Maxim de Jong once built himself a makeshift paraglider as a child.
Using nothing but wood and strips of newspaper, he had plans to test it out by jumping off a cliff.
害羞草研究所淚 was standing on the edge of this thing and luckily there was some semblance of insight. I said to myself, 害羞草研究所榯his is not a good idea.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
He did eventually make himself another paraglider, albeit a more professional one.
In 2013 de Jong set the unofficial world record for greatest vertical distance travelled in one day after scaling and leaping off Mt. Cheam four times. Each jump from the peak was an eight-minute descent to the base using a mini paraglider he designed and built himself.
De Jong is also widely considered to be one of the world's leading aerospace engineers with a resume that includes NASA projects.
He currently serves as a co-founder of Max Space, a start-up announced during April's Space Symposium that is partnered with Elon Musk's SpaceX. Using de Jong's extensive background in expandable space habitat research, Max Space intends to launch its first habitat in 2026.
Despite always having an eye toward the skies, he considers himself to be a 害羞草研究所渄evout resident of Chilliwack害羞草研究所�.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 nuts about the outdoors,害羞草研究所� says de Jong. 害羞草研究所淚 really love the outdoors because I am an avid, very serious climber.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淧eople certainly consider me to be a little wild.害羞草研究所�
Young at Heart
De Jong, 63, was born in North Vancouver to Dutch immigrant parents. Following elementary school, the family moved back to The Netherlands for a year before settling in Flanders, Belgium.
At age 19 he was pulled back to Vancouver by his love of the outdoors. There he pursued a pre-med degree, before specializing in graduate biophysics.
Despite a love for the subject matter, he openly struggled with the classroom setting. "I couldn't absorb it quick enough," de Jong says. "I never felt like I was smart."
He has since been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, but at the time he says it was a condition that wasn't well understood.
But a tour of a highly regarded research lab in his final year was what he considers his "flick of the switch" moment: de Jong wanted a life outdoors under a big sky, not one stuck inside a lab.
"I left university, I just walked straight out," he says. I couldn't take it anymore."
De Jong's disillusionment with an education system he considered to be regimented and constrained, led him to starting his first company in his mid-20s; Extreme Mountain Gear based in False Creek, Vancouver. He started by providing training services for outdoor extremists as well as tactical equipment support.
He began offering courses around the world, using his work as an opportunity to travel.
His work brought him the luxury of spending time in countries all across the globe; Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Namibia, South Africa, and Colombia, where he introduced communities to paragliding and climbing.
Despite living in Colombia in what was a turbulent time during the drug war, de Jong looks back fondly on his time there.
害羞草研究所淚 was working in Colombia right when they caught Pablo Escobar in the early nineties,害羞草研究所� he says. 害羞草研究所淚t was my favourite country in South America, but it was a very difficult time.害羞草研究所�
For more on some of de Jong害羞草研究所檚 notable climbs, view slideshow above.
But de Jong害羞草研究所檚 desire for the extreme soon gave way to an internal conflict. He thought back to his early days in Vancouver where he害羞草研究所檇 had a group of six friends who shared interests in extreme, thrill-seeking hobbies 害羞草研究所� mountain climbers and paragliders alike. Less than 15 years later, only de Jong and one other were still alive.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 a numbers guy 害羞草研究所� you do something like that long enough, there害羞草研究所檚 a good chance you害羞草研究所檒l end up dead,害羞草研究所� he said.
That realization led him toward safer roles in more of a consulting capacity. He also started to realize how lonely his lifestyle had made him.
害羞草研究所淭he big hole in my life was I really wanted, you know, to share my life with somebody,害羞草研究所� admitted De Jong. 害羞草研究所淢y private life was disastrously difficult just because I was always away 害羞草研究所� always doing risky stuff.害羞草研究所�
De Jong was teaching in Salt Lake City 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所渢erribly depressed,害羞草研究所� he admits now 害羞草研究所� when he was set up on a blind date.
The activity? Paragliding. But that wouldn害羞草研究所檛 be his biggest leap of the day.
害羞草研究所淚 took one look at her and she has these big beautiful brown eyes and I thought 害羞草研究所榥o, this is not good害羞草研究所�.
害羞草研究所淟aurie and I basically just decided we were meant for each other. That害羞草研究所檚 fairy tale stuff, but we got married a year later and it害羞草研究所檚 now been 31 years or something, it害羞草研究所檚 just gotten better every year.害羞草研究所�
Following their marriage in 1994, the young couple looked north of the border to begin their life together.
