image
Zahlreiche Schaulustige verfolgen am 18. August 1932 in Duebendorf, Schweiz, wie der Schweizer Wissenschaftler Auguste Piccard in die Kapsel seines Ballons steigt, mit dem er in Begleitung des belgischen Physikers Max Cosyns zu seinem zweiten Flug in die Stratosphaere aufbricht. Sie stellten an diesem Tag mit ueber 16'000 Metern einen neuen Hoehenrekord auf. (KEYSTONE/PHOTOPRESS-ARCHIV/Es) Numerous spectators watch Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard climbing into the gondola of his balloon before the take-off for his second balloon flight to the stratosphere, pictured on the airfield of the airport in Duebendorf, Switzerland, on August 18, 1932. A Belgian physicist accompanies Piccard on this record flight. They reached an altitude of 16'200 m. Auguste Piccard (1884-1962) was a physicist, inventor and explorer. An interest in ballooning and a curiosity about the upper atmosphere led him to design and construct a spherical, pressurized aluminum gondola which would allow him to ascend to great altitude without requiring a pressure suit in 1930. Piccard and a Belgian engineer reached a record altitude of 15'785 m on May 27, 1931. During this flight, Piccard was able to gather substantial data on the stratosphere. In the mid-1930s, Piccard's interests shifted when he realized that a modification of some of his atmospheric balloon concepts would allow to descend into the deep ocean and he designed a small steel gondola to withstand great external pressure. Piccard and his son built the improved Bathyscaphe Trieste in 1953. (KEYSTONE/PHOTOPRESS-ARCHIV/Es)