Today's Bada**

Colonel Joseph Kittinger, USAF

"On August 16, 1960, (Joseph Kittinger) made the final jump from the Excelsior III at 102,800 feet (31,300 m). Towing a small drogue parachute for initial stabilization, he fell for four minutes and 36 seconds, reaching a maximum speed of 614 miles per hour (988 km/h) before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m)... He set historical numbers for highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump, longest drogue-fall (four minutes), and fastest speed by a human being through the atmosphere. These are still current USAF records.

We watched this in Geography class, and it blew my mind. This guy is still living, according to Wikipedia, in Orlando, FL. I'd love to interview him and hear what it was like. I bet it was awesome.



The Wikipedia article on Joseph Kittinger