Pictures: The Original Skydive From the Edge of Space

Taking the Air

Photograph by Volkmar K. Wentzel, National Geographic

In 1960 Kittinger breathed only pure oxygen for hours before liftoff, as will Baumgartner Tuesday, to cleanse the blood of nitrogen gas, which can expand painfully and even fatally at altitude—a condition called decompression sickness, or the bends.

To survive the nearly airless stratosphere, Kittinger wore an early version of a space suit—a completely pressurized, oxygenated environment. Above 26,000 feet (7,900 meters), there is insufficient oxygen to support life. At 102,800 feet (31,300 meters), where Baumgartner is headed Tuesday, the oxygen would literally boil out of your blood in the absence of pressurization. (Pictures: Space Suit Evolution Since First NASA Flight.)

Published October 8, 2012

Suited and Booted

Photograph by Volkmar K. Wentzel, National Geographic

In 1960 Kittinger shows off his pressurized suit, partially affixed with tape, and his open-canopy gondola.

In the upcoming National Geographic Channel documentary Space Dive, Kittinger remarks on how primitive his conveyance was, compared to Felix Baumgartner's Red Bull-sponsored vehicle: "That's a simple capsule there ... the door was open all the time, never closed."

But while Baumgartner's pressurized suit and capsule are much more modern, the jump will essentially be the same–only more extreme. More altitude. More speed. More danger.

(Also see "Austrian Prepares to Skydive From the Stratosphere.")

Published October 8, 2012

Cagey Conveyance

Photograph by Volkmar K. Wentzel, National Geographic

Kittinger eases into his gondola, its fabric sides still unattached.

NASA was only a couple years old in 1960, and Kittinger was one of the first guinea pigs exploring survival at high altitudes. "Anyone could have done what I did if they had the training," he says in the documentary, airing in November. "I was just the lucky guy that got to do it ...

"Space was something that no one thought would ever happen. There were so many unknowns—we just made it up as we went along."

(Related: "'Jet Man' Crosses English Channel Like a Human Rocket.")

Published October 8, 2012

Suspended Innovation

Photograph by Volkmar K. Wentzel, National Geographic

Pictured at 40,000 feet (12,200 meters) in August 1960, Kittinger's helium balloon stretched 360 feet (110 meters) above the gondola. At peak altitude, the balloon's diameter would grow to two-thirds the length of a football field.

Baumgartner's balloon surpasses even this mark. Though made of plastic no thicker than a dry cleaning bag, the Red Bull Stratos balloon is as wide as a full football field, making it the largest in the world.

Published October 8, 2012

Staring Into the Void

Photograph by Volkmar K. Wentzel, National Geographic

Kittinger prepares to step out of his gondola over New Mexico. "A mixed feeling of awe and remoteness had been building up through the ascent, and now it almost overcomes me ... ," he remembered in the December 1960 National Geographic magazine. "I am beyond the reach of help and friends if anything should go wrong."

Published October 8, 2012

Zero Hour

Photograph by Volkmar K. Wentzel, National Geographic

"At zero count I step into space," Kittinger wrote in 1960. "No wind whistles or billows my clothing. I have absolutely no sensation of the increasing speed with which I fall."

The U.S. Air Force pilot accelerated to 614 miles (988 kilometers) an hour—nearly the speed of sound—during his 4 minutes and 36 seconds of free fall. On Tuesday, Baumgartner intends to break that speed record, and the sound barrier in the process.

(Related: "U.S. Developing Jets That Fly Five Times the Speed of Sound.")

Published October 8, 2012

Controlled Descent

Photograph by Volkmar K. Wentzel, National Geographic

Kittinger's main parachute deployed at 17,500 feet (5,300 meters)—12,500 feet (3,800 meters) higher than where Baumgartner intends to stop his free fall.

In his quest for supersonic speed, the Austrian sky diver will forgo some safety measures Tuesday. For example, while he has a small stabilization chute to prevent him from spinning uncontrollably, possibly fatally, it will automatically deploy only in an extreme emergency. Kittinger's was set to open no matter what.

Because a stabilization parachute would slow Baumgartner down, he's hoping a rigid, head-down body position will allow him to maintain control—and maximum speed. (Video: Watch Baumgartner's July test jump, from 18 miles [30 kilometers] up.)

Published October 8, 2012

Water Hazard

Photograph by Volkmar K. Wentzel, National Geographic

Kittinger floats above the New Mexico desert shortly before landing safely in 1960. His free fall captured the records for altitude, speed, and duration—all of which stand to this day, at least until Baumgartner's attempt Tuesday.

Kittinger will be with Baumgartner every step of the way. After refusing to help high-altitude parachutists for some 50 years, the retired Air Force officer changed his policy for Baumgartner. "I felt that he was dedicated, that he was sincere," Kittinger said. "He's a trained athlete, he's an aviator."

Published October 8, 2012

Safe Hands

Photograph by Volkmar K. Wentzel, National Geographic

Back on terra firma and in the arms of his team, Kittinger receives a medical examination after touching down.

During the ascent, a malfunction had caused his right glove to lose pressure. Luckily, this caused only minor discomfort and temporary swelling. Had it been his helmet or the body of his suit that had malfunctioned, he wouldn't have survived.

Tuesday morning, Baumgartner hopes to get even luckier. If successful, his jump will break all of Kittinger's records, and more. More than one man has died trying to do just that, but as Kittinger says in the National Geographic Channel documentary, "The only way to ensure safety is to stay on the ground."

Published October 8, 2012

More Pictures: Space Suit Evolution

Photograph courtesy NASA

Published October 8, 2012