Extreme-stunt performer David Blaine entered the record books with his high-flying balloon flight on Sept. 2 ascending to 24,900 feet (4.7) miles above the Arizona desert. Attached to 52 helium-filled latex balloons and rigged with cameras and microphones, Blaine made like Pixar movie “Up” and soared higher than any previous cluster balloonist.
Blaine also broke a record with “Ascension,” the three-hour special documenting the live event that streamed on YouTube, which funded and produced the project. It drew 777,000 viewers at its peak, more than any YouTube special to date.
Before he took to the skies, Blaine gave viewers a look at his extensive preparation process. Aided by an army of experts, he learned high-altitude breathing techniques, spent hours in a cryogenic chamber to get used to the freezing temperatures, made hundreds of skydiving jumps and got a commercial pilot’s license.
At the end of his hour-long flight, Blaine parachuted to the ground and was picked up by helicopter. “That was beautiful, from top to bottom,” he said before landing and getting a welcome-back embrace from his daughter, Dessa.
Watch the entire broadcast below:
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.