When Felix Baumgartner stepped out of his Red Bull capsule and began his record freefall 24 miles above the planet, we collectively held our breath. Within 42 seconds, the intrepid adventurer had reached a top speed of 843.6 miles per hour, becoming the first human to break the speed of sound without flying in a jet. Now, anyone can relive that amazing moment thanks to stunning GoPro video footage from five cameras strapped to Baumgartner’s body.
As he approached Mach 1 on Oct. 14, 2012, Baumgartner was spinning violently. At one point he tells mission control on the ground he feels as though he is about to pass out. But within 30 seconds Baumgartner had righted himself. “Stable as a rock,” viewers hear over the radio from Joseph Kittinger, the veteran U.S. Air Force parachutist whose 1950s records Baumgartner was attempting to break.
After a total of four minutes falling through the atmosphere, Baumgartner is seen pulling his ripcord and parachuting safely back to Earth.
GoPro published the previously unreleased footage of Baumgartner’s jump on YouTube, a portion of which the action-camera-maker included in its Super Bowl ad on Sunday.
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