Magician David Blaine ascended more than 7,500 metres (25,000 ft) above the Arizona desert while hanging from a large bunch of approximately 50 helium-filled balloons. Blaine, who has a history of performing high-risk and high-profile feats, was in the air for nearly 50 minutes, and strapped on an oxygen mask at times as he neared his maximum altitude. After dropping ballast throughout the flight to control his speed, the magician then donned a parachute for his fall back to Earth

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