RED BULL STRATOS. Felix Baumgartner was surprised and disappointed that his attempt to become the first person to break the sound barrier in freefall had to be scrapped due to gusts of wind near the top of his 30 million cubic foot balloon. Weather permitting, the Austrian will likely get another chance to to write history while breaking 4 world records with his jump from the edge of space on Thursday

Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria steps in the capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 9, 2012. The record attempt had to be cancelled in the last minute due to gusty winds.. Photo Credit: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull

ROSWELL, New Mexico - Felix Baumgartner had just climbed into his space capsule and was only moments away from lifting off on his journey to the edge of space when a strong 22-knot gust of wind near the top of the 750-foot high helium-filled balloon forced the Red Bull Stratos team to abort Tuesday's attempt to make the world's highest skydive from 120,000 feet. Even though there was hardly any wind at ground level when the Austrian adventurer strapped himself into the capsule, the gusts of wind at the top of the 30 million cubic foot/ 834,497 cubic meter balloon made it impossible to continue.

Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria steps out of his trailer during final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 9, 2012. The record attempt had to be cancelled in the last minute due to gusty winds. Photo Credit: balazsgardi.com/Red Bull

Red Bull Stratos meteorologist Don Day, who had hoped a window of calm air could have made the launch possible on Tuesday after a nerve-wracking five-hour long wait, will present a new weather forecast on Wednesday morning. It appears that the next weather window for Baumgartner's attempt to break four world records and become the first person to break the sound barrier in freefall could be on Thursday.

“First of all we were delayed this morning because, although the surface conditions were ideal, we had too much wind on top of the balloon, which is going to be a concern for this mission with the size of the balloon we’re using. We decided to go on a weather hold and just wait it out, and as the morning went on, we noticed that the winds up high were dying down. And they did! We had a period of time while we were getting ready to launch where conditions were ideal. Unfortunately, by the time we got everybody ready and got everything going, it was just not enough time before the wind picked up again. So we had a narrow window of opportunity, and we missed it”, said Day.

"As we inflated the balloon and got Felix into the capsule at about 11:42 a.m., we experienced a gust of wind that took us above 22 knots at the peak of the balloon," said Red Bull Stratos Project Director Art Thompson, adding the gust had dangerously twisted the balloon in a way that could have damaged the delicate polyethylene material. "The integrity of the balloon at that point is really unknown and unacceptable to use for manned flight because we were not sure what would happen as we launch. Our biggest problem was the wind at the 750-foot level." Wind speeds cannot exceed 3 mph (5km/h) or there is a chance the envelope could tear when the support team tries to release it.

"We knew that we only had a small window today which we finally did not hit" added Thompson.

High altitude balloon twists in the wind just seconds to its abortion during the Red Bull Stratos mission in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 9, 2012. Photo Credit: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull

Baumgartner has been training for five years for the mission that will also help to improve our scientific understanding of the stratosphere and how the body copes with the extreme conditions at the edge of space. The 43-year-old extreme athlete said he was surprised by the decision to abort the flight on Tuesday but optimistic he will still get his chance to break the 52-year-old record set by U.S. Air Force Colonel Joe Kittinger, who is working as an adviser for the project and has become Baumgartner's protege in the process.

Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria leaves his capsule after his mission was aborted due to high winds during the final manned flight of Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 9, 2012. Photo Credit: balazsgardi.com/Red Bull

"When Art told me we were aborting the mission I thought it was a joke," said Baumgartner. "I thought there is no way, that the conditions were not right. I couldn't tell what was happening with the balloon because I was in the capsule. I want this to happen this year. We've made it so far. There's no turning back. We're here, we've got the helium and we're good to go. Whether that's tomorrow or the first day next week, I don't really care."

“We've made it so far, there's no way we’re turning back. We are here, and we're good to go. I have an idea: We have such a great team with such good energy. With all that energy, we don't need a balloon. Let's just have everyone stand around the capsule with their good energy and shoot me up to the moon!”, said Baumgartner.

High altitude balloon twists in the wind just seconds to its abortion during the Red Bull Stratos mission in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 9, 2012. Photo Credit: Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull

"Wednesday [10/10] is definitely out for a couple of reasons: The weather gets bad, the wind speeds continue to increase; and the other problem is crew rest -- we can't afford to have the crew work through another night after being up all night. Currently it looks like Thursday may be a possibility. We’re going to analyze that and have some ideas as to the probabilities”, added Art Thompson.

Meterologist Don Day will present his latest analysis of the weather outlook at a briefing tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. in Roswell on Wednesday.

Red Bull Stratos
10.Oct 2012