PICARD’S BALLOON

Hokitika Guardian, 30 May 1931, Page 5

PICARD’S BALLOON

;RUSH TO MEET PICCARD

(United Press Association— By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.)

LONDON, May 2-5

An Innsbruck message .states: Professor Pa-card, the Belgian scientist descended to earili to find himsell famous. Although he once was regarded as being a crank, be is mow hailed as tin* Columbus of the unexplored regions of space.

On the Professor’s arrival, the village' of Gwrgl was overwhelmed with visitors. Its .solitary hotel was packed out, and Professor Piccard was deluged with telegrams, and otters to him of large sums for articles and books are pouring in. TH K SI R ATO-S PH ER E EXPL()RED. LONDON, May 29. Professor Piccard’s r°al object was t'he examination of the conditions in the stratosphere, (the layer of atmosphere, a Lout eleven miles high irr which temperature ceases to fall with increasing altitude. He desired to study this region ns a possible one for air communications, as aeroplanes might possibly attain undreamed of speeds there.n, owing to the small air resistance there, as well as the absence of storms anti of air pockets.

Another of his purposes was to lit /estignto the nature and origin of the mysterious rays known ns the “death rays,” whoso activity is intorrerrecT with by radiation from the earth, and. therefore they could he examined only from a great height.

PICCARD INTERVIEWED

LONDON, May 29

Interviewed, Professor Piccard said

“We seemed in an endless infinity of blue. It was like floating in a sea with blue water and blue shores all round. We felt an indeserioable happiness.” “We took three hours to reach the strato-sphere, and took fourteen hours to descend.” LONDON, May 29. “The Time’s” Vienna correspondent states: —Professor Piccaru declared that lie reached a height of fiftythree thousand fee.t within three and a-hal) hours. They shot up at the rate, of forty-five feet per second. “The temperature outside the balloon at the highest altitude was from 55 to 60 degrees Centigrade below zero. When the water suj ply was pros mg m sufficient the Professor scratelied the frozen breath from inside the walls of the aluminium cubicle, and Cranx it again and again. Some of their scientific apparatus failed to function at the highest altitude, but, happily, they will be able to establish, among other tilings, that the eondnetibility of gases induced By cowmic rays, is increased with altitude. “The moon was much brighter thnn when it is observed from tbo earth. The lunar mountains stod out in magnificent relief. They suffered gjeatlv from cold, but they breathed without '’difficulty, owing to their good oxygen apparatus ; though it was revealed when they landed that they had only onehour’s oxygen left. The Professor never doubted the success of the experiment, which lie intends to repeat.