In 1960, Captain Joseph W. Kittinger made the longest delayed parachute jump on record when he bailed out of a balloon at 102,800 feet. He dropped 84,700 feet (31,330 m) or 16.04 miles (31.3 km), falling for 4 min 49 sec, before opening his main 28-foot parachute over New Mexico. Before opening his main parachute, his near free-fall was stabilized with a six-foot canopy to prevent a fatal flat spin. During the near free fall, he may have broken the sound barrier, reaching 714 mph (1149 kph) in the rarified air at high altitude. He wore a pressure suit. Layers of clothes gave protection in the sub-zero temperatures. He had proved man could survive a fall in near-space.«