Skydiver's Freefall from Space Set for Tuesday

Weather.com - Marcia Dunn, 10/8/12

In this photo provided by Red Bull, Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria celebrates after he lands at the desert during the second manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos on July 25, 2012 in Roswell, N.M. (Getty Images)

ROSWELL, N.M. — Experienced skydiver and extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner hopes to take the leap of his life on Tuesday, attempting the highest, fastest free fall in history. If he survives, the man dubbed "Fearless Felix" could be the first skydiver to break the sound barrier.

The 43-year-old former military parachutist from Austria is scheduled to jump from a balloon-hoisted capsule 23 miles near Roswell on Tuesday morning. He wants to break the record set in 1960 by Joe Kittinger, who jumped from an open gondola at an altitude of 19.5 miles. Kittinger's speed of 614 mph was just shy of breaking the sound barrier at that height.

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