“Space Men” documentary salutes Altamonte Springs man and the Air Force aerospace experiments before NASA and astronauts.
Central Florida aviation pioneer Joe Kittinger remembers what he was thinking before taking a nearly 20-mile jump from a balloon gondola in 1960.
“I had gone through visually a thousand times what to expect when I was standing up there,” said Kittinger, 87, of Altamonte Springs. “I had confidence in my team, my equipment and myself. When it came time to go, I was ready to go. It was also the quickest way down.”
That plunge, dubbed Project Excelsior, and Kittinger’s role in the Air Force’s high-altitude balloon experiments are recounted in the documentary “Space Men.”
The retired Air Force colonel, a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, is a local legend for whom an Orlando park is named. He will see “Space Men” for the first time with his wife at 9 p.m. Tuesday on PBS’ “American Experience.” “I’m excited about it,” he said. The excitement is shared by writer-producer-director Amanda Pollak. She was thrilled to have Kittinger recount daring balloon feats per- formed before NASA, astronauts and rockets. Kittinger participated in zero-gravity tests and a 1957 trial run for Project Manhigh, a capsule ride that took the Florida native to 96,784 feet above Earth.
“It is impossible to learn of Kittinger’s accomplishments without being impressed by his bravery,” Pollak said. “He was constantly on the lookout for new challenges and always seemed willing to push experiments to their limit, despite the risk involved. But he was not a daredevil. In every instance, his feats were in the interest of gaining greater scientific knowledge and making aviation, and later space travel, safe
for the pilot.”
Kittinger seconds her view heartily and points to the mission’s goal. “I was there as a test pilot to gather research we needed for the space program,” he said. “I don’t consider myself a daredevil. I had a great team of people. That’s what makes things like this happen.”
The program concludes with Project Excelsior, which was the culmination of more than a decade of aerospace experiments overseen by Dr. John Paul Stapp. He tested what the human body could take, and Kittinger calls him a visionary who provided tools, knowledge and opportunity.
There’s remarkable Excelsior footage of Kittinger falling through space, a free fall and parachute jump of 102,800 feet that lasted 13 minutes, 45 seconds.
“The greatest compliment is when I’m recognized for accomplishing something for my country,” Kittinger says.
“Space Men” focuses on just one period in Kittinger’s varied career. He was the first person to cross the Atlantic solo in a balloon in 1984. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. The program doesn’t discuss Kittinger’s role in two earlier Excelsior missions in 1959, a near-fatal jump from 76,000 feet and another jump a month later from 74,700 feet.
“American Experience” executive producer Mark Samels said the program salutes brave men whose cutting-edge work led to the space program. “They were completely overshadowed by the astronauts who came right after them,” Samels says in publicity materials. “‘Space Men’ is a way of bringing attention to these lesser-known heroes and giving them their rightful place in American history.”
Yet Kittinger said he doesn’t feel forgotten and cites his work on the Red Bull Stratos program in 2012. He helped Felix Baumgartner on a 24-mile jump that broke Kittinger’s record1960 jump.
“I have a lot of notoriety. My record stood for 52 years,” Kittinger said. “I’ve led a charmed life.”
He was born in Tampa and grew up near Orlando. He was a NATO test pilot in Germany and a prisoner of war for 11 months in the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. He flew for the Rosie O’Grady’s entertainment complex in downtown Orlando for 15 years. He told his story in 2010 book “Come Up and Get Me.”
He speaks with pride about the F-4 Phantom jet, which he flew during the war, that now stands as a monument in Col. Joe Kittinger Park at Orlando Executive Airport.
He says teamwork made the monument possible, and the same goes for the “Space Men” feats and footage. Geniuses were responsible for the film, Kittinger said, and “Space Men” is packed with remarkable visuals.
“The guys running these scientific experiments filmed everything they were doing, so there were often gorgeous, color, home movies documenting their efforts,” Pollak said. “Because it was being run out of the military, most of the footage was preserved in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and was readily available and in the public domain.”
The bonus is that Kittinger can narrate his story and recount his experiences. “He knew the entire cast of characters in our story and could speak in detail about their work and what made them exceptional,” Pollak said.
“I also think that when you see the stunning footage of Kittinger jumping from the balloon platform at 100,000 feet it is hard to believe what you’ve seen. Having him then appear on camera, now in his 80s, describing the experience in detail, really brings the history to life.”
Kittinger’s take on it: “The greatest experience of my life.”