Project Excelsior

We'd like to share some historical badassery here.  On August 16, 1960, Josepth Kittinger made the jump from the Excelsior III at 102,800 feet (approx. 19 miles above Earth surface).  He fell for four minutes and 36 seconds, reaching a maximum speed of 614 miles per hour (988 km/h).

 

Some stats:
-He set records for highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump, longest assisted fall (four minutes), and fastest speed by a human being through the atmosphere

-The gforces he experienced were 22 times that of gravity.

-His right glove pressurization malfunctioned, causing his hand to swell to twice its size during that jump.

-To quote Duke Nukem, "He's got balls of steel."