I love a challenge, and trying to become the first person to break the speed of sound in freefall is a challenge like no other.

People are fascinated about the world above them because it seems so out-of-reach. My jump gave them an opportunity to come along for the ride. They could watch live on their screens how someone rises all the way up into the stratosphere.

When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about breaking records anymore, you do not think about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is to come back alive

As a little kid, I climbed a lot of trees because I always loved the bird's-eye view.

You have seen on TV how hard it is to go up 129,000 feet and how hard it is to come down.

Extreme sport has only ever been about goals and the ways to achieve these goals. Adrenaline plays a part, but it's never in the foreground.

People are fascinated about the world above them because it seems so out-of-reach.