A new world record has been smashed for the highest freefall parachute skydive.
Austrian Felix Baumgartner - who had already set a number of records for parachute stunts around the world - smashed the record for the world's highest parachute jump which started at the edge of the Earth's atmosphere.
Baumgartner was lifted in a small capsule attached to a helium balloon to a height of 128,097 feet, or some 24 miles (38.6km above the desert of New Mexico. Stepping out onto the edge of the capsule, encased in a specially designed pressure suit similar to those worn by astronauts, the daredevil parachutist saluted and said: "I'm going home now", before falling forward.
The freefall descent wasn't without its drama. With a heater having failed in his suit, his visor began fogging up even before the jump, which was nearly aborted as a result. After becoming the first human to break the sound barrier in freefall and reaching 833.9mph (1,342.8km/h) or Mach 1.24 - subject to official ratification - he began spinning. Although this had been anticipated, the spin became so violent he had to battle to regain control. During the descent he admitted he had almost passed out as a result of the G-Force.
On landing, he sank to his knees before being greeted by members of his support team. Watched by family and friends, Baumgartner was in constant communication with his Mission Control centre, backed by Red Bull Stratos. The only person allowed to talk to him during the decent was former fighter pilot and extreme freefall test 'pilot' Colonel Joe Kittinger, who set the previous freefall altitude record of 102,800ft (31,333m) in 1960. It appears that Kittinger, now in his 80s, retained his "longest freefall" record of more than four and a half minutes, as Baumgartner may have deployed his parachute earlier than planned.