--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An hour and thirty-one minutes after…" description: "\"An hour and thirty-one minutes after launch, my pressure altimeter halts at 103,300 feet. At ground control the radar altimeters also have stopped-on r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/joseph-kittinger-80753_accelerate_an-hour-and-thirty-one-minutes-after-lau_50167.jpg" --- # An hour and thirty-one minutes after launch, my pressure… ![“An hour and thirty-one minutes after launch, my pressure altimeter halts at 103,300 feet. At ground control the radar altimeters also have stopped-on readings of 102,800 feet, the figure that we later agree upon as the more reliable. It is 7 o'clock in the morning, and I have reached float…” quote by Joseph Kittinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/joseph-kittinger-80753_accelerate_an-hour-and-thirty-one-minutes-after-lau_50167.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/joseph-kittinger-80753_accelerate_an-hour-and-thirty-one-minutes-after-lau_50167.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/joseph-kittinger-80753_accelerate_an-hour-and-thirty-one-minutes-after-lau_50167.jpg) > “An hour and thirty-one minutes after launch, my pressure altimeter halts at 103,300 feet. At ground control the radar altimeters also have stopped-on readings of 102,800 feet, the figure that we later agree upon as the more reliable. It is 7 o'clock in the morning, and I have reached float altitude... Though my stabilization chute opens at 96,000 feet, I accelerate for 6,000 feet more before hitting a peak of 614 miles an hour, nine-tenths the speed of sound at my altitude.” [Joseph Kittinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-kittinger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes the extreme altitude and speed achieved during a high-altitude parachute jump, highlighting the precise measurements and the near‑sonic velocity reached before parachute deployment. **In simple terms:** Illustrates the limits of human free‑fall performance. Key Takeaway High‑altitude jumps push physical and technical boundaries. Themes risk exploration physics technology human endurance Mood awe excitement focus Type technical narrative first‑person account When to use this quote - military testing - space research - record‑setting jumps Key Concepts altitude measurement aerodynamics parachute engineering Practical Applications - designing high‑altitude safety systems - training for extreme environments Questions to Reflect On - What engineering challenges arise at near‑sonic free‑fall? - How do measurement discrepancies affect mission decisions? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accelerate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accelerate/) [Agree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree/) [Agree upon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree-upon/) [Altimeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altimeter-342575/) [Altimeter Halts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altimeter-halts-717004/) [Altimeters Stopped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altimeters-stopped-717007/) [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Float Altitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/float-altitude-717006/) [Floats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/floats/) [Halt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/halt/) [Hitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitting/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miles/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Nine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nine/) [One minute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-minute/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Pressure Altimeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure-altimeter-717005/) [Radar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radar/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) [Thirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirty/) ## Related quotes > [“The altimeter had been damaged along the way, but the few bottles that we brought along to wash down the ordinary expedition rations were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erhard-loretan/the-altimeter-had-been-damaged-along-the-way-but-the-few-bottles-that/) [Erhard Loretan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erhard-loretan/) > [Our normal expectations about reality are created by a social consensus. We are taught how to see and understand the world. The trick of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/our-normal-expectations-about-reality-are-created-by-a-social/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [I think the point that we all agree upon is that we have to engage with Russia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/i-think-the-point-that-we-all-agree-upon-is-that-we-have-to-engage/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [I think we need leadership that can gently and with affection remind us of what we Americans mostly agree upon: civility, kindness, tolerance, humour,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-think-we-need-leadership-that-can-gently-and-with-affection-remind/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Every religion ... has rituals, practices, holy writings or traditions, etc. Nothing like that has ever developed from Atheism. There are no holy men,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrel-ray/every-religion-has-rituals-practices-holy-writings-or-traditions-etc/) [Darrel Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrel-ray/) > [The primary means-of-reviva l that everyone agrees upon is extraordinary prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-primary-means-of-reviva-l-that-everyone-agrees-upon-is/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Canada has an experience of governance of which much of the world stands in dire need. It is a world of increasing dissension and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aga-khan-iv/canada-has-an-experience-of-governance-of-which-much-of-the-world/) [Aga Khan IV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aga-khan-iv/) > [That which occasions so many mistakes in the computations of men, when they expect return for favors, is that the giver's pride and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/that-which-occasions-so-many-mistakes-in-the-computations-of-men-when/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [I do not want to speak about our cooperation with Japan now. Thank God, we have had no such problems there. Nor would we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/i-do-not-want-to-speak-about-our-cooperation-with-japan-now-thank-god/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The mutability of the past is the central tenet of Ingsoc. Past events, it is argued, have no objective existance, but survive