Atmospheric Leap

On October 14, 2012, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner set records with his Red Bull Stratos mission, leaping from a helium balloon at an altitude of 38,969 meters (127,852 feet) above Roswell, New Mexico.

Wearing a custom-pressurized suit to survive the near-vacuum and -57°C temperatures, he became the first human to break the sound barrier in freefall without vehicular power, reaching a top speed of 1,357.6 km/h (843.6 mph, Mach 1.25) after just 50 seconds of descent.

The jump required precise logistical coordination, including real-time biometric monitoring, balloon navigation in stratospheric winds, and ground-based recovery teams spread across a wide landing zone.

Baumgartner freefell for 4 minutes and 19 seconds before deploying his parachute at about 1,500 meters, with data from the mission contributing to research on high-altitude bailouts, spacesuit performance, and human tolerance to supersonic acceleration and deceleration.