COME UP AND GET ME: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOE KITTINGER PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

Joe W. Kittinger,Craig Ryan,Neil Armstrong | 272 pages | 16 Apr 2011 | University of Press | 9780826348043 | English | Albuquerque, NM, - Wikipedia

If you're in a car driving down the road and you close your eyes, you have no idea what your speed is. It's the same thing if you're free falling from space. There are no signposts. You know you are going very fast, but you don't feel it. You don't have a mph wind blowing on you. I could only hear myself breathing in the helmet. Kittinger set historical numbers for highest ascent, highest jump, longest-duration drogue-fall four minutes , and fastest speed by a human being through the atmosphere. His records for highest parachute jump and fastest velocity stood for 52 years, until they were broken in by . Kittinger appeared as himself on the January 7, episode of the game show . He received two votes. He and the astronomer William C. In , after returning to the operational air force, Kittinger was approached by civilian amateur parachutist Nick Piantanida for assistance on Piantanida's Strato Jump project, an effort to break the previous freefall records of both Kittinger and Soviet Air Force Yevgeni Andreyev. Kittinger refused to participate in the effort, believing Piantanida's approach to the project was too reckless. Kittinger later served three combat tours of duty during the , flying a total of combat missions. Kittinger was shot down on May 11, , just before the end of his third tour of duty. Reich, Lieutenant Colonel Kittinger was leading a flight of Phantoms approximately 5 miles 8. Kittinger and his wingman were chasing a MiG when Kittinger's F-4 was hit by an air-to-air missile from another MiG that damaged the plane's starboard wing and set the aircraft on fire. Kittinger and Reich ejected a few miles from Thai Nguyen and were soon captured and taken to the city of . During the same engagement, Kittinger's wingman, Captain S. Nichols, shot down the MiG they had been chasing. Kittinger was put through rope torture [ citation needed ] soon after his arrival at the POW compound and this made a lasting impression on him. Kittinger was the senior ranking officer SRO among the newer prisoners of war, i. In Kittinger's autobiography " Come Up and Get Me " by Kittinger and Craig Ryan , Kittinger emphasized being very serious about maintaining the military structure he considered essential to survival. Kittinger and Reich were returned to American hands during on March 28, , and they continued their air force careers, with Kittinger having been promoted to full colonel while in captivity. Kittinger accumulated 7, flying hours in the air force, including combat flying hours during three tours during the Vietnam War. In addition, he has flown over 9, hours in various civilian aircraft. Kittinger received the following awards and decorations during his USAF career: [26]. Kittinger retired from the air force as a colonel in and initially went to work for Martin Marietta now Lockheed Martin Corporation in Orlando, Florida. Still interested in ballooning, Kittinger set a gas balloon world distance record for the AA size class since broken of 3, Kittinger also participated in the Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning in ranked third and ranked 12th. As of , Kittinger has been assisting balloonist Jonathan Trappe's attempt to be the first to cross the Atlantic by cluster balloon. Governor cited Kittinger's work, as did the Texas state senate with a special resolution presented during the dedication ceremony attended by Kittinger and his wife, Sherry. The Colonel Joseph W. Kittinger was honored at a ceremony in Caribou, Maine , the launch point for his solo trans-Atlantic balloon flight. He also served as the guest of honor at the community's sesquicentennial celebration. On February 20, , Kittinger visited his alma mater , the , and spoke to over students and faculty about his role in the Stratos Mission. Kittinger, a UF alumnus, told his story of when he took the ,foot jump from a high-altitude balloon. Located on the southwest corner of the Orlando Executive Airport , at the corner of Crystal Lake Drive and South Street, the park was named in Kittinger's honor, but was temporarily closed and partially demolished circa — in order to create a stormwater runoff retention area to permit a highway expansion project of the State Road East-West Expressway. In March , the park was reopened at its previous location. The National Museum of the U. Disassembled in Texas and transported via two semi- trailers over a period of several days, the aircraft arrived in Orlando on July 22, , and underwent a total restoration by a team of volunteers at Orlando Executive Airport. Following restoration, it was subsequently moved to its current location on the airport, remounted on its new pylon, and formally dedicated on December 14, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Joseph W. Kittinger II. Colonel Joseph W. This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately , especially if potentially libelous or harmful. Project Excelsior. Air Force [6]. Main article: Project Excelsior. Lord, take care of me now. American Experience. Retrieved 2 January Kittinger, Jr". Retrieved Archived from the original on New York Times. In , Kittinger, then a year-old air force pilot, jumped from a balloon , feet above the New Mexico desert. August August 29, Archived from the original on December 1, Retrieved November 16, FlightLine Films offers long-range optical tracking, zero-gravity qualified crews and HD cameras for use in the cold vacuum of space, as well as housings that allow traditional motion picture cameras to operate in that hostile environment. The camera system configuration is unique. Most cameras required modification or special electrical and thermal systems to function in near space. To achieve a live broadcast from 24 miles above the Earth, an optical ground tracking camera system was developed with features ranging from infrared to high-definition cameras. The company has pioneered visual documentation systems for the private and commercial space programs advancing into the 21st century. FlightLine offers zero-gravity qualified crews and HD cameras for use in the cold vacuum of space, as well as housings that allow traditional motion picture cameras to operate in that hostile environment. The single-engine helicopter has been modified with a custom mission package that includes:. With additional seating capacity, the helicopter typically also carries a still photographer to capture even more images for the mission. Together, the two have more than 30 years of experience in film and television aviation. A former U. He also serves as a demonstration pilot, including performances with the Red Bull Air Force demonstration team. Airborne Images is a full-service aerial production company that has provided service to Red Bull Stratos that began during pressure suit and parachute system development and continues through test and training jumps to the final mission. In addition, the Los Angeles-based company serves the motion picture industry worldwide with helicopters, airplanes, pilots, gyro-stabilized camera systems, aerial directors of photography, stunt coordinators and a comprehensive range of additional aerial production resources. The entire communications solution for Red Bull Stratos is provided by industry leader Riedel Communications. The ground-based communications system encompasses two main applications:. Riedel provides the communications infrastructure on-site. Artist is a fiber-based communications solution that offers highly flexible, reliable decentralized and communications in broadcast-quality audio. Furthermore, the on-site digital radio network MOTOTRBO , with its devices and ten channels, is not only provided by Riedel but also seamlessly integrated into the wired matrix intercom system. This means radios can directly talk to users e. MediorNet is a fiber-based real-time network for HD video, audio, communications and data signals that also provides integrated processing, for extraordinarily efficient installation and maintenance. The Red Bull Stratos mission uses 24 MediorNet nodes that are installed in a redundant ring topology to provide maximum reliability. In case a connection between two nodes gets lost, the signals will still be distributed due to the redundant topology. The connection to the flightline where the balloon and capsule are launched is also realized with the MediorNet system — in this case with two MediorNet Compact frames that are connected to the main system. It also distributes the broadcast audio between Mission Control and recording. Furthermore, the data of the telemetry used for other broadcast applications is transported via MediorNet. In addition to the video transport, MediorNet also serves as a network backbone for the on-site Internet connection, providing Ethernet connectivity in all areas of the compound. Similar to the setup on the ground, Riedel is responsible for the capsule communications system as well as for the video transmission solutions. A specially developed communications system provides reliable communication between Felix Baumgartner and Mission Control from pre-launch through the entire ascent. This system enables control of the video recording and works as a comprehensive digital video router — not unlike having a mini OB truck inside the capsule. It offers complete remote control of the whole video system and features three video downlinks that can be dynamically assigned to the selected cameras. Eight Riedel team members contribute to the mission firsthand at the launch site in Roswell, New Mexico, led by Matthias Leister, head of broadcast solutions, and Jacqueline Voss, system engineer. is non-flammable, non-toxic if vented to the atmosphere and a safe, predictable method of ascent. In total, these strips would cover 40 acres if they were laid flat. Polyester-fibre reinforced load tapes are incorporated to do the weight bearing. At launch, it will be tall and thin, stretching 55 stories high. As the balloon ascends, the helium will expand and the balloon will slowly fill out to an almost completely round shape:. Length of uninflated balloon before launch: Height of balloon at