Winds Cancel Red Bull Stratos (Felix Baumgartner) Spacedive Launch Attempt 10.9.12
Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 09:12PM 
Felix Baumgartner after balloon launch for 120,000' spacedive was cancelled due to wind
Red Bull Stratos spacedive to be re-scheduled...
possibly as early as Thursday October 11, 2012
(check RedBullStratos.com/live for schedule and live broadcast)
UPDATE: 6:34pm Wednesday October 10, 2012
Next launch attempt tentatively scheduled for Sunday October 14 as the weather forecast shows that Thursday's weather will not be suitable. The next weather window for Felix Baumgartner and Red Bull Stratos opens on Sunday Oct 14 - a three day pre-alert as well as daily weather updates will follow and lead into the next launch day... watch RedBullStratos.com/live for official updates.
A lot of people all over the world were watching and hoping for the massive 29.47 million cubic foot helium balloon to be completely filled and launched out of Roswell New Mexico today, but the winds were too strong to safely launch. An early morning attempt to send Felix Baumgartner up to a record breaking 120,000 feet for a freefall from the edge of space was re-scheduled for later in the day (approximately 1:30pm EDT) but at 1:42 EDT the mission was aborted as the winds were just too strong to launch the balloon. The entire Red Bull Stratos team is now working to calculate when the attempt can be tried once again... possibly as early as Thursday October 11, 2012. The intent is the same as before, to reach 120,000 feet for the spacedive back to Earth.
Felix Baumgartner entering the Red Bull Stratos capsule for the launch attempt today
This is the third and final Red Bull Stratos jump planned... and the one that is expected to break the record jump set on August 16, 1960 by Joe Kittinger (USAF Captain at the time of the record, later a Colonel) of 102,800 feet as part of Project Excelsior. The first Red Bull Stratos jump was made by Felix from 71,581 feet on March 15, 2012 and the second from 96,640 feet on July 25, 2012. This third mission will shatter the 1960 record if they reach the intended altitude of 120,000 feet.
Helium balloon minutes before cancelling the launch due to wind at 1:42 EDT on 10.9.12
The are many risks and hazards associated with a project like this, but the first two jumps by Felix have gone much smoother than the serious challenges Joe Kittinger experienced in his three high altitude jumps (more on that in a future post) - but the expectations are high for a successful mission for Felix, and hopefully that'll take place very soon.
It's truly remarkable that Joe Kittinger is participating in the Red Bull Stratos project as a technical advisor and inspirational cheerleader... and the picture below of Felix (born 1969) and Joe (born 1928) together is really rather amazing when you consider what these men have accomplished and how many years are between their efforts.
You might be interested in checking out this excellent book: Come Up and Get Me: An Autobiography of Colonel Joe Kittinger
Felix Baumgartner (Red Bull Stratos) and Joe Kittinger (Project Excelsior) together
Godspeed Red Bull Stratos.
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