HEIGHT ATTEMPT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 189, 12 August 1933, Page 7

HEIGHT ATTEMPT.

COSMIC RAY QUEST.

A SPHERI//L GONDOLA.

THE CHICAGO VENTURE.

The largest balloon ever built, piloted by Lieut.-Commander T. G. W. Settle, and carrying instruments for cosmic ray measurements designed by Dr. Arthur 11. Compton, Nobel prizewinner for physics, ascended from Soldiers Field, Chicago, early on August 5, 011 the first flight from the western hemisphere into the stratosphere. This flight, under the personal supervision of Prof. Auguste Piccard and his twin brother, Jean, was to attempt to break the world's record for altitude on its voyage to seek out further data on the cosmic ray. Commander Settle is the present Gordon Bennett champion, and although still in his thirties is the U.S. oldest veteran in lighter-than-air navigation. The attempt failed owing to a valve sticking and allowing the balloon to descend again after having attained a height of 1000 feet. Discussing the proposed flight a few days beforehand, Lieut.-Commander Settle remarked that conventional balloon practice had merged with conventional submarine practice in preparations for the flight, and that once the flight got under way, submarine influence would be emphasised. Metal Ball For Gondola. "Submarine experience and technique," he said, "have been drawn upon heavily in the design of the spherical gondoia, which replaces the usual balloon basket. In the air, of course, the general handling of the balloon will follow conventional lines strictly, embodying all the lessons of the 150 years that men have been navigating in gas bags. "In the stratosphere flight the usual controls of valving and ballast will be employed. We will throw ballast to go up, valve to go down. Obviously, valving checks ascent and throwing ballast checks descent. The ballast used will be sand and metallic dust. At least

1501b of metallic ballast will become available from one of the cosmic ray instruments. This instrument is buried in' approximately that much lead dust, which may be released as ballast once the instrument has recorded its testimony.

"Suspension lines for the gondola will take off from the balloon at about the '30 degrees south latitude' parallel, which is the easiest way of describing the location of the catenary band around the balloon below the 'equator.' There will be 128 take-off points. The suspension lines will lead down to the load ring, a circular metallic ring about 4ft in diameter, for tlie concentration of loads. The metal gondola will be suspended from this load ring, the top of the ball being about 4ft below the ring. A Kind of "Poop" Deck.

"At low altitudes one or both members of the crew will stand on top of tlie ball and inside of the load ring. This will constitute a, kind of 'poop' deck. At

about 15,000 ft altitude, where the atmospheric pressure is about .6 that on the surface, the crew will go below into the ball and close the airtight hatches, just as a. submarine's crew goes below and battens down all hatches before a dive.

"We will take off about midnight and loaf at 'open hatch' altitudes, which will be somewhere below 15,000 ft, until sunrise. Then the sun will suck ua up. We will hit pressure height at the tropopause —about 35,000 ft. The balloon will be very flabby at the take-off, as it will be only about 20 per cent full. We will get the maximum altitude in early afternoon, then start down and land either just before sunset or sometime during the night. "In landing it is probable we shall pull out our 'rip panel.' The lip panel is toward the top side of the balloon. A stout pull will rip the panel wide open, allowing gas to escape quickly and permitting an immediate landing when close to the ground.