The First Space Jump
Matthew Bannister meets Colonel Joe Kittinger, the first man to jump from space
In 1960 a young American test pilot, Colonel Joe Kittinger jumped from the edge of space and fell 19 miles to earth. His record has only just been beaten by Felix Baumgartner.
Colonel Joe was the capsule communicator talking Felix through the whole experience.
In this edition of Outlook we hear Joe's own extraordinary story.
The 84- year-old has been an experimental aviator, a Vietnam fighter pilot and a space jumper, and is recognised to have paved the way for the American astronauts of the 1960s.
Picture: Col Joe Kittinger (R) and Felix Baumgartner (L)
Picture Credit: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images
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Broadcasts
- Thu 27 Dec 201215:32GMTBBC World Service Online
- Thu 27 Dec 201222:05GMTBBC World Service Online
- Fri 28 Dec 201202:32GMTBBC World Service Online
- Mon 31 Dec 201212:05GMTBBC World Service Online
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