Joe Kittinger is not a household name with the general public, but explorers sure know who he is. In 1960, as research for NASA’s then-fledgling space program, he rode a helium balloon to 102,800 feet above Earth in a spacesuit, then jumped out, eclipsing 600 mph during free-fall. At 15,000 feet, his parachute deployed and he gently floated to the ground in the New Mexico desert. Kittinger proved that fighter pilots and astronauts could eject at extreme altitudes and survive. Waiting for him was a congratulatory telegram from the Mercury astronauts. Kittinger’s record stood until 2012, when Red Bull’s Felix Baumgartner, later Google’s Alan Eustace, broke it. Joe was cap-com for Baumgartner’s jump.

In this EC Lecture Series presentation, TEC Fellow Jim Clash will interview Kittinger about his big leap, his book “Come Up and Get Me” (Neil Armstrong wrote the Foreword) and his days as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War where he was shot down, then tortured for 11 months at the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.” Most recently, Kittinger, at 93, braved a 170-mph thrill ride in a stock car at Daytona International Speedway with Clash behind the wheel, another topic of discussion.

“Come Up and Get Me” will be streamed live on explorers.org, our YouTube Channel, and our Facebook Live — Monday, January 24th at 7:00 pm EST.

The PBS did a very interesting show on Joe’s project, Chapter 1 of the Spacemen. Click here