Today, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner (only someone with a name like Felix is capable of doing something like this) is expected to leap from a balloon that will be positioned 23 miles above the earth's surface and make a harrowing freefall that will see him become the first skydiver to break the sound barrier. Not only that, but it'll mark the longest-duration freefall and highest manned balloon flight ever.
To Felix, this is more than just etching his name into the record books as it is an opportunity to gather information that could contribute to the development of life-saving measures for astronauts and pilots - and maybe even for the space tourists of tomorrow.
Felix is an expert in skydiving and extreme sports. He's also probably bat-shit crazy, but here at Media Underground we love crazy, and I can't help feeling that the name "Felix Baumgartner" is one that will either go down in history as a 'Darwin Award' spectacular or a pioneer of jumping from great heights.
Launch of the balloon is expected to occur at around 6:15pm (London Time) with the jump occurring sometime after 8:45pm.
Footage of the event will be streamed live in the video below provided everthing goes to plan.