Inside the historic 1960 stratospheric parachute jumps

Riding an open balloon to the edge of space in 1960

Ground crews release a massive polyethylene balloon carrying an open gondola and pilot. The balloon ascends thousands of feet until the daytime sky turns completely black.

Launching a Human to the Edge of Space in 1960

Onboard high-altitude cameras capture a parachutist plunging into a vertical freefall from tens of thousands of feet above the planet. A small stabilization drogue chute deploys to prevent a fatal spin.

Stepping into the Void from the Stratosphere

A complete inventory of survival equipment is shown before medical technicians strap bio-sensors and wire rigs directly onto the pilot's torso. Every lead recorded vital signs during the lethal drop.

Wiring a Test Pilot to Survive Space

Suited up to keep blood from boiling at 100,000 ft

A team of technicians helps the pilot slide into a pressurized counter-pressure garment, tightens boots and gloves, and adds heavy thermal outer insulation. The complex setup maintained life support in a near-vacuum environment.

Layering the World's Early Pressure Suits

Freezing inside an experimental space suit

A test pilot enters an environmental simulation chamber encased in subzero vapor to test pressure suit flexibility and life support systems under brutal conditions.

Testing Pressure Suits at Minus 100 Degrees

The moment he jumped from the edge of space

Joe Kittinger steps off his open gondola into the void above Earth, tumbling at extreme speed during the Excelsior III stratospheric jump.

Freefalling from 102,800 Feet

Ground crew members unveil the iconic sign on the Project Excelsior gondola before assisting a pressure-suited pilot into the open-air cockpit.

Boarding the Highest Step in the World

Stepping out at 102,800 feet above Earth.

Joe Kittinger steps out of the open gondola at the edge of the stratosphere, plunging into freefall thousands of feet above the clouds before his stabilization parachute deploys.

Stepping into the Void from 100,000 Feet

Parachute deployment after a record-breaking plunge.

The main parachute unfurls high above the New Mexico desert, slowing the descent as a chase plane circles overhead and the pilot lands safely on the desert floor.

Main Parachute Deployment and Desert Touchdown

The ground rescue crew reaches the downed pilot in the brush, carefully removing his pressurized helmet and flight suit to assess his condition after enduring extreme high-altitude conditions.

Recovery Crew Attends to the Pilot

[01:16] Launching a Human to the Edge of Space in 1960
[02:09] Stepping into the Void from the Stratosphere
[05:41] Wiring a Test Pilot to Survive Space
[06:18] Layering the World's Early Pressure Suits
[09:07] Testing Pressure Suits at Minus 100 Degrees
[20:48] Freefalling from 102,800 Feet
[24:00] Boarding the Highest Step in the World
[30:00] Stepping into the Void from 100,000 Feet
[32:55] Main Parachute Deployment and Desert Touchdown
[33:58] Recovery Crew Attends to the Pilot

Inside the historic 1960 stratospheric parachute jumps

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