Supersonic high jump

August 16 is the 50th anniversary of Joe Kittinger's world altitude record parachute jump from a balloon at 31,000 meters (102,000 feet). Austrian Felix Baumgartner hopes to break not only the altitude record but also the freefall speed record - held by Kittinger at 982 kilometers an hour (614 mph) – by exceeding the speed of sound or 1,100 kilometers per hour (690 mph). The record attempt is sponsored, naturally, by Red Bull.

The 81-year-old Kittinger, collaborating with Baumgartner on the record attempt wryly observes, "Records are there to be broken."