Felix Baumgartner, the daredevil skydiver is going to attempt to break the sound barrier as he attempts to break a record skydive from the edge of space. The jump will be broadcasted live on the internet for fans to watch the record-breaking event.
On Sunday, Baumgartner will make an attempt to ascend 120,000 feet in a special stratospheric balloon. He will then jump and free-fall towards the earth at supersonic speeds before opening his parachute to make a safe landing back to the ground.
The previous record if held by retired United States Air Force Colonel Joseph Kittinger who jumped from 102,800 ft in 1960. No one knew if a human could even survive a jump from such a long distance. Kittinger was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, the National Balloon Museum Hall of Fame and the National Skydiving Museum Hall of Fame.
Baumgartner hopes to break Kittinger's record, but he also hopes that his daring jump can provide important medical and scientific research data, which can help in the development of future space suits.
Red Bull Stratos, which is behind the event, believes that Baumgartner will reach speeds up to 690 miles per hour as he free-falls and five and a half minutes. He will open his parachute at 5,000 feet and safely take him to the New Mexico desert.
The dive was originally scheduled to take place on Monday, but it was postponed due to high winds. The stratospheric balloon is very sensitive and his team doesn't want to take chances with winds over two miles per hour.
It is not guaranteed that he will take off on Sunday as conditions may not be so favorable, but as of now, Baumgartner has approval as an earlier weather hold was lifted. The stratospheric balloon is being inflated in a process that will take an hour and 15 minutes.
Baumgartner is known for his daring skydives. He already holds a record for the lowest BASE jump as he jumped from Rio de Janeiro's famous Christ the Redeemer statue. He also set world records for the highest BASE jump from a building. He jumped from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the Taipei 101 Tower, some of the tallest buildings in the world.
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