Felix Baumgartner is an Austrian skydiver and daredevil known for his record-breaking jump from the stratosphere. On October 14, 2012, he ascended to an altitude of 128,100 feet (39,045 meters) in a helium balloon and then jumped, becoming the first person to break the sound barrier without an aircraft. His jump was part of the Red Bull Stratos project, which aimed to study the effects of high-altitude freefall on the human body. Baumgartner's descent lasted about four minutes, and he reached speeds of over 843 miles per hour (1,357 kilometers per hour) during the fall.