After flying to an altitude of 39,045 meters (128,100 feet)
in a helium-filled balloon, Felix Baumgartner yesterday completed a record breaking jump
for the ages from the edge of space, exactly 65 years after Chuck Yeager first
broke the sound barrier flying in an experimental rocket-powered airplane.
Felix reached a maximum of speed of 1,342.8 km/h (833mph) through the near vacuum of the stratosphere before being slowed by the atmosphere later during his 4:20 minute long freefall. The 43-year-old Austrian skydiving expert also broke two other world records (highest freefall, highest manned balloon flight), leaving the one for the longest freefall to project mentor Col. Joe Kittinger.
Felix reached a maximum of speed of 1,342.8 km/h (833mph) through the near vacuum of the stratosphere before being slowed by the atmosphere later during his 4:20 minute long freefall. The 43-year-old Austrian skydiving expert also broke two other world records (highest freefall, highest manned balloon flight), leaving the one for the longest freefall to project mentor Col. Joe Kittinger.
For more on this heroic example of teamwork and excellence under pressure, see: