Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner will attempt to break the world record for highest altitude human free fall when he dives from 120,000 feet up, close to the edge of the Earth’s stratosphere. The jump, part of the Red Bull Stratos mission, will be broadcast live online. The team has been delayed by high winds in Rosewell, New Mexico. Baumgartner aborted his mission Tuesday due to high winds, and his team had hoped the weather would allow him another try Thursday. But now they're looking at the next window being Sunday or Monday.

 

Here is the current live feed:

Felix Baumgartner will step off of a balloon 23 miles above the Earth and free-fall through the atmosphere. The planning process has been a seven-year endeavor.

 

• -90 degrees Fahrenheit: Minimum air temperature Baumgartner’s specially-designed pressurized spacesuit can withstand.

 

• -10 degrees Fahrenheit: Air temperature predicted 23 miles up as Baumgartner steps out of his capsule.

 

• 55 stories: Height of the 30-million-cubic-foot helium balloon that will hoist Baumgartner and his 2,900-pound protective capsule into space.

 

• 2: Number of practice runs before today's record-breaking attempt. His first practice fall was from 71,000 feet in March 2012, and his second was from 97,000 feet in July. Here is video on of his practice falls:

 

 

 

• 5: Number of records Baumgartner’s jump will break if successful. He’s aiming to be the first human to ever break the sound barrier in free-fall and to claim the records for highest free-fall altitude, highest manned balloon flight and longest free-fall. His jump platform is believed to be the largest manned balloon in history.

 

• 5 minutes and 35 seconds: Amount of time Baumgartner is expected to free-fall.

 

• 6 mph: Maximum wind speed for a safe launch. The initial launch was delayed one day, until Tuesday, because of a cold front bringing strong winds to the drop site.

 

• 20 minutes: Maximum amount of time he’ll spend dropping through the atmosphere. He’ll spend a majority of that time -- as many as 15 minutes -- slowly descending to earth after opening his parachute.

 

• 34 seconds: The time it will take him to go from 0 to 690 mph (Mach 1, the speed of sound).
Air Force Col. Joe Kittinger, the current height and speed record holder, only made it to 614 mph during his jump 52 years ago from 102,900 feet. Baumgartner would be the first person to break the sound barrier if he manages to do so during his jump.

 

• 220 rpm: Rate of spin Baumgartner could reach while falling. Tests have shown that a human spinning at 140 rpm can be harmful and quite possibly fatal.

 

• 260 lbs.: Complete weight of Baumgartner’s pressurized space suit.

 

• 120,000 feet: The atmospheric height, laying right at the edge of space, from which Baumgartner will start his BASE jump.

 

• 5,000 feet: The altitude at which Baumgartner will deploy his parachute, after 5½ minutes (and 115,000 feet) of free-fall.

 

• 0: Number of jumps he’ll perform after this one. Baumgartner says he plans to settle down with his girlfriend after this, limiting his daredevil skills to flying helicopters on rescue and firefighting missions in the U.S. and his native Austria.

 

--Susan Saunders 10/09/12