Alan Eustace Breaks Felix Baumgartner's World Record for Highest Jump

Felix Baumgartner's skydiving world record lasted a little over two years. Alan Eustace, a senior vice president for Google, fell 135,890 feet on Friday to set a new record, per John Markoff of The New York Times."It was amazing," Eustace said after making his successful landing. "It was beautiful. You could see the darkness of space, and you could see the layers of atmosphere, which I had never seen before."He used a balloon filled with 35,000 cubic feet of helium to achieve his desired height. Upon reaching his destination, he broke away from the balloon to begin the fall. His descent lasted around 15 minutes.You can view footage of his record-breaking accomplishment below.When compared to Baumgartner, Eustace's attempt was low-tech. Markoff explained some of the differences between the two daredevils:Mr. Eustace was carried aloft without the aid of the sophisticated capsule used by Mr. Baumgartner or millions of dollars in sponsorship money. Instead, Mr. Eustace planned his jump in secrecy, working for almost three years with a small group of technologists skilled in spacesuit design, life-support systems, and parachute and balloon technology.Baumgartner set the old record on Oct. 14, 2012. He fell 128,100 feet.Considering how quickly Eustace found a way to top the old mark, it's likely only a matter of time before somebody new challenges the current record.
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