Retired Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger, whose 1960 parachute jump from almost 20 miles above the Earth stood as a world record for more than 50 years, died Friday in Florida. He was 94.
Kittinger, then an Air Force captain and pilot, gained worldwide fame when he completed three jumps over 10 months from a gondola that was hoisted into the stratosphere by large helium balloons. Project Excelsior was aimed at helping design ejection systems for military pilots flying high-altitude missions.
Four weeks later, Kittinger made his second jump from just over 14 miles above the surface. This time, there were no problems. — before the gradually thickening air slowed his fall to about 150 mph when his parachute deployed at 18,000 feet .
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