While not trying to detract from Kittinger's remarkable feats (and life so far, for that matter),  Rodd Millner's attempt is not without its own unique challenges.  Down here, Rodd has probably had much more 'airtime' on radio and tv, and I'm struck more by how similar the character and background of these two seem. In any case, 40 kms is a heck of a fall!  Perhaps it takes 'that' type of man to do these things.  Amazing.

BTW, I believe we already have a couple of Australians 'Austranauts'. Paul Scully-Power is probably the most well-known here. Andy Thomas is the other.  And you could count Philip Chapman as an 'Apollonaut' except they cut the program before he got a flight.

Jim Wowchuk                       [log in to unmask]
Vanguard Computer Services P/L
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> ------------------------------
> 
> Date:    Tue, 6 Mar 2001 23:00:28 -0600
> From:    Denys Beauchemin <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Highest Skydive Ever
> 
> You night want to read about Joe Kittinger.  He did all this in 1960.
[snip...]
> denys at hicomp.com                             www.hicomp.com
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From:   Jim Phillips [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent:   Tuesday, March 06, 2001 12:45 PM
> To:     [log in to unmask]
> Subject:        OT:  Highest Skydive Ever
> 
> See
> http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/australia010305_skydive.html
> 
> "Australian Rodd Millner is hoping to do when he rides a balloon to the edge
> of outerspace, 25 miles up, and jumps.
> 
> If the ex-commando succeeds, he will not only become the fastest man to
> break the sound barrier unaided, he will have made the highest skydive ever,
> had the longest free-fall, and be the highest-flying balloonist ever to
> survive."
>