Sky diver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile leap Sky diver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile leap Felix Baumgartner becomes the first sky diver to break the sound barrier. Post to Facebook Sky diver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile leap Felix Baumgartner becomes the first sky diver to break the sound barrier. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: CancelSend A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 169 To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Sky diver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile leap Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY Published 5:00 a.m. ET Oct. 14, 2012 | Updated 9:30 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2012 CLOSE x Share In a giant leap from more than 24 miles up, a daredevil skydiver shattered the sound barrier Sunday while making the highest jump ever, a tumbling, death-defying plunge from a balloon to a safe landing in the New Mexico desert. (Oct.

14) Felix Baumgartner waves to the crowd after successfully jumping from a space capsule lifted by a helium balloon at a height of just over 128,000 feet above the Earth's surface Sunday in Roswell, N.M. (Photo: Ross Franklin, AP) Jump broke 52-year record Minor problems failed to cancel jump Moments before stepping off a small metal platform near Roswell, N.M., on Sunday and plunging to Earth from 24 miles in space, Austrian sky diver Felix Baumgartner offered a few static-filled words for posterity. "Sometimes you have to go really high to see how small you are," said Baumgartner, 43. Then he jumped, a diminishing white dot against an impossibly black sky. With his leap from 128,000 feet, Baumgartner becomes a larger-than-life figure in aerospace history, joining the ranks of those who have pushed personal and technological limits as they tempted fate and tested science. He reached 833.9 mph, or mach 1.24, which is faster than the speed of sound. No one has ever reached that speed wearing only a high-tech suit.

He fell at supersonic speeds on the same date in 1947 that test pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in an aircraft. Adding to his inevitable fame is the fact that the feat was streamed live on computers and smartphones around the world using more than 30 high-definition cameras arrayed on the ground as well as in and outside of his capsule. A two-hour BBC documentary will hit TV soon, and there surely will be the inevitable chats with talk show hosts and calls from admirers. But so far none of that seems to be getting to Baumgartner's buzz-cut head. Baumgartner's jump was possible partly due to an expensive operation packed with top scientists, but also to the pioneering work of adventurers past, says Margaret Weitekamp, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum focusing on popular culture and spaceflight. "In many ways, Felix was standing on the shoulders of giants," she said.

"Baumgartner himself will be advancing the science of how the human body responds to the upper atmosphere, just as many test pilots did before him." The event seemed to be an irresistible blend of space derring-do and extreme sports insanity, particularly at the moment when Baumgartner could be seen standing on the edge of space in frightening HD clarity. "I was actually scared at that point," said Clara Moskowitz, assistant editor at Space.com. "I know he captured the attention of a lot of people, because I had friends who have no interest in space emailing and texting me. This was a human being literally stepping into the unknown. It doesn't get more intense than that." The Austrian skydiver's leap Sunday beat the record set by retired Air Force colonel Joe Kittinger, who in 1960 plunged out of an open basket from 102,800 feet. Kittinger served as a mentor to Baumgartner throughout the five-year project.

The mission, dubbed Red Bull Stratos after the Austrian energy drink company that sponsored the jump, also set records for highest manned balloon flight (113,740 feet in 1961) and fastest free fall (Kittinger at 614 mph). Red Bull Stratos marks yet another aerospace advance by a private company, filling the void left by the massive state-sponsored space initiatives that once were the hallmark of American and Russian scientific programs. Elon Musk's SpaceX and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic remain dedicated to putting civilians in space, and Stratos' mission was to test how humans and space suits would react to emergency exits at high altitude. Baumgartner's jump was not without drama. He complained about a lack of heat in his helmet on the way up, which caused mission engineers to debate whether or not to bring him down in the capsule. Then, on the descent, the skydiver could be seen by an infrared camera as a tiny white dot against a black backdrop spinning wildly, precisely the situation the team was hoping to avoid as it could lead to a loss of consciousness or worse. But Baumgartner got that spin under control, and minutes later landed gracefully on his feet in the dusty New Mexican desert.

