![Baumgartner Leaps From 24 Miles, Breaks Sound Barrier [FULL VIDEO]](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/archives/01N7DjpfWSOAMTAUYJJmbgH/hero-image.fill.size_1248x702.v1647021514.jpg)
Felix Baumgartner jumped from a capsule dangling from a balloon at 128,120 feet Sunday, breaking the record for the highest altitude skydive in history. UPDATE: Baumgartner's top speed was officially Mach 1.24, or 833.9 miles per hour, making him the first human to break the sound barrier outside of an aircraft.
Even though Baumgartner detected a problem with a heater designed to keep his visor clear, he leapt from the capsule anyway, parachuting safely to Earth.
The daredevil space jump was an Internet sensation, with the live stream video on YouTube of the space jump breaking all records by orders of magnitude. At this writing, YouTube had more than 8 million people watching its livestream.
The launch had been delayed several times because of winds, which must be almost calm near the ground for the balloon to begin its ascent. For the balloon to get from the ground near Roswell, N.M. to its maximum altitude of 127,800 feet took nearly 2 1/2 hours, but once Baumgartner leapt from the capsule, he quickly plummeted to safety.