Skydiver's Space Leap Called Off Over Weather

A daredevil skydiver's record-breaking jump attempt from the edge of space has been called off - for now - due to high winds.

Felix Baumgartner, 43, had planned to leap from an altitude of 120,000ft (36,576m) in a jump that would see him reach speeds of hundreds of miles an hour.

The Austrian is hoping to break a record set by American Colonel Joe Kittinger, who jumped from an altitude of 102,800ft (31,333m) in 1960.

He also wants to become the first skydiver to break the sound barrier.

Earlier Mr Baumgartner said he felt "like a tiger in a cage waiting to get out".

However, windy weather which had earlier delayed the launch of his 55-storey high balloon reared its head again, forcing another delay in his bid for the record books.

A tweet from the organisers, Red Bull Stratos, said: "We'll keep you updated on possible new launch days."

The delicate balloon is made of a plastic film thinner than a supermarket shopping bag, and cannot take flight if winds are above 2mph.

It holds 850,000 cubic metres of helium gas and will dramatically expand as the balloon rises towards the stratosphere.

Mr Baumgartner, a former military parachutist, is planning to be in freefall for five-and-a-half minutes above the New Mexico desert when he eventually does jump.

His attempt has been years in the making. Wearing a specially designed suit that is pressurised and heavily insulated to protect him against the extreme conditions at high altitude, he will breath pure oxygen throughout the flight.

The moments immediately after he jumps will be critical.

"The problem is that for around 30 seconds I will have no air cushion whatsoever, meaning that I won't be able to control the way my body spins," he said.

"I have to get myself into a stable position before I reach the speed of sound."

Scientists will monitor the effects of his descent on his body. They hope to develop life-saving technology that could be used by high-altitude pilots, astronauts and space tourists.

"Proving that a human can break the speed of sound in the stratosphere and return to Earth would be a step towards creating near-space bailout procedures that don't exist," said Mr Baumgartner.

During a test jump earlier this year, from an altitude of 97,145ft (29,610m), Mr Baumgartner reached 537mph, the speed of a commercial airliner.