The sky diver immediately fell to knees. Cameras trained on his family – who had never been to the United States before – showed his parents, brother and his girlfriend cheering. Baumgartner has been working his way up to this world record jump from the edge of space for the past few years, twice running into speed bumps. Austrian promoter Daniel Hogan derailed the first mission when he sued Red Bull Stratos claiming he'd thought of the idea first. That suit was settled out of court last summer. Last Slide Next Slide The other hiccup was more serious. Unaccustomed to freefalling while confined by a helmet and cumbersome suit, Baumgartner started suffering panic attacks and pulled himself off the project. He overcame his fears with the help of a sports psychologist. "It was simple stuff," Baumgartner told USA TODAY in August after making his final test jump -- from nearly 100,000 feet. "I'd put on a helmet and tell him, from one to 10, how panicked I felt. And in the end, no matter what the number was, he told me my pulse rate never changed.

So it was all in my head." For a quick primer on how Baumgartner worked his way up to this historic jump, head to YouTube. He broke through the extreme sports world clutter in 1999, when he jumped off the world's tallest building (Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers, 1,483 feet) and dove off Rio de Janeiro's 130-foot Christ the Redeemer statue (the video shows him scurrying directly into a waiting getaway car before police can arrest him). Red Bull, known for sponsoring extreme athletes, promptly signed up Baumgartner, who finally realized he could make a living off doing dangerous things. Curiously, he doesn't come from a risk-taking family; his brother is a chef, and the rest of his family "doesn't even ski," he says. In 2007, he and Red Bull decided to make an assault on Kittinger's 52-year-old record. Kittinger, who had made his pre-Mercury program jump with rudimentary equipment, had long resisted efforts to recruit him to help others break his record. But ego wasn't the issue, it was a lack of capital and seriousness that always caused him to say no.

"This whole deal is very expensive," Kittinger told USA TODAY. "If what I rode into space was a Model T, this is a Ferrari." But while the Ferrari easily delivered the victory Sunday, don't look for its driver to do anything like this again. "This is the end of my journey," he said. "I've always been trying to find my limit, and this pretty much it. For the second half of my life, I want to be a good helicopter pilot. Fight fires. Rescue people. That would be fun." 5348 CONNECT TWEET 20 LINKEDIN 169 COMMENTEMAILMORE Read or Share this story: NEVER MISS OUT The Short List Let us bring the headlines to you every night. Stay current and catch up on the biggest stories of the day.

Skydiver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile jump - Oct 14, 2012 - HISTORY.com Skydiver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile jump Share this: Skydiver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile jump Author Skydiver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile jump URL Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 2012, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner jumps from a capsule attached to a helium balloon approximately 24 miles above Earth and becomes the first person to break the sound barrier without the protection or propulsion of a vehicle. After making his record-setting jump, which was witnessed live by a global audience via cameras mounted on his capsule, the 43-year-old Baumgartner landed safely in the desert near Roswell, New Mexico. Baumgartner, who was born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1969, started skydiving at age 16 and spent time in the Austrian army as a paratrooper.

He went on to perform a series of daredevil feats, including becoming the first person to jump from one of the twin 1,483-foot-high Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, then the world’s tallest buildings, in 1999, and becoming the first person to skydive across the English Channel using a carbon-fiber wing, in 2003. The Austrian’s record-breaking 2012 jump was more than five years in the making and involved a team of engineers, scientists and other aeronautic experts who custom-designed Baumgartner’s equipment, including his pressurized space suit (intended to prevent his blood from boiling at high altitudes) and 6-foot-wide, 2,900-pound, pressurized capsule. In 2010 the project, which was financed by energy drink company Red Bull, hit a roadblock when Baumgartner started having panic attacks while undergoing endurance tests in his pressurized suit and helmet. However, a sports psychologist eventually helped him learn to cope with his claustrophobia.

