World's Longest

Alan Eustace enjoys the view as he ascends to an altitude of 135,890 ft (Photo: Atomic Entertainment and Paragon Space Development Corporation)

Remarkable People

Google exec sets new high-altitude skydiving world record

Alan Eustace, has broken the 128,100-ft (39,045-m) high-altitude skydive record set by Felix Baumgartner in October, 2012. Jumping from a balloon at 135,890 ft (41,419 m) above Roswell, New Mexico, Eustace also set new world records for vertical speed and freefall distance.

Qantas has launched a new A380 service between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth

Aircraft

World's largest passenger plane to fly world's longest route

Given the ubiquity of air travel nowadays, it can be easy to take it for granted. At its more extreme, however, it can be a remarkable feat of human endeavor. Qantas today provides one such example with the launch of a non-stop A380 service between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth.

An image displaying Opportunity's path from its deployment zone in Eagle Crater, to its current position (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/NMMNHS)

Space

Mars Opportunity Rover sets off-world driving record

Having traveled a grand total of 25 miles (40 km) over the course of its historic mission of exploration, NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has taken the record for the greatest distance traveled on another planetary body.

The 488-m-long hull of the Prelude FLNG is floated for the first time

Marine

World's largest ship floated for the first time

A hull longer than the Empire State Building is tall has been floated out of dry dock in Geoje, South Korea. Measuring 488 m (1,601 ft) long and 74 m (243 ft) wide, the hull belongs to Shell's Prelude FLNG facility, which upon completion will be the largest floating facility ever built.

Children

Lego railway declared longest plastic train set ever

Eighty Danish Lego devotees got together on May 10 and 11 to help one Henrik Ludvigsen with his plan to build the world's longest plastic toy train track.