Red Bull Stratos, a mission to the edge of space, will attempt to transcend human limits that have existed for 50 years. The experiment is set to happen today if weather conditions hold up.
Dare devil jumper Felix Baumgartner,supported by a team of experts, plans to ascend to 120,000 feet in a stratospheric balloon and make a 23-mile free-fall jump rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground. He is expected to travel at 700-miles-per-hour.
His attempt to dare atmospheric limits holds the potential to provide valuable medical and scientific research data for future pioneers, according to Michael DeCarlo, a spokesman for Red Bull Stratos.
Baumgartner was first set to take the dive last week, but held off due to weather conditions.
Red Bull Stratos officials said they hoped to be ready to launch Baumgartner’s balloon today by sunrise (6:45 a.m. MT/8:45 a.m. EDT, 1245 GMT), if weather allows. The initial launch window will close at 11:45 a.m. MT (1:45 p.m. EDT, 1745 GMT), officials said.
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Baumgartner faces hazards like: temperatures well below freezing; too little oxygen to breathe; the tendency to spin uncontrollably; and air pressure so low that without protection blood is said to “boil” with vapor bubbles.
