Latest Michel Fournier Stories
Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian extreme sportsman, said his next goal is to try to break the long-standing record for the highest ever parachute jump, BBC News reported.American Joe Kittinger made history by leaping from a balloon at 102,800ft some 50 years ago and many have sought to repeat the feat over the years but all have failed.Baumgartner now plans to skydive from a balloon sent to at least 120,000 ft. The daredevil is famous for stunts such as jumping off the Petronas Towers.He could...
By Matt Higgins He has spent two decades, and nearly $20 million, in a quest to fly up 40 kilometers to the upper reaches of the atmosphere using a helium balloon, just so he can jump back to Earth again. Now Michel Fournier says he's ready at last to make his "Great Leap."Depending on weather conditions, Fournier, a 64-year-old retired French Army officer, will attempt what he has dubbed Le Grand Saut (The Great Leap) on Sunday over the plains of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. He...
By THE CANADIAN PRESS NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. - Michel Fournier began final preparations Saturday for a stunt that will, should all go well, end in the pre-dawn darkness Monday with him rising slowly in a helium-powered balloon pod until he can touch the very void of space - and then step off. The 64-year-old French skydiver aims to free fall 40,000 metres (130,000 feet) from the stratosphere in a specially designed suit, helmet and parachute to advance the cause of science and, in the...
