In the 1950s, the
U.S. Air Force took on the issue of hazards faced by flight crews
bailing out from high-flying aircraft.
As part of the research,
Project Excelsior used a gondola-toting balloon to carry a pilot
high into the stratosphere. From the end of 1959 into mid-1960,
Captain Joseph Kittinger
took three leaps of faith. He counted on
himself, medical experts, protective gear, and a newly devised
parachute system to ensure a safe and controlled descent to the
ground.
On August 16, 1960,
Kittinger jumped his last Excelsior jump, doing so from an air-thin
height of 102,800 feet (31,334 meters). From that nearly 20 miles
altitude, his tumble toward terra firma took some 4 minutes and 36
seconds. Exceeding the speed of sound during the fall, Kittinger
used a small stabilizing chute before a larger, main parachute
opened in the denser atmosphere. He safely touched down in barren
New Mexico desert, 13 minutes 45 seconds after he vaulted into the
void.
The jump set records
that still stand today, among them, the highest parachute jump, the
longest freefall, and the fastest speed ever attained by a human
through the atmosphere. Somewhat in contention is Kittinger's use of
the small parachute for stabilization during his record-setting
fall. Roger Eugene Andreyev, a Russian, is touted as holding the
world's free fall record of 80,325 feet (24,483 meters), made on
November 1, 1962.
( the above
information was copied from
here )