only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-mutability-of-the-past-is-the-central-tenet-of-ingsoc-past-events/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [It would not be desirable to include 'terrorism' among international crimes subject to International Criminal Court jurisdiction if defined to apply only to anti-state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/it-would-not-be-desirable-to-include-terrorism-among-international/) [Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/) > [My sense is that we may not need the language of innateness or genetics to understand that we are all ethically bound to recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/my-sense-is-that-we-may-not-need-the-language-of-innateness-or/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [How about we agree upon what our common American values are, which is lets make this a true land of opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurene-powell-jobs/how-about-we-agree-upon-what-our-common-american-values-are-which-is/) [Laurene Powell Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurene-powell-jobs/) > [What all agree upon is probably right; what no two agree in most probably is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/what-all-agree-upon-is-probably-right-what-no-two-agree-in-most/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Joseph Kittinger > [Though my stabilization chute opens at 96,000 feet, I accelerate for 6,000 feet more before hitting a peak of 614 miles an hour, nine-tenths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-kittinger/though-my-stabilization-chute-opens-at-96-000-feet-i-accelerate-for-6/) [Joseph Kittinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-kittinger/) > [We're at 103,000 feet. Looking out over a very beautiful, beautiful world . . . a hostile sky. As you look up the sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-kittinger/we-re-at-103-000-feet-looking-out-over-a-very-beautiful-beautiful/) [Joseph Kittinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-kittinger/) [Explore all 3 Joseph Kittinger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-kittinger/) ## More Accelerate quotes > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [It has never been more critical that a leader step forward to accelerate our understanding of cancer - and champion the effort to finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-j-dzau/it-has-never-been-more-critical-that-a-leader-step-forward-to/) [Victor J. Dzau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-j-dzau/) > [My final word, before I'm done, Is "Cancer can be rather fun"- Provided one confronts the tumour with a sufficient sense of humour. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-s-haldane/my-final-word-before-i-m-done-is-cancer-can-be-rather-fun-provided/) [John B. S. Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-s-haldane/) > [Imagine we could accelerate continuously at 1 g-what we're comfortable with on good old terra firma-to the midpoint of our voyage, and decelerate continuously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/imagine-we-could-accelerate-continuously-at-1-g-what-we-re/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Concentration of wealth yields concentration of political power. And concentration of political power gives rise to legislation that increases and accelerates the cycle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/concentration-of-wealth-yields-concentration-of-political-power-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [As IT enters the mobile-cloud era, IT providers need to be more innovative about addressing customers' fast changing needs. Over the past two years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/as-it-enters-the-mobile-cloud-era-it-providers-need-to-be-more/) [Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/) > [The Egyptian experience suggests that social media can greatly accelerate the death of already dying authoritarian regimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/the-egyptian-experience-suggests-that-social-media-can-greatly/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [I really think that technology has the greatest potential to accelerate happiness of most things in the world. The companies that will ultimately do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-kutcher/i-really-think-that-technology-has-the-greatest-potential-to/) [Ashton Kutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-kutcher/) > [It was the Obama administration that cut a faux deal with the Iranians that will not disarm Iran of its nuclear capabilities, and will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/it-was-the-obama-administration-that-cut-a-faux-deal-with-the/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [I see Maradona every time he grabs the ball and accelerates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pep-guardiola/i-see-maradona-every-time-he-grabs-the-ball-and-accelerates/) [Pep Guardiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pep-guardiola/) > [Were it possible so to accelerate the intercourse between every part of the globe that all its inhabitants could be united under the superintending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/were-it-possible-so-to-accelerate-the-intercourse-between-every-part/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [The opportunity ahead for Microsoft is vast, but to seize it, we must focus clearly, move faster and continue to transform. A big part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satya-nadella/the-opportunity-ahead-for-microsoft-is-vast-but-to-seize-it-we-must/) [Satya Nadella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satya-nadella/) > [When you consider that a steelworker who's making $40,000 a year has virtually the same tax burden as someone who's making $400,000 a year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/when-you-consider-that-a-steelworker-who-s-making-40-000-a-year-has/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [When we deal in generalities, we shall never succeed. When we deal in specifics, we shall rarely have a failure. When performance is measured,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/when-we-deal-in-generalities-we-shall-never-succeed-when-we-deal-in/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [Faced with obstacles, I don't brake, I accelerate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-milei/faced-with-obstacles-i-don-t-brake-i-accelerate/) [Javier Milei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-milei/) [Browse all 191 Accelerate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accelerate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An hour and thirty-one minutes after launch, my pressure altimeter halts at 103,300 feet. At ground control the radar altimeters also have stopped-on readings of 102,800 feet, the figure that we later agree upon as the more reliable. It is 7 o'clock in the morning, and I have reached float altitude... 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