Qatar will join the rest of the world today in eager anticipation when the record-breaking skydiver Felix Baumgartner undertakes a mission to the edge of space for a freefall jump from 120,000ft or 36,576m, aiming for supersonic speed.In connection with the event named Red Bull Stratos, a select gathering is to be hosted at the Renaissance Doha City Center Hotel by Red Bull to witness the stunt streamed live.“Baumgartner could potentially break four world records, such as reaching supersonic speed in freefall (breaking the sound barrier), highest manned balloon flight, longest freefall, and freefall from highest altitude,” a Red Bull spokesperson said yesterday.The jump will be streamed live on
www.redbullstratos.com at 6.30pm Doha time on MBC Action. Supported by a team of experts, Austrian extreme sportsman Baumgartner plans to ascend to 120,000ft in a stratospheric balloon and make a freefall jump rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground. Baumgartner has completed numerous spectacular BASE jumps from iconic locations such as the Christ statue in Rio, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the towering Taipei 101 skyscraper. He is also the first human being ever to cross the English Channel in freefall using a carbon wing. According to Baumgartner, “trying to become the first person to break the speed of sound in freefall is a challenge like no other.”Red Bull Stratos is described as an opportunity to gather information that could contribute to the development of life-saving measures for astronauts and pilots – and maybe for the space tourists of tomorrow.