The speed of sound without a plane .... [View all]

[MindMover]

Daredevil jumps into record books from 24 miles above Earth

Felix Baumgartner is the first free-falling human to break the sound barrier, leaping from the stratosphere above New Mexico from a balloon-lifted capsule.


With a short salute and a small step forward, Felix Baumgartner leapt from a capsule perched more than 24 miles above a barren New Mexico desert and landed safely, setting a world record for the highest sky dive.

"Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you are," Baumgartner said before stepping off a small ledge on the outside of a capsule lifted into the stratosphere by a helium-filled balloon. "I'm going home now."

Baumgartner, 43, hit speeds of nearly 834 mph, becoming the first free-falling human to crack the sound barrier. He also set a record for the highest altitude manned balloon flight at 128,097 feet above the Earth — about a mile higher than expected.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-space-jump-20121015,0,351680.story