1932 SET THE BALL ROLLING
Dragging this large, aluminium sphere through the snow takes a lot of work, but the peaks of Austria’s Tyrolean Alps are only the beginning of its dizzying ascent. This is the gondola for Belgian physicist Auguste Piccard’s hydrogen balloon, which is specially pressurised to allow him to enter the stratosphere, and therefore go higher than any human before – including himself. In 1932, Piccard (the inspiration for the Tintin character, Professor Calculus), makes his third journey into the sky, climbing to 17,008 metres, before coming safely back to Earth.
PRESS ASSOCIATION