On October 14, 2012, Australian skydiver and extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner rode a helium balloon-lifted capsule nearly 24 miles into the stratosphere and then stepped out the door and plummeted toward earth. He spent nearly four minutes in a free fall, reaching 843 mph at top speed. Baumgartner became the first person to break the sound barrier without engine power. He then pulled his parachute and, approximately ten minutes after jumping, landed safely in the New Mexico desert. Sound crazy? That’s a lot of faith to put in a parachute!