Colonel Joe is stll a great and very active man. We all went flying in an anfib less than year ago.
His jump was part of an early pre-space exploration program. He was offered a chance to join the Mercury program, but he knew that if he had, his tiny, under-bidgeted program would suffer.
‘course he’s an advisor to this project at age 83. On the video at their site you can hear him wish Godspeed to Baumgartner during the launch. Baumgartner says, “Thanks, that means a lot to me.”
I remember the Life magazine coverage of Kittinger’s jump right after he made it. It seemed really “out there” at the time, and it still does. That photo of Baumgartner standing at the hatch of his capsule has the same effect. It’s surreal.