Skydiver gearing up again for jump from stratosphere on Sunday
Purchase this article for republication
Buy SPH photos
(REUTERS) - An Austrian daredevil hopes to end a week-long delay on Sunday and skydive from a balloon flying 37km above the planet, breaking a 52-year-old altitude record - and the sound barrier in the process.
On Saturday, skydiver Felix Baumgartner, 43, and his team were evaluating the weather in Roswell, New Mexico, from where his massive but extremely delicate helium balloon will be launched. High winds scrapped launch attempts throughout this past week.
The 850,000-cubic-metre plastic balloon, which is about one-tenth the thickness of a Ziploc bag, roughly as thin as a dry cleaner bag, can only be launched if winds are roughly 3kmh or less between ground level and an altitude of about 244m.
The next launch attempt is targeted for 6.30am MDT on Sunday (8.30pm Singapore time).
Related Stories
