1960: Air Force Capt. Joe Kittinger parachutes from an open gondola tethered to a helium balloon from an altitude of 102,800 feet — just over 18 miles. It remains the highest-altitude jump ever attempted.

Kittinger’s jump was no stunt but rather part of Project Excelsior, established by the U.S. Air Force to study the problems presented to pilots by high-altitude escape. He’d already made two jumps — from 76,400 feet and 74,600 feet — before strapping it on for the big one.

The Air Force came away with statistical data from his Aug. 16 jump that, even now, makes for eye-opening reading. Wearing a pressurized suit, Kittinger:

But Kittinger, 29 years old at the time of his jump, wasn’t through with high places or risk-taking. In 1962, Kittinger, accompanied by a U.S. Navy civilian astronomer, piloted a balloon into the upper atmosphere to 82,200 feet (.pdf), so a high-powered telescope could be used to take a closer look at deep space.

During the Vietnam War, Kittinger returned to combat flying and commanded the 555th “Triple Nickel” Tactical Fighter Squadron, shooting down a MiG-21 in a dogfight. He was subsequently shot down himself and spent 11 months as a prisoner of war at the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.”

Since Kittinger’s jump, a number of pretenders have announced plans to eclipse the record. So far, no one has.

(Source: U.S. Air Force)

Photo: Capt. Joe Kittinger steps from a balloon-supported gondola at the altitude of 102,800 feet. (U.S. Air Force)

This article first appeared on Wired.com Aug. 16, 2007.