Felix Baumgartner successfully jumps to Earth from a balloon in the stratosphere.
On October 14, 2012, Austrian skydiver and daredevil Felix Baumgartner made history by jumping from a helium balloon high in the stratosphere, becoming the first person to break the sound barrier in freefall without the assistance of a vehicle. The remarkable feat was part of the Red Bull Stratos project, which aimed to push the boundaries of human endurance and aerospace technology. Baumgartner ascended to an altitude of approximately 39 kilometres (128,000 feet) above the Earth in a specially designed pressurised capsule, lifted by an enormous helium balloon. The launch took place near Roswell, New Mexico, and the ascent lasted around two and a half hours. Wearing a custom-made pressure suit to protect him from the extreme cold and near-vacuum conditions, Baumgartner stepped onto a small platform outside the capsule before leaping into the atmosphere below.
During his descent, Baumgartner reached a maximum speed of 1,357.6 kilometres per hour (843.6 miles per hour), or Mach 1.25, becoming the first human to exceed the speed of sound in freefall. The jump was extremely dangerous, as the thin atmosphere at such a high altitude offered little resistance, allowing him to accelerate rapidly. At one point, Baumgartner began spinning uncontrollably, raising fears that he might lose consciousness due to the intense rotational forces. However, he managed to regain control and stabilise his descent. After approximately four minutes and 19 seconds of freefall, he deployed his parachute and floated safely to the ground, landing on his feet in the New Mexico desert. The entire descent lasted just over nine minutes and was watched live by millions of people around the world.
Baumgartner’s extraordinary achievement broke several world records, including the highest manned balloon flight and the highest parachute jump at the time. His successful mission also provided valuable scientific information about high-altitude survival, pressure suits, and the effects of supersonic freefall on the human body. The project involved years of preparation and the expertise of engineers, scientists, and medical specialists, including retired United States Air Force Colonel Joseph Kittinger, who had established the previous parachute jump altitude record in 1960. Kittinger served as Baumgartner’s principal adviser and communicated with him during the mission. Although Baumgartner’s altitude record was surpassed in 2014 by American computer scientist Alan Eustace, his historic jump remains one of the most spectacular achievements in the history of skydiving and human exploration of the upper atmosphere.