Joe Kittinger
Set a world record in 1960 with a skydive from 102,800 feet, the highest jump ever made at the time.
Was the first person to break the sound barrier in freefall during his record-setting jump from the Project Excelsior mission.
Kittinger pioneered advancements in high-altitude parachute systems, crucial for future space exploration and skydiving safety.
Inducted: 2010
Country: United States
Joe Kittinger’s aviation career began in 1949 in the U.S. Air Force. He made his first jump freefall in 1955 in El Centro, CA at the Navy Test Jump School. But, he is better known as the “first man in space.” In 1960, Kittinger, B-6215, leaped from a balloon gondola at 102,800 feet, setting the unofficial altitude record. Fifty years later, the altitude record still stands. In his later career, Kittinger served three tours of duty piloting jets in the Vietnam War. Kittinger passed away at the age of 94.
Date of First Jump: 1955
Born: July 27, 1928
Died: 2022
