American Air Force Colonel Joseph Kittinger, Jr. in free fall after jumping from 'Excelsior III,' a balloon-supported gondola 102,800 feet above New Mexico, August 16, 1960. During his descent, he reached approximate speeds of 614 miles an hour. The clouds beneath him are 15 miles away.
Felix Baumgartner’s 23-mile free-fall was an awesome leap, but the record he broke had stood for 52 years — a feat in itself. In 1960, U.S. Air Force Colonel Joseph Kttinger set the record for the longest and fastest free fall, after he leaped from 102,800 feet—more than 19 miles—above the Earth. Kittinger remained the fastest human to ever hurtle through the atmosphere until Baumgartner’s jump, and the elder skydiver shared his first-hand knowledge as an integral member of Baumgartner’s Red Bull Stratos team.
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