| There is an Australian dare-devil that is attempting | | | | he is actually doing something that will contribute to the |
| something never done before. He plans to break the | | | | advancement of civilization. The previous record of |
| sound barrier during free fall without the use of any | | | | highest jump was set nearly half a century ago at just |
| vehicle. This is not only extremely dangerous and | | | | over 100,000 feet. Felix will one up that by nearly |
| scary, but also quite possibly beneficial to science. Felix | | | | twenty thousand. The person that did this previous |
| Baumgartner is going to attempt the freefall in summer | | | | record, Joe Kittinger of the Air Force, reported that an |
| 2010 in New Mexico. | | | | altitude that high was a very hostile environment. |
| He plans to go up to where the atmosphere ends and | | | | There are several benefits to this when done |
| where space begins, and freefall from there in a | | | | successfully. First of all Felix would show what the |
| pressurized suit with oxygen tanks. He will travel up by | | | | human body does travelling faster than the speed of |
| balloon nearly twenty three miles (the highest gone in a | | | | sound as this has never been done before. This could |
| balloon before) and jump from there. He is taking | | | | prove to be very beneficial to other tests done in the |
| every possible safety measure, including having a | | | | future. On top of this, it may show what emergency |
| timed parachute to automatically release in case he | | | | astronauts are capable of if their ship cannot |
| were to pass out or be unable to unlock the shoot. | | | | successfully return them to earth. Considering the |
| During the first thirty seconds of this five minute free | | | | growing amount of people travelling into space, and the |
| fall he is expected to be travelling faster than the | | | | recent rise of an industry that allows people to |
| speed of sound, something that will test the human | | | | purchase tickets to go into space, this jump could help |
| ability to withstand such a speed while free falling. | | | | scientists in terms of emergency landing ideas, with or |
| While some people will consider Felix to be psychotic, | | | | without a ship. |