High above the earth, Kittinger studied a frontier that few men have seen. "Up there,'' he recalled afterwards, "the sky looked dark enough to see stars as one would at twilight on earth." Up, up, up the balloon rose, to 98,800 ft. above the ground (102,800 ft. above sea level), higher than any human being had ever soared before in nonpowered flight. Shortly after 7 a.m., Kittinger ticked off his go-second countdown in radio communication with the ground. Then he "asked the Lord for help," flopped over the side of the gondola, and began his long fall nearly 20 miles. Down, Down, Down. Within 18 seconds, Kittinger's stabilizing chute opened, but for more than four minutes more he plummeted in free fall, reaching a velocity of 614 m.p.h. More →

SULLIVAN, Mo. (July 29) - A small plane carrying skydivers crashed shortly after takeoff Saturday, killing six people on board and injuring two others, authorities and witnesses said. More →

STERLING, Ohio (May 28) - A first-time skydiver slipped from her harness during a jump Saturday and fell to her death, authorities said. More →