On the morning of October 14, 2012, a 550-foot-high helium balloon made of 40 acres of ultrathin plastic lifted the capsule carrying Baumgartner, nicknamed “Fearless Felix,” from the launch site at Roswell International Air Center. After reaching an altitude of 127,852.4 feet, Baumgartner stepped off the capsule and plunged toward Earth. His descent took nine minutes and 18 seconds—four minutes and 20 seconds of it in a free fall of 119,431 feet, during which he reached a top speed of 843.6 miles per hour, or Mach 1.25. Specially designed cameras positioned inside and outside of his capsule, as well as on the ground, enabled millions of people around the world to watch Baumgartner live online and on television. At an altitude of 8,421 feet above sea level, he deployed his parachute and went on to land smoothly in the desert. His entire mission, from launch to landing, took two hours and 47 minutes.

In addition to breaking the sound barrier, Baumgartner also set a new record for the highest-altitude jump. The previous record holder, Joseph Kittinger, skydived from an altitude of 102,800 feet in 1960. Kittinger, a former Air Force colonel, was part of the team that helped prepare Baumgartner for his jump, which happened to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the day when Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier in a plane. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us ! Get This Day In History every morning in your inbox! Skydiver survives 24-mile high jump, breaks sound barrier, officials say | Fox News Skydiver survives 24-mile high jump, breaks sound barrier, officials say Published October 14, 2012 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Email Print ROSWELL, N.M.

– Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner landed gracefully on Earth after a 24-mile jump Sunday from the stratosphere in a daring, dramatic feat that officials said made him the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound. Baumgartner came down safely in the eastern New Mexico desert about nine minutes after jumping from his capsule 128,100 feet, or roughly 24 miles, above Earth. He lifted his arms in victory, sending off loud cheers from jubilant onlookers and friends inside the mission's control center in Roswell, N.M. "When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about of breaking records anymore, you do not think of about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is to come back alive," he said after the jump. Brian Utley, a jump observer from the International Federation of Sports Aviation, said preliminary figures show Baumgartner reached a maximum speed of 833.9 mph. That amounts to Mach 1.24, which is faster than the speed of sound. No one has ever reached that speed wearing only a high-tech suit.

Baumgartner says that traveling faster than sound is "hard to describe because you don't feel it." With no reference points, "you don't know how fast you travel," he told reporters. More On This... Et tu, Brute? Spot where Julius Caesar was stabbed found "Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are," he said. The altitude he leapt from also marked the highest-ever for a skydiver. Organizers said the descent lasted just over nine minutes, about half of it in free fall. Utley said he traveled 119, 846 feet in free fall. Three hours earlier, Baumgartner, known as "Fearless Felix," had taken off in a pressurized capsule carried by a 55-story ultra-thin helium balloon. After an at-times tense ascent, which included concerns about how well his facial shield was working, the 43-year-old former military parachutist completed a final safety check-list with mission control. As he exited his capsule from high above Earth, he flashed a thumbs-up sign, well aware that the feat was being shown on a live-stream on the Internet.

During the ensuing jump -- from more than three times the height of the average cruising altitude for jetliners -- Baumgartner was expected to hit a speed of 690 mph. He was believed to have reached speeds that exceeded 700 mph. Any contact with the capsule on his exit could have torn his pressurized suit, a rip that could expose him to a lack of oxygen and temperatures as low as minus-70 degrees. That could have caused lethal bubbles to form in his bodily fluids. But none of that happened. He activated his parachute as he neared Earth, gently gliding into the desert east of Roswell and landing without any apparent difficulty. The images triggered another loud cheer from onlookers at mission control, among them his mother, Eva Baumgartner, who was overcome with emotion, crying. He then was taken by helicopter to meet fellow members of his team, whom he hugged in celebration. Coincidentally, Baumgartner's attempted feat also marked the 65th anniversary of U.S. test pilot Chuck Yeager successful attempt to become the first man to officially break the sound barrier aboard an airplane. At Baumgartner's insistence, some 30 cameras recorded the event Sunday.

Shortly after launch, screens at mission control showed the capsule as it began rising high above the New Mexico desert, with cheers erupting from organizers. Baumgartner could be seen on video, calmly checking instruments inside the capsule. Baumgartner's team included Joe Kittinger, who first attempted to break the sound barrier from 19.5 miles up in 1960, reaching speeds of 614 mph. With Kittinger inside mission control Sunday, the two men could be heard going over technical details during the ascension. "Our guardian angel will take care of you," Kittinger radioed to Baumgartner around the 100,000-foot mark, and noted that it was getting "really serious" now. An hour into the flight, Baumgartner had ascended more than 63,000 feet and had gone through a trial run of the jump sequence that will send him plummeting toward Earth. Ballast was dropped to speed up the ascent. Kittinger told him, "Everything is in the green. Doing great." As Baumgartner ascended in the balloon, so did the number of viewers watching on YouTube.

Nearly 7.3 million watched as he sat on the edge of the capsule moments before jumping. After he landed, Red Bull posted a picture of Baumgartner on his knees on the ground to Facebook, generating nearly 216,000 likes, 10,000 comments and more than 29,000 shares in less than 40 minutes. On Twitter, half the worldwide trending topics had something to do with the jump, pushing past seven NFL football games. Among the tweets was one from NASA: "Congratulations to Felix Baumgartner and RedBull Stratos on record-breaking leap from the edge of space!" This attempt marked the end of a five-year road for Baumgartner, a record-setting high-altitude jumper. He already made two preparation jumps in the area, one from 15 miles high and another from 18 miles high. It also was the end of his extreme altitude jumping career; he has promised this will be his final jump. Baumgartner has said he plans to settle down with his girlfriend and fly helicopters on mountain rescue and firefighting missions in the U.S. and Austria.

Felix Baumgartner steps in the capsule during a manned test flight earlier this year Photo by Balazs Gardi/Red Bull via Getty Images UPDATE: Felix Baumgartner became the first person to beak the sound barrier without traveling inside a craft Sunday. During his jump from more than 24 miles up, Baumgartner hit Mach 1.24, or 833.9 mph, according to preliminary data, reports the Associated Press . "When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about breaking records anymore, you do not think about gaining scientific data," Baumgartner said after the jump. "The only thing you want is to come back alive." Watch the jump: Advertisement Sunday, 14 October at 3:15 p.m..: Felix Baumgartner made it. He landed safely on the ground after a 24-mile jump from the stratosphere. It was a record-breaking event, although it remains unclear whether the Austrian daredevil had managed to break the speed of sound during his free fall, which was one of the key goals of the mission, reports the Associated Press .

Nine minutes after he jumped from the 11-by-8-foot capsule at 128,097 feet, making it the highest skydive on record, he was back on New Mexico soil. Baumgartner pierced the atmosphere at speeds as high as 700 miles per hour, which would suggest that the speed of sound was broken, although there was no confirmation yet, notes Reuters . Nearly 7.3 million were watching the “live” YouTube stream of the event right before Baumgartner jumped. NASA appeared to be one of those keeping close track of the event. NASA sent out a tweet congratulating Baumgartner and his team “on a record-breaking leap from the edge of space!” Sunday, 14 October at 1:10 p.m.: Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian professional daredevil, was finally able to stop postponing his bid to become the first skydiver to break the sound barrier as he began his ascent to the stratosphere on Sunday morning. Baumgartner took off from the New Mexico desert in a huge helium balloon that carried a pressurized capsule at 9:30 a.m. (11:30 a.m. EDT).

His 23-mile ascent should take around three hours while the descent should last up to 20 minutes, reports Reuters . Some 30 cameras recorded the event. You can follow Baumgartner’s jump through what is being billed as a “live” stream below. The Associated Press notes the video has a 20-second delay in case of an accident. Baumgartner is trying to break a 52-year record held by Joe Kittinger, an adviser to his project, who jumped from a balloon flying at 102,800 feet and fell for 4 minutes and 36 seconds before opening his parachute in 1960. Baumgartner is now attempting a jump from 120,000 feet and free fall for 5 minutes and 35 seconds. About 30 seconds into the free fall, Baumgartner should be moving faster than the speed of sound, around 690 mph. There are more than 300 people in the “NASA-style mission control” that is providing support for Baumgartner, including 70 people who have been working on the project for five years, notes the New York Times .

Follow the jump below: While it may seem like a vanity project aimed at simply breaking records, all the engineers and scientists working on the effort say the data they will collect during the jump will be able to help pilots and astronauts in the future if they have to exit their crafts. Also, assuming Baumgartner's high-tech spacesuit works as intended and protects him from the shock waves of breaking the sound barrier, it could lead to NASA certifying a new generation of spacesuits, points out the AP. Baumgartner says this will be his last jump as he has plans to settle down with his girlfriend when it's all over. Daniel Politi has been contributing to Slate since 2004 and wrote the Today’s Papers column from 2006 to 2009. Follow him on Twitter . October 14, 2012 : Skydiver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile jump Introduction On this day in 2012, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner jumps from a capsule attached to a helium balloon approximately 24 miles above Earth and becomes the first person to break the sound barrier without the protection or propulsion of a vehicle.

After making his record-setting jump, which was witnessed live by a global audience via cameras mounted on his capsule, the 43-year-old Baumgartner landed safely in the desert near Roswell, New Mexico. Baumgartner, who was born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1969, started skydiving at age 16 and spent time in the Austrian army as a paratrooper. He went on to perform a series of daredevil feats, including becoming the first person to jump from one of the twin 1,483-foot-high Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, then the world’s tallest buildings, in 1999, and becoming the first person to skydive across the English Channel using a carbon-fiber wing, in 2003. The Austrian’s record-breaking 2012 jump was more than five years in the making and involved a team of engineers, scientists and other aeronautic experts who custom-designed Baumgartner’s equipment, including his pressurized space suit (intended to prevent his blood from boiling at high altitudes) and 6-foot-wide, 2,900-pound, pressurized capsule.

In 2010 the project, which was financed by energy drink company Red Bull, hit a roadblock when Baumgartner started having panic attacks while undergoing endurance tests in his pressurized suit and helmet. However, a sports psychologist eventually helped him learn to cope with his claustrophobia. On the morning of October 14, 2012, a 550-foot-high helium balloon made of 40 acres of ultrathin plastic lifted the capsule carrying Baumgartner, nicknamed “Fearless Felix,” from the launch site at Roswell International Air Center. After reaching an altitude of 127,852.4 feet, Baumgartner stepped off the capsule and plunged toward Earth. His descent took nine minutes and 18 seconds—four minutes and 20 seconds of it in a free fall of 119,431 feet, during which he reached a top speed of 843.6 miles per hour, or Mach 1.25. Specially designed cameras positioned inside and outside of his capsule, as well as on the ground, enabled millions of people around the world to watch Baumgartner live online and on television.

At an altitude of 8,421 feet above sea level, he deployed his parachute and went on to land smoothly in the desert. His entire mission, from launch to landing, took two hours and 47 minutes. In addition to breaking the sound barrier, Baumgartner also set a new record for the highest-altitude jump. The previous record holder, Joseph Kittinger, skydived from an altitude of 102,800 feet in 1960. Kittinger, a former Air Force colonel, was part of the team that helped prepare Baumgartner for his jump, which happened to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the day when Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier in a plane.

Article Details: October 14, 2012 : Skydiver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile jump Author October 14, 2012 : Skydiver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile jump URL Skydiver to Attempt Record-Breaking Supersonic Space Jump Skydiver to Attempt Record-Breaking Supersonic Space Jump <a href=' Moskowitz</a>, SPACE.com Assistant Managing Editor<br /><a href="">Space.com</a> Pin it Share One man's quest to make a record-breaking leap from near the edge of space is nearing make-or-break time. Sponsored by energy drink Red Bull, Austrian extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner , 41, plans to skydive from a balloon in the stratosphere at an altitude of 120,000 feet (36,576 meters). If he can do it, he'll become the first person to break the sound barrier outside of an aircraft.

