Joseph William Kittinger II was an officer in the United States Air Force (USAF) who served from 1950 to 1978, and earned Command Pilot status before retiring with the rank of colonel. He held the world record for the highest skydive—102,800 feet (31.3 km)—from 1960 until 2012.
Colonel Joseph W. Kittinger II, USAF (pictured as a captain) First person to conduct stratospheric space diving
Kittinger next to the Excelsior gondola
Kittinger's record-breaking skydive from Excelsior III
Replica of Excelsior III gondola and mannequin of Kittinger at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
Project Excelsior was a series of parachute jumps made by Joseph Kittinger of the United States Air Force in 1959 and 1960 from helium balloons in the stratosphere. The purpose was to test the Beaupre multi-stage parachute system intended to be used by pilots ejecting from high altitude. In one of these jumps Kittinger set world records for the longest parachute drogue fall, the highest parachute jump, and the fastest speed by a human through the atmosphere. He held the latter two of these records for 52 years, until they were broken by Felix Baumgartner of the Red Bull Stratos project in 2012, though he still holds the world record for longest time in free fall.
Final jump seen from Excelsior III
Joseph Kittinger next to the Excelsior gondola. The plaque reads "This Is The Highest Step In The World"
A ground crew assists Joe Kittinger in removing his flight gear after the successful flight of Excelsior III. Despite the appearances, Kittinger was fine.
Replica of the Excelsior III gondola at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
