Supersonic skydiver to jump from 23 miles above earth

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) -- Skydiver and extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner hopes to take the leap of his life today. If the weather cooperates, Baumgartner will attempt the highest, fastest free fall in history.

If he falls fast enough, the man dubbed "Fearless Felix" could be the first skydiver to break the sound barrier. The world will be able to tune into this high-risk jump via live-streamed on the Internet.

The former military parachutist from Austria is scheduled to jump from a balloon-hoisted capsule 23 miles above southeastern New Mexico near Roswell.

But whether he and his capsule get off the ground depends on the weather. A breeze over 2 mph is too risky for the huge, but delicate balloon stretching 55 stories that will carry him to the stratosphere.

Winds from a cold front already delayed the jump by a day. Over the weekend, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, 200 miles to the north, was forced to delay by a day its mass ascension of more than 500 balloons.