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Article posted Thursday, April 23, 2015 10:15am

A Google executive with a desire for adventure broke both the sound barrier and the skydiving record in October of 2014. The daredevil wore a special pressurized suit that allowed him to breathe at high altitude and prevent his blood from boiling. His ascent into space was by way of a helium-filled scientific balloon that required two and a half hours to reach the target altitude of more than 25 miles above the earth. His descent was much more rapid, for he reached a top speed of 820 mph. Near earth, parachutes lowered him slowly to terra firma, and he survived. (Nature, Oct. 30, 2014)