Maker Faire Austin 2008
The Man Who Fell To Earth

Maker Stage , Sunday 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM


On August 16, 1960, Colonel Joe Kittinger jumped from a hot air balloon at the edge of space and fell for 20 miles, along the way becoming the first man to break the sound barrier, without an airplane. Freefalling for four and a half minutes, Kittinger dropped at speeds up to 714 miles per hour before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet and landing safely on target in the New Mexico desert. The experiment, to test the safety of a new high-altitude ejection system, was a success. After retiring from the Air Force, Kittinger continued living the high life, in 1984 completing the first solo hot air balloon journey across the Atlantic.

Web site: http://www.af.mil/history/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006518

About the Maker(s)

Joe Kittinger