Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner plummeted into the record books Oct. 14,
breaking the mark for highest-ever skydive after leaping from a balloon
more than 24 miles above Earth's surface — a benchmark that has lasted more than half a
century.
Daredevil makes record-breaking jump
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Skydiver
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner is seen after jumping from a transport plane above Dover at the start of his freefall across the English Channel between Dover and Calais, July 31, 2003. Baumgartner jumped out of a plane at 9000 metres (29,500ft) above Dover in southern England on Thursday, wearing only an aerodynamic jumpsuit with a 6ft (1.8m) carbon fin strapped to his back, oxygen to breathe, and a parachute to land, and landed safely in Calais after an eight-minute flight, becoming the first person to skydive across the English Channel. REUTERS/Helmut Tucek