Alan Eustace, a senior Google vice president, has broken the world altitude record for a parachute jump set in 2012 by Austrian Felix Baumgartner. Mr Eustace was carried by a large helium balloon from New Mexico to over 40 kilometers above the earth. The 57 year old leapt out in a specially designed space suit, reaching speeds of more than 1,300 kilometers per hour. He exceeded the speed of sound, setting off a small sonic boom, and broke three skydiving records in the process. The dive was part of a project led by Paragon Space Development Corporation.