air nine miles above earth will stop joining me now from washington is bloomberg news reporter alan levinhow did he survive when his spacecraft is integrated midair? >> it is a really amazing and remarkable story. we still only have sketchy details but his story is starting to emerge will stop he says the spacecraft disintegrated around him. he was not wearing a pressure suit which astronauts and fighter pilots normally wear at these altitudes at about 50,000 feet or there about. there is essentially no oxygen, not enough to sustain life, so he is thrust into this environment and your body remains conscious for perhaps nine to 12 seconds after being thrust into that thin air. somehow, he managed to unbuckle his seatbelt. that was critical because the parachute doesn't work unless you are free of your seat. the parachute deployed automatically. >> it is absolutely incredible, especially when you think about the fact that this spacecraft had no escape hatch, right? >> it had exit doors, but it was designed to keep the atmosphere constant. it is built with carbon fiber, so it's a resilient s