take-off: feet. The height from the top of the balloon to bottom of the capsule will be: feet. Size of balloon at , feet: Height Helium is delivered on two large trucks. At launch, the arm moves out of the way to allow the balloon to ascend. Simultaneously, a large crane drives in to position the capsule under the balloon. The crane releases the capsule, the balloon lifts it off the crane, and the ascent begins. The balloon is a standard design utilizing principles and materials that have been refined over 60 years of high-altitude scientific balloon flights. Balloons are susceptible to wind, which can literally tear them — particularly at critical times. Take-off, when difficulties due to weather or other factors could drag the capsule across the ground or cause a sudden dangerous drop in height. If a problem occurred below 1, feet, there would not be enough time to deploy a personal or capsule parachute. Helium inflation quantities are carefully calculated to avoid this. The overall launch process for this kind of balloon requires approximately 8 hours of preparation immediately before launch, including about 45 to 60 minutes for insertion of the helium. How big is the launch crew? A number of individuals will clear the runway of fine debris before laying out the balloon. Fewer than 10 people actually handle the balloon, and those who do wear cotton gloves. Helium is lighter than air. If the balloon is large enough in relation to the weight of its payload, the helium will ascend and bring the payload with it. The balloon will ascend at about 1, feet per minute. At some points, its ascent could be as fast as 1, feet per minute. Upon reaching about , feet, however, it will likely slow to roughly feet per minute until it levels off at approximately , feet above sea level. How is the balloon steered? Wind speed and direction vary at different altitudes so balloons are steered by changing altitude to reach the desired wind conditions. Releasing helium causes a decrease in altitude, while dropping ballast allows a balloon to rise. The balloon will be tracked by the mission team while in the air. The mission team coordinates closely with the U. Federal Aviation Administration to obtain clearance for flight and special reflective tape is incorporated into the seams so that it can be seen on radar. Float altitude is the point at which the balloon levels off and stops ascending. Although helium is lighter than air, at higher altitudes air density is reduced. Float altitude is reached when the average density of the balloon is the same as the density of the surrounding atmosphere. After Felix has landed, Mission Control will trigger the separation of the capsule and balloon, so that the capsule can descend under its parachute. Then, the team will gather the envelope into a large truck, a process that can take several hours. Is the same balloon being used repeatedly for tests, as well as the final mission? The test balloons are smaller than the almost 30 million cubic foot balloon used for the ascent to , feet. None of these delicate balloons can be re-used. On this contract, ATA Aerospace provides the program management; engineering services; integration, test, and launch support; on-orbit support; and test facility operations and management for satellite and high-altitude systems and subsystems including buses and payloads. The best weather conditions for balloon launch usually occur at dawn. Here is an approximate timeline. The balloon lifts the capsule off the crane and the ascent begins. Aviation pioneer Felix Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team have been preparing for years to break the record for highest-altitude jump, eclipsing a mark set more than 52 years ago by Col. The capsule, which at about 1. The capsule was exposed to the extreme conditions it will face in the unforgiving environs of the . After passing all the tests, the capsule was sent back to Roswell. Since the final manned flight Oct. A central goal of the Red Bull Stratos project is to collect valuable data for science that could ultimately improve the safety of space travel and enable high-altitude escapes from spacecraft. SHELL The shell surrounds the pressure sphere and cage and is the part of the capsule that is visible to the observer. After Felix Baumgartner safely jumped and the Mission Control team determined that the balloon and capsule were over a suitable open area, Mission Control remotely triggered the release of the capsule from the balloon. At an altitude of 20, feet 6. Its descent took about 24 minutes. A crew of twelve personnel were waiting to recover the equipment. Together they formed a convoy of five trucks and an all-terrain vehicle. Thanks to the flight path predictions of meteorologist Don Day, visual tracking via ground-based optical systems, and GPS trackers, the team was within yards of the capsule when it landed. The team believes they heard Baumgartner break the as they waited for the equipment to descend. We know that sound. On arriving at the capsule, the team first shut off the liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen systems. Then the crew from Sage Cheshire Aerospace, which built the capsule, completed the final step by shutting down the rest of the systems and overall capsule power. Next up was balloon retrieval. Temperature, pressure, and other data from the capsule recorders will be analyzed for months to come, and the information will be shared with the science community. The vessel itself will be saved for posterity. From every standpoint, including a technical one, it really did its job. Once Felix jumps, this system will be his only protection until he reaches the safety of the lower atmosphere. Full-pressure space suits have never been qualified for the kind of controlled freefall that Felix must execute to return safely to earth. Proof that a full-pressure suit could provide protection from such a bailout will be valuable for aerospace safety researchers. David Clark Company produced the suit. David Clark Company has pioneered air and space crew protective equipment design, development, test, evaluation and production since , with products ranging from anti-G suits to space suits and ancillary equipment. Who else is involved in fitting, testing and producing the Red Bull Stratos full-pressure suit? Red Bull Stratos team members involved with the capsule, , cameras and communications collaborate closely to make sure that their systems interface optimally with the suit. Riedel Communications provides the flight communications radios that Felix wears, as well as those in the capsule. Prior to this mission, no personal parachute system had ever been used for a supersonic freefall from the edge of space. Years of development and testing resulted in revolutionary drogue technology, which would have stabilized Felix Baumgartner had it been necessary during his freefall. The container houses the drogue stabilization chute and the two landing parachutes main and reserve , while the harness attaches the entire rig to Felix Baumgartner and holds two oxygen bottles, which can supply at least 10 minutes of oxygen at altitude. Meanwhile, Precision Aerodynamics supplied the main parachute and reserve parachute. Velocity Sports Equipment opened in to cater to a new breed of skydiver. Its founder, Kelly Farrington, grew up dreaming of solutions to extreme but mostly hypothetical jumps. Velocity Sports Equipment has built a specialized parachute harness system, incorporating a unique drogue system for complete stability that is unlike current sport and military tandem systems. A serious investment into research and development, combined with high-quality practices, has made AIRTEC the technological leader in the field of Automatic Activation Devices. Larsen and Brusgaard is the preferred supplier of visual wrist mounted altimeters for the Red Bull Stratos project. In the event he cannot open or trigger either of his two landing parachutes by himself, this exclusively designed equipment will initiate the opening of the reserve parachute at the assigned time and safety altitude. No bigger than a lunch pail. Think of it as a mail box in terms of size and purpose. Red Bull Stratos Inside View. What was unusual about the way this film was shot and produced? What aspect of the achievements of the Red Bull Stratos project do you think will come through in your film? Aside from Felix, are there any others who leave the consumer wanting to know more? Bill Clinton and Psy. David Clark Company agrees for the first time ever to produce a suit for a non-governmental space program. Medical team expands to include six-time Space Shuttle crew surgeon Jon Clark as medical director; development of safety protocols continues. Personal parachute system development begins. High-altitude helium balloons are secured. Felix Baumgartner intensifies physical, psychological and technical training under direction of Dr. Andy Walshe. This makes Felix Baumgartner the first man to break the speed of sound in freefall along with several other records. This jump was a significant achievement in ballooning history but it also proved that safety and recovery systems are functional in preparation for the , feet attempt. March 15 — First test jump with high altitude balloon and pressurized capsule: Freefall from 71, feet over Roswell, NM. Maximum speed: Felix is the third person to leap from that altitude and survive. Unmanned test launches to the stratosphere confirm equipment is ready for manned test jumps. Rainfall averages just Area history: Native Americans have been living in the New Mexico region for some 20, years, and white settlers began to establish Roswell in the latter half of the 19th century. Statewide points of aerospace interest include: , near Alamogordo: a center of aerospace research and development since the s, noted for contributions to pilot safety and development of the U. Maximum Vertical Speed without drogue 1, World records achieved that fall outside FAI official categorization: First person to break the speed of sound in freefall, without the protection of or propulsion of a vehicle Highest untethered altitude outside a vehicle Largest balloon ever flown with a human aboard: Because the Red Bull Stratos launches are conducted in the U. A visible seal is applied and the chest pack cover is replaced with screws. An Official Observer