Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner on Monday announced that he will attempt to break the sound barrier by skydiving from a modified hot air balloon, 36.5 kilometers above the earth. Baumgartner would become the first person to break the exceed the speed of sound without the aid of a machine. The after a promoter sued Baumgartner’s sponsor, Red Bull, for copyright infringment. The lawsuit is now resolved and the jump is expected to take place in August this year. Baumgartner said recent tests have been successful. “I can deliver, I can perform,” he said. “The equipment will function.” The previous altitude record was set at 31 kilometers (19.3 miles) in 1960.
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