what was the name of the guy who skydived from beyond the edge of the atmosphere?

Question

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2zKARkpDW4

i saw a documentary on him once, he said he reached 200mph when he reached the atmosphere.

Oh and i am aware of my gaffe of describing it as skydiving when he's doing it from beyond the sky, but space diving sounds crappy

Answer 1

He was still in the atmosphere but this is officially the highest jump.

Capt. Joe W. Kittinger achieved the highest and longest (14 min) parachute jump in history on August 16, 1960 as part of a United States Air Force program testing high-altitude escape systems. Wearing a pressure suit, Capt. Kittinger ascended for an hour and a half in an open gondola attached to a balloon to an altitude of 102,800 feet (31,330 m), where he then jumped. The fall lasted 4 minutes and 36 seconds, during which Capt. Kittinger reached speeds of 714 miles per hour (1,150 km/h)[6]. The air in the upper atmosphere is less dense and thus leads to lower air-resistance and a much higher terminal velocity.

Answer 2

The man in question was an USAF captain by the name of Kittenger. He rode a helium balloon 20 miles straight up in a pressurized suit, then dove off. Because of the near vacuum up there and very little drag, he reached a free fall speed in excess of the speed of sound in seconds. He set records for altitude and duration of a parachute jump that as far as I know have yet to be beaten. Why did he do this? He was testing escape systems for the then new and above top secret SR-71 Blackbird, which flies so high and fast conventional ejection seats and parachutes would not work.

Answer 3

Joseph Kittinger. He wasn't really completely beyond the edge of the atmosphere, but he has the world record for the highest parachute jump ever. He jumped from a balloon at 102,800 feet.

Answer 4

Capt. Kittenger also holds the record for the fastest speed ever achieved without a vehicle.