Space Men

U.S. Air Force aviation doctor, John Paul Stapp, tested the limits of human physiology both on the ground and in near-space. Not satisfied with the accepted belief that 18 G's -- or 18 times the pull of gravity -- could kill a person, he set out to prove humans could survive acceleration and deceleration at rapid speeds and from dizzying heights. "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS.

Beginning in 1783, balloonists risked their lives trying to view the Earth from a brand new vantage point. But rather than deter aerial exploration, these new and dangerous heights lured explorers ever higher into the clouds. "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

Project Manhigh was woefully underfunded and undervalued, but Dr. John Paul Stapp and his Air Force team were certain of the project's success. Using spare parts and ingenuity, they assembled a capsule that attached to a newly-invented balloon they hoped would carry a man to heights over 100,000 feet about Earth's surface. "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

Radioing he had "a ring-side view of the heavens" Air Force officer David G. Simons made history in 1957 high aboard his Manhigh II balloon. He rose 101,500 feet above Earth, writing later he could barely comprehend the beauty of the sky. He was celebrated by The New York Times as "The First Space Man." "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

Before the days of NASA, scientists and researchers at the U.S. Air Force were testing the limits of how high man could fly. Though largely forgotten today, balloonists were the first to venture into the frozen near-vacuum on the edge of our world, exploring the very limits of human physiology and human ingenuity in this lethal realm. "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS.