Austrian skydiver, BASE jumper, and stuntman Felix Baumgartner has spent more than five years preparing for today's jump in which he will travel by helium balloon to the inner edge of the earth's stratosphere and then fall back down to earth, reaching the speed of sound (690 miles/hour) after only 40 seconds of freefall. Previously, Baumgartner became one of three skydivers to jump successfully from a height of 18 miles above the earth's surface.

If all goes well, Felix will break the record for highest and fastest freefall in history.

UPDATE: This mission was aborted due to the presence of wind.