This book is dedicated to those who had the courage to fly to extreme altitudes. Some made it into the stratosphere and died. Some had easy or quick deaths, others had tragic deaths. Some were old, some were quite young. All left grieving families. Some of those who survived were so severely injured that they were never able to fly again.

Some were curious scientists that simply desired to discover the facts. Some were adventurers seeking a fun ride. Certainly, all were amazed at what they experienced and what they saw.

Nearly one hundred years after the first untethered flight in a balloon in 1783, we were still flying both tethered and untethered flights during the Civil War years. But the quest for extreme altitudes during the next hundred years or so saw people taking the greatest of risks in order to achieve stratospheric flight.

Some were military men that saw the flight as their duty to their country in times of war. Many were experimental test pilots whose job was to "push the envelope" and explore the unknown regions of flight. Some flew secret aircraft on secret missions to extreme altitudes and speeds; even by today's standards. Many were the targets of surface to air missiles. Some achieved records that may not be broken for decades or even longer. Those pilots of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s are almost all gone now but they are not forgotten; they are remembered in this book and others.

The technology has advanced to the point where the role of the pilot is questioned by some. Drones are replacing pilots. Others stand fast for the need for humans in the decision loop. That is why there are still manned high altitude scientific research and military reconnaissance flights. Alas, not as many venture into the high stratosphere anymore; they simply climb through it into the thermosphere in spacecraft that travel in orbit.

I also dedicate this book to my friends and fellow aviators at the NASA Johnson Space Center's WB-57 High Altitude Research Program Office, the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center's ER-2 Program, and to members of the former USAF 58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. While I knew only a few of the X pilots, I have made an effort to cover their flights and give this group a lot of credit for their courage and achievements. And of course, I dedicate this book to the ground crews, mechanics, supporting scientists, instrument and sensor engineers, data technicians and analysts, pressure suit technicians, and administrators and managers of the high altitude research programs without whose efforts flight crews are unable to fly.