On August 16, 1960, Joseph Kittinger jumped from 101,516 ft and fell to Earth. Reaching speeds of 614 mph, Kittenger tested Einstein’s theory of relativity in which a man in the emptiness of space would not be able to detect that he was falling.
(via herenotthere)
Whoa. This makes my heart race.
Additionally…
On August 16, 1960, he made the final jump from the Excelsior III at 102,800 feet (31,300 m). Towing a small drogue chute for initial stabilization, he fell for four minutes and 36 seconds, reaching a maximum speed of 614 mph (988 km/h or 274 m/s) before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Pressurization for his right glove malfunctioned during the ascent, and his right hand swelled up to twice its normal size. He set historical numbers for highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump, longest drogue-fall (four minutes), and fastest speed by a human being through the atmosphere. (via wikipedia)
