<p>Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner today jumped from the edge of space, freefalling for several minutes before opening his parachute, descending and landing safely back on Earth.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It was not immediately clear if the 43-year-old succeeded in breaking the sound barrier with the fastest freefall ever as he plummeted from an altitude of more than 39 kilometres and fell for over five minutes.<br /><br />Television pictures showed him opening his parachute at about 5,000 feet and guiding himself back toward ground.<br /><br />Baumgartner had taken more than two hours to get up to the jump altitude. He had already broken one record, before he even leapt: the previous highest altitude for a manned balloon flight was 113,740 feet, set in 1961.<br /><br />A minor problem developed as the capsule ascended: a heater failed on Baumgartner's helmet faceplate, meaning it was becoming fogged up when he exhaled. But after considering options they decided to go ahead with the jump.<br /><br />He had been due to jump from 120,000 feet, but the balloon went higher than expected, to 128,000 feet.<br /><br />The Red Bull Stratos mission was the second attempt for the skydiver, following an initial bid last week that was aborted at the last minute due to winds.<br /><br />The biggest risk Baumgartner faced was spinning out of control, which could have exerted G forces causing him lose consciousness. A controlled dive from the capsule was essential, putting him in a head-down position to increase speed.<br /><br />More gruesomely, the skydiver's blood could have boiled if there were the slightest tear or crack in his pressurised spacesuit-like outfit, due to instant depressurisation at the extreme altitude.<br /><br />Temperatures of 90 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 68 Celsius) could also have unpredictable consequences if his suit somehow fails.</p>
<p>Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner today jumped from the edge of space, freefalling for several minutes before opening his parachute, descending and landing safely back on Earth.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It was not immediately clear if the 43-year-old succeeded in breaking the sound barrier with the fastest freefall ever as he plummeted from an altitude of more than 39 kilometres and fell for over five minutes.<br /><br />Television pictures showed him opening his parachute at about 5,000 feet and guiding himself back toward ground.<br /><br />Baumgartner had taken more than two hours to get up to the jump altitude. He had already broken one record, before he even leapt: the previous highest altitude for a manned balloon flight was 113,740 feet, set in 1961.<br /><br />A minor problem developed as the capsule ascended: a heater failed on Baumgartner's helmet faceplate, meaning it was becoming fogged up when he exhaled. But after considering options they decided to go ahead with the jump.<br /><br />He had been due to jump from 120,000 feet, but the balloon went higher than expected, to 128,000 feet.<br /><br />The Red Bull Stratos mission was the second attempt for the skydiver, following an initial bid last week that was aborted at the last minute due to winds.<br /><br />The biggest risk Baumgartner faced was spinning out of control, which could have exerted G forces causing him lose consciousness. A controlled dive from the capsule was essential, putting him in a head-down position to increase speed.<br /><br />More gruesomely, the skydiver's blood could have boiled if there were the slightest tear or crack in his pressurised spacesuit-like outfit, due to instant depressurisation at the extreme altitude.<br /><br />Temperatures of 90 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 68 Celsius) could also have unpredictable consequences if his suit somehow fails.</p>