Going to the Edge of Space To Set a Skydiving Record

Felix Baumgartner
courtesy of Jay Nemeth

Wall Street Journal - An Austrian daredevil plans to break a 52-year-old record for the highest skydive on early Tuesday morning above eastern New Mexico, in a feat that will test the limits of technology and the human body at the edge of space. Felix Baumgartner plans to ascend to 120,000 feet in a 55-story-tall helium-filled balloon and then jump back to earth. During the first few minutes of his descent, his free fall is expected to break the speed of sound—about 690 miles per hour in those atmospheric conditions. As air density increases, the speed of his descent will gradually decrease. 

The 43-year-old will then deploy his parachute, returning to earth hopefully within a few miles of the balloon's liftoff location. The previous record for skydiving is held by Joe Kittinger, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, who dived from 102,800 feet in 1960. Mr. Kittinger's jump was part of Air Force testing of a protective suit and whether human bodies could survive in the low-pressure, cold environs of space. Mr. Kittinger is part of the ground team working on Mr. Baumgartner's flight. Read more News New Mexico

Going to the Edge of Space To Set a Skydiving Record