He'll also break a trio of other records that have stood for more than 50 years : Baumgartner's plunge would mark the highest skydive, the highest manned balloon flight and the longest free fall, at about 5 minutes and 30 seconds. The quest, called Red Bull Stratos, recently got back on track after being stalled by a legal challenge claiming that the idea of the dive was earlier suggested to Red Bull by California promoter Daniel Hogan. That suit has now been settled out of court, and the Red Bull Stratos project is moving forward. Baumgartner's balloon is set to launch from Roswell, N.M., in August, according to the Daily Mail . Jumping for science While the dive will certainly offer an adrenaline rush and major bragging rights, Baumgartner says he's jumping for science, too. The team will study Baumgartner's physical condition and the effects of such a dive on the human body in an effort to better understand how people can survive in space. [ Photos: Training for Red Bull's Supersonic Space Jump ] "This mission is all about pioneer work," Baumgartner said in a statement released Tuesday (Feb. 7).

"Maybe one day people will look back and say it was Felix Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team that helped to develop the suit that they're wearing in space. We want to do something for posterity." The Red Bull Stratos team also includes aerospace engineers who are custom-designing cutting-edge technology for the jump. "We'll be setting new standards for aviation," said Red Bull Stratos medical director Jonathan Clark, a former space shuttle crew surgeon. "Never before has anyone gone supersonic without being in an aircraft. Red Bull Stratos is testing new equipment and developing the procedures for inhabiting such high altitudes as well as enduring such extreme acceleration. The aim is to improve the safety for space professionals as well as potential space tourists." Risky mission To make the dive, Baumgartner will ascend higher than four times the height of Mount Everest inside a custom-made pressurized capsule pulled up by a single helium-filled plastic balloon about 600 feet (182 meters) wide. Roughly 35 seconds after he jumps out, Baumgartner will reach supersonic speeds and will continue freefalling until he is about a mile above the ground, when he will deploy his parachute. The risks involved are multifold.

At such lofty altitudes, Baumgartner will need a special pressure suit to insulate him against the thin air, freezing temperatures and low pressures. He must also resist falling into an uncontrolled spin, which could render him unconscious. The team tried out some of the equipment and procedures Baumgartner plans to use during his jump in a recent test inside a vacuum chamber at Brooks City-Base in Texas. "This test was enormously important for our self-confidence. The success has given us an additional boost to rise to the challenges that still lie ahead,” Baumgartner said. The team plans to conduct the first manned test flights at altitude soon. Breaking records Baumgartner previously became the first person to cross the English Channel in freefall in 2003. He's also made record-breaking parachute jumps from some of the world's tallest structures, including the World Financial Center T101 in Taipei, Taiwan, and the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is now attempting to break records set in 1960 by U.S. Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger, who leaped from a balloon at an altitude of about 102,800 feet (31,333 meters).

Since then, others have tried and failed to beat his performance. New Jersey native Nick Piantanida died trying to set a new record in 1966. Now Kittinger is part of the Red Bull Stratos team, advising Baumgartner. You can follow SPACE.com assistant managing editor Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ ClaraMoskowitz . Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . Skydiver Felix Baumgartner set to break sound barrier - BBC News BBC News Skydiver Felix Baumgartner set to break sound barrier By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News, Roswell 9 October 2012 Close share panel Image caption Two high altitude jumps earlier this year were used to test all the equipment The Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner will attempt to become the first human to break the sound barrier unaided by a vehicle. He is going to jump out of a balloon at more than 120,000ft (36.5km) above Roswell, New Mexico.

In the near vacuum at that altitude, he should accelerate beyond about 690mph (1,110km/h) within 40 seconds. If all goes well, he will open a parachute near the ground to land softly in the desert, 10 minutes later. The 43-year-old adventurer - famous for jumping off skyscrapers - is under no illusions about the dangers he faces. When you're standing there in a pressure suit, the only thing that you hear is yourself breathing Felix Baumgartner Where he is going, the air pressure is less than 2% of what it is at sea level, and it is impossible to breathe without an oxygen supply. Others who have tried to break the existing records for the highest, fastest and longest freefalls have lost their lives in the process. "If something goes wrong, the only thing that might help you is God," says Baumgartner.

"Because if you run out of luck, if you run out of skills, there is nothing left and you have to really hope he is not going to let you down." Difficult wind conditions at Roswell airport mean that lift-off for the balloon will occur no earlier than 1130 local time (1730 GMT; 1830BST). The absolute mark for the highest skydive is held by retired US Air Force Col Joe Kittinger. He leapt from a balloon at an altitude of 102,800ft (31.3km) in August 1960. Now an octogenarian, Kittinger is part of Baumgartner's team and will be the only voice talking to him over the radio during the two-and-a-half hour ascent and the 10-minute descent. Engineers have done everything possible to limit the risks. They have built the Austrian a special pressurised capsule to carry him under the helium balloon. He will also be wearing a next-generation, full-pressure suit, an evolution of the orange protective clothing worn by shuttle astronauts on launch.

Media captionDr Jon Clark: This will help develop crew escape systems and procedures for future space vehicles Although the jump has the appearance of another Baumgartner stunt, his team prefers to stress its high scientific relevance. The researchers on the Red Bull Stratos project believe it will inform the development of new systems for emergency evacuation from high-performance, high-altitude vehicles. Nasa and its spacecraft manufacturers have asked to be kept informed. There are a few examples of pilots being ejected in supersonic airflows when their planes broke apart in the sky, but there is no detailed data on what happens to the human body as it goes supersonic and then, as it slows, goes subsonic again. Baumgartner will be instrumented to acquire this new data. The concern is that he might be destabilised by shockwaves passing over his body, and that these might throw him into an uncontrolled spin. "It's very important he gets into a delta position," said Baumgartner's trainer, Luke Aikins. "This is hands at his side and his head low, ripping through the sky.

This will be crucial to breaking the speed of sound and remaining stable." Engineers have incorporated an automatic device in his gear that would deploy a drogue stabilisation chute if he gets into trouble. But the team's medical director, former shuttle flight surgeon Dr Jon Clark, hopes the stiffness of the pressure suit itself will suffice. "We know that pressure suits limit mobility which we often consider as a bad thing, but in this scenario of going through the sound barrier, it actually adds a protection because it acts like an exoskeleton," he explained. "We don't know what the human will endure accelerating through the sound barrier in coming back down without the aid of aircraft. And that is really the essence of the scientific goal of this mission." There is high confidence Baumgartner will succeed in his quest. He has already completed practice jumps from 71,600ft (21.8km) and 97,100ft (29.6km). The second of these jumps he described as an extraordinary experience. "It's almost overwhelming," he said. "When you're standing there in a pressure suit, the only thing that you hear is yourself breathing, and you can see the curvature of the Earth; you can see the sky's totally black.

It's kind of an awkward view because you've never seen a black sky. And at that moment, you realise you've accomplished something really big." Media captionWhat conditions will Austrian Felix Baumgartner face for his attempt to make the highest ever skydive from 120,000ft (36.5km)? A suite of high-definition cameras will follow the action. Some of these will be attached to Baumgartner himself. But wary of broadcasting a tragedy to worldwide TV audiences, the organisers will be putting a 20-second delay on the live video feed. Image caption Baumgartner aims to open his parachute about 5,000ft (1.5km) above the ground Four GPS systems in the suit will gather the dive data required to satisfy the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) that records have indeed been broken. "The data is recorded on an SD microcard in his chest pack," Brian Utley, who will file the official report to the FAI after the jump, told BBC News. "I insert that card into the equipment. From that moment on, I have control over the equipment.

