In 1960, U.S. Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger Jr set a record by parachuting successfully back to Earth from an altitude of 19 1/2 miles. In October 2012, Felix Baumgartner broke the record by parachuting from an altitude of more than 24 miles. You can watch the amazing descent below. And talking him down on the radio was 84 year old Joe Kittinger Jr!
On his descent, Baumgartner reached a speed of 843 mph becoming the first human to break the sound barrier unaided by a machine. Baumgartner is an Austrian with a long history of daredevil jumps including the first BASE jump from the Millau Viaduct which was the subject of a THC post last year.
Joe Kittinger retired from the Air Force in 1978 with the rank of Colonel. In 1972 his F-4D Phantom was shot down over North Vietnam and he served 11 months as a POW in the "Hanoi Hilton".
Wow, it takes a serious pair to do that! dm
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