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"Fearless Felix" Baumgartner,an Austrian skydiver, former military parachutist, extreme athlete and daredevil has jumped 2,500 times from planes, helicopters, skyscrapers and landmarks such as the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, the Milau Viaduct in southern France and the 101 story Taipei 101 in Tiawan.
His most dangerous feat thus far was a face first leap into a pitch dark, 620 foot deep cave in Croatia. That feat will be eclipsed this summer when Baumgartner hopes to hurtle toward Earth at supersonic speed from a record 23 miles up, breaking the sound barrier with only his body.
On March 15th, Felix held a dress rehearsal as he ascended from the New Mexico desert in a helium balloon and jumped from more than 13 miles up. He is believed to be the the third person to ever leap from such a high altitude and free fall to a safe landing. The first person to ever do so was an Air Force test pilot, Joe Kittinger whose 1960 jump was from 102,800 feet or 19.5 miles.
Baumgartner used the jump to test out a pressurized capsule and full pressure suit that he will use in a few months for his record breaking 120,000 feet free fall. He will need the extra protection as there is virtually no atmosphere at such heights.
Baumgartner's balloon lifted off from Roswell, NM in the morning and Baumgartner jumped at 71,581 feet - 13.6 miles - and landed safely eight minutes and eight seconds later. He reached speeds of up to 364.4 mph and was in free fall for three minutes and 43 seconds before pulling his parachute cords.
After one more trial run, he will attempt his jump sometime within a July - October window when the weather is optimal at Roswell.
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