Auguste Piccard

by Belén A. Mella

Throughout history, countless explorers have pioneered discovery.

They have led the way into the future, propelled by their own curiosity,

innovation, and a true passion for adventure. Among these men is Auguste

Piccard.

On May 27, 1931, Auguste Piccard and his associate Paul Kipfer

became the first men in the stratosphere. Together, they rose 51,775 feet-

almost 10 miles- into the sky. Piccard and Kipfer flew in a pressurized air

cabin attached to a giant balloon.

In his lifetime, Auguste made a total of twenty seven trips into the sky,

beating his own record almost each time. He spent the later years of his life

devoted to creating a submarine using the same principles.

For his research and discoveries, he is remembered today as one of the

world’s most prominent explorers. Undoubtedly, Auguste Piccard’s journeys

have changed the course of history forever.

An Explorer is Born

Auguste Piccard’s unforgettable journey began on January 28th, 1884,

the date of his birth in the Swiss city of Basel. As a child, he (along with his

twin brother) showed a tremendous interest in science.

Piccard pursued this interest when he enrolled in the Swiss Federal

Institute of Technology in Zurich . Upon graduating, he became a teacher at

his Zurich school. In 1922, he went on to being a professor of physics at the

Free University of Brussels. Later that decade, in 1927, he joined the Solvay

Congress (The international Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry)

In Flight

It was not until the year 1930 that Auguste Piccard began designing

the machine that would one day take him into the stratosphere. His design

consisted of a spherical gondola built out of aluminum, with the purpose of

reaching great altitudes regardless of the intense pressure in the

stratosphere. With his design complete, funding provided by the Belgian

Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique helped Auguste Piccard construct his

invention.

On May 27, 1931, he and his partner, Paul Kipfer, were ready to fly.

Auguste’s balloon took off from Augsburg, Germany, in a flight that lasted

seventeen hours! Within the flight, Piccard contributed to science immensely,

completing several unprecedented experiments. He gathered information

about the upper atmosphere, cosmic rays, and even worked with Einstein to

develop tools to measure radioactivity. This flight was the first of many

flights into Earth’s stratosphere, setting an altitude record of 51,775 feet.

Auguste Piccard flew again on August 18th, 1932, this time in

Dübendorf, Switzerland, accompanied by Max Cosyns. Yet again, he

accomplished countless scientific discoveries. This time, he broke his own

record by flying 53,152 feet- over 10 miles-, once again reaching heights

unprecedented by humans.

Under the Sea

 In the mid-1930’s, Auguste Piccard took yet another turn in

exploration. Rather than aiming for the highest cloud, Piccard gained interest

in exploring the depths of the ocean. Utilizing the same principles as in his

balloons, he designed a bathyscaphe that could be capable of taking humans

into the depths of the ocean.

His bathyscaphe now consisted of a steel, bubble shaped gondola. It

was designed to be navigable and submersible. The concept was to include a

chamber of gasoline for the purpose of buoyancy as well as steel and iron

weights to provide the vessel with the desired depth. The major concern in

design and construction was that of withstanding the tremendous pressure

underwater.

World War II put a temporary stop on his project as fundings had to be

invested elsewhere. However, Piccard finally built the bathyscaphe in 1948,

preforming several successful unmanned dives, pioneering deep water

exploration.

The End of a Journey

Auguste Piccard’s journey came to an end on March 24th, 1962, at the

age of 78. Nevertheless, his legacy lives on as his descendants follow in his

footsteps as aeronauts and balloonists. In fact, on January 23rd 1960,

Jacques Piccard, Auguste Piccard’s son, submerged in his father’s

bathyscaphe along with Don Walsh, reaching the deepest point on Earth’s

surface: the Mariana Trench. For

his endeavors and inventions, Auguste Piccard will forever more be

remembered in history as a physicist, an inventor, an aeronaut, a balloonist,

and moreover, a true explorer.