Google vice president Alan Eustace just proved that execs at the Internet monolith live just as large outside of the office. On Friday, the 57-year-old computer scientist plunged 135,890 feet from high in the atmosphere in a specialized space suit, breaking Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner’s world altitude record for highest parachute jump set in 2012.
We’re just wondering if when he took the plunge, he yelled “yahooooo!”
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In this photo provided by Paragon Space Development Corporation, Google executive Alan Eustace, in the spacesuit, is shown with crew members.
(AP Photo/Paragon Space Development Corporation)
Eustace embarked on the supersonic skydivenear the top of the stratosphere over Roswell, New Mexico, just after dawn on Friday, exceeding the speed of sound as he was in free fall, the BBC reports. He was lifted from an abandoned runway at the airport tethered to a high-altitude helium balloon, which took over two hours to make its ascent, according to the New York Times. When he reached his jump point – over 25 miles high – Eustace dangled for a half hour to enjoy the experience.
“It was amazing,” he told the New York Times. “It was beautiful. You could see the darkness of space and you could see the layers of atmosphere, which I had never seen before.”
The free fall took about four-and-a-half minutes and sent Eustace hurtling to the ground at speeds of over 800 mph, The Guardian reports. He broke the sound barrier within 90 seconds, setting off a small sonic boom. Eustace deployed his parachute at 18,000 feet and landed safely about 70 miles from the takeoff point.
Eustace trained for the mission for three years, though his jump was met with considerably less fanfare than Baumgartner’s two years ago, which was sponsored by Red Bull. But despite the relative quiet way he approached the feat,Eustace has gotten accolades from aviation experts.
“To break an aviation record is incredibly significant,” said Mark Kelly, the former astronaut, who viewed Mr. Eustace’s ascent, told the New York Times. “There is an incredible amount of risk. To do it safely is a testament to the people involved.”
The dive was orchestrated by the Paragon Space Development Corporation, which leads projects that explore the stratosphere, the BBC reports. The company has been working to create a self-contained spacesuit that could be sold commercially.
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Dinner in the Sky patrons are strapped in and hoisted up into the air to enjoy the sights and dinner in Portugal. (Dinner in the Sky)