The 43-year-old Austrian became the first free fall diver to break the sound barrier, and also broke the record for the highest-ever manned balloon ascent.
He made his death-defying jump from a tiny capsule that took him up to the edge of space.
After days of delays due to bad weather, it took the professional daredevil around two-and-a-half hours to reach 128,100ft above the New Mexico desert - and less than ten minutes to plummet down.
He landed on his feet despite moments during the descent that had silenced his mission control as he appeared to lose control and plunge into a head-over-heels spin.
Falling to his knees, he punched the air in triumph as the control room, packed with scientific experts and family including his teary-eyed mother, Eva, erupted into roars of applause. More pictures after the cut.....
No comments:
Post a Comment