# man who accidentally flew into space **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 27, 2002, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058 "2002-05-27T16:27:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![simpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@simpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simpa)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/1 "2002-05-27T16:27:40Z")
I missed the first part of an A&E program, which consequently was the best part; it was about a guy who just broke the atmosphere and somehow made it back to Earth alive. The rest of the program was pretty neat but nothing much. I did a search on A&E and found the video that had this, it’s called “Atmosphere.” [http://www.aande.com/class/admin/study\_guide/archives/aetv\_guide.0422.html](http://www.aande.com/class/admin/study_guide/archives/aetv_guide.0422.html) Chances are you haven’t seen it but does anyone have more on this story, preferably the mystery man’s name? Sounds neat, and if it’s on A&E it’s gotta be true. This popped into my head as I was reading a similar story at [www.memepool.com](http://www.memepool.com) if you’re wondering. (it’s on the front page right now). ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/2 "2002-05-27T16:55:33Z")
The very first link at the meme site is to Snopes, who provides a pretty complete version of the story, including a mini-biography of the guy. (This came up on a thread, here, in the last couple of months, if you want to search for it.) 16,000 feet is not “breaking the atmosphere” by most standards–although it is high enough to cause some oxygen deprivation and risk of hypothermia. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/3 "2002-05-27T16:57:26Z")
The very first link at the memepool site is to Snopes. . . . ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/4 "2002-05-27T16:58:36Z")
I’m not sure what you are referring to but the highest parachute jump was from 102,800 feet in 1960. That’s pretty much space. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/5 "2002-05-27T17:16:57Z")
Actually, didn’t someone jump from 200k+ feet? Operation _Man-High_ I think? Was it Strapp or Kittenger? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/6 "2002-05-27T17:25:36Z")
Kittinger made the jump from 102,800’ - not space. I’ve heard in the last year that someone is going to try to top that. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/7 "2002-05-27T18:04:29Z")
You are of course correct. I have no idea what I was thinking of… Did the X15 make it over 200K? Maybe that was it… ---
**Author:** ![simpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@simpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simpa)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/8 "2002-05-27T18:11:19Z")
Enough with the nit-picking, maybe it’s a “not so similar story” instead. But thanks, it should be Kittinger a quick search on google says he’s gone the fastest without an engine, and at 100k feet the sky’s basically all black. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/9 "2002-05-27T18:46:11Z")
The boundary of space is a fuzzy line but FWIW the USAF defines it as 250,000 feet, at least for the purpose of awarding astronaut wings. A few X-15 pilots made that alitude. ---
**Author:** ![simpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@simpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simpa)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/10 "2002-05-27T18:49:29Z")
Oops my fault if you’re referring to the topic of the post I was talking about the guy on A&E, which said his balloon kept floating and floating or something and then he fell to earth, or something like that. I could have remembered wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/11 "2002-05-27T18:49:58Z")
IIRC the highest altitude for the X-15 was in the neighborhood of 345,000 feet. If funding for the X-15 and Dyno-soar programs hadn’t been cut we might have started our space program with reusable vehicles instead of disposable ones. ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/12 "2002-05-28T03:00:48Z")
[Larry Walters.](http://www.markbarry.com/amazing/lawnchairman.html) ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/13 "2002-05-28T03:06:08Z")
[Larry Walters.](http://www.markbarry.com/amazing/lawnchairman.html) ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/14 "2002-05-28T03:11:40Z")
So cool, I just had to say it twice… (what a lame excuse for a double post) ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/15 "2002-05-28T03:18:31Z")
So cool, I just had to say it twice… (what a lame excuse for a double post) ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/16 "2002-05-28T03:24:18Z")
::breaks down weeping…:: Please God don’t let this be another double post… ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/17 "2002-05-28T03:28:43Z")
354,000 feet for the X-15, Steve (I know, you _did_ say “in the neighborhood of” ;)), and, interestingly, achieved by legendary test pilot Joe Walker who, three years later, brought down the Valkyrie with his chase plane. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/18 "2002-05-28T04:16:49Z")
I thought the official boundary of space for the Air Force was 50 miles. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-who-accidentally-flew-into-space/111058/19 "2002-05-28T04:41:51Z")
50 miles would be 264,000 feet. I don’t know - perhaps we can find this on the 'net somewhere?