FILE - In this Thursday, March 15, 2012 file photo provided by Red Bull Stratos, Felix Baumgartner salutes as he prepares to board a capsule carried by a balloon during the first manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, N.M. On Monday, Oct. 8, 2012 over New Mexico, Baumgartner will attempt to jump higher and faster in a free fall than anyone ever before and become the first skydiver to break the sound barrier. (AP Photo/Red Bull Stratos, Joerg Mitter)
Skydiver aims to break sound barrier in free fall
FILE - In this Thursday, March 15, 2012 file photo provided by Red Bull Stratos, Felix Baumgartner salutes as he prepares to board a capsule carried by a balloon during the first manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, N.M. On Monday, Oct. 8, 2012 over New Mexico, Baumgartner will attempt to jump higher and faster in a free fall than anyone ever before and become the first skydiver to break the sound barrier. (AP Photo/Red Bull Stratos, Joerg Mitter)
By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer /
October 3, 2012
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Kittinger leapt from an open gondola on Aug. 16, 1960, from an altitude of 19.5 miles and reached 614 mph, or Mach 0.9 — records that stand to this day. He was a captain in the Air Force, and the military’s Excelsior project was a test bed for the nation’s young space program.
Kittinger has been Baumgartner’s mentor, signing on with this new project after decades of refusing others’ requests.
Fearless Felix insists he would not attempt the jump if the odds were against him.
‘‘I think they underestimate the skills of a skydiver,’’ says Baumgartner, who has made more than 2,500 jumps from planes, helicopters, landmarks and skyscrapers, with no serious injuries.
If he makes it back in one piece, Baumgartner plans on settling down with his girlfriend and flying helicopters in the U.S. and Austria, performing mountain rescues and firefighting.
‘‘After this,’’ he promises, ‘‘I'm going to retire because I've been successfully doing things for the last 25 years and I'm still alive.’’
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Online:
Red Bull Stratos: http://www.redbullstratos.com
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force: http://tinyurl.com/2dsnn6
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