Skydiver Felix Baumgartner Breaks Sound Barrier

By Cheston Catalano with comments October 14, 2012 22:36

Submitted by Cheston Catalano

Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner is the first to go faster than the speed of sound.

In jumping out of a balloon 128,100ft (24 miles; 39km) above New Mexico, the 43-year-old also smashed the record for the highest ever freefall.

He said he almost aborted the dive because his helmet visor fogged up.

It took just under 10 minutes for him to descend. Only the last few thousand feet were negotiated by parachute.