THE HIGHER REGION,
BALLOONIST’S ASPIRATION. ALTITUDE OF 15 MILES. i ■ _ United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright 'CHICAGO. August 5. In the hope of piercing space to a height never before negotiated by man Lieutenant-Commander T. G. W. Settle swept aloft in the balloon Century of Progress at 3.5 a.m. to-day from the Soldiers’ Feld at the Chioago World Fair for a scientific exploration Of the stratosphere. ’ The balloonist expected ,to rise to an altitude of about 15 miles to study the little-known cosmic rays. In live minutes the ballon was out of sight. Lieutenant-Commander Settle was confident of riding safely and serenely through the upper regions In a metal sphere seven feet in diameter,' constructed of magnesium alloy which was sealed tightly shut and attached to the balloon. However, he was doomed to disappointment. The aeronaut had to land again within 10 minutes of his take-off. After attaining a height of 1000 ft. he pulled the balloon’s valve to level it off for a while, but the valve stuck and the balloon began to drop. Lieutenant-Commander Settle jettisoned 53 bags of ballast, each weighing 401 b., but this did not halt t?ie desoent. He was not Injured.
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Bibliographic details
Waikato Times, Volume 114, Issue 19017, 7 August 1933, Page 7
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196THE HIGHER REGION, Waikato Times, Volume 114, Issue 19017, 7 August 1933, Page 7
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