Supersonic Skydiver Breaks Sound Barrier
Millions of viewers worldwide watched as he launched himself into the longest descent ever recorded, spinning head-over-heels as he fought to control his body during the fall.
Baumgartner rose for over two hours in a capsule carried by a 55-story ultra-thin helium balloon, which set a record for world's largest balloon. He then fell freely for four minutes and 20 seconds. In total, he plummeted 119,846 feet, the longest free fall in history.
The 43-year-old Austrian wore an atmospheric pressurized suit bearing the logo of his sponsor, Red Bull. Without the suit, the pressure of the fall could have caused Baumgartner's blood to boil and resulted in an extreme eye brain injury.
Baumgartner's 9-minute fall was live-streamed to more than 8 million viewers over the internet. The man known as "Fearless Felix" lifted his arms in victory when he landed on his feet in the New Mexico desert.
"When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about breaking records anymore, you do not think about gaining scientific data," Baumgartner said. "The only thing you want is to come back alive."
He hit 833.9 miles per hour, or Mach 1.24, and became the first person to go faster than the speed of sound without traveling in a jet or spacecraft.
Baumgartner said traveling that fast was "hard to describe because you don't feel it" in the pressurized suit.
Red Bull sponsored the event, naming it "Red Bull Stratos Mission to the Edge of Space." U.S. Air Force pilot Joseph Kittinger, an 84-year-old fellow free fall enthusiast, was operating radio control from the command center as part of the Red Bull Stratos team.
Kittinger tried to break the sound barrier during his own jump in 1960, which set a record for longest free fall of 4 minutes and 36 seconds. Although he broke the sound barrier, Baumgartner failed to break Kittinger's free fall record time.
"I was putting everything out there, and hoped for the best and if we left one record for Joe. Hey, it's fine," Baumgartner said. "We needed Joe Kittinger to help us break our own record. He is 84 years old, and he is still so bright and intelligent and enthusiastic."
