I doubt that a class has gone by in which at some point I didn't mention this guy and his achievements, and those of the people who made it possible. I'm really waiting to see what happens with the Stratos Project. It's really unfortunate, or maybe not, I haven't decided which, that the government has gotten out of the adventure and limits-pushing business and ceded it to private enterprises like James Cameron's dives on the Titanic, the Anzari X-Prize, won by Burt Rutan et al 5 years ago (!) and last weeks' launch of a private spacecraft from Cape Canaveral.
Into Thin, Thin Air – The Kittinger Story | Armed with Science
What this story doesn't tell was Kittinger's refusal to work with Nick Piantanida, who in the early sixties attempted to beat Kittinger's record as a private citizen by jumping from 120,000 feet. He made several attempts, but was ultimately killed after an explosive decompression at over 50,000 feet.
The definitive sources, both by Craig Ryan:
Magnificent Failure: Free Fall from the Edge of Space
The Pre-Astronauts: Manned Ballooning on the Threshold of Space
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