Last October, 8 million YouTube users watched Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner jump from a space capsule that had carried him 24 miles about the New Mexican desert, and then become the first person to go supersonic in a free fall.
The challenge was backed by Baumgartner's longtime sponsor, Austrian energy drink maker Red Bull, a company that has made its name synonymous with risky sporting events.
While the performance had many scientific goals, such as the testing of new space equipment, the mission drew fire from a few critics who called it a marketing stunt.
Baumgartner also took some heat for reportedly behaving like a diva during training, according to a Vanity Fair profile that ran in May (the expert parachutist almost walked out on the program in 2010 because he was afraid of being inside his pressurized spacesuit).
The 43-year-old silenced his haters in an interview with Business Insider, blaming some of the negative chatter on jealousy.
Watch the video below:
Produced by Robert Libetti
SEE ALSO: Supersonic Jumper Felix Baumgartner Reveals How He Kept Himself From Freaking Out