I'm with it until Felix goes into the capsule, and when he lands I am the first person to approach him so I can take possession of that card again." A BBC/National Geographic documentary is being made about the project and will probably be aired in November. Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos 'Goosebumps' as daredevil jumps from edge of space - CNN.com 'Goosebumps' as daredevil jumps from edge of space From Dugald McConnell, Josh Levs and Brian Todd, CNN Updated 12:37 PM ET, Mon October 15, 2012 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

JUST WATCHED Free-falling from the edge of space 01:43 Story highlights "This is way bigger than I had anticipated," record-setting jumper says He soared up to 24 miles -- for the highest balloon ride and highest jump ever Then the Austrian daredevil hit 833.9 mph at one point, breaking the speed of sound Risks were low temperatures, thin atmosphere and a possible loss of consciousness One step, 128,100 feet, and millions of amazed gasps. In a moment that seems likely to live forever in the annals of derring-do, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner on Sunday rode a balloon to the edge of space, saluted and stepped off a platform 24 miles high with as much ease as any of us mere mortals might step off a curb. The former soldier hurtled through the sky at up to more than 830 mph, breaking the sound barrier in a tumbling, gut-churning four-minute free fall before popping his parachute and making a running landing in the New Mexico desert. Then he fell to his knees and pumped his fists. "Goosebumps ... Incredible!" one Twitter user posted shortly after the jump.

"My dad told me of Maradona and Neil Armstrong, I will tell my children of Ronaldo and Felix Baumgartner," another user wrote, referring to Latin American soccer stars and the first man to walk on the moon. Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Felix Baumgartner of Austria jumps out of the capsule during the final Red Bull Stratos flight on Sunday, October 14. Baumgartner ascended steadily in a capsule hanging from a helium balloon before jumping from 128,000 feet -- 24 miles up -- with nothing but a space suit, helmet and parachute. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner jumps out of the capsule. Hide Caption 2 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner free-falls after stepping off the 24-mile high platform. He reached speeds of more than 830 mph, breaking the sound barrier.

Hide Caption 3 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner parachutes to Earth after his record-breaking skydive on Sunday. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner safely lands in southeastern New Mexico on Sunday. Hide Caption 5 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner celebrates after successfully completing the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos mission. Hide Caption 6 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – People at the mission control center in Roswell, New Mexico, watch Baumgartner during his ascent on Sunday. Hide Caption 7 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – CNN iReporter Joshua Rivas watched Baumgartner ascend in a capsule attached to a helium balloon.

Hide Caption 8 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – A crane carrying the capsule follows the helium balloon during the launch on Sunday. Hide Caption 9 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – CNN iReporter Joshua Rivas watched crews prepare the capsule before sending Baumgartner into the air. Hide Caption 10 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Crew members celebrate Sunday's successful launch. Baumgartner hoped to be the first person to break the sound barrier without the protection of a vehicle. Hide Caption 11 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner steps in to the capsule on Sunday. He has been physically and mentally preparing for five years. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner sits in his trailer ahead of Sunday's flight.

Hide Caption 13 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Crew members assist Baumgartner in his trailer. The Red Bull Stratos team includes a former NASA crew surgeon, record-breaking aviators and innovative aircraft designers. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner exists his trailer Sunday. Hide Caption 15 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – The high-altitude balloon twists in the wind just seconds before the launch was aborted on Tuesday, October 9, due to high winds. Hide Caption 16 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner leaves his capsule after the mission was aborted on Tuesday. Hide Caption 17 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner stands in the desert after completing the second manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, on July 25.

Hide Caption 18 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner sits in his capsule before the scheduled final manned flight of Red Bull Stratos in Roswell on Tuesday, October 9. Hide Caption 19 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner's flight was delayed until further notice because of high winds. Hide Caption Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – TV crews report from the launch site. Hide Caption 21 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner works out during preparations for the flight in Roswell on Sunday, October 7. Hide Caption 22 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner stands in his trailer during preparations Saturday, October 6.

Hide Caption 23 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – A crew member launches a weather balloon into the stratosphere on Thursday, October 4. Hide Caption 24 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Crew members recover the capsule after the second manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell on July 25. Hide Caption 25 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – ATA crew members fill the balloon with helium at the flight line on July 25. Hide Caption 26 of 27 Photos: Photos: Free-falling from edge of space Free-falling from the edge of space – Baumgartner's pressurized flight suit and helmet restrict mobility and together weigh 100 pounds. Hide Caption

Question: In 2012, Felix Baumgartner became the first person to break the sound barrier doing what?
Answer: Skydiving