Editing Joseph Kittinger (section)

===Distinguished Flying Cross citation (first award)===

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<blockquote>The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Joseph William Kittinger, Jr. (AFSN: AO-190919/FR-52808/AD-14329714), United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight on 2 June 1957 in performing a solo flight to an altitude of 97,000 feet in a gondola suspended from a plastic balloon. Scientific measurements made by Captain Kittinger constitute a valuable pioneering contribution to our knowledge of extreme altitude flight. Despite difficulties due to communications malfunction and a minor oxygen failure during the flight, Captain Kittinger remained emotionally stable and outstandingly effective in collecting and transmitting data, manipulating scientific instruments, taking pictures under extremely difficult conditions and relaying as much information as possible by Morse code to ground recorders. In preparation for this, he underwent many months of preparatory training during which he participated in parachute jumps, altitude chamber tests and free balloon flights. The contributions of Captain Kittinger to the first experimental flight of a human in the MAN-HIGH project reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.</blockquote>