Felix Baumgartner
Felix Baumgartner (German: [ˈfeː.lɪks ˈba ʊ mˌɡaɐ t.nɐ]; born 20 April 1969) is an Austrian skydiver, daredevil and BASE jumper. He set world records for skydiving an estimated 39 km (24 mi), reaching an estimated speed of 1,357.64 km/h (843.6 mph), or Mach 1.25, on 14 October 2012, and became the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power on his descent. He broke skydiving records for exit altitude, vertical freefall distance without drogue, and vertical speed without drogue. Though he still holds the latter records, the first was broken two years later, when on 24 October 2014, Alan Eustace jumped from 135,890 feet - or, 41.42 km (25.74 mi) with a drogue. Baumgartner is also renowned for the particularly dangerous nature of the stunts he has performed during his career. Baumgartner spent time in the Austrian military where he practiced parachute jumping, including training to land on small target zones. Baumgartner's most recent project was Red Bull Stratos, in which he jumped to Earth from a helium balloon in the stratosphere on 14 October 2012. As part of this project, he set the altitude record for a manned balloon flight, parachute jump from the highest altitude, and greatest free fall velocity.