Evening star., 1933-07-19
PICARD CONDO[A
! AIR LABORATORY
Walls Like EggsheHs, but Will
Answer Purpose of Ascent,
Tests Indicate.
By the Associated Press.

Dy the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, July ia veritable fly
ing laboratory is the thin globular
shell in which Lieut.. Comdr T. G. w
Settle and Dr. Jean Picard shortly
will ride up into space from Soldiers
Field on their coSmic ray quest.
Sucked like an inverted plummet up
into the stratosphere, they expect to
live, eat. navigate their balloon and
make scientific observations in this
hollow sphere under conditions closely
Stimulating a Journey in the opposite
direction into deep seas.
Here are some of the facts concern
ing their preparations;
The gondola is seven feet in dame
ter, of magnesium alloy approximately
q fourth lighter than aluminium, weigh
ing only 200 pounds.
Walls Like Egg Shell.
The walls are only an eight Of an
inch thick, relatively as thin and light
as an egg shell, but air-tight and tested
by air pressure, dry ice. heat and water
Entrance is through two matches,
which may be opened either from the
inside or outside.
There are eight ports. each three or
four inches in diameter, for obserVa-
tions. Two are of fused quartz to
p6TIllU SptSlIOSOOplC CASiIllA4Ie1lAOiA VA
solar light particularly of ultraviolet
rays Some of the others are of optical
glass for screening mira red rays for
high altitude photography.
On shelves inside will be camera,
short wave wireless for receiving
weather reports and communicating
below, storage batteries bags of lead
dust for ballast, liquid oxygen. chemi-
Gals to absorb carbon dioXlde and
give off heat. instruments for measur-
ing cosmic rays, balloonists' navigating
instruments. sandwiches, thermos bot
ties. emergency rations and two small
hammockS which will serve as seats.
Garry Submarine Lungs.
With them, too, will be parachutes
and two modified submarine lungs, such
as sailors use in escaping from dlsa-
bled submarines. These, 1t Is antlcl-
pated. will be useful in protecting the
aeronautS should they be forced to
bail out while in the exceedingly
rarified atmosphere.
Beneath the car will be a rubber,
air-inflated "doughnut" to absorb the
shock of landing The ball itself will
float, it is expected, should the balloon
be forced down on one OF the Great
Lakes.
On top Of the ball, formed by the
lode ring and ropes. is what Settle
has dubbed the poop deck" Here
they may lounge in the open air dur
ing early hours of the ascent until
time to crawl inside and lock the
matches tight behind them.
Bigger Balloon.
The balloon itself is of 100000 cubic
feet capacity. 100000 more than Prