Spacediving

You can't call it skydiving if you're beyond the sky...

BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner plans to jump from beyond 23 miles high this summer in the name of science (and energy drinks).  This past March, Baumgartner made a test jump from 71,581 feet above Earth, from a small capsule attached to balloon the size of a 16-story building. The Austrian was in freefall for three and a half minutes and reached a top speed of 364 mph before engaging his chute and gliding to the ground near Roswell, New Mexico.  He'll test 90,000 feet this summer, and finally from more than 120,000 feet.

Baumgartner and his team say the primary aim is to advance the science of survival at extreme altitude, not just to break records or publicize Red Bull (but don't let the sponsors hear that).  At points during his descent, Baumgartner will experience temperatures as low as -148 degrees Fahrenheit, and  clock in at 690 mph, potentially breaking the sound barrier.  A small, stabilizing drogue chute will protect him from a deadly flat spin, and his special suit will protect him from the sudden decompression of being in a vacuum.

Only two others have successfully made the jump above 70,000 feet, and the current record is 102,800 feet.  We'll be following up once they give it a shot...either way it will turn out very interesting.