SpaceShipTwo pilot's survival hailed as miracle
MOJAVE, Calif. (KABC) -- The survival of a pilot who safely parachuted from Virgin Galactic's experimental spaceship last week is being hailed as a miracle.
Peter Siebold, one of the pilots involved in the incident, was not only able to survive the crash -- he got through it with nothing more than an injured shoulder.
Following the crash on Halloween day, Siebold was loaded into an ambulance after somehow surviving the crash from more than 10 miles up. Experts still don't know the exact reason why SpaceShipTwo crashed, but they do know the fact Siebold survived is something of a miracle.
PHOTOS: Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo accident
As the craft broke up around him, Siebold began a free fall for more than 50,000 feet. Normally when pilots eject at these altitudes, they're wearing full protective, pressurized suits with oxygen masks.
Siebold was wearing nothing more than a thin jumpsuit, without oxygen, and found himself falling faster than the speed of sound in temperatures around 50, 60 or even 70 degrees below zero -- all in a low-oxygen setting.
VIDEO: Crash site of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo
"Why didn't he pass out, and if he did for a minute or two, did he then regain his facilities to be able to save himself by ejecting into his chute?" said Dr. Robert Scheone, a high-altitude medicine expert.
It appears he did. According to the Washington Post citing multiple sources, Siebold found himself flying through the air while still attached to his ejection seat. When he spotted the chase plane, he managed to give the pilot inside a thumbs up, and then unbuckled himself at about 17,000 feet, deploying his parachute.
"For you to be exposed at 50,000 feet for any duration of time, it is a very severe condition because it's a really hostile environment," said Art Thompson, the technical director for Red Bull Stratos, which was the 2012 stunt that saw skydiver Felix Baumgartner jump from a balloon at 24 miles up, the edge of space.
Siebold's co-pilot, 39-year old Mike Alsbury, wasn't so lucky. His body was found in the wreckage, still strapped into his seat.
Siebold is now out of the hospital after minor surgery to repair damage to his shoulder. The National Transportation Safety Board has yet to speak with Siebold, but they will eventually as their investigation could take up to a year to complete.
