Supersonic skydive delayed due to winds over New Mexico
(Reuters) - Plans for an Austrian daredevil to skydive from a balloon 23 miles over the New Mexico desert were on hold on Tuesday due to winds, but his team said the death-defying stunt could still happen later in the day.
Felix Baumgartner, a 43-year-old helicopter pilot, hot-air balloonist and professional skydiver, would break a longstanding altitude record and the sound barrier if the jump goes forward.
Weather will be key. Baumgartner's team issued a statement saying the launch of the massive but fragile helium balloon that would carry him to an altitude of 120,000 feet above Roswell, New Mexico, had been rescheduled for 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT).
The launch, originally scheduled for around 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT), was delayed by winds between about 700 feet and 800 feet above the launch site, the team said.
"We're on hold, waiting," Sarah Anderson, a spokeswoman for the team, told Reuters in an e-mail.
If the launch proceeds it would take about 2.5 to 3 hours to reach 120,000 feet.
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