Photographs: Jay Nemeth/Red Bull via Getty Images
Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner on Sunday broke the sound barrier during his in a word-record-breaking jump from a balloon floating nearly 37 kilometres above the earth.
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IN PICS: Daredevil skydiver who BROKE the sound barrier
Photographs: Jay Nemeth/Red Bull via Getty Images
The 43-year-old Austrian achieved the fastest ever freefall speed at 1,137 kilometres per hour, said a spokeswoman.
That amounts to Mach 1.24, which is faster than the speed of sound. No one has ever reached that speed wearing only a high-tech suit.
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IN PICS: Daredevil skydiver who BROKE the sound barrier
He ascended high above the New Mexico desert before jumping out. Video from a live feed showed his parachute opened and he floated safely to the ground.
Baumgartner made his free fall on the 65th anniversary of legendary pilot Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in a jet.
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IN PICS: Daredevil skydiver who BROKE the sound barrier
Photographs: Helmut Tucek via Getty Images
"Travelling faster than sound is hard to describe because you don't feel it. With no reference points, you don't know how fast you travel," Baumgartner said.
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IN PICS: Daredevil skydiver who BROKE the sound barrier
Photographs: Balazs Gardi/Red Bull via Getty Images
Baumgartner came down safely in the eastern New Mexico desert approximately nine minutes after jumping from his capsule, 38.6 kilometres above earth.
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