They settled into a home de Jong built for them on a plot of land he had discovered when a gust of wind sent the outdoorsman off course in a previous paragliding trip. The two then spent the next couple of years enjoying their hobbies in the mountains as they spent their free time climbing, hiking, and of course, paragliding.
Thirty years on, it is where they remain with he, his wife Laurie, their two children Sigourney and Nemo, and dog Sasha, calling their land off the Chilliwack River home.
A visibly smitten de Jong admits he still gets excited to drive home from work every day.
Entering Space
In the late 1990s, the couple noticed there was a lack of high-tech equipment in the paragliding community at the time 害羞草研究所� one which was growing immensely. They started a company called Thin Red Line, in which de Jong used his knowledge and experience to design harnesses. The goal was to make them lighter, but stronger than ones already available.
De Jong, of course, tested every single harness out himself.
The company was founded in 1998 and just a year later, was hit at its first trade show, rushing to fill orders from all over the world.
害羞草研究所淚 still fly my harnesses today. They害羞草研究所檙e the best that are out there.害羞草研究所�
It wasn害羞草研究所檛 until the early 2000s that de Jong害羞草研究所檚 focus shifted towards the aerospace industry, and attracted the attention of Bigelow Aerospace in Las Vegas. The company was working on an undisclosed project and having difficulties integrating fabrics to the strength that de Jong had with his harnesses. Bigelow began reaching out to de Jong, requesting numerous samples of his fabric designs.
害羞草研究所淚 did this for about half a year and I didn害羞草研究所檛 charge for it. And finally, I said no because like, I need to know what it害羞草研究所檚 for.害羞草研究所�
Bigelow refused to elaborate for de Jong, who promptly halted any further work. Months later, they asked him to join the team in helping design the first expandable space habitats, later dubbed the Genesis Program.
De Jong was brought down to Las Vegas to meet with Bigelow Aerospace officials, where they were candid about how successful his fabric designs were.
害羞草研究所淚t turns out that every single strap that they tested, they had farmed it out to about 15 different manufacturers in the U.S.,害羞草研究所� he says. 害羞草研究所淥ur strengths came back No. 1 in every single test.害羞草研究所�
Thin Red Line then slowly took over the project design using de Jong害羞草研究所檚 innovative fabric technology to create both renditions of the Genesis project.
Nearly 20 years on, his creations are still orbiting Earth.
Lasting Legacy
Following his successful work on the Genesis spacecrafts, de Jong quickly became regarded as one of the pioneers in researching and designing expandable fabrics to be used in a space environment.
害羞草研究所淒espite their (Genesis crafts) success, we realized we couldn害羞草研究所檛 efficiently scale up to the bigger sizes that we really needed in space. So, after they flew, I took an entirely different design path to ultimately develop an expandable architecture that is fundamentally predictable and infinitely scalable.害羞草研究所�
De Jong害羞草研究所檚 extensive background in space research has reached beyond just habitats, with de Jong aiding in the research and design of planetary entry pods, probes and atmospheric entry vehicles.
Surprisingly though, space research isn害羞草研究所檛 the legacy he feels he wants to leave.
害羞草研究所淚 do think we need to put much more attention into Earth. We害羞草研究所檙e doing such a crappy job of taking care of the earth,害羞草研究所� de Jong says.
害羞草研究所淏ut what I would like to see is that the zero gravity or microgravity of Earth orbit can be used for technology development, stem cell research, pharmaceutical research that could help people who are not as fortunate as we are.害羞草研究所�
With his expertise and experience, large companies in the U.S. have been trying to recruit him for decades. But the Chilliwack resident has given the same answer every time.
害羞草研究所淣o,害羞草研究所� he says. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 gorgeous here.害羞草研究所�
Chilliwack is not just home to some of the world害羞草研究所檚 most advanced aerospace capsule technologies, but also home to a family. And it害羞草研究所檚 one that doesn害羞草研究所檛 plan on going anywhere.
害羞草研究所淎nd, you know, I think that害羞草研究所檚 it in a nutshell.害羞草研究所�
Today, the local man whose work lives among the stars remains as grounded as ever. But that thrill-seeking little boy still exists. You can find him on the climbing wall that hovers above his kitchen table, or in the mountains, or pushing boundaries in his lab.
