After flying to an altitude of 39,045 meters (128,100 feet) in a helium-filled balloon, Felix Baumgartner 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.
Plus, don’t miss the jump in legos and the suit cam view:
Related listening with Vermont Public Radio’s But Why? podcast for curious kids: Where does the sky end?
Next: Jetman Yves Rossy flies over Dubai – Young Feathers 4K.via Discovery News, Kottke, and EarthSky.