<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
     xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
     xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
     xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
     xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
     xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss"
     xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#"
     xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/">
    <channel>
        <title><![CDATA[David Blaine’s ‘Ascension’ balloon stunt floats him 24,900 feet into the air]]></title>
        <atom:link href="https://usagag.com/2020/09/02/david-blaines-ascension-balloon-stunt-floats-him-24900-feet-into-the-air/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
        <link>https://usagag.com/2020/09/02/david-blaines-ascension-balloon-stunt-floats-him-24900-feet-into-the-air/</link>
        <lastBuildDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2020 21:16:16 +0000</lastBuildDate>
        <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
        <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
        <generator>https://usagag.com</generator>
        <media:content url="/uploads/2020/09/david-blaines-ascension-balloon-stunt-floats-him-24900-feet-into-the-air.jpg" medium="image">
            <media:title type="html">David Blaine’s ‘Ascension’ balloon stunt floats him 24,900 feet into the air</media:title>
        </media:content>
        <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When it comes to stunts, the sky is no limit for David Blaine.</p><p>The professional daredevil survived his wildest and craziest feat yet Wednesday afternoon in the Great Basin Desert in Page, Arizona.</p><p>The 47-year-old flew into the air strapped to 52 helium-filled weather balloons, which he released before parachuting down to his starting point. Blaine&#8217;s &#8220;Ascension&#8221; project was <strong>live-streamed</strong> on YouTube. (You can recap the action in the video above.)</p><p>Although he <strong>told The Post</strong> he only expected to reach 18,000 feet, Blaine actually made it up to 24,900 feet before taking the plunge.</p><p>In addition to potentially crashing into the ground, Blaine faced hypothermia and hypoxia, a condition that occurs when the body&#8217;s oxygen becomes scarce.</p><p>It was a performance 10 years in the making. Blaine had to carry out 500 airplane jumps, earn a hot air balloon license and learn to read wind patterns in order to make his “dream” a reality.</p><p>Blaine originally wanted to fly over the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York City, but the local magician had to scrap that plan due to unpredictable winds.</p><p>It worked out for the best: While in the sky, Blaine called his vista “the most unbelievable view in the world.”</p><p>The adventurer didn’t strap on his parachute until he was well above the ground, at 8,000 feet in the air.</p><p>Before he descended from his high-altitude climax, Blaine took deep breaths as safety men on the radio guided him: “He’s obviously coherent,” one man said as Blaine prepared to plunge, hooking his oxygen connection up to the balloon structure.</p><p>&#8220;OK, David, so it’s gonna be on you,&#8221; they told the stuntman. Then, he released himself.</p><p>&#8220;Woooooo!&#8221; Blaine screamed as he fell. Looking like Superman, he shot through the sky.</p><p>“I want to go where the airplanes fly. I want to go up and become a tiny dot in the sky,” he had told The Post.</p><p>At around 7,000 feet, he released his parachute and began to float.</p><p>When Blaine finally reached the desert floor, he released a joyful &#8220;ah&#8221; and began to run, laugh and clap for himself. &#8220;Wow, that was awesome,&#8221; he screamed.</p><p>“That was great! Wow! You did it! You didn’t fall!,” his 9-year-old daughter Dessa told Blaine over the radio.</p><p>“This was all for you, I love you,” responded Blaine.</p><p>Blaine got into a helicopter, looking as if nothing had happened. “That’s exactly what we rehearsed,” he told viewers.</p><p>“That was actually beautiful from top to bottom.&#8221;</p>]]></content:encoded>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[USAGAG]]></dc:creator>
            </channel>
</rss><!--Time: 0.024752140045166-->