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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

Available now

25 minutes

Last on

Mon 31 Dec 2012 12:05GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 27 Dec 2012 15:32GMT
  • Thu 27 Dec 2012 22:05GMT
  • Fri 28 Dec 2012 02:32GMT
  • Mon 31 Dec 2012 12:05GMT

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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected