Austrian daredevil jumps from a balloon 96,640 feet in the air

Austrian professional skydiver and BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner will be the perfect fit for a daredevil. For Baumgartner, it’s all about pushing limits. Apparently bagging the world records for the highest parachute jump from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the lowest BASE jump from the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro wasn’t enough for him. On Wednesday this week, he attempted to break the world record for the highest skydive by jumping off from a balloon approximately 96,640 feet (29,456 meters) above the earth.

Baumgartner went free-falling for approximately 3 minutes and 48 seconds, with a top speed of 536 mph (863 kph), before launching his parachute. After 10 minutes and 30 seconds of gliding, he safely landed. Baumgartner’s main goal, however, is a space jump from 125,000 feet (38,100 m) in the coming months. The current world record for highest-altitude skydive is at 102,800 feet (31,333 m) and it was achieved by U.S. Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger in 1960. Interestingly, Captain Kittinger is also an adviser for Baumgartner’s Red Bull Stratos Mission.

Gene Ryan Briones
Categories: General
Tags: Space