Skydiver breaks speed of sound after jumping from edge of space

Ars Technica writes, Red Bull Stratos blog An Austrian daredevil survived a jump from a balloon more than 24 miles above earth on Sunday morning. In the process, he set a world record for the highest jump and became the first skydiver to break the speed of sound according to various news reports. Felix Baumgartner stepped from an enormous helium balloon that, at 128,100 feet above the eastern New Mexico desert, was at the edge of space. He wore a pressurized suit to protect his body from the near vacuum, which because of the extremely thin air, allowed his free fall to reach the speed of 690 miles per hour in the...

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