# Falling to earth **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2000, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-to-earth/39144 "2000-10-31T21:29:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![falcon2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dbc845/32.png) [@falcon2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/falcon2)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-to-earth/39144/1 "2000-10-31T21:29:09Z")
A while back I watched a history channel show on a guy who was testing space suits, or emergency space rescue procedures by jumping out of a weather baloon at very high altitues. I wanted to look up some more info on these test, but I have forgotten the guys name, and the project name. Anyone out there with a better memory? ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-to-earth/39144/2 "2000-10-31T21:44:37Z")
IIRC, back in the late 40s, early 50s there was a fellow who bailed out of a high altitude ballon at somewhere around 90 to 100 thousand feet or so. He was wearing a pressure suit of some kind. Today I’d imagine they’d just use a low pressure chamber. Much more controlled environment. ---
**Author:** ![Fillet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/2acd7d/32.png) [@Fillet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fillet)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-to-earth/39144/3 "2000-10-31T21:48:21Z")
The show was called _To the Edge of Space: Project Manhigh,_ and you can buy the tape of the show [from A&E](http://store.aetv.com/cgi-bin/ae.storefront/0/Ext/OutsideFrame/UT/32/Product/42467). The guy who did all the high-altitude jumps as part of [Project Excelsior](http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/postwwii/pe.htm) was Capt. Joseph Kittinger. The Air Force Museum has a little blurb about him [here](http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/eagles/kittnger.htm). There were a couple of other pilots - Major David Simons and Lieut. Clifton McClure - who also made high-altitude flights in balloons as part of Project Manhigh, but I don’t recall whether they also made high-altitude jumps. There’s a picture of the capsule that Simons flew in [here](http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/space_flight/sf11.htm). :eek: Neat program. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-to-earth/39144/4 "2000-10-31T22:51:26Z")
The other day I heard a story on NPR’s _All Things Considered_ about a woman who is starting to train for a world-record-setting high-altitude jump-- from 165,000 feet! :eek: She will be wearing a pressure suit. I think they said the current record is 120,000 feet. They described this altitude as “pretty much in space,” which I think is being a little too generous, as I always thought space was officially designated as 50 miles up (264,000 feet). A short summary can be found [here](http://search.npr.org/cf/cmn/cmnps04b.cfm?SegNum=113031&SegDate=10/25/2000&prg_id=2&show_id=21301). ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2000, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-to-earth/39144/5 "2000-11-01T16:18:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by malden \* > \*\*The other day I heard a story on NPR’s _All Things Considered_ about a woman who is starting to train for a world-record-setting high-altitude jump-- from 165,000 feet! :eek: She will be wearing a pressure suit. I think they said the current record is 120,000 feet. They described this altitude as “pretty much in space,” which I think is being a little too generous, as I always thought space was officially designated as 50 miles up (264,000 feet). > > A short summary can be found [here](http://search.npr.org/cf/cmn/cmnps04b.cfm?SegNum=113031&SegDate=10/25/2000&prg_id=2&show_id=21301). \*\* Sounds like that would be a record balloon ascent, as well. I’m pretty sure nobody’s ever been that high in a balloon before.