STRATOSPHERE FLIGHT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 195, 19 July 1937, Page 7

STRATOSPHERE FLIGHT

PROFESSOR PICCARD FAILS.

BALLOON destroyed

EXPERIMENTER UNINJURED

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received July 19, 11.20 a.m. NEW YORK, July 18.

A message from Rochester (Minnesota) states that Professor Piccard, the hero of several previous stratosphere flights, wearing football headgear to protect him from the cold and a bumpy landing, and a parachute, took off on a stratosphere flight at 5.38 (Aew Zealand time). His unique gondola was supported by fto tiny balloons. However, the craft was destroyed by tire. Prolessor Piccard is reported not to have been injured. Professor Piccard was expected to descend at noon on Tuesday. He communicated with the ground by radio. Before taking off Prolessor Piccard emphasised that he did not expect to ascend more than two or three miles, adding that later he wanted to make a flight with 2000 small balloons attached to a larger bag. Professor Piccard stated before he took off that, if the ascent was successful, he would try an ascent at some future date to 16 miles.

The stratosphere altitude record was sot on November 11, 1935, when Captain Albert W. Stevens and Captain Orvil A. Anderson, of the US. Air Corps, reached a height of .74,000 feet (over 14 miles) in the stratosphere balloon Explorer. The previous record was claimed by a Russian balloon which ascended 72,167 feet.