for Aeronauts. The altitude record for a manned balloon flight set by Prather and Ross in 1961 is still officially recognized by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. three balloonists have traveled higher into the stratosphere. Nicholas Piantanida, claimed to have reached with his Strato Jump II balloon on February 2, 1966, and Felix Baumgartner, reached 128,100 feet (39 044.88 meters) on 14 October 2012 as part of the Red Bull Stratos project. In ballooning, as in mountain climbing, completing the descent by the same method is required to set a record. Piantanida did not claim the balloon altitude record because he jettisoned his balloon at the flight ceiling and returned to Earth in the gondola without the balloon. Similarly Baumgartner jumped at the apex of his flight. The third person, Alan Eustace, reached an altitude of where he then performed a supersonic jump in 2014. See also Flight altitude record Manned balloon altitude records Malcolm Ross Notes References Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Record Page for the flight External links John F. Kennedy: Remarks on Presenting the Harmon Trophies Thursday, October 18, 1962 (The American Presidency Project) Stratolab, an Evolutionary Stratospheric Balloon Project article by Gregory Kennedy 1926 births 1961 deaths American aviation record holders American balloonists Balloon flight record holders Deaths by drowning Flight altitude record holders Harmon Trophy winners Military personnel from Michigan People from Lapeer, Michigan Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Tufts University School of Medicine alumni United States Navy officers Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1961