Stratosphere Jump: Felix Baumgartner Leaps Into Record Books

Felix Baumgartner jumped into the record books from an altitude of 128,100 feet above the surface of Earth. His leap was from a pressurized capsule towed by a helium filled balloon and broke the sound barrier during the 4:20 freefall. He reached speeds of 833 mph and crushed several records on his way down including the highest skydive, the longest freefall without a parachute and the fastest fall ever achieved during a skydive.

Most broadcast stations did not show the initial jump because of concerns the extreme altitude and conditions could be unfavorable for positive results. The mission control team and crowd watching were all screaming and clapping when Felix entered into view with parachute deployed for the successful leap from the edge of our atmosphere.

Baumgartner commented, "sometimes you have to go really high to realize just how small you are". This was the most daring of his many sky dives and base jumping exploits. He is also known for jumping from the Petronas towers in Malaysia and the statue of Jesus in Brazil.