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Originally Posted by Sdiver
Capt. Kittinger needs a frekin' wheelbarrow to carry his balls around.
Incredible.
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Captain Joe Kittinger jumped from a height of 102,800 feet, almost 20 miles above the earth and fell for a full 4 minutes, 36 seconds. Opening altitude was 17,500 feet and the descent was 13 minutes, 45 seconds.
Temperatures were as low as minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit and the maximum speed somewhere around 614 miles per hour.
This jump set records for highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump, longest freefall, and fastest speed by a man without external assistance. These 47 year old records remain unbroken today. Two attempts to beat these numbers in 2001 were called off because they were not thought to be safe with modern equipment.
For this jump, he was awarded a cluster for his DFC.
Kittinger served three combat tours during the Vietnam War, flying a total of 483 missions, the first two tours as an aircraft commander in A-26 Invaders. On a voluntary third tour in 1971-72, he commanded the F-4 Phantom 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron and then became vice commander of the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing.
Colonel Kittinger was shot down during a MiG engagement on May 11, 1972, just before the end of his tour and spent 11 months as a prisoner of war in the "Hanoi Hilton" prison.
He retired as a Colonel in 1978 and went to work for Martin Marietta. Kittinger won the Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning three times (1982, 1984, 1985) and completed the first solo Atlantic crossing Rosie O'Grady from September 14–18, 1984.
Next year is his 80th birthday. Wonder what he will do for an encore?
TR