Man Plans to Break Sound Barrier in 120,000 Ft. Freefall

Because why not, right?

Whatever your plans are for this summer, they are nothing compared to those of Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who intends to jump out of a hot-air balloon some 120,000 feet above Earth in an attempt to become the first human to break the speed of sound. This August, Baumgartner will ascend to the fringe of Earth's atmosphere, where it's -70 C and the air is too thin to breathe. Hence, Baumgartner will be outfitted with a special suit to withstand the extreme cold and oxygen tanks so that he can, y'know, breathe. He'll then take the plunge, and after about 35 seconds, he is expected to break the sound barrier at 690 miles per hour. (That's a bit lower than the sound barrier closer to Earth, owing to the low air pressure up there.) Once he breaks the sound barrier, there is concern that the sonic boom could knock him out, which would make the remaining nine-and-a-half minutes of his fall rather perilous. Should everything go to plan, though, Baumgartner will set four new world records – the highest manned balloon flight, the highest freefall, the fastest freefall, and the greatest distance travelled in one freefall.