Science/Scientists Dateline: January 28Scientists, Balloonists, Aeronauts, Hydronauts, Inventors, Explorers
Born on 28 January 1884, in Basel, Switzerland, the twin brothers, Auguste Antoine Piccard and Jean Felix Piccard, were both balloonist, aeronauts, inventors and explorers. They also both graduated from ETH Zurich. Auguste was a physicist while Jean was a chemist. Their father, Jules Piccard, was a professor of chemistry. The brothers ascended 16-17 km by balloon (1931-1932) into the stratosphere.
Auguste Antoine Piccard (28 January 1884-24 March 1962)
Auguste Piccard became a professor at Brussels in 1922. He held posts at Lausanne, Chicago and Minnesota universities.
In 1948, he explored the ocean depths off west Africa in a bathyscape constructed from his own design. In 1960, his son Jacques, together with a US naval officer, Donald Walsh, set a world record by diving more than seven miles in the US bathyscape Trieste into the Marianas Trench of the Pacific Ocean.
He attended the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, and became a professor of physics in Brussels at the Free Univeristy of Brussels in 1922, the same year his son Jacques Piccard was born. He was a member of the Solvay Congress of 1922, 1924, 1927, 1930 and 1933.
Notably, an important motivation for his research in the upper atmosphere were measurements of cosmic radiation, supposed to provide experimental evidence for Einstein theories. Piccard and Albert Einstein know each other, being fellow alumnus of ETH and from their Solvay conferences.
Jean Felix Piccard (January 28, 1884 - January 28, 1963)
Jean Piccard was a Swiss-born American chemist, engineer, a professor and balloonist. He invented clustered high-altitude balloons, and with his chemist wife Jeannette, the plastic balloon. His inventions and co-inventions are used in balloon flights, aircraft and spacecraft. He became an American citizen in 1931.
Subsequently, he held a chair at New York, and became professor emeritus of aeronautical engineering at Minnesota University.
Jean Piccard's main interest was in exploration of the stratosphere and he designed, and in 1934, he ascended with his wife in a balloon from Detroit to a height of 17,550 m (57,579 ft), where they collected valuable data on cosmic rays.
Resources:
Image Credit:
Auguste Antoine Piccard. en.wikpedia.org. Accessed January 28, 2014.
Jean Felix Piccard. en.wikipedia.org. Accessed January 28, 2014.
Auguste Piccard became a professor at Brussels in 1922. He held posts at Lausanne, Chicago and Minnesota universities.
In 1948, he explored the ocean depths off west Africa in a bathyscape constructed from his own design. In 1960, his son Jacques, together with a US naval officer, Donald Walsh, set a world record by diving more than seven miles in the US bathyscape Trieste into the Marianas Trench of the Pacific Ocean.
He attended the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, and became a professor of physics in Brussels at the Free Univeristy of Brussels in 1922, the same year his son Jacques Piccard was born. He was a member of the Solvay Congress of 1922, 1924, 1927, 1930 and 1933.
With great interest in ballooning and curiosity about the upper atmosphere, in 1930, he designed a spherical, pressurized aluminium gondola that would allow asacent to great altitude without requiring a pressure suit. He constructed his gondola through the support of the Belgian Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS).
Notably, an important motivation for his research in the upper atmosphere were measurements of cosmic radiation, supposed to provide experimental evidence for Einstein theories. Piccard and Albert Einstein know each other, being fellow alumnus of ETH and from their Solvay conferences.
Jean Felix Piccard (January 28, 1884 - January 28, 1963)
Jean Piccard was a Swiss-born American chemist, engineer, a professor and balloonist. He invented clustered high-altitude balloons, and with his chemist wife Jeannette, the plastic balloon. His inventions and co-inventions are used in balloon flights, aircraft and spacecraft. He became an American citizen in 1931.
Subsequently, he held a chair at New York, and became professor emeritus of aeronautical engineering at Minnesota University.
Jean Piccard's main interest was in exploration of the stratosphere and he designed, and in 1934, he ascended with his wife in a balloon from Detroit to a height of 17,550 m (57,579 ft), where they collected valuable data on cosmic rays.
Resources:
- Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 9th Edition (2011). London: Chambers Harrap Publishers.
- "Scientific Ballooning." Living with a Star. Accessed January 28, 2014.
- "Submersibles - Manned and Unmanned." Rubicon foundation. Accessed January 28, 2014.
- "The Piccard Gondola Exhibit." Transportation Gallery. Accessed January 28, 2014.
Image Credit:
Auguste Antoine Piccard. en.wikpedia.org. Accessed January 28, 2014.
Jean Felix Piccard. en.wikipedia.org. Accessed January 28, 2014.
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