On October 24, 2014, Dr. Alan Eustace used a state-of-the-art Pressure Suit Assembly to ascend to the top of the stratosphere beneath a large, helium-filled plastic balloon and sky dive back to Earth. He reached a maximum altitude of 135,889 feet before parachuting back to Earth, breaking the previous world record. He accomplished this mission by using a pressure suit alone for life support and foregoing the weight of a balloon gondola to ascend to the stratosphere.
Along with him for the ride was this Sinn 857 UTC chronograph watch. The forearm of the suit had a specialized mount with Velcro straps that held the chronograph in a position that Eustace could view easily. Before, during and after the jump, the instrumental watch put in a lasting performance – despite the cold (-77 degrees C / -108 degrees F), low pressure and a free-fall speed of 1,322.9 km/h, which lasted five minutes and resulted in Eustace breaking the sound barrier.
The Eustace-Kwan family donated this item along with the suit to the museum in 2015.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
PERSONAL EQUIPMENT-Special Devices
Pilot
Robert Alan Eustace
Manufacturer
Sinn Uhren, German
Dimensions
3-D: 5.1 × 4.6 × 1.9cm (2 × 1 13/16 × 3/4 in.)
Materials
Aluminum, glass, enamel, velcro
Inventory Number
A20150515008
Credit Line
Gift of Alan Eustace
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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