Felix Baumgartner Completes Record-Setting Space Jump!

After five years of planning, and with help of his Red Bull Stratos team and previous record holder retired Air Force Col. Joe Kittinger, Felix Baumgartner successfully completed a 24-mile skydive earlier today. In doing so, he not only broke the record for the highest skydive, but he also set new records for the highest altitude ever balloon ride (128,000 feet) and the fastest ever free-fall – a sound barrier breaking 729 mph!

And while the actual event wasn’t nearly as polished as this “pre-jump” CGI…

I think it was definitely worth waiting through all the delays and the much slower than expected “ascent” stage. Fortunately for me, the dual coverage allowed me to watch the mission’s progress streaming online at Red Bull Stratos Home with my PC on mute, while I watched some of the backlog on my DVR. Once I knew the actual jump was about to start, I then switched to the Discovery Channel’s live broadcast to watch the rest:

More info at Felix Baumgartner completes record-setting space jump,
Skydiver shatters world record with 24-mile leap,
Amazing Video of the Record-Shattering Space Jump: “I’m going home now”,
Speed Of Sound Explained (Video),
and Red Bull Stratos Home

I want ice water.

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