Today, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner jumped out of a capsule 24.2 miles above New Mexico. He successfully broke the world record for surviving the highest free fall with a parachute:
It took 10 minutes for him to reach the desert surface below.
Only the last few thousand feet were negotiated by parachute.
Helicopter recovery teams have gone to the Austrian's landing site to return him to the mission control centre set up at Roswell airport.
Baumgartner's efforts have finally toppled records that have stood for more than 50 years. [...]
The previous highest, farthest, and longest freefall was made by retired US Air Force Col Joe Kittinger, who leapt from a helium envelope in 1960. His altitude was 102,800ft (31.3km).
http://www.paulryantimecalculator.com/