Alan Eustace , who is the firm's senior vice president of knowledge, jumped from 135,889 feet above the earth (41.42 km/25.74 mi) during his record bid on Friday (October 24) in New Mexico.
Eustace, who joined Google in 2002, reached a top speed of 822mph (Mach 1.23) during his descent to earth. He is the second person to break the sound barrier during freefall.
"'It was a wild, wild ride," he told reporters after landing. "I hugged on to the equipment module and tucked my legs, and I held my heading.
"It was amazing. It was beautiful. You could see the darkness of space and you could see the layers of atmosphere, which I had never seen before."
Alan Eustace joined Google in 2002
Eustace had been planning the stratosphere jump since 2011, working with Taber McCallum and his firm Paragon Space Development Corporation to develop a special pressurised suit, life support system and drogue parachute.
Unlike Baumgartner, the 57-year-old did not jump from a capsule, but was carried into the stratosphere while directly attached to a large helium balloon filled with 35,000 cubic feet of helium.
Eustace worked in relative secrecy, with little media attention in the run-up to the record bid.
Baumgartner still holds the record for the fastest speed achieved during freefall at 843.6mph (Mach 1.25), which was set on October 14, 2012 and itself broke a record set by his mentor Joe Kittinger in August 1960.
He offered his congratulations to Eustace yesterday, writing on Facebook: "Congratulations Alan! It takes a lot of courage to do what you did. Nobody knows that better than Col Joe Kittinger and myself. Felix."
Paragon is aiming to develop a commercial spacesuit that would allow humans to safely explore Earth's upper atmosphere.
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via All - Digital Spy - Entertainment and Media News
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