In 2012, Kittinger participated in the Red Bull Stratos project as capsule communicator at age 84, directing Felix Baumgartner on his 24-mile (39 km) freefall from Earth's stratosphere, which broke Kittinger's own 53-year-old record. In 1984, he became the first person to make a solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a gas balloon. He was later shot down as well, subsequently spending 11 months as a prisoner of war in a North Vietnamese prison before he was repatriated in 1973. He participated in the Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior high-altitude balloon flight projects from 1956 to 1960 and was the first man to fully witness the curvature of the Earth.Ī fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, Kittinger shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-21 jet fighter. He held the world record for the highest skydive-102,800 feet (31.3 km)-from 1960 until 2012. Joseph William Kittinger II (J– December 9, 2022) was an officer in the United States Air Force (USAF) who served from 1950 to 1978, and earned Command Pilot status before retiring with the rank of colonel. Vice President of Flight Operations for Rosie O'Grady's Flying Circus (1978–1992) Future aerospace programs need a way for pilots and astronauts to bail out at high altitude in case of emergency.First person to conduct stratospheric space diving "No one can accurately predict how the human body will react in the transition to supersonic speeds. "This is truly a step into the unknown," he said. Their attempts have been foiled by lack of finances, good weather, and plain luck.īaumgartner says it won't be a breeze. "But I believe that with our unique assets, an extraordinary mission team, the dedication of Red Bull, and Baumgartner's outstanding skills, Reb Bull Stratos will succeed."īritish stuntman Steve Truglia has been saying for years that he'll be the next daredevil to break Kittinger's record, along with others including Frenchman Michel Fournier and American Cheryl Stearns. "People have been trying to break my records for fifty years, and many have died in the attempt," he said Friday on the 40th floor of a New York skyscraper where the project was being unveiled. No one is bubbling with more excitement than Kittinger, 81. His backers Red Bull, Microsoft, Nokia, and Riedel Communications have deep pockets and a history of getting things done, so it would seem that if there's any chance of breaking Kittinger's record, which was financed and conducted by the U.S. Baumgartner should exceed 690 miles an hour-at more than Mach 1, the first person ever to break the sound barrier in free fall-before parachuting to the ground. He plans an attempt to break Kittinger's record later this year with a jump from a balloon at 120,000 feet. The challenger, Austrian pilot Felix Baumgartner, announced his project, Red Bull Stratos, in New York last Friday. Those altitude and speed records, which have stood for a lifetime by some countries' life expectancy tables, may soon fall. In the thin air, he accelerated to 614 miles an hour in free fall before denser atmosphere slowed his plunge to a speed that allowed him to open a parachute. Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger stepped out of the gondola of a balloon at 102,800 feet above New Mexico wearing a pressure suit.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |