In the early morning of August 16, 1960, Kittinger’s balloon began its ascent into the sky. The gondola rose at 1,200 feet per minute. It would take over an hour and a half to reach his target height. His pressure suit was designed to inflate as he rose in order to maintain a survivable pressure. But thirty minutes into his ascent the suit malfunctioned. His right glove failed to inflate properly—a circumstance that could easily kill him, or at the least, permanently damage his right hand. Knowing if he told flight control about the malfunction they would likely abort the mission, he continued upwards without mentioning the leak.

One hour and thirty one minutes into the flight, Kittinger had reached the maximum altitude. He had no control of his right hand which had swollen up to twice its normal size. The balloon was not in the optimal position over the landing zone, so he had time to contemplate his height as the gondola drifted for 11 minutes.