Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the ‘edge of space’ had led him to break a number of world records on October 14, 2012. Apart from breaking the record for the highest free-fall, he also broke the record for the most number of concurrent live streams on YouTube, as people around the world watched the skydivers’ jump online.
According to Google, more than eight million people logged on to YouTube to watch Baumgartner’s record breaking jump from a capsule, 24 miles above New Mexico in the United States. Felix hit speeds in access of Mach 1.24 on his downward journey, clocking speeds of approximately 833.9mph.
After the jump was completed successfully, Baumgartner said that he felt that the whole world was watching him as he stood on the step of the capsule, which was carried by a giant helium balloon. The cameras attached to the capsule allowed people to watch the jump as it happened, on Google’s YouTube site. The 2012 Olympics, in comparison, had 8.3 million viewers.
The jump not only meant that Felix broke a number of records, but also provided vital scientific data on high altitude jumps and the effect it has on humans. Equivital, a small company which provides body monitoring systems to the US army wirelessly transmitted the jumper’s vital signs during the event; this allowed for the collection of otherwise unattainable data on the human body at high altitudes.
