Felix Baumgartner, the man who jumped from the stratosphere, dies

He became famous worldwide for his unthinkable jump from the stratosphere. During the flight, he lost control of the plane, which landed in the pool of a tourist establishment in Porto Sant'Elpidio, on the coast of Fermo. A woman who was at the crash site suffered injuries, but not serious ones, according to the Efe news agency.

The Austrian skydiver performed several daring feats and collected world records, including becoming the first man to break the sound barrier without using any vehicle. But among all the extreme challenges he set for himself, what made him world-famous was his jump from the stratosphere in 2012, a fall that was broadcast live on dozens of television channels around the world.

Baumgartner became the first supersonic man: he reached a maximum speed of 1,342 kilometers per hour on his descent, as proven by the test records. In addition, his jump from a distance of 39 km from the Earth's surface also marked a figure never achieved before, shattering the record held by Victor Prather and Malcolm Ross, who in 1961 jumped together from 34.6 kilometers. That feat ended in tragedy with Prather's death, drowning in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Baumgartner's impossible jumps had made him a benchmark in the world of extreme sports, which has been shocked by the news of his death. He was on a family vacation in Italy these days, and despite having retired from more daring adventures, he continued to paraglide, one of his great hobbies, which he shared with his followers on social media. "Born to fly," read a tattoo on his arm.