Joe Kittinger Historical Space Jump (6 pictures + video)
On August 16, 1960, US Air Force Captain Joseph W. Kittinger literally jumped into the pages of aviation history books when he stepped out of a balloon gondola at an altitude of 102,800 feet. For more than four and a half minutes, he plummeted towards the ground before finally opening his parachute at an altitude of 18,000 feet.
No person had ever parachuted to Earth from a higher altitude. It was the “highest step in the world”. Joe Kittinger made history, setting four world records. It took 52 years to Felix Baumgartner beat his record. [via]
