Can a theoretical plan to break the human free-fall record at the edge space be copyrighted? In both the courthouse and in the stars a fight is taking place for the right to continue the legacy of Colonel Joseph Kittinger. While Colonel Kittinger may not be as recognized in popular culture as some other heroes of the early Space Age, it is a name that epitomizes bravery and the undeterrable nature of the human spirit in the face of the unknown.
Project Excelsior: The Story of Joseph Kittinger’s Amazing Leap
Jumping From Space from Mark Gray on Vimeo.
By 1959, Kittinger had already distinguished himself as one of the top jet fight pilots of his time. His skill led to military recommendations for his transfer into an experimental aviation programs. Kittinger’s first accomplishment would be participating in Project Manhigh, a cutting edge program aimed at launching manned balloon flights into the upper reaches of the atmosphere. This program would involve observing the effects of great height on human psychology and collecting atmospheric data that directly facilitated NASA’s Mercury program. Having reached heights of 97,000 feet, Kittinger’s next feat would involve taking a leap of faith.
With the increase in fighter jet speeds, the Air Force began searching for safter methods for pilots to eject at unfathomable speeds without dying in the process. When it came to finding a man brave enough to test out the newest descent hardware, Kittinger was selected for the project. From 1959-1960 Kittinger served as the ‘Test Director’ for Project Excelsior, a cutting edge military program aimed at testing methods of high altitude escape and discovering the physical limitations of a human body in free-fall. In other words, Kittinger volunteered to take a helium balloon to the edge of space, strap himself an untested parachute system, and then jump from the highest point in the atmosphere ever attempted by a human being just to answer the scientific question of “Can a pilot actually attempt such a feat and survive?”
It was a decision that almost resulted in his death. The first jump was a near-disaster; Kittinger’s helmet fogged up during the course of his ascent skyward causing him to miss his original jump-off point and forcing him to instead descend from a much higher altitude of 23.1 kilometers. Making matters worse, his test parachute failed causing his body to go into an uncontrolled free-fall spin and losing consciousness while descending at 990 kph. It was only the automatic deployment of a second emergency parachute that saved his life, as Kittinger landed unconscious but alive near his landing target in the New Mexico dessert.
While lesser men might have seen this as proof such a descent was impossible, Kittinger reembarked on a second test jump a mere two weeks later. This time there would be no mistake; Kittinger hit the correct jump-off point, descended from an altitude of 22.7 kilometers, and landed safely on the ground. His success demonstrated that pilot’s with minimum protection could survive emergency space conditions even in the face of equipment failures. Perhaps committed to showing his success could be replicated, Kittinger went on to perform a final space jump, this time at 31.3 kilometers above the earth. His success would set enduring records for highest jump, longest free fall, and fastest speed achieved by a man without an aircraft. Over the years, the legend of Charles Kittinger would continue to grow – discontent to finish his career as a celebrity aviator, Kittinger would serve three combat tours in Vietnam, survive 11 months in a prison camps, and later set the record for longest solo balloon flight.
Modern Adventurers Race To Break The Record: Steve Truglia & Michael Fournier
Nearly 50 years later, Kittinger’s high altitude parachute jump from the edge of space record remains unbroken. In more recent years, several high profile companies and daredevils have developed an interest in being the first to accomplish this task. Several men appear both qualified and dedicated enough to develop methods of breaking the record. Take for instance Steve Truglia, a former UK Special Forces member renowned for accomplishing extraordinary feats of endurance and the current record holder in the UK for both longest body blaze (2mins 5secs) and longest free-dive (76 metres). Truglia plans to break the record by attempting a jump from space at 36.5 kilometers above the surface of Earth.
But Truglia is not the first to set in motions plan to conquer the atmosphere. On the other side of the English Channel, former paratrooper Michael Fournier has been diligently planning his own performance of ‘Le Grand Saut’ (big jump). Fournier currently has over 8,700 jumps under his belt and is the current record holder in France for longest free fall. He is also well known for his long-expressed desire to be the man to break Kittinger’s legendary record with a famous failed attempt in 2008. A new attempt to break Kittinger’s record is tentatively scheduled for May 2011. Fournier plans to accomplish a jump from 34 kilometres while breaking the sound barrier in the process.
With Kittinger’s Blessing: Project Stratos & Felix Baumgartner
Out of all the modern daredevil’s striving to expand upon Kittinger’s space jump legacy, Felix Baumgartner seemed most likely to take the story of Kittinger full circle. Like Kittinger, Felix Baumgartner is a man who lives to break records and fly in the face of the unknown. Prior to being approached by Red Bull, he had already amassed an impressive list of death-defying accomplishments; most notably crossing the English Channel by jumping from a plane 33,000 feet over England and then gliding to the French Coast. With the backing of both Kittinger and Red Bull: Project Stratos, Baumgartner seemed poised to take the record for longest free fall.
Unfortunately, Project Stratos has since been grounded; not due to any technical issue but the introduction of a copyright lawsuit. In October 2010, promoter Daniel Hogan filed suit against Red Bull claiming that the plan to drop Baumgartner from space was based on schematics that Hogan himself presented back in 2004. While Red Bull denies wrongdoing, Baumgartner’s space jump has been indefinitely postponed until resolution of the suit.
A press statement released in October summed up Red Bull’s stance on the issue:
“Despite the fact that many other people over the past 50 years have tried to break Colonel (Ret.) Joe Kittinger’s record, and that other individuals have sought to work with Red Bull in an attempt to break his record, Mr. Hogan claims to own certain rights to the project and filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit earlier this year in a Californian court. Red Bull has acted appropriately in its prior dealings with Mr. Hogan, and will demonstrate this as the case progresses. Due to the lawsuit, we have decided to stop the project until this case has been resolved.”
So for now at least, it appears that Kittinger’s record breaking leap remains unbroken, waiting for someone to prove it can be done. But isn’t that what inspires us to take great leaps in the first place?
[...] preventing the men from achieving their dreams of breaking Joseph Kittinger's parachuting records. SwipeLife has an excellent summary of the battle to break the records by both Felix Baumgartner and Michael Fournier. if you're [...]