burners stop
working and flame out.

- [Narrator] Frantically
Steve tries to relight

the burners using a
hand-held blow-torch.

But this fails and
won't light either.

He tries the igniter on the
burner itself but to no avail.

The extreme cold has caused the
fuel to freeze and without

enough oxygen in the atmosphere
the burners won't reignite.

- [Marc] Suddenly
we had this leaking

problem with the oxygen.

At the same time we had the
problem of these burners

and the flame disappeared and
the combination of these

two problems put a lot of
stress in the situation.

- [Narrator] As the
air in the balloon

canopy cools they begin
a rapid descent.

- [Narrator] They are
not going to be able

to get any higher without
the burners working.

So now is Marc's only
chance to attempt his world

record as the first man
skydiving in the jet stream.

He is jumping into a wind speed
of 140 kilometres per hour.

That's Hurricane force.

- [Marc] I knew, I had to leave.

We were not prepared to have
such kind of stress and I could

not concentrate on my first
task, the speed, anymore.

But at the same time I was
worried about my two friends

in the balloon because
they were in great danger.

While I was in free fall I
just had all the problems in

mind, which were really kicking
in now for the balloon crew.

So first of all the hypoxia.

You can fall unconscious,
you die in minutes.

Second was the burners.

If the balloon has no
fire it will descend

in a fast rate and
crash on the ground.

So the combination of
that was pure horror.

Pure horror.

- [Narrator] As the
balloon descends Steve

tries to ignite the
burners one more time.

At last, luck is
back on his side.

- [Marc] I don't see any
balloon in the sky.

After my landing I was
searching for the balloon

and I had about 15
minutes on the ground.

I was desperate.

I didn't care about any record
and then the relief came.

Alles safe, alles safe.

It was a phone call
from Steve Gryphon

and he told me
everything went fine.

- [Tom] There we go.

Welcome back to earth.

- So the whole adventure
didn't go 100% according

to plan and the question,
was it worthwhile?

It's hard to tell.

Now, where everyone
is safe in one piece

on the ground I would
say, yes, of course.

But we were really lucky.

We finally survived.

- [Stephen Gale] At the
end Marc didn't break

his own speed record but
he was the first man

to jump through the jet stream.

That in itself is extraordinary.

- Now we are coming
back from Australia

and we are here in
Switzerland again.

We came full circle and
I'm so glad that my part

of the story is over and
their part is just starting.

Their story continues
and it's all

about bringing the energy down.

It looks like everything
is ready now for take

off and it's amazing
to see a handful

of engineers accomplishing
such a great mission.

- Now we've shown it works and
the next step obviously is

really to show that we can
make a business out of it.

- On my side I hope the jet
stream adventure will inspire

many more pioneers to step
into this field of sustainable

energy and I'm so glad to
be part of this mission.