On 16 August, 1960 Col Jopseph Kittiner, Test
Director of Project
Excelsior, stepped into the record books by walking of a gondola and
beginning a free fall from a hight of 102,800 feet. Col. Kittinger’s records of
the highest ascent in a balloon, the highest parachute jump, the longest free
fall and the fastest speed by man through he atmosphere are all targets of the
Red Bull Stratos
project.
Felix
Baumgartner is attempting to break all of Kittinger’s records and is
attempting to break the speed
of sound as he falls through the atmosphere.
Here are films clips from the 1960′s showing
Kittinger’s amazing jump.