Skydiver in bid to break sound barrier

on 14/10/2012 10:21:09

An extreme athlete is striving once again to become the first skydiver in history to break the sound barrier.

Felix Baumgartner hopes no more last-minute cancellations will thwart his attempt at the record-breaking, 23-mile (37km) high plunge over New Mexico.

The former Austrian paratrooper's team set this morning as the new date for the jump.

The jump was postponed on Monday and Tuesday because of unexpected winds.

Yesterday, the weather forecast seemed favourable and there were no signs from the team early today of any changes.

If successful, "Fearless Felix" will break a 52-year-old altitude record by Joe Kittinger, who jumped from 19.5 miles (31km) and reached a speed of 614 mph (988kph), just under the sound barrier.