On April 2, the National Air and Space Museum opened “Red Bull Stratos: Mission to the Edge of Space.” The exhibit contains artifacts from Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking jump. Baumgartner, the man who jumped from the edge of space, was aided by a previous record holder, Joe Kittinger.
Kittinger took some time to speak to The Eagle’s Sean Post about the famed Red Bull Stratos jump in which Baumgartner broke the sound barrier and his time as a U.S. Air Force Pilot.
The Eagle: Most people know about the Red Bull Stratos project and the Felix Baumgartner jump, but behind the scenes, what was your role in the project?
Joe Kittinger: My role on the project was both that of an engineer and advisor. On the engineering side, I helped design Mr. Baumgartner’s life support system, as well as the [departure] procedures from the craft. On the advising side, I provided expertise in pressure suits, high-altitude balloons and how to jump from those kinds of altitudes. I also trained and worked with Mr. Baumgartner, culminating with my role as the Stratos mission’s capsule communicator.
E: How had the technology changed between Project Excelsior in 1960 and the Stratos jump in 2012?
JK: The difference in technology is pretty vast. All the computers, pressure suits, balloons and aeronautics technology in general is much, much better.
E: Now, during your time at United States Air Force, you were also a fighter pilot and test pilot. Out of all the planes you flew, which one was your favorite?
JK: I’ve logged 16,800 hours of flight time on 93 different airplanes, and my favorite has got to be the P51 Mustang.
E: That was the one with the Spitfire engine in it, wasn’t it?
JK: Yes, it was.
E: On the day you set your record, what was going through your mind when exited the Excelsior III gondola? How did you feel?
JK: I’d been training for that moments for months and months. I was prepared, I was ready. I just viewed it as a job I had to do, not like an adventure. In my book, “Come Up and Get Me,” I go into more detail about that day.
E: Did you ever think you’d live to see the day your record was broken?
JK: I did think I’d live to see the day it was broken. If anything, I was surprised it took as long to break as it did. Red Bull was a great sponsor for the jump, though. They gave us the tools we needed. We had the right training and the right team.
E: Now, your jump in 1960 put you near the very top of the stratosphere, an area that some people consider outer space. Do you consider yourself the first man in space, before Yuri Gagarin?
JK: I do consider myself the first man in space. Up at that altitude, 102,800 feet, you’re in an almost total vacuum. When you look up, the sky isn’t blue, it’s pitch, pitch black.
