Google Executive Alan Eustace Sets New World Record With 26-Mile Parachute Jump

Earlier today in Roswell, New Mexico, Google Senior Vice President Alan Eustace performed a successful parachute jump from an altitude of nearly 26 miles, which eclipses the previous record of 24 miles set by Felix Baumgartner in 2012. To accomplish the project — dubbed Stratospheric Explorer or StratEx — Eustace enlisted the technical help of Paragon Space Development Corporation. Eustace wore a custom space suit for the jump and used a 35,000-cubic-foot helium balloon to ascend to the upper reaches of the stratosphere. After a two-hour ascent, Eustace cut his tether and plummeted to earth for 15 minutes, breaking the sound barrier before deploying his parachute for a safe landing.

photo by J. Martin Harris Photography/PSDC

photo by Volker D. Kern/PSDC