Seems like an executive from Google, quietly nailed his record, along with several others, yesterday.

A senior Google vice president, Alan Eustace, has broken the world altitude record for a parachute jump set in 2012 by Austrian Felix Baumgartner.

Mr Eustace was carried by a large helium balloon from New Mexico to over 40km (25 miles) above the earth.

The 57-year-old leapt out in a specially-designed space suit, reaching speeds of more than 1,300km/h.

He exceeded the speed of sound, setting off a small sonic boom, and set several skydiving records in the process.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29766189

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQSvowsAUkI[/video]

Shows how good the Red Bull media machine works considering the first most people know about this is after the event.

All without a 13 part series about how freakin awesome he is.
Still waiting for Guy Martin to do it with a load of balloons from Clintons and a drysuit.

Amazing! Top bloke.

No messing, no publicity and no pod! Just strap yourself to a chuffing great balloon and get it done. Very cool.

I’m sorry but I really don’t understand the hatred towards Baumgartner: I thought the coverage and subsequent documentary were excellent.

Does the fact that Alan Shephard also walked in the moon belittle the achievments of those that went before him?**

** Note: I am not comparing the skydive achievement with walking on the moon, just using it as an example.

Somehow seems less impressive without the fanfare. Which it clearly isn’t. As said earlier, shows how good the red bull marketing campaign was

Mickey. No hatred towards Baumgartner here

This

waiting for Guy Martin to do it with a load of balloons from Clintons and a drysuit.

Would make great tv…

People here criticize Baumgartner for documenting his achievement and yet they praise Guy Martin for all his programmes. SSTW strikes again.

I’m sorry but I really don’t understand the hatred towards Baumgartner: I thought the coverage and subsequent documentary were excellent.

No hatred here either, and to be honest I feel like I have missed half of a conversation to even get to a point where you came to that conclusion. Anyway, my headline was meant strictly in the ‘banter’ sense. No ill will to the Baumgartner.

People here criticize Baumgartner

Fairly sure if people do have a dig, it’s at Redbull’s media juggernaut. And again, I imagine that’s more from a place of grudging respect.

That’s insane – just saw it on the news – can’t believe that the record has gone so quickly, considering the previous record stood for so long.

Also considering he’s VP of one of the world’s biggest companies, how come there was no fanfare? Watching Felix live was one of the most incredible things I have ever watched on TV…

I loved the clip where he takes off. Simply strapped onto a few clips, a balloon…

Gotta love the ingenuity and balls.

😯

Agree that while this is a very impressive feat it does feel like only hearing the punchline of a joke whereas red bull gave us the full routine plus a warmup act and a DVD to take home…

I don’t think he wanted any publicity although Redbull is a just a frightening publicity machine. After all though, it is a brand based on being a brand rather than true products.

All that distance and he lands and faceplants. Great achievement but that has to rankle a bit!

The reason no one knew about this, was because he specifically wanted it that way. Red bull’s marketing machine do a great job, that’s what they do!

[quoteThe reason no one knew about this, was because he specifically wanted it that way.[/quote]
Exactly. If he’d wanted publicity I’m pretty sure Google could have made the RB coverage seem like a home movie.
This is why it’s so great though. No fanfare, no hype, no capsule – just clipped underneath a big ballon and off you go.
Well done him.

Pretty amazing.

Thing is, it’s not like Baumgartner was the first to do this!

In 1960, Joseph Kittinger did it first, without much in the way of high technology stuff, and even before we full understood the effects of a low pressure environment on a human.

Kittinger must have had balls of steel 😉

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kittinger

Meh. only a couple of thousand meters more than the “guinea pig” jump. Still more respect for Felix for putting in the hard yards.

I don’t think he wanted any publicity although Redbull is a just a frightening publicity machine.

If it weren’t for red bull, the only ones who would be able to do any of this stuff would be ultra rich business people.

If I’d known he was doing that I’d have chipped in for a couple more go pros there. Desperate lack of footage!

Here’s how they did it in 1960:

[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lrBZeWjGjl8[/video]

This is why it’s so great though. No fanfare, no hype, no capsule – just clipped underneath a big ballon and off you go.
Well done him.

Why is that a good thing? Things like this help everyone learn, help everyone appreciate science and nature. Keeping them quiet is pointless and selfish.

Are you saying the first Moon landing sucked because it had massive coverage?

I hope he took his phone, the new data for the next version of Google Maps will be incredible…

What made me laugh is that Facebook have headlined this story with a massive FELIX BAUMGARTNER 😆

Things like this help everyone learn, help everyone appreciate science and nature. Keeping them quiet is pointless and selfish.

Eh?
Did you not read the BBC report? I’m fairly sure that something will come out of this seeing as…

The dive was part of a project led by Paragon Space Development Corporation, aimed at the exploration of the stratosphere above 100,000 feet

Rather than being a promotion by a sugar water company.
What I’m saying is that he didn’t do it for the publicity which is good.

Are you saying the first Moon landing sucked because it had massive coverage?

No but it was fairly pointless – it’s very well documented that it was done purely to boost the USA during the cold war.
Just because something isn’t hyped doesn’t mean it isn’t relevant/important – take cancer research for example.

Well I’ll always remember the family gathering around the computer waiting to see if this maniac was going to jump out. That scene where you first saw the earths curvature had me lost for words. My heart was in my mouth when Felix got into a spin, and the elation when he managed to correct it and land safely. It was fantastic, and I thank Redbull for it, just as I do the much improved DH coverage, the rampage and all the other good stuff I only get to watch because they fund it (I still don’t drink the crap though).

Although I’m sure that this billionaire chap is a cool guy, I’ll not remember his name next week and this whole event (whilst remarkable) will be largely forgotten. Maybe that’s the way he wants it.

Did you not read the BBC report? I’m fairly sure that something will come out of this seeing as…

I don’t mean for a private company to make profit, I mean to [risk of repeating Olympic rhetoric] inspire and interest the general public.

Rather than being a promotion by a sugar water company.

So what if it was a promotion by Redbull. The actual achievement doesn’t have any less merit than this latest one because of this fact.

No but it was fairly pointless – it’s very well documented that it was done purely to boost the USA during the cold war.

No, that was only the timing. They would have gone anyway.

Pointless is the last thing they were. Don’t forget: The moon landings themselves were merely the culmination of decades of development that produced many benefits and scientific data, ranging from human physiology to rocket and computer technology to environmental awareness of the Earth to superficial things like non-stick surfaces used commonly today. Not to mention inspiring a whole generation of scientists and explorers.

No messing, no publicity

To be fair, he could afford to do without it. Redbull must’ve bankrolled their jump and expected publicity in return.

By the way, the reason for the smirk, for me at least, is that Baumgartner came across as a right prima donna – having major wibbles that left his team in the lurch whilst simultaneously thinking very highly of himself. May not be true of course, TV often fibs 🙂

The scariest part would be if the release mechanism for the balloon failed

that man has balls

Did he take his dog?