Come Up and Get Me: An Autobiography of Colonel Joseph Kittinger, by Joseph Kittinger
They don't make adventurers like Joe Kittinger any more: a man whose ultimate goal was to fly around the entire globe in a balloon by himself.
Welcome to the rootin'- tootin'—and unexpectedly poignant— story of a Vietnam POW who went from ballooning to free-falling in outer space to making records every time he opened a hatch.
Kittinger was the guy that the military would use as a test pilot to see "what would happen" in extreme and emergency situations, miles above the ground.
Balls of steel? Check.
His proudest achievement is a terrifying parachute drop from 19-and-a-half miles above the earth in 1960, where he reached a speed of 614 mph.
Military history and adventure story fans will love this guy. Kittinger is humble, funny, and someone you'd definitely want to have by your side in a tight situation! There needs to be a sequel to Snakes on a Plane—with Kittinger in a starring role.
-Aretha Bright
Note from our colleague, Chris Hall:
Kittinger's record leap from 19.5 miles in Project Excelsior still stands today.
Just this month, October 2012, a guy named Felix Baumgartner tried to break it, but aborted. He did this not only with Kittinger's blessing, but assistance. See Video and Story for more at Gizmodo and the Atlantic.