“The Big Jump”

Saskatchewan, Canada – August 21, 2007 – A retired French paratrooper aims to break several world parachuting records, as well as the speed of sound, when he jumps from a weather balloon 25 miles above Earth – that’s around 132,000 feet up!. Michel Fournier, 63, will drop at more than 1,000 mph for nearly 6 1/2 minutes before he opens his parachute. He will endure external temperatures of minus 200 degrees Fahrenheit, while inside his carbon-fiber suit the temperature will rise to nearly 150 degrees F, the Daily Mail reported. In addition, Fournier’s crash helmet will have its own air supply and reinforced ear pads to protect him from the sonic boom as he breaks through the sound barrier. Weather permitting; Fournier will jump over the Great Plains of Saskatchewan in Canada in August of next year (2008). If all goes as planned, he will break four world records — for the longest freefall, the highest parachute jump, the highest altitude achieved by a human in a balloon, and the fastest freefall. It will take him about 8 1/2 minutes to reach Earth, and Fournier estimates he will break the 760 mph sound barrier within 37 seconds. Fournier was one of three candidates selected in the 1980s to take part in a military endurance test to see whether a parachutist could descend from almost 24 miles. However, when the project was shelved in 1988, he decided to go it alone, even selling his house to finance his effort. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid, but I am also very excited," he told the Daily Mail. "It really is a leap into the unknown." The record for highest leap was set in 1960 by a U.S. Air Force test pilot, Capt. Joseph Kittinger, at just under 20 miles. Fournier, who has made than 8,500 parachute jumps, takes part in a rigorous training program of running, weight lifting and yoga. "People have said I am too old, but I am very fit and have trained hard.”

Michel Fournier in the gondola that will take him to nearly 24 miles up before making his record attempt parachute jump. Fournier is also wearing the special suit he will wear to protect his body from the extreme temperatures – up to 200 degrees below zero.

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