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Joseph Kittinger
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Joseph W. Kittinger II (1928- )
Kittinger's record-breaking skydiveJoseph William Kittinger II (born July 27, 1928) was a pilot in the United States Air Force. He is best remembered for his participation in Project Man High and Project Excelsior, and is considered by some to be the true first man in space.

Born in Tampa, Florida he was educated at Bolles School, Jacksonville, Florida and the University of Florida. After racing speedboats as a teenager and later completing his aviation cadet training he joined the USAF in March, 1950. He was assigned to the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing based at Ramstein AFB in West Germany.

In 1954 he was transferred to Holloman AFB in New Mexico and the Air Force Missile Development Center (AFMDC). Kittinger flew the observation plane which monitored Colonel John Paul Stapp's rocket sled run of 632 mph in 1955. Kittinger was impressed by the dedication of Stapp (a pioneer in space medicine). Stapp in turn was impressed with Kittinger's skillful jet piloting, later recommending him for space aviation work. Stapp was to foster the high altitude tests which would lead to Kittinger's record leap. In 1957 as part of Man High he set an interim balloon altitude record of 96,760 feet (29,500 m) in Man High I. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (D.F.C.).

He was then assigned to the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. For Project Excelsior (meaning "ever upward", a name given to the project by Colonel Stapp), as part of research into high altitude bailout, he made a series of three parachute jumps wearing a pressurized suit, from a helium balloon with an open gondola. The first, from 76,400 feet (23,287 m) in November, 1959 was a near tragedy when an equipment malfunction caused him to lose consciousness, but the automatic parachute saved him (he went into a flat spin at a rotational velocity of 120 rpm, the G factor calculated at his extremities was over 22 times that of gravity, setting another record). Three weeks later he jumped again from 74,700 feet (22,769 m). For that return jump Kittinger was awarded the Leo Stevens parachute medal. On August 16, 1960 he jumped from the Excelsior III at 102,800 feet (31,300 m). He was in freefall for 4? minutes and reached a maximum speed of 614 mph (988 km/h) before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m). His right glove broke during the ascent, causing his hand to swell. He set records for highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump, longest freefall and fastest speed by a man through the atmosphere.

According to Kittinger, he broke the speed of sound during that famous highest jump. This may be debatable, as other references give his peak speed at 618 or 614 miles per hour, or mach 0.9. Nevertheless, he occasionally ribs Chuck Yeager about being the first man to break the speed of sound.

The jumps were made in a "rocking-chair" position, descending on his back, rather than the usual delta familiar to skydivers, because he was wearing a 60-lb "kit" on his behind and his pressure suit naturally formed that shape when inflated, a shape appropriate for sitting in an airplane cockpit.

For the series of jumps he was decorated with an oak leaf cluster to his D.F.C. and awarded the C.B. Harmon Trophy by President Dwight Eisenhower.

Back at Holloman AFB he also took part in Project Stargazer on December 13?14, 1962. He and William C. White, an astronomer, took a balloon of equipment to a height of 82,200 feet (25,055 m) and spent over eighteen hours at that height in performing observations.

Kittinger served three combat tours and flew 483 missions during the Vietnam War, commanding the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was shot down on May 11, 1972 and spent 11 months as a prisoner of war in the "Hanoi Hilton" prison.

He retired as a colonel in 1978 and went to work for Martin Marietta. Still interested in ballooning he won the Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning three times (1982, 1984, 1985) and completed a solo Atlantic crossing in the 3,000 m? Rosie O'Grady from September 14?18, 1984.

Kittinger wrote a book, published in 1961, called The Long, Lonely Leap. Now long out of print, surviving copies are expensive, but as of November 2005 a reprint is planned.

Kittinger lives in the Orlando, Florida area, and is still active in the aviation community as a consultant and touring barnstormer.