FOXNews.com: Felix Baumgartner prepares for his daredevil freefall from 17 miles

FOXNews.com FOX News Network - We Report. You Decide. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

Felix Baumgartner prepares for his daredevil freefall from 17 miles Jul 24th 2012, 12:38 Daredevil adventurer Felix Baumgartner has spent years planning to make a 23-mile freefall plunge from the edge of space -- a jump that will take him to supersonic speeds.  But before he does that he'll have to do a far simpler task: a simple jump from a mere 17 miles up. The final test jump from 90,000 feet over Roswell, N.M., is meant to verify equipment and procedures prior to the attempt for a record-setting leap from a balloon. The jump had been tentatively set for Mon., July 23, following a review of nine years of local weather data. But unexpected thunderstorm activity and increasing cloud cover made the launch too dangerous, forcing Baumgartner to postpone his test plunge until an unspecified time on Tuesday. A spokesman for the Red Bull Stratos mission, as Baumgartner's stunt has been labeled, told FoxNews.com the mission was rescheduled for Tuesday. The team has its fingers crossed that the weather will hold. In compliance with U.S. Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the Red Bull Stratos team will not launch a manned balloon if skies are 5/10 (half) overcast or if the horizontal visibility at any point is less than 3 miles / 4.8 kilometers, according to a note on the site. "We have a great team assembled," said mission representative Joe Kittinger, himself a record-setting balloonist in addition to holding the freefall records that Baumgartner is trying to break. 'One mile every 5 seconds -- this is how fast you travel at supersonic speed.' - Felix Baumgartner "But the balloon is extremely fragile and we must have absolutely calm winds. It takes patience to get just the right weather conditions." Team meteorologist Don Day added, "Ultimately, it came down to safety." The attempt to break the record of 102,800 feet for the highest altitude freefall set in 1960 will take place shortly after the completion of the final manned test jump.  "One mile every 5 seconds -- this is how fast you travel at supersonic speed," Baumgartner had explained earlier, somewhat astonished himself at that particular measurement of how quickly he will be falling from the heavens. "It's hard to believe it, if you put it that way, but I love it," added the 43-year-old adventurer, who is looking forward to the historic jump that will also collect important data for the advancement of medical science. "Will I break the sound barrier this summer? We think it's possible, and I'm putting everything into making it happen." With air temperatures of -70 degrees Fahrenheit, his very blood would boil if exposed to the air. To do it at all requires a custom supersonic spacesuit, designed by the David Clark Co., which made the first such pressurized suits to protect World War II fighters during high-speed maneuvers. In the process of his leap, Baumgartner hopes to become the first parachutist to break the sound barrier, plummeting toward the ground at 760 mph. Other world records up for grabs: the highest manned balloon flight (120,000 feet); the highest skydive; and the longest freefall (about 5 minutes, 30 seconds). Joe Kittinger, retired U.S. Air Force colonel who holds several of the long-standing records that Baumgartner is determined to break, is delighted to be a mentor for his Austrian protégé. "He'll be making a significant contribution to future astronauts and future space travelers," Kittinger said earlier.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions