Faster than the speed of sound: Supersonic Shits mach 1.24 in terrifying plummet to Earth from 128,000ft
- 'Fearless Felix' Baumgartner completes astonishing drop from the top of the stratosphere
- Breaks the speed of sound after travelling at mach 1.24
- Austrian daredevil had been planning the feat for five years
- Previous launches had been delayed due to wind
- One tiny error could have resulted in his blood boiling and his brain exploding
For more than four nerve-racking minutes, he was a tiny white speck against a dark sky, hurtling from 24.5 miles above the Earth at up to 834mph.
Then his parachute opened and five minutes later, to the relief of the millions watching, ‘Fearless Felix’ Baumgartner was back on solid ground – having made the highest and fastest skydive in history.
In the process, the 43-year-old Austrian became the first freefall diver to break the sound barrier, and also broke the record for the highest-ever manned balloon ascent.
On the edge: 'Fearless Felix' pauses before jumping out of the capsule and plummeting back to Earth