from the NAA remains at the launch site until Felix is inside the capsule and launch is complete. After the launch, the Official Observer flies in the retrieval helicopter to the landing site. On landing, if all is well, the Official Observer takes possession of the chest pack and maintains possession until the seal has been checked and the data card removed. An initial analysis is made of the data in order to determine if a claim can be made and to formulate a tentative assessment of the performance. Within seven days of a record attempt, the FAI must be officially notified that the jump was successful and provided with basic details of the performance. This report may include adjustments to the figures submitted in the original FAI notification as warranted by data analysis. A final review will be completed by the FAI. What will protect Felix Baumgartner from these hazards? What can be learned by breaking the speed of sound in freefall? Wind The wind must be calm. Precipitation Precipitation — whether in the form of snow, ice, rain or heavy fog — could impair visibility for the team and the performance of the balloon. Cloud Cover To comply with U. Solar Flares Another kind of phenomenon that will be tracked is solar flares, bursts of explosive activity on the sun. Predicting and Tracking Because all these factors directly impact the ability to launch, Red Bull Stratos meteorologist Don Day minutely examines both historical and current weather profiles. Cameras have trouble working in extreme cold and extreme heat, as well as in a near vacuum. When filled with nitrogen gas, the housings simulate the environment on Earth. Four of the capsule cameras are space-rated units attached to the exterior base, eight are in the pressurized housings also on the exterior, and three are interior. All will be remotely controlled from the Mission Control Center. Special filters are used on some of the Red Bull Stratos cameras because the brightness of the sun is more intense in the upper stratosphere. It is anticipated that some of the cameras inside the Red Bull Stratos capsule will be covered in ice upon touchdown. The suit cameras must function in near-space conditions for up to 20 minutes, as well as at supersonic speed and in any orientation upside-down, sideways, etc. A typical satellite uplink truck has one or two channels of microwave video. The Red Bull Stratos capsule has three. JLAIR 2 shares the same features but employs a traditional trailer-mounted pedestal with separate control truck for mission flexibility. The single-engine helicopter has been modified with a custom mission package that includes: One Cineflex V14 HD carrying an advanced HD video camera with a Communications A specially developed communications system provides reliable communication between Felix Baumgartner and Mission Control from pre-launch through the entire ascent. The communications equipment used for Red Bull Stratos takes up the space of two freight containers. As the balloon ascends, the helium will expand and the balloon will slowly fill out to an almost completely round shape: Length of uninflated balloon before launch: Are there hazards associated with helium balloon flight? How long does it take to inflate the balloon? Why does a helium balloon rise? How fast will the balloon ascend? How does the balloon avoid other aircraft in the sky? What happens to the balloon after Felix jumps? Who is responsible for launching the balloon? The capsule and balloon are delivered to the launch area on a cleared runway. More checks and re-verifications are conducted. Launch minus hours Crew Chief contacts Mission Control for permission to lay out the flight train components. Balloon is laid out on a layer of Herculite. Then balloon, parachute and capsule are connected. Launch minus hours Layout of flight train is complete. Launch minus hours Crew chief contacts meteorologist and requests permission to begin inflation. Launch minus hours Inflation begins. Launch minus hours Felix is sealed in capsule which is cradled on a crane and pressurization begins. Launch minus hours Inflation is complete. Launch minus hours Crew chief inspects the entire flight train and removes all safety restraints. When pressurized to 3. However it has been custom made to his measurements and modified with new enhancements. Skydivers need to be able to use body positions and visual cues, but an inflated pressure suit and its helmet limit range of motion and peripheral vision. With modifications, including mirrors and added mobility, the Red Bull Stratos suit may serve as the prototype for the next-generation full-pressure suit. The exterior of the suit is made of a material that is both fire retardant and an insulator against extreme cold. A vent hose fitting will keep the suit ventilated with warm or cool air in the capsule. The suit attaches to the helmet with a rotating, locking neck ring, and the gloves use a similar rotating and locking device. These types of rings operate with ease under pressurized conditions. The visor is distortion free in the critical vision area because visual cues are important both in the capsule and for orientation during descent and landing. An independently operated sunshade is fitted over the visor so that Felix can adjust it to his needs. The visor has an integrated heating circuit to prevent fogging and icing. For example, the visor is equipped with a mechanism that requires two separate coordinated actions to unlock; this safeguard is designed to prevent accidental opening that would depressurize the suit. The helmet isequipped with a microphone and earphones for contact with Mission Control. The helmet drinking port will enable Felix to stay hydrated yet maintains a tight seal. One prototype and two production suits. Inside the Original Space Dive: Joseph Kittinger on Record Jump

Ironically, Kittinger and his pre-astronaut colleagues would help propel Americans into space using the world's oldest flying machine--the balloon. Kittinger's work on Project Excelsior--which involved daring high-altitude bailout tests--earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross long before he earned a collection of medals in Vietnam. Despite the many accolades, Kittinger's proudest moment remains his free fall from , feet during which he achieved a speed of miles per hour. In this long-awaited autobiography, Kittinger joins author Craig Ryan to document an astonishing career. He lives in Portland, Oregon. Account Options Sign in. Top charts. New arrivals. He volunteered for Korea, requesting not to be sent to Germany. The captain was Army, not Air Force. He walked away from Joe shaking his head. In Germany he would see the devastation wrought by the Allied bombing campaigns. It looked like the war had ended the day before they got there. The train stations had been targets and they saw piles of rubble and twisted wreckage nearby when they boarded. The Munich station served as a reminder of how the German people had suffered and what the Americans were really training for. From there on he traveled to North Africa and trained Italian pilots on airstrips built by Mussolini. He began to volunteer for test pilot work, being stuck in camel country for Christmas. Rising in rank, he found a wife in Germany and became a father. Kittinger would get his chance to fight later through three tours of duty in the Vietnam War. It was his work as test pilot that earned him early international recognition. Living the aviators dream he flew as test pilot over the high desert of White Sands Proving Grounds. One fateful day his commanding officer announced a request for a zero gravity project, working for Col. MD. The mission was technical, but relatively straight forward in purpose. Stapp was strapping nine rockets onto an aluminum sled and firing it down a 3, foot track in order to achieve Mach 1 and then come to an abrupt stop within one second in order to test the effects on the human body. Kittinger had to fly over for aerial photography. After several test runs he felt he had the timing down, and Col. Stapp scheduled the test. The test was a success. They had an ambulance waiting with the motor running at the end of the track. The footage is available on YouTube , but the results are not the kind of thing you want to see if you avoid horror movies or blood sports. His eyes had gone completely bloodshot — the whites were turned crimson, and he lost vision for a full ten minutes. There were visible abrasions on his sides with deep purple bruising. The effect of the high speeds attained had sandblasted his epidermis with sub-sonic dust particles. Stapp knew the risks and he volunteered for over twenty tests. Later Stapp would realize he was losing more test pilots from automobile crashes than flight crashes. It was assumed until that period surviving a high-speed car crash was extremely unlikely. Project Manhigh was the first space program, and preceded the Mercury missions. At that height water boils at Meaning the average human body temperature. The water in your saliva and lungs. The water in your organs and blood stream. It was incredibly painful and often lethal. Test pilots would breathe pure oxygen for an hour and a half just to flush out the nitrogen from their blood stream which would turn to gas even earlier than water. This preventative measure is known as pre-breathing, and without it the goals of Project Manhigh would be unattainable. Team work and preparation saw them through those early tests. In the early days of Project Manhigh and Project Mogul rodents, apes, and guinea pigs were used to test the effects of high altitude. Since none of these critters could pilot the balloon what resulted was a good deal of chasing the flight crafts down and clearing residential areas when the test crew was unfortunate enough to see their balloons go down close to the newly emerging urban sprawl. Rushing to get to the animals before their capsule overheated was next to impossible and it became obvious that this sort of unidentified flying object — at the height of Cold War tensions — would draw a crowd where ever it touched down. Weather balloons were always being mistaken for UFOs. Especially at twilight, just after sundown, when a balloon at altitude would catch the last rays and glow after darkness had fallen for onlookers on the ground. One such incident caused a seemingly endless amount of controversy. By May of Project Manhigh was testing with human subjects. It was on a routine flight in an experimental weather balloon a medical emergency would generate headlines and conspiracy theories for over half a century. Kittinger had been training Dan Fulgham and Bill Kaufman for short flights and landings. Alamogordo has a 10, foot mountain range, and leaving Holloman Air Force Base Kittinger instructed the two to keep the balloon at 11, feet while he took a short nap. That may sound odd, but sleeping in shifts was routine on flights, and in a balloon moving no more than twenty miles per hour it can be quite peaceful. Neither Kaufman or Fulgham were certified balloon pilots. When he awoke, Capt. Kittinger checked the altimeter. Five hundred feet?! Right where they were heading. Initially his plan had been to keep the balloon high, find a good spot, and then come down right on top of it. He could already see ground winds whipping up as they approached a small New Mexico town called Roswell. He chose to let Dan Fulgham land. Dan hit a button that cut away the balloon and deployed a cargo chute. Generally, they would let the basket drag a little and open a gas valve. The gondola flipped upside down, yet the test pilots remained inside due to centrifugal force. They managed to get the helmet off, but his head was swelling as the vessels filled with blood. The men became scared they were going to watch a man die. They had a helicopter following their flight, with an Air Force medic on board. It was in the morning when they got Dan on board. Walker Air Force Base was nearby. All the blood vessels in his face and scalp had hemorrhaged, and you could barely see his nose. Kittinger realized that an accident investigator would be dispatched and in no way wanted any part of that guy. Funding was still very limited until Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made his orbital flight and America officially took up the cause of the Space Race. Until that point, all of this testing was to develop bailout procedures for jet pilots. Captain Kittinger bullied the hospital to put Dan into an ambulance and drive him to Alamogordo Hospital. They wanted to air lift him but the sudden change in pressure could kill the man. His attitude at the hospital and attempts to keep away the rubbernecking public at the crash site earned Joe Kittinger a place in the annals of conspiracy theory. A crash-landed weather balloon in Roswell, New Mexico? An individual with an abnormal head and a belligerent red-haired Captain shooing onlookers away and shouting down medical experts? You guessed it. It was in fact Kittinger. Part of the rumor mill begins with Glenn Dennis, a local mortician who has conveniently changed his story to reflect a more paranoid and conspiratorial edge. He benefited from his rumor-mongering, serving as president of the board of directors for one of the UFO museums in Roswell. The way he depicted the serviceman and nurses involved with this tragic incident is disgusting. Due to his name coming up in so many reports, a major television network requested a word with the retired Colonel. On July 5th, , they took a live feed from a local network affiliate in Orlando while the national news anchor was broadcasting from Roswell for the 50th anniversary of the so-called Roswell Incident. The anchor introduced Col. There was a long pause, and the anchor cleared his throat. Joe was elated. Singing songs and handing out sodas to the flight crew. His coworkers would relay this story later with a sense of awe. This man was so daring, and here they were on edge each moment leading up to the launch. The balloon rose without incident. During a routine equipment check at forty thousand feet Captain Kittinger realized the right glove of the pressure suit was damaged, and his hand was exposed. He realized that if ground control knew about his status they would abort. He chose to say nothing. Just passed one hundred thousand feet he stood, prayed. He was floating sideways. Staring out at the void of space. It began to cross his mind that his instruments may have been off. That there may have been some unseen calculation no one performed and here he was suspended in micro-gravity, waiting for his oxygen to slowly run out, turning his flight suit into an ergonomic coffin. He turned slowly and spied the gondola above. It was rushing away from him, rising at an incredible speed into space. He also works one-on-one with Felix during intensive airborne training sessions. Luke shares his knowledge as an instructor and coach, working with jumpers ranging from U. Luke is also an expert aerial photographer, with work published in newspapers and magazines worldwide. He is an essential member of the team devising the progression of jumps that Felix will complete as he trains toward the target altitude of , feet. Before the Red Bull Stratos team could attempt the final flight of the mission, all operations and components were verified through these test flights:. Joe Kittinger knows high-altitude balloon launches, having witnessed more than balloon flights, five of which were his own. The safety behind the Red Bull Stratos Mission is ensured through multi-stage testing. The first unmanned flight was conducted December , and the second test followed in January The idea behind an unmanned flight test is to check every piece of engineering without Felix in the capsule. The goals accomplished included varifying the parachute systems, monitoring the drop pod representing Felix in size and weight, and confirming the electroncs and camera systems from launch to landing. All of the important data Felix wears during the manned tests, satellite tracking and electronics, was stored inside the drop pod. The following list is a brief sample of the components checked during the unmanned tests. The morning of March 15, Felix Baumgartner landed with his parachute in the New Mexico desert nearly 30 miles away from Roswell, wearing a spacesuit as he safely completed a journey towards the edge of space. Just 1 hour and 40 minutes earlier Felix lifted off from Roswell on board a space capsule attached to a foot-high helium balloon that brought him to an altitude of 21, meters 71, feet. This effort takes more than expert personnel who have been building and creating one-of-a- kind technology, and sometimes coming together from across the world. At the time this was considered the maximum vertical speed world record. Felix would later break his own record two more times. That is the area in aerospace where earthly boundaries and laws disappear. Humans could not survive in this zone without a pressurized suit to protect against the forces of depressurization and lack of oxygen. During the first 1, feet of his ascent there would be no time to escape the capsule and open the parachute in the event of a malfunction. During this first manned test the flight to the stratosphere and exit from the capsule went exactly as planned. Felix plunged back towards earth at a speed of nearly miles per hour. He said later the most difficult part was the extreme cold he encountered. The Austrian added that he also needs to work on getting accustomed to the extraordinary dimensions of space. Even though it was only a test jump for his forthcoming leap from an altitude of nearly 23 miles, Baumgartner still managed to make it into the record books. He became only the third person to leap from that altitude and survive. Kittinger is on the team of nearly top experts recruited from the fields of science, medicine and aerospace for the mission. The test demonstrated that not only did the capsule system function exactly as planned, but the giant stratospheric balloon did as well, as balloon launch director Ed Coca confirmed. With the success of his second stratospheric test jump, Felix Baumgartner completed the final milestone before attempting to fulfill his dream of becoming the first person to break the speed of sound in freefall. Pending official data review and confirmation, the leap from 97, The purpose of the Red Bull Stratos mission is to transcend human limits. Supported by a team of experts Felix Baumgartner ascended to , feet in a stratospheric balloon and made a freefall jump rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before to the ground. His successful feat on Oct. This was during a time when no one knew if a human could survive a jump from the edge of space. Joe was a Captain in the U. Air Force and had already taken a balloon to 97, feet in Project ManHigh and survived a drogue mishap during a jump from 76, feet in Excelsior I. The Excelsior III mission was his 33rd parachute jump. Joe ascended in helium balloon launched from the back of a truck. He wore a pressurized suit on the way up in an open, unpressurized gondola. New Mexico offers a wide range of relatively low populated ranch land, access to excellent launch facilities. The city of Roswell covers approximately 29 miles of the Pecos River valley, with the Sacramento Mountains to its west. In general the Roswell area is flat and semi-arid, with a sparse population outside the city and typically excellent sightlines. Native Americans have been living in the New Mexico region for some 20, years, and white settlers began to establish Roswell in the latter half of the 19th century. In the 20th century, New Mexico became a hub for aerospace innovation, including, among many other groundbreaking initiatives, Dr. Robert H. Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos program also set numerous records that do not fall within the official categories outlined in the FAI rules. Most significant among them: Baumgartner was first person to break the speed of sound without the protection or propulsion of a vehicle. Proof that a human can safely break the speed of sound in freefall opens up new avenues in the search for ways to escape from high-altitude aircraft in emergency situations. World records achieved that fall outside FAI official categorization:. Now in turn, I am hearing that people are being inspired by my records to follow their dreams and achieve extraordinary things. Sounds complicated, right? But the complexities are even greater for Red Bull Stratos, because the team has to capture data for a type of effort that has never been documented before. But there were a number of challenges. Further, because of U. Once the team selected a GPS system, scrupulous testing was carried out to verify its accuracy. Evaluations included twice dropping an unmanned test pod to simulate manned flight from stratospheric altitudes and comparing the results to those of a Doppler radar. Preparation of the nine-page report required a month of work, in part to resolve errant GPS data created when Felix was briefly inverted. One of his particular areas of expertise is evaluating and documenting methods of measuring aeronautic performance, and he has been instrumental in developing the application of a secure, high-speed GPS flight recording system to accurately confirm world records, resulting in an improved recording process. He has been a member of the Contest and Records Board an independent authority in the administration, documentation and certification of all record attempts sanctioned by the NAA since Breaking the speed of sound refers to catching up with — and surpassing — the speed at which sound waves are produced in the air. The speed of sound is affected by temperature: where the air is colder, sound travels more slowly. At about , feet above sea level, Felix Baumgartner would have to go miles per hour to match the speed of sound, known as Mach 1. The concept stems from the midth century, when early high-speed aircraft sometimes experienced extreme instability, and even broke up, as they neared the speed of sound. Fortunately, the impact of shock waves becomes less severe with higher altitude, because air becomes less dense. What other hazards will Felix Baumgartner face as he attempts to break the speed of sound? , a concept familiar to skydivers, refers to the point at which a falling object stops accelerating. Drag, or resistance, is one of the key factors causing terminal velocity. Bailing out at a very high altitude, where the air is thin, should enable Felix to break the speed of sound before reaching more dense air that will create drag and eventually result in his terminal velocity. How will we know that Felix has broken the speed of sound? The data gathered about the effects of supersonic freefall can provide valuable tools for researchers looking to develop safety procedures for the pilots and astronauts of today and tomorrow — and for future space tourists. Normally the atmosphere cools a few degrees with a rise in altitude. Flying a jet at about 35, ft is typically where temperatures drop off dramatically to F or even F degrees. The cooling trend slows down as you enter the initial layer of the stratosphere, which is never at an exact altitude. The stratosphere just like any layer of the atmosphere starts and stops at various heights depending on where you are on the planet. These layers are temperature dependent. These variations change with the seasons too. So the reason the temperature actually increases as you climb through the stratosphere is due to the ozone layer. Ozone molecules absorb energy and give heat back to the stratosphere. Learn about Temperature Changes. One of the primary factors affecting the success of the Red Bull Stratos mission is the weather. The wind must be calm. Susceptibility to wind variation increases with balloon size and the Red Bull Stratos balloon is massive. Further, the balloon is only. Even before takeoff, the story-high envelope could tear if caught by a wind gust or overturn the mega-ton crane that positions the capsule for launch. Take-off will not be authorized if winds exceed 2 miles per hour from ground level through to several hundred feet in altitude. The team will assess winds throughout the mission — especially at the border of the stratosphere, where turbulence is common. Also, because the balloon will be steered using wind currents, determining wind patterns aloft will enable the team to predict the landing zone even before launch. Precipitation — whether in the form of snow, ice, rain or heavy fog — could impair visibility for the team and the performance of the balloon. Precipitation of any kind, or even excess humidity, will prevent a launch. Excessive frost or ice build-up on the balloon could impede takeoff or ascent by adding potentially hundreds of pounds to the weight of the payload. To comply with U. Another kind of phenomenon that will be tracked is solar flares, bursts of explosive activity on the sun. The mission team will plan the launch to avoid solar flares. Because all these factors directly impact the ability to launch, Red Bull Stratos meteorologist Don Day minutely examines both historical and current weather profiles. Using computer weather models to predict conditions up to , feet, he creates flight and landing trajectory projections and he advises the team about windows for tests and the final launch. To verify these windows, Don and the team release balloons to assess conditions above Roswell, New Mexico, and also receive data on upper-level conditions from balloons launched twice daily at El Paso, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Even so, conditions can change unexpectedly only hours before take-off — or during the mission itself. The Mission Control Team will receive meteorological readings throughout the mission and keep Felix informed to ensure a safe flight. Unprotected exposure in this area of the stratosphere for a matter of seconds is only survivable with aggressive medical care. Until now no medical treatment had been developed to deal with long term exposure to these hostile elements. The Red Bull Stratos Team has created a treatment protocol in case of an emergency. The team is analyzing the recording, including use of an algorithm typically employed by NASA, to precisely determine where the sonic boom occurred. And so although this was quieter, when four teams on the ground in New Mexico, including expert personnel, all heard it, we knew that — no question — he broke the sound barrier. Felix endured an incredible feat, and the essence of the program was his ability to go through the sound barrier and recover from the spin. How soon can we get this information? And so this is going to make a substantial difference. It was a true aviation milestone. We will analyze this data for months, if not years, to come. For safety, even our backup systems had backup systems. I am going to stop now with BASE jumping because I have closed that chapter, but at the same time we have opened a new door for the safety of manned flight into space. Baumgartner is also preparing to take on a previously unforeseen role, as last week United Nations Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon invited him to become a youth ambassador for the organization. Joe Kittinger, the mentor who held the records Baumgartner broke in New Mexico. The primary contribution to the science community includes data that could help develop next generation space suits, establish viable escape procedures for passengers and crew in space, and create parachutes with state-of-the-art safety systems. The statistic was just part of the news shared in a report detailing the results of a three-month-long analysis of mission data conducted by the Red Bull Stratos science team, released on 5 February 5, The wide-ranging science findings, including the first physiologic data ever captured from a human freefalling faster than the speed of sound, also led to some revisions in the initial figures from the jump, which collected knowledge for future aerospace travel while breaking numerous records. With the help of additional data recorder analysis, the jump altitude was revised slightly down to 38, That is a vital breakthrough for the aerospace industry as it looks for answers to the questions of crew and passenger escape in emergency situations, especially with commercial space travel on the horizon. Baumgartner, whose heartbeat during the pre-launch oxygen pre-breathe period was 40 to bpm, had a heartbeat of 60 to bpm during the ascent and bpm when he hit Mach. His respiratory rate hit a maximum of 30 to 43 breaths per minute during the freefall. Baumgartner experienced All physiologic data were well within anticipated parameters, never exceeding safety margins. That kind of helpless feeling is annoying as a professional skydiver. And then when you finally enter a thicker air layer you have to keep yourself completely symmetrical because otherwise you start spinning, which is what happened to me. No personal parachute rig had ever been developed for supersonic freefall. The ingenious system created for Baumgartner included a variety of innovations ranging from a specially designed handle configuration to a unique altimeter designed for the exceptionally long descent. But the biggest innovation was a drogue stabilization system and G meter triggering device designed to stabilize Baumgartner only if his spins reached dangerous levels, without deploying if as it turned out he was able to control spinning with his own skills. New medical treatment protocols were developed. Thus blood spontaneously boils, a condition called ebullism that can lead to serious consequences, especially in the lungs. As a contingency against unforeseen exposure to the stratospheric environment, the Red Bull Stratos medical team developed a treatment protocol that for the first time indicates use of a special type of ventilator in the field. Typically with high-altitude payloads, a recovery parachute deploys fully as soon as the payload releases from the balloon. The result was a one-third reduction in drifting resulting in better accuracy in landing zone prediction and an estimated two-thirds reduction of descent time. Utley pointed out that the Maximum Vertical Speed category is a new one for the FAI, established especially to accommodate the ground breaking nature of the Red Bull Stratos program. The Red Bull Stratos team continues to analyze deeper layers of data, with results to be shared in venues such as journal publications and conferences. In addition to being comfortable in zero-G and high-G environments, he is familiar with the specific camera systems that work well in these conditions. FlightLine Films offers long-range optical tracking, zero-gravity qualified crews and HD cameras for use in the cold vacuum of space, as well as housings that allow traditional motion picture cameras to operate in that hostile environment. Book Signings | International Skydiving Museum & Hall of Fame His ability to weave a narrative of adventure and tragedy is superb and those who wish to research this crucial part of American history will become used to hearing his essential commentaries in documentaries on the subject. Joe Kittinger grew up with the gift of adventure — the title aptly given to the first chapter of his autobiography. The excitement of reward versus risk and the elation of achieving in the face of great odds. Joe Kittinger was not a daredevil. He never was. That slow-moving river, its wildlife, and the society of men that lived and worked on it would teach young Joe much of what he needed to learn about the world. How to assess a risk and then overcome it. When to bail out and when to stay the course. Joe Kittinger takes us to the world born of that river. His father owned a ramshackle houseboat christened The John Henry. But it was perfect to while away the days on the shallow St. A roof fifteen feet above the water line was ideal to cast a line off of to catch black bass. Born in Tampa in , he was taken to Orlando three months later. It was a nice little city of only thirty thousand at the time. Gator hunting was a popular pastime. Gators were known to take down cattle and dogs, so the river men would kill and eat any they thought were getting big enough to pose a serious threat. They had no use for electricity and lit their little two room house with only a kerosene lantern. Joe was fascinated by them. After Agnes caught him peering through the bushes at these people he found so exotic he was instructed to never scare or embarrass them. He brought food to their tiny house once a day. They were simple people who only wanted to live the rest of their lives out in peace and dignity and the community obliged. It was at this early stage in life he began to show a fascination with flying. He would build model airplanes and launch them off the roof with other children until the planes were so beat up he afforded them a ritual burial or simply set them on fire for one final flight. He became wary of one young army recruiter who tried to convince him to sign up for the Army and then apply for flight school. It sounded too fishy to the sharp-witted teen. He had to pry a little, but finally the recruiter reluctantly admitted that with two years of college he could apply directly for the Aviation Cadet Program. At this time, Phil Orr entered his life. Thanks to the G. This was how Joe would get his first chance behind the controls. Joe would tag a long on short flights for a chance to take the controls in mid-air. Eventually Phil let him make take offs and landings. Joe Kittinger was hooked. During his short time in college he raced speed boats and hydroplanes. He found a sponsor, and found acceptance and a pat on the shoulder when he won. His sponsor — the hydroplane owner — would pocket the winnings and Joe could keep the trophy and all the glory. On September 18th, the was established as a separate branch of the service. The wait was unbearable. He was nervous about his performance on some of the physical exams, noting that fifty percent of applicants are denied due to some slight physical imperfection — usually vision. To compound his anxiety every doctor refused to tell him how he did. It was a month before he found an envelope from the Air Force in his mailbox, only to frustrate him further. It was a notice informing him when and where to go for an interview in front of the selection board. They were poker faced and seemingly indifferent to the fact that he was on the cusp of his dreams of being a great pilot. The entire process was unnerving. In January of he finally received a letter informing him he was to report to pilot training in March. His prayers had been answered. Having spent time at a military academy in his youth, Joe Kittinger had leadership training. He was put in charge of his barracks, making sure everything was clean and marching the men to the mess hall to eat silently. He and his men would receive demerits if their shoes were not perfectly lined up. He hated the demand for conformity. But every time he took flight into the wild blue he felt it was all worth it. He graduated with hours of flight training. With 93 different planes flown during his career the P was his all-time favorite. Though aviation technology would improve in a myriad of ways, Joe claims he never encountered a better combination of airframe, engine, and flight controls than he did with the P He began flying formations and cross-countries. His graduated and his mother pinned his wings on him in Nevada. Like many graduates in that area he bought a car from a local pilot turned salesman. On the drive to the Brooklyn Naval Yard from Baltimore an announcement came over the radio that war had begun. South Korea had been invaded. He volunteered for Korea, requesting not to be sent to Germany. The captain was Army, not Air Force. He walked away from Joe shaking his head. In Germany he would see the devastation wrought by the Allied bombing campaigns. It looked like the war had ended the day before they got there. The train stations had been targets and they saw piles of rubble and twisted wreckage nearby when they boarded. The Munich station served as a reminder of how the German people had suffered and what the Americans were really training for. From there on he traveled to North Africa and trained Italian pilots on airstrips built by Mussolini. He began to volunteer for test pilot work, being stuck in camel country for Christmas. Rising in rank, he found a wife in Germany and became a father. Kittinger would get his chance to fight later through three tours of duty in the Vietnam War. It was his work as test pilot that earned him early international recognition. Living the aviators dream he flew as test pilot over the high desert of White Sands Proving Grounds. One fateful day his commanding officer announced a request for a zero gravity project, working for Col. John Stapp MD. The mission was technical, but relatively straight forward in purpose. Stapp was strapping nine rockets onto an aluminum sled and firing it down a 3, foot track in order to achieve Mach 1 and then come to an abrupt stop within one second in order to test the effects on the human body. Kittinger had to fly over for aerial photography. After several test runs he felt he had the timing down, and Col. Stapp scheduled the test. The test was a success. They had an ambulance waiting with the motor running at the end of the track. The footage is available on YouTube , but the results are not the kind of thing you want to see if you avoid horror movies or blood sports. His eyes had gone completely bloodshot — the whites were turned crimson, and he lost vision for a full ten minutes. There were visible abrasions on his sides with deep purple bruising. The effect of the high speeds attained had sandblasted his epidermis with sub-sonic dust particles. Stapp knew the risks and he volunteered for over twenty tests. Later Stapp would realize he was losing more test pilots from automobile crashes than flight crashes. It was assumed until that period surviving a high-speed car crash was extremely unlikely. Project Manhigh was the first space program, and preceded the Mercury missions. At that height water boils at Meaning the average human body temperature. The water in your saliva and lungs. The water in your organs and blood stream. It was incredibly painful and often lethal. Test pilots would breathe pure oxygen for an hour and a half just to flush out the nitrogen from their blood stream which would turn to gas even earlier than water. This preventative measure is known as pre- breathing, and without it the goals of Project Manhigh would be unattainable. Team work and preparation saw them through those early tests. In the early days of Project Manhigh and Project Mogul rodents, apes, and guinea pigs were used to test the effects of high altitude. Since none of these critters could pilot the balloon what resulted was a good deal of chasing the flight crafts down and clearing residential areas when the test crew was unfortunate enough to see their balloons go down close to the newly emerging urban sprawl. He retired as a Colonel and subsequently set two world ballooning records and won numerous ballooning competitions. To date, Joe has logged more than 16, hours of flying time in over 93 aircraft. As technical project director for Red Bull Stratos, Art Thompson conceptualized and drove the design, engineering and fabrication of the flight vehicle including development of the life support systems, flight equipment and flight-testing program. It was while working for Northrop Corporation that he served on a team brainstorming ideas for an aircraft that could avoid radar detection; their design would become the B-2 Spirit. Art co-founded his own company, Sage Cheshire Aerospace, Inc. Army Golden Knight; recognized by the New Mexico and California Senates for contributions in aerospace and human physiology for egress from high altitude. As the Red Bull Stratos life support engineer, Mike Todd is responsible for the equipment that will keep Felix Baumgartner alive as he freefalls through near space: his pressure suit and helmet and their oxygen components. Mike not only helped to suggest and perfect the design innovations of this vital life-support gear; he personally maintains the suit, coordinating with Red Bull Stratos team members to ensure that everything — from capsule layout to parachute deployment — works harmoniously with its design. As performance manager for Red Bull Stratos, Andy and his team help Felix Baumgartner execute a performance plan by encompassing both physical and psychological readiness, and provide high performance direction and support for the entire mission team. With a Ph. Olympic ski and snowboard teams, guiding their athletes to victories on the world stage. A professional skydiver with two decades of experience and more than 16, jumps to his credit, Luke Aikins has a lifelong history of tackling aviation challenges that are out of the ordinary. He also works one-on-one with Felix during intensive airborne training sessions. Luke shares his knowledge as an instructor and coach, working with jumpers ranging from U. Luke is also an expert aerial photographer, with work published in newspapers and magazines worldwide. He is an essential member of the team devising the progression of jumps that Felix will complete as he trains toward the target altitude of , feet. Before the Red Bull Stratos team could attempt the final flight of the mission, all operations and components were verified through these test flights:. Joe Kittinger knows high-altitude balloon launches, having witnessed more than balloon flights, five of which were his own. The safety behind the Red Bull Stratos Mission is ensured through multi-stage testing. The first unmanned flight was conducted December , and the second test followed in January The idea behind an unmanned flight test is to check every piece of engineering without Felix in the capsule. The goals accomplished included varifying the parachute systems, monitoring the drop pod representing Felix in size and weight, and confirming the electroncs and camera systems from launch to landing. All of the important data Felix wears during the manned tests, satellite tracking and electronics, was stored inside the drop pod. The following list is a brief sample of the components checked during the unmanned tests. The morning of March 15, Felix Baumgartner landed with his parachute in the New Mexico desert nearly 30 miles away from Roswell, wearing a spacesuit as he safely completed a journey towards the edge of space. Just 1 hour and 40 minutes earlier Felix lifted off from Roswell on board a space capsule attached to a foot-high helium balloon that brought him to an altitude of 21, meters 71, feet. This effort takes more than expert personnel who have been building and creating one-of-a-kind technology, and sometimes coming together from across the world. At the time this was considered the maximum vertical speed world record. Felix would later break his own record two more times. That is the area in aerospace where earthly boundaries and laws disappear. Humans could not survive in this zone without a pressurized suit to protect against the forces of depressurization and lack of oxygen. During the first 1, feet of his ascent there would be no time to escape the capsule and open the parachute in the event of a malfunction. During this first manned test the flight to the stratosphere and exit from the capsule went exactly as planned. Felix plunged back towards earth at a speed of nearly miles per hour. He said later the most difficult part was the extreme cold he encountered. The Austrian added that he also needs to work on getting accustomed to the extraordinary dimensions of space. Even though it was only a test jump for his forthcoming leap from an altitude of nearly 23 miles, Baumgartner still managed to make it into the record books. He became only the third person to leap from that altitude and survive. Kittinger is on the team of nearly top experts recruited from the fields of science, medicine and aerospace for the mission. The test demonstrated that not only did the capsule system function exactly as planned, but the giant stratospheric balloon did as well, as balloon launch director Ed Coca confirmed. With the success of his second stratospheric test jump, Felix Baumgartner completed the final milestone before attempting to fulfill his dream of becoming the first person to break the speed of sound in freefall. Pending official data review and confirmation, the leap from 97, The purpose of the Red Bull Stratos mission is to transcend human limits. Supported by a team of experts Felix Baumgartner ascended to , feet in a stratospheric balloon and made a freefall jump rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground. His successful feat on Oct. This was during a time when no one knew if a human could survive a jump from the edge of space. Joe was a Captain in the U. Air Force and had already taken a balloon to 97, feet in Project ManHigh and survived a drogue mishap during a jump from 76, feet in Excelsior I. The Excelsior III mission was his 33rd parachute jump. Joe ascended in helium balloon launched from the back of a truck. He wore a pressurized suit on the way up in an open, unpressurized gondola. New Mexico offers a wide range of relatively low populated ranch land, access to excellent launch facilities. The city of Roswell covers approximately 29 miles of the Pecos River valley, with the Sacramento Mountains to its west. In general the Roswell area is flat and semi-arid, with a sparse population outside the city and typically excellent sightlines. Native Americans have been living in the New Mexico region for some 20, years, and white settlers began to establish Roswell in the latter half of the 19th century. In the 20th century, New Mexico became a hub for aerospace innovation, including, among many other groundbreaking initiatives, Dr. Robert H. Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos program also set numerous records that do not fall within the official categories outlined in the FAI rules. Most significant among them: Baumgartner was first person to break the speed of sound without the protection or propulsion of a vehicle. Proof that a human can safely break the speed of sound in freefall opens up new avenues in the search for ways to escape from high-altitude aircraft in emergency situations. World records achieved that fall outside FAI official categorization:. Now in turn, I am hearing that people are being inspired by my records to follow their dreams and achieve extraordinary things. Sounds complicated, right? But the complexities are even greater for Red Bull Stratos, because the team has to capture data for a type of effort that has never been documented before. But there were a number of challenges. Further, because of U. Once the team selected a GPS system, scrupulous testing was carried out to verify its accuracy. Evaluations included twice dropping an unmanned test pod to simulate manned flight from stratospheric altitudes and comparing the results to those of a Doppler radar. Preparation of the nine-page report required a month of work, in part to resolve errant GPS data created when Felix was briefly inverted. One of his particular areas of expertise is evaluating and documenting methods of measuring aeronautic performance, and he has been instrumental in developing the application of a secure, high-speed GPS flight recording system to accurately confirm world records, resulting in an improved recording process. He has been a member of the Contest and Records Board an independent authority in the administration, documentation and certification of all record attempts sanctioned by the NAA since Breaking the speed of sound refers to catching up with — and surpassing — the speed at which sound waves are produced in the air. The speed of sound is affected by temperature: where the air is colder, sound travels more slowly. At about , feet above sea level, Felix Baumgartner would have to go miles per hour to match the speed of sound, known as Mach 1. The concept stems from the midth century, when early high-speed aircraft sometimes experienced extreme instability, and even broke up, as they neared the speed of sound. Fortunately, the impact of shock waves becomes less severe with higher altitude, because air becomes less dense. What other hazards will Felix Baumgartner face as he attempts to break the speed of sound? Terminal velocity, a concept familiar to skydivers, refers to the point at which a falling object stops accelerating. Drag, or resistance, is one of the key factors causing terminal velocity. Bailing out at a very high altitude, where the air is thin, should enable Felix to break the speed of sound before reaching more dense air that will create drag and eventually result in his terminal velocity. How will we know that Felix has broken the speed of sound? The data gathered about the effects of supersonic freefall can provide valuable tools for researchers looking to develop safety procedures for the pilots and astronauts of today and tomorrow — and for future space tourists. Normally the atmosphere cools a few degrees with a rise in altitude. Flying a jet at about 35, ft is typically where temperatures drop off dramatically to F or even F degrees. The cooling trend slows down as you enter the initial layer of the stratosphere, which is never at an exact altitude. The stratosphere just like any layer of the atmosphere starts and stops at various heights depending on where you are on the planet. These layers are temperature dependent. These variations change with the seasons too. So the reason the temperature actually increases as you climb through the stratosphere is due to the ozone layer. Ozone molecules absorb energy and give heat back to the stratosphere. Learn about Temperature Changes. One of the primary factors affecting the success of the Red Bull Stratos mission is the weather. The wind must be calm. Susceptibility to wind variation increases with balloon size and the Red Bull Stratos balloon is massive. Further, the balloon is only. Even before takeoff, the story-high envelope could tear if caught by a wind gust or overturn the mega-ton crane that positions the capsule for launch. Take-off will not be authorized if winds exceed 2 miles per hour from ground level through to several hundred feet in altitude. The team will assess winds throughout the mission — especially at the border of the stratosphere, where turbulence is common. Also, because the balloon will be steered using wind currents, determining wind patterns aloft will enable the team to predict the landing zone even before launch. Precipitation — whether in the form of snow, ice, rain or heavy fog — could impair visibility for the team and the performance of the balloon. Precipitation of any kind, or even excess humidity, will prevent a launch. Excessive frost or ice build-up on the balloon could impede takeoff or ascent by adding potentially hundreds of pounds to the weight of the payload. To comply with U. Another kind of phenomenon that will be tracked is solar flares, bursts of explosive activity on the sun. The mission team will plan the launch to avoid solar flares. Because all these factors directly impact the ability to launch, Red Bull Stratos meteorologist Don Day minutely examines both historical and current weather profiles. Using computer weather models to predict conditions up to , feet, he creates flight and landing trajectory projections and he advises the team about windows for tests and the final launch. To verify these windows, Don and the team release balloons to assess conditions above Roswell, New Mexico, and also receive data on upper-level conditions from balloons launched twice daily at El Paso, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Even so, conditions can change unexpectedly only hours before take-off — or during the mission itself. The Mission Control Team will receive meteorological readings throughout the mission and keep Felix informed to ensure a safe flight. Unprotected exposure in this area of the stratosphere for a matter of seconds is only survivable with aggressive medical care. Until now no medical treatment had been developed to deal with long term exposure to these hostile elements. The Red Bull Stratos Team has created a treatment protocol in case of an emergency. The team is analyzing the recording, including use of an algorithm typically employed by NASA, to precisely determine where the sonic boom occurred. And so although this was quieter, when four teams on the ground in New Mexico, including expert personnel, all heard it, we knew that — no question — he broke the sound barrier. Felix endured an incredible feat, and the essence of the program was his ability to go through the sound barrier and recover from the spin. How soon can we get this information? And so this is going to make a substantial difference. It was a true aviation milestone. We will analyze this data for months, if not years, to come. For safety, even our backup systems had backup systems. I am going to stop now with BASE jumping because I have closed that chapter, but at the same time we have opened a new door for the safety of manned flight into space. Baumgartner is also preparing to take on a previously unforeseen role, as last week United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon invited him to become a youth ambassador for the organization. Joe Kittinger, the mentor who held the records Baumgartner broke in New Mexico. The primary contribution to the science community includes data that could help develop next generation space suits, establish viable escape procedures for passengers and crew in space, and create parachutes with state-of-the-art safety systems. The statistic was just part of the news shared in a report detailing the results of a three-month-long analysis of mission data conducted by the Red Bull Stratos science team, released on 5 February 5, The wide-ranging science findings, including the first physiologic data ever captured from a human freefalling faster than the speed of sound, also led to some revisions in the initial figures from the jump, which collected knowledge for future aerospace travel while breaking numerous records. With the help of additional data recorder analysis, the jump altitude was revised slightly down to 38, That is a vital breakthrough for the aerospace industry as it looks for answers to the questions of crew and passenger escape in emergency situations, especially with commercial space travel on the horizon. Baumgartner, whose heartbeat during the pre-launch oxygen pre-breathe period was 40 to bpm, had a heartbeat of 60 to bpm during the ascent and bpm when he hit Mach. His respiratory rate hit a maximum of 30 to 43 breaths per minute during the freefall. Baumgartner experienced All physiologic data were well within anticipated parameters, never exceeding safety margins. That kind of helpless feeling is annoying as a professional skydiver. And then when you finally enter a thicker air layer you have to keep yourself completely symmetrical because otherwise you start spinning, which is what happened to me. He had made a name for himself at Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo, New Mexico, as a test pilot who helped demonstrate that egress survival for pilots at high altitudes was possible in emergency situations. Ironically, Kittinger and his pre-astronaut colleagues would help propel Americans into space using the world's oldest flying machine--the balloon. Kittinger's work on Project Excelsior--which involved daring high-altitude bailout tests--earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross long before he earned a collection of medals in Vietnam. Despite the many accolades, Kittinger's proudest moment remains his free fall from , feet during which he achieved a speed of miles per hour. In this long-awaited autobiography, Kittinger joins author Craig Ryan to document an astonishing career. Selected by Popular Mechanics as a Top Book of Get A Copy. Hardcover , pages. More Details Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. May 23, Thom rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: dean smith. Shelves: non-fiction , top-seven. I really liked this book, from the personality of the man, through the early history of space adventure and his experience in Vietnam, to his years as a barnstormer and balloon racer. The history was concise and clear, the personal recollections interesting, and the pictures added just enough to have me digging for more. Colonel Kittinger has three life stories in here at least, all of them interesting, and he's not done yet. Well done! Oct 31, Ames36 rated it really liked it. This is not a book I would have chosen on my own but I enjoyed it. It is a field that is a mystery to me so I liked learning more about it. Brings to light the time and dedication needed to excel in ones' field. Loved learning the historical aspects of the time. Sep 01, Dillon Danforth rated it really liked it. This was a book given to me by my grandfather. It took me awhile to open it up and read it; I wish I had t waited so long. I want to do that!

Come Up and Get Me (Kittinger autobiography) - collectSPACE: Messages

Joseph Kittinger — Joseph W. Kittinger II. Projet Excelsior — Saut record de Kittinger. Project Excelsior — was a series of high altitude parachute jumps made by Captain later Colonel Joseph Kittinger of the United States Air Force in and to test the Beaupre multi stage parachute system. We are using cookies for the best presentation of our site. Continuing to use this site, you agree with this. Joseph W. Kittinger II Joseph W. United States Air Force portal. New York Times. Retrieved Kittinger, then a year-old Air Force pilot, jumped from a balloon , feet above the New Mexico desert. August 29, London: The Independent. Joe Kittinger Jr. USAF Heritage. Vietnam Air Losses. Hinckley UK: Midland Publishing. Kittinger, Jr. National Aviation Hall of Fame. The Daily Telegraph London. Red Bull Stratos press release. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet. United States Air Force. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. May 23, Thom rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: dean smith. Shelves: non-fiction , top-seven. I really liked this book, from the personality of the man, through the early history of space adventure and his experience in Vietnam, to his years as a barnstormer and balloon racer. The history was concise and clear, the personal recollections interesting, and the pictures added just enough to have me digging for more. Colonel Kittinger has three life stories in here at least, all of them interesting, and he's not done yet. Well done! Oct 31, Ames36 rated it really liked it. This is not a book I would have chosen on my own but I enjoyed it. It is a field that is a mystery to me so I liked learning more about it. Brings to light the time and dedication needed to excel in ones' field. Loved learning the historical aspects of the time. Sep 01, Dillon Danforth rated it really liked it. This was a book given to me by my grandfather. It took me awhile to open it up and read it; I wish I had t waited so long. I want to do that! Only aft This was a book given to me by my grandfather. Only after reading this can I understand how much hard work and dedication is needed to make it happen. I hope to one day reread this book. Dec 25, Rod rated it it was amazing. I'd recommend this book based solely on the many different facets of this man's life. It is amazing the many things he's done and experiences he's had.. Some of them are particularly unique and beyond the experience of the average person -- for example, skydiving from , feet. Apr 30, John rated it it was amazing. Very interesting life Joe has had. He did some very significant work for the jet and space age early in his career. Aug 19, Brent Mckay rated it really liked it. Lean-mean overview of his many careers. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Craig Ryan. A few years after his release from a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp in , Colonel Joseph Kittinger retired from the Air Force. Restless and unchallenged, he turned to ballooning, a lifelong passion as well as a constant diversion for his imagination during his imprisonment. His primary goal was a solitary circumnavigation of the globe, and in its pursuit he set s A few years after his release from a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp in , Colonel Joseph Kittinger retired from the Air Force. His primary goal was a solitary circumnavigation of the globe, and in its pursuit he set several ballooning distance records, including the first solo crossing of the Atlantic in But the aeronautical feats that first made him an American hero had occurred a quarter of a century earlier. By the time Kittinger was shot down in Vietnam in , his Air Force career was already legendary. He had made a name for himself at Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo, New Mexico, as a test pilot who helped demonstrate that egress survival for pilots at high altitudes was possible in emergency situations. Ironically, Kittinger and his pre-astronaut colleagues would help propel Americans into space using the world's oldest flying machine-- the balloon. Kittinger's work on Project Excelsior--which involved daring high-altitude bailout tests--earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross long before he earned a collection of medals in Vietnam. Despite the many accolades, Kittinger's proudest moment remains his free fall from , feet during which he achieved a speed of miles per hour. Selected by Popular Mechanics as a Top Book of Get A Copy. Paperback , pages. More Details Other Editions 3. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Come Up and Get Me , please sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters.

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