In 1960. taking part in a Air Force experiment ad jumper used a hot air balloon, riding in the gondola to a height of 102,800 feet in around 90 minutes. Wearing a pressure suit he jumped from the gondola, and completed the near 20-mile descent in just over four and a half minutes. The research on skydiving shows that with the thinner are at the higher altitude, he had reached speeds of up to 700 miles per hour during the descent. This record, held by Captain Joe Kittinger, still stands.

Since before parachuting became a public sport in the 1950s, research on skydiving had been done to determine the size of the canopy, the length of the cords and at what altitude a person could safely jump. Most jumpers agree that every time a person completes a successful jump, there is more to add to the research on skydiving, which can added to the diary of the current highest jump on record.

Some people seem to have a need to find out how much a body can endure when conducting research on skydiving, and there are numerous records set during their attempts to be the best in the sport. The number of parachute descents in a single day stand at 640 and the lifetime record number of jumps by one person stands at over 36,000. Still, research on skydiving continues to find better materials and evacuation equipment to help pilots coming under mechanical problems.

Better Equipment Results From Research

Some contend that research on skydiving supports a theory that a jump from outer space is possible, but critics point out that re-entering the atmosphere at orbital speed would cause a brief fireball, eliminating the person making the attempt. Still, there has been many improvements made to equipment as a result of all the research on skydiving.

The altimeter is the connecting force of a jumper with their height from the ground. Many mechanical units fail if they are turned upside down. New types are capable of accurate readings, regardless of the position in which they are read. Other innovations as a result of research on skydiving, is the shape of the parachute. Some shaped like wings, allow the jumper to achieve horizontal direction during their descent, as well as coming to a near stop prior to putting their feet on the ground. It is this type of research on skydiving that is making the sport more attractive to a wider range of people.