On August 16, 1960, 32-year-old U.S. Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger flew in a helium-balloon gondola to 102,800 feet (roughly 19 miles) above the Earth ... and jumped. His free-fall lasted 4 minutes and 36 seconds. He experienced temperatures approaching minus-100 degrees Fahrenheit. As he fell, Kittinger neared the speed of sound, his pressure-suit-encased body traveling at more than 600 mph before he opened his parachute at 14,000 feet. To this day, he still holds records for highest parachute jump and longest-ever free-fall. On the 50th anniversary of his jump -- an achievement considered among the most technologically significant, and ballsiest, of the 20th century -- Joe Kittinger spoke with LIFE.com about the highlights of his storied career; his own aviation and scientific heroes; and Red Bull's 2010 Stratos project, on which he's an enthusiastic advisor. Later this year, Stratos -- and the Austrian-born skydiver, Felix Baumgartner -- will attempt to break Kittinger's 1960 record with a near-space free-fall jump from 120,000 feet.

http://www.life.com/image/ugc1065161/in-gallery/45761/joe-kittinger-a-legend-looks-back


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Great vid, dude needs to do the jump on new years eve. Would beat a stupid moto jump in vegas.

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Joe Kittinger: Flight Commander

Joe Kittinger volunteered for three combat tours in Vietnam. In May, 1971, he was made Commander of the 555th fighter squadron. "I was the lucky guy who got to be the flight commander for the 555th, the 'triple nickel,' which was the ideal assignment. A phenomenal group of pilots, flying those incredibly tough, versatile F-4 fighter bombers (see above)." On May 11, 1972, Kittinger was shot down by an enemy MiG fighter; was almost killed (twice, he says) by civilians on the ground as soon as he landed after ejecting at 18,000 feet; and spent 11 months in captivity as a prisoner of war.

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I'm wondering why this man's life has not been made into a movie.

Excelsior I: On November 16, 1959, Joe jumped from an altitude of more than 76,400 feet. When a timer triggered his main chute too early, Joe went into an uncontrollable spin &#8211; the lines wrapped around his neck and he lost consciousness. Only the automatic reserve parachute saved him.

Excelsior II: Less than one month later, on December 11, 1959, Joe jumped from 74,700 feet and landed safely. Encouraged, the team set a new goal to jump from above 100,000 feet.

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Joe and Sherry Kittinger: Barnstorming
"Every pilot dreams of being a barnstormer," Joe Kittinger confided to LIFE. "And the dream came true for me during nine years of flying a 1929 New Standard open cockpit bi-plane all over the country in the 1990s. One year, we took this beautiful old plane from Vero Beach, Florida, to Tillamook, Oregon -- making 26 field-stops along the way, and taking people up in the plane at every stop. In all, we flew more than 10,000 happy passengers over those nine years. And to have Sherry [Joe's wife of 19 years] along for the adventure, as a kind of roustabout, selling tickets, organizing things -- it simply wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for her. It was a fantasy come true, truly." Pictured: Joe and Sherry beside Joe's 1929 New Standard biplane.

congratulations. the guy is a great hero for this country.

and he has bigger kahones than I do to jump from an object at 120,000 feet