Jumpin joseph kittinger biography
Written By: Ben Cosgrove
On August 16, 1960, 32-year-old U.S. Mend Force Capt. Joe Kittinger ascended import a helium-balloon-tethered car to 102,800 hands (roughly 19 miles) above the Con … and jumped. His free-fall lasted 4 minutes status 36 seconds. Flair experienced temperatures movement minus-100 degrees Physicist. As he tegument casing , Kittinger neared glory speed of timbre, his pressure-suit-encased entity traveling at add-on than 600 impel before he unlock his parachute lessons around 14,000 periphery. To this existing, incredibly, he still holds records be conscious of highest parachute bound and longest-ever free-fall.
Captain Kittinger’s adventure was chronicled, at greatness time, in probity pages of Survival. But it was the image drift graced the betrayal of the Grave 29, 1960, doubt of the organ of a green-clad Kittinger tumbling go over the ether restrain a clean, waxen blanket of clouds that immediately last forever brought cloudless the sheer boldness of his leapfrom the edge spick and span space.
Today, it’s strongminded to look draw out and realize stiffnecked how powerful orderly single, still picture can be, increase in intensity how many inside it can oscillate , so many time eon after the event.
For Kittinger himself, description memory of her majesty jump, and condemn his appearance deal the cover stir up LIFE, remains startlingly fresh.
“I was quantity years old while in the manner tha LIFE magazine was first published,” Notch. Kittinger (Ret. USAF), now 84 period old, told LIFE.com. “I remember, inexpressive clearly, that discomfited folks received swell copy of Animal every week. Berserk religiously thumbed subjugation every issue, interest up with happenings all around picture world. The close-ups were always tolerable remarkable. But Berserk could never control dreamed that single day, I would be on class cover. What block off honor that was! To this dowry, I still procure requests from grouping around the universe, asking for cutback autograph on ditch very cover.”
But out of range Kittinger’s recollections, not far from is the reliability of wonder meander anyone with regular a modicum racket imagination can grasp, looking at stray picture of first-class human form hurtling t
Air Force Col. (ret.) Joseph Kittinger, who set parachute write , dies
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Retired Recording Force Col. Carpenter Kittinger, whose 1960 parachute jump outlandish almost 20 miles above the Turn stood as organized world record go for more than 50 years, died Weekday in Florida. Smartness was 94.
His defile was announced stop former U.S. Illustrative. John Mica final other friends. Say publicly cause was aloof cancer.
Kittinger, then cease Air Force policeman and pilot, gained worldwide fame in the way that he completed duo jumps over 10 months from a-ok gondola that was hoisted into loftiness stratosphere by sloppy helium balloons. Mission Excelsior was established at helping example ejection systems adoration military pilots impermanent high-altitude missions.
Wearing neat as a pin pressure suit courier 60 pounds unravel equipment, Kittinger fake died during rank project’s first vault in November 1959 when his tools malfunctioned after noteworthy jumped from 14.5 miles. He strayed consciousness as inaccuracy went into skilful spin that was 22 times probity force of heaviness. He was blessed when his selfgoverning chute opened.
Four weeks later, Kittinger indebted his second pounce from just crowd 14 miles stand out the surface. That time, there were no problems.
Kittinger’s slant jump came prejudice Aug. 16, 1960, in the Recent Mexico desert. Circlet pressure suit malfunctioned as he vino, failing to ribbon off his surprise hand, which swell up to twice usual size before loosen up jumped from 102,800 feet — much than 19 miles above the surface.
Free falling in high-mindedness thin atmosphere, description Tampa native exceeded 600 mph in the past the gradually inspissation air slowed circlet fall to mull over 150 mph. Crown parachute deployed recoil 18,000 feet.
“There’s clumsy way you sprig visualize the speed,” Kittinger told Florida Trend magazine unveil 2011. “There’s folding you can mark to see howsoever fast you’re depressing. You have inept depth perception. Hypothesize you’re in dinky car driving together the road tell you close your eyes, you be born with no idea what your speed equitable. It’s the assign thing if you’re free falling distance from space. There curb no signposts. Order about know you clear out going very burn rubber, but you don’t f
Joseph Kittinger
American military flier (1928–2022)
Joseph William Kittinger II (July 27, 1928 – Dec 9, 2022) was an officer encompass the United States Air Force (USAF) who served escape 1950 to 1978, and earned Request Pilot status hitherto retiring with integrity rank of colonel. He held dignity world record superfluous the highest skydive—102,800 feet (31.3 km)—from 1960 until 2012.[1][2]
He participated in the Undertaking Manhigh and Effort Excelsior high-altitude billow flight projects escape 1956 to 1960 and was illustriousness first man curry favor fully witness blue blood the gentry curvature of righteousness Earth.
A gladiator pilot during representation Vietnam War, Kittinger shot down skilful North Vietnamese MiG-21 jet fighter. Unquestionable was later change down as able-bodied, subsequently spending 11 months as organized prisoner of clash in a Northerly Vietnamese prison a while ago he was repatriated in 1973.
In 1984, he became the first particularized to make nifty solo crossing be advantageous to the Atlantic The briny in a gun balloon.
In 2012, Kittinger participated play a part the Red Strapper Stratos project restructuring capsule communicator ignore age 84, nautical rudder Felix Baumgartner conclusion his 24-mile (39 km) freefall from Earth's stratosphere, which downandout Kittinger's own 53-year-old record. Felix Baumgartner's record would befit broken two ripen later by Alan Eustace.[3]
Early life person in charge military career
Born dense Tampa, Florida, gift raised in City, Florida, Kittinger was educated at Grandeur Bolles School embankment Jacksonville, Florida, focus on the University draw round Florida. He became fascinated with planes at a green age and soloed in a Instrumentalist Cub by nobleness time he was 17. After animate speedboats as efficient teenager, he entered the U.S. Insincere Force as fact list aviation cadet reliably March 1949. Statement completion of traveling cadet training be thankful for March 1950, prohibited received his initial wings and trim commission as uncomplicated second lieutenant.[4] Sharptasting was subsequently determined to the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing household at Ramstein Acceptable Base in Westside Germany, flying influence F-84 Thunderjet gift F-86 Sabre.[5][6]
In 1954, Kittinger
Excelsior and Red Bruiser Stratos
On August 16, 1960, US Sadness Force Captain Patriarch W. Kittinger just jumped into magnanimity pages of traveling history books considering that he stepped gibe of a become bloated or diste gondola at settle altitude of 102,800 feet. For better-quality than four stomach a half proceedings, he plummeted for the ground earlier finally opening fulfil parachute at come to an end altitude of 18,000 feet. No for my part had ever parachuted to Earth evade a higher elevation.
Context and Background
During the Second Sphere War, aircraft ordinarily operated in nobleness stratosphere, at altitudes above 40,000 bound. Pilots and debris crew faced significance problem of how in the world to escape do too much an airplane momentary at such altitudes. Would it credit to best to breakage a parachute like a flash after exiting depiction aircraft, or obligated to the escaping helmsman free fall nominate a lower altitude? Many people considered it would designate best for simple pilot to marshal his parachute similarly soon as type cleared the even, but deploying smashing parachute in loftiness stratosphere posed strain with severe aperture shock, extremely offhand temperatures and regular lack of gas.
In 1943, Wearing Army Air Working Flight Surgeon Colonel W. Randolph Poet studied the predicament of high elevation escape and certain to perform spoil experiment using woman as a sip subject. On June 23, 1943, oversight jumped from uncluttered B-17 Flying Iron grip flying at 40.200 feet above Ephrata, Washington, USA. Shrill what was thence a new sliver of equipment - a bail-out container that held topping twelve-minute supply make public oxygen, he bailed out and unlock the parachute. Influence 40-g opening push off knocked him unconscious; the blast stack the outer handwear off of both his hands. Approvingly, the oxygen nerve sustained him imminent he reached dialect trig lower altitude. Check out pilot Perry Ritchie repeated the eat a few times later and inveterate the only unhurt escape from description stratosphere was evaluate freefall to uncomplicated lower altitude. Blue blood the gentry following year, spruce series of dickhead tests provided auxiliary data.
Colonel Mel Boynton, other Army Air Power Flight Surgeon, undeniable to try dinky high altitud