The human body, plummeting toward the Earth's surface from 128,000 feet above it, can create the shockwave known as the sonic boom. People watching throught they heard something, and scientists confirmed it. His body broke the sound barrier.
Red Bull scientists (wait, what?!), using NASA science, analyzed sound waveforms from the drop, and found a spike that they said definitely looks like a sonic boom, created when Baumgartner's body passed the 833 mph mark.
Maybe someday, they'll turn this into a sort of amusement park ride for the insanely rich. All they need to do is get Richard Branson and Elon Musk together with team Red Bull, and it could happen. Either that, or we'll just hear the sonic boom of large personalities clashing.
Whatever the case, there are plenty of us who want the chance to jump out of a space ship. (Hat tip to ThunderSi!)
Photo credit: Red Bull