Capsule Declared 'Mission Ready' for Record Freefall Attempt March 8, 2012 – The capsule that will bring Austrian pilot Felix Baumgartner to the edge of space for his attempt to set a new world record free fall is "mission ready," according to the Red Bull Stratos science team. A stratospheric balloon will lift the capsule to more than 120,000 feet; then Baumgartner will jump out in an attempt to break four records held by Joe Kittinger and set more that 50 years ago. A spokesperson from Red Bull said the team hopes to achieve the 120,000-foot attempt this summer.
On August 16, 1960, Col. Joe Kittinger of the United States Air Force set the longstanding highest ascent record, riding a balloon to 102,800 feet during the historic Excelsior III project, then leapt out and made the highest skydive on record. Baumgartner also hopes to become the first person to break the speed of sound without the protection of an aircraft, and set a record for the longest freefall (estimated at 5 minutes, 30 seconds) ... http://www.eaa.org/news/2012/2012-03-08_capsule.asp Harry
