Skydiver 24 miles above Earth breaks the speed of sound

Congratulations to Felix Baumgartner for making history. The Austrian Skydiver/Daredevil has successfully jumped from a suspended capsule on the edge of space, breaking the speed of sound on the way down to land safely 9 minutes later.

 

Click the link here for a headcam video with the German commentary removed, replaced with live English commentary -> http://gizmodo.com/5951725/first-head-cam-footage-from-daredevils-space-jump

From the Associated Press:
"When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about breaking records anymore, you do not think about gaining scientific data," Baumgartner said after the jump. "The only thing you want is to come back alive."

It was part scientific wonder, part daredevil reality show, with the live-streamed event instantly capturing the world's attention on a sleepy Sunday at the same time seven NFL football games were being played. It proved, once again, the power of the Internet in a world where news travels as fast as Twitter.

The event happened without a network broadcast in the United States, though organizers said more than 40 television stations in 50 countries - including cable's Discovery Channel in the U.S. - carried the live feed. Instead, millions flocked online, drawing more than 8 million simultaneous views to a YouTube live stream at its peak, YouTube officials said.

More than 130 digital outlets carried the live feed, organizers said.

Sources -> http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPERSONIC_SKYDIVER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-10-14-11-33-29 & http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/us/felix-baumgartner-skydiving.html?partner=MYWAY&ei=5065&_r=0 & http://gizmodo.com/5951725/first-head-cam-footage-from-daredevils-space-jump & http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ef7_1350270285