Austrian Felix Baumgartner became the first skydiver on 14 October 2012 to go faster than the speed of sound, reaching a maximum velocity of 1,342 kilometers per hour. In jumping out of a balloon 39 kilometers above New Mexico, the 43-year-old also smashed the record for the highest ever freefall. It took just under 10 minutes for him to descend. Only the last few thousand feet were negotiated by parachute.
The previous highest, farthest, and longest freefall was made by Kittinger, who leapt from a helium envelope in 1960. His altitude was 31 kilometers.
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