Nick Piantanida
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Nicholas John Piantanida was an American amateur parachute jumper who reached 123,500 feet with his Strato Jump II balloon on February 2, 1966, flying a crewed balloon higher than anyone before, a rec
Piantanida in 1963
Strato Jump III gondola at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum
A doctor helps Piantanida breathe after Strato Jump III
Joseph Kittinger
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Joseph William Kittinger II was an American military pilot who was an officer in the United States Air Force. He served from 1950 to 1978 and earned Command Pilot status before retiring with the rank
Nick Piantanida
…and determined to bring the world record back to the United States. (The unofficial record, which Piantanida was also trying to break, was held by Joseph Kittinger of the U.S.) Piantanida took a job driving trucks in order to give him time to train on weekends. He earnestly studied meteorology, balloon technology…
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