Space diving

Similar to skydiving, space diving is the act of jumping from an aircraft or spacecraft in near space and falling towards Earth. The Kármán line is a common definition as to where space begins, 100 km (62 mi) above sea level. This definition is accepted by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which is an international standard setting and record-keeping body for aeronautics and astronautics. The United States Air Force uses 50 nautical miles (300,000 feet) to award astronaut wings.

No successful space dives (above 100 km) have been completed to date. Alan Eustace holds the current world record for highest and longest-distance free fall jump, which he set in 2014 when he jumped from 135,898 feet (41.422 km). Higher jumps from the mesosphere or thermosphere have yet to be successfully performed, though Orbital Outfitters, now defunct, was working to create a suit intended to enable space diving. Space diving from beyond the stratosphere was first imagined in 1934, appearing in E. E. Smith's science fiction novel Triplanetary.

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