The cruising altitude of a jumbo jet is around 35,000 feet. Imagine jumping from a balloon at three times that height.

Project Excelsior was a series of high altitude parachute jumps made by Captain Joseph Kittinger of the United States Air Force in 1959 and 1960.

His only protection, a pressure suit - he made three ascents in a helium balloon. The first - Excelsior I on November 16, 1959 from 76,400 feet. His stabiliser chute deployed early, tangling around his neck. He was sent into a spin, tumbling at 120 revolutions per minute, sustaining upwards of 22G’s and causing him to lose consciouness. Luckily, his main chute opened at 10,000 feet and he survived.

Only three weeks later, his second jump was successfully completed from a height of 74,700 feet.

The third and last jump set the world record for the highest parachute jump and the longest parachute freefall, both of which still stand today. This ascent was to an incredible height of 102,800 feet, some 31.3 kilometres above the Earth’s surface.