Cosmic Perspective - Col. Joe Kittinger

My guest today is the 1st person to free fall from more than 100,000 ft & perform a solo crossing of the Atlantic in a Gas Balloon, Colonel Joe Kittinger. Joseph William Kittinger II (born July 27, 1928) is a former United States Air Force pilot. He became famous for participating in the Excelsior project where he jumped from a helium balloon from an altitude of 31,300 m (102,800 ft) on August 16, 1960.   Kittinger was assigned by Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio, to Project Excelsior. The project consisted of a series of jumps to test the Beaupre multi-stage parachute system to be reliable after ejection at high altitudes and supersonic speeds.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].