"This is the highest step in the world"

"This is the highest step in the world".

On the 16th of August 1960 Joseph Kittinger lifted off from Earth in a helium balloon called the Excelsor III

He reached a height of 102,800 feet (31,330m) or 19.4 miles.
Then he jumped.

Music: The Who I Can See For Miles

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Joseph
• Kittinger
• highest
• step
• in
• the
• world
• parachute
• jump

[smp156]

how long did it take him to get back to earth?

[Jondave289]

@smp156 It took him about 14 minutes to return to Earth..

[b24line]

I wonder what was the duration of his jump. Did it take 5 minutes or only 2 before he open his chute? Either way that is one long time.

[Jondave289]

@b24line He free-fell for 4.30 minutes before opening his parachute.

[SnowNinjaProductions]

How is it possible to reach .09 mach if terminal velocity is about 120mph

[Jondave289]

The figure should be 0.8 Mach.

Yes terminal velocity is 120mph in the 'lower' atmosphere but Kittenger jumped at 102,800 feet. At this height the atmosphere is thinner and his terminal velocity is greater as there is less resistance.

At sea level 1 Mach = 761.2mph.

Kittenger reached in freefall a max speed of 614mph about 0.8 Mach.

[lCantRemember]

how could it of gone to the moon, its full of helium..not rockets

ie. helium only floats up in air

[jlmemo]

hah shit i would light one too and chill from a crazy ass trip like that

[Sep236]

@smp156 a hour and a half he was going at 700 miles an hour i learnt this in science today

[JKthestud]

i honestly belive why Joe Kittinger has succeded where everyone else has failed for 50 is on money......

He understood that pulling the chute was the smallest thing he had to do. The cold, the benz ( nitrogen in the system) as well as many other factors had to be accounted for ....before you could even think about jumping!!!

I'm sure most others try and account for these things....but the one thing they missed is.....joe was doing his duty.....adds alot for guts...

now its fame and fortune

[Rleadhol]

just under 15 minutes to return to ground after deploying his parachute at 10,000 feet including the 4 min 36 sec free fall.

[neomuttley]

@orkneymist ,

?!?!

[neomuttley]

@jamesthq,

Why don't you ask all the guys who died trying to do this before & after Joe's jump?

[neomuttley]

@bus140808,

That was the whole point. Google the Excelsior3 jump. He was doing the final test on a two stage parachute system. He had a large drogue chute, then the primary opened @18Kft.

[neomuttley]

@kush2121,

He actually thought he wasn't going to survive the jump. He was saying goodbye to the ground crew before he jumped.

[neomuttley]

@SnowNinjaProductions,

Terminal velocity for a skydiver in modern prone position, is 120mph. This is a balance between weight, cross section (frontal area), & wind resistance. He was wearing about 10#s worth of gear. He was falling feet-first (= faster). Primary reason: He was in much thinner air @that altitude. It's the same reason the X1 & X15 rocket planes went so high for their record runs.