Watch a man jump from space!

52 years ago, a chap named Joe Kittinger managed to jump from 102,800 ft in the air and parachute to the ground safely. Literally, the former Air Force Colonel jumped from the edge of space.

Today, TopGear.commers, that record is about to be broken by a man named Felix Baumgartner. Today, TopGear.commers, using the live stream box below, you are about to witness a man make a freefall jump from the edge of space. Ambitious, right?

Gallery: the Red Bull Stratos team prepare to jump... from space

Our brains are still being bent by last week's Bloodhound SSC rocket test and the stratospheric numbers they push out, but this is equally mind-melting. Felix will ascend to a record 120,000ft in the air in a balloon, to then freefall out, rushing towards the earth at nearly 700mph. That's right, he'll travel at supersonic speeds.

But it's not as simple as simply floating up to the stars and shouting 'Geronimo' before diving off. As he floats to space, his body will be subjected to ebullism - where the liquid in Felix's tissues turns to gas and expands dangerously. To prevent this, he's been equipped with a specially modified space suit pressurised to 3.5 pounds per square inch, made from fire retardant materials that include vents to keep his body temperature regulated.

And the balloon hoisting him up is filled with helium to create lift, constructed from strips of high performance plastic film measuring just 0.0008 inches thick. If laid flat, these strips would cover around 40 acres. It has a capacity of 30 million cubic feet too, and at launch, will stand 55 stories tall. Let's just hope the ascent doesn't get blasted by wind - Red Bull warn that gusts can literally shred the ballon to pieces, particularly at critical stages. Fingers crossed. 

Not that the gentleman Red Bull have hand-picked for this event is worried: he's someone who literally lives on the edge. Mr Baumgartner began skydiving at the age of 16, took part in the Austrian military demonstration and competition team, started BASE jumping and has even been nominated for a World Sports Award. Safe to say, this fellow can really jump.

Keep your eyes fixed to that box below as the countdown begins...