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Extreme athlete and skydiver Felix Baumgartner has canceled his planned death-defying 23-mile free fall into the New Mexico desert because of high winds.
The 43-year-old former military parachutist from Austria had hoped to become the first skydiver to break the sound barrier and shatter three other world records.
But the weather on Tuesday forced his team to cancel his planned ascent in a 55-story, ultra-thin helium balloon that was to take him to the stratosphere.
Because the balloon is so delicate, it could only take flight if winds were 2 mph or below.
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LIVELINE INTERVIEW
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The Earlier Record:
Capt. Joseph
Kittinger has
advice for Baumgartner
GOING UP:
Massive "dry cleaner bag" to lift skydiver
It's described as a "40-acre dry cleaner bag," that, when first filled, will stretch 55 stories high.
What you'll see
during supersonic skydive
The jump can only be made if winds on the ground are under 2 mph for the initial launch....
But Baumgartner's team was on hold at 5 a.m., hoping the winds would die down in time to get the mission prepped and the helium balloon launched before the window for a high-altitude flight closes around 10 a.m. Mountain time.
After a nearly three-hour ascent to 120,000 feet, Baumgartner will take a bunny-style hop from a pressurized capsule into a near-vacuum where there is barely any oxygen to begin what is expected to be the fastest, farthest free fall from the highest-ever manned balloon.
What Could Go Wrong:
Any contact with the capsule on his exit could tear the pressurized suit. A rip could expose him to a lack of oxygen and temperatures as low as 70 degrees below zero. It could cause potentially lethal bubbles to form in his bodily fluids, a condition known as "boiling blood."
He could also spin out of control, causing other risky problems.
At left, in a photo provided by Red Bull, Baumgartner stands in his trailer during the preparations on Saturday,
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When Felix Baumgartner makes his 23-mile supersonic skydive over southeastern New Mexico Tuesday morning, more than two dozen high-definition and high-resolution digital cameras will be recording the event. Some views will be streamed live, but with a 20-second delay. |
The energy drink maker Red Bull, which is sponsoring the feat, is providing the above stream of the event from nearly 30 cameras on the capsule, the ground and a helicopter.
Exclusive WBEN Audio
On The WBEN Liveline
Julia Bergman,
News Director
KBIM in Roswell, NM
2 skydivers, 52 years apart, same lofty goal The advice from master to student over the past three years has been simple: Be prepared. Know what to do and how to do it.
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 In a photo provided by Red Bull, pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria, sits in his trailer during the preparations for the final manned flight of the Red Bull Stratos mission on Saturday |
 In a photo provided by Red Bull, pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria, sits in his trailer during the preparations for the final manned flight of the Red Bull Stratos mission in Roswell, N.M. on Saturday |
 In this 2010 photo provided by Red Bull Stratos, Felix Baumgartner makes a 25,000-foot high test jump for Red Bull Stratos. On Monday, Oct. 8, 2012 over New Mexico, (AP Photo/Red Bull Stratos, Luke Aikins) |
 In this Thursday, March 15, 2012 file photo provided by Red Bull Stratos, Felix Baumgartner salutes as he prepares to board a capsule carried by a balloon during the first manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, N.M |
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<<< In this photo provided by Red Bull Stratos, Felix Baumgartner prepares to jump during the first manned test flight
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 In this March 15, 2012, photo provided by Red Bull Stratos, pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria prepares to jump at the first manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, N.M. On Tuesday,if winds allow, in the desert surrounding Roswell, N.M., pilot Felix Baumgartner will attempt to break Capt. Jos. Kittinger's world record for the highest and fastest free fall. |
 1959 AIr Force file photo: Capt. Joseph Kittinger Jr. waits in the open balloon gondola, right, while the two million cubic-foot polyethylene balloons are filled with helium for the Excelsior I test jump at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Kittinger made the first free-fall parachute jump at an altitude of 76,400 feet, setting a record |
 In this Nov. 16, 1959, file photo, provided by the U.S. Air Force, Capt. Joseph Kittinger Jr., aerospace laboratory test director, sits in the open balloon gondola after his first parachute test jump for Project Excelsior at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, N.M The gondola carried him at an altitude of 76,400 feet for his record free fall jump of more than 12 miles. At left is David Willard, who designed and developed special equipment for the gondola. |
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 Above and at left, Workers prepare the launch site before inflating a balloon, ahead of an attempt by Felix Baumgartner to break the speed of sound with his own body by jumping from a space capsule lifted by a helium balloon. |
