Zoom climbs to the edge of space set the highest altitude records for jet aircraft taking off under their own power. Initially used as a method for the newly developed jet interceptors to gain extra height to reach incoming enemy bombers, they were also used to test new aircraft. They were also used as a precursor to the space race to give potential astronauts the experience of flying in a near vacuum of space where the dynamics of flight changes dramatically. In this respect, the highest flights ever by a US jet aircraft were made in the early 1960s and stood until a Soviet MiG-25RB just beat them some 14 years later. This is the story of the life and death flights to the edge of space.