Would you 'space' dive if it became an extreme sport?

An Austrian daredevil is training to break a decades-old record for highest altitude freefall (Luke Aikins/Red Bull)

The sky is not the limit for daredevil Felix Baumgartner, who is training to skydive from the stratosphere this summer.

The 42-year-old plans to leap from a height of roughly 36 kilometres above New Mexico in August, according to the Space Exploration Network - a stunt he will formally announce in the near future.

The Austrian pilot will be wearing a pressurized astronaut suit equipped with oxygen tanks, and will freefall for about ten minutes after leaping from a helium-filled weather balloon.

From there it should take Baumgartner roughly 35 seconds to break the sound barrier, as the daredevil reaches a speed of roughly 1,110 kilometres per hour.

When he is about 1524 meters above the ground, he will deploy his parachute.

Baumgartner, who is training for the stunt in a series of practice falls, is on a quest to break a decades-old record for highest altitude freefall.

If the jump goes according to plan, he will also take the records for highest manned balloon flight, longest distance travelled in freefall and fastest freefall.

He also thinks he has the makings of a new extreme sport. He imagines thrill-seekers from around the world would be interested in a doing a similar stunt.

What do you think of this boundary-pushing idea? Does the thought of plummeting from the edge of space seem exhilarating or petrifying? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.


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