Man Attempts Highest Skydive Ever and Survives [VIDEO]

Yesterday, a 43-year-old daredevil from Austria named Felix Baumgartner set an insane world record for the highest skydive ever.

Felix and Red Bull teamed up to send him up 128,100 feet above New Mexico in a small capsule.  That's 24 miles high, right where the earth's atmosphere ends and space begins.  The previous world record was 102,800 feet, which was set in 1960.

During Felix's free fall, he maxed out at 833.9 miles-per-hour which was enough to break the sound barrier.  The speed of sound is 761.207 miles-per-hour.  Felix's speed is also a world record.  No skydiver had broken the sound barrier before.

It took Felix about 10 minutes to make it down to Earth.  That included four minutes and 20 seconds of free fall and over five minutes after he pulled his parachute. Felix landed safely on two feet.

YouTube streamed the jump live.  More than eight million people watched the live stream on YouTube, which is their all-time record.  More people watched the jump live online than last year's royal wedding or President Obama's inauguration in 2009.

Watch the Highest Skydive Ever below:

[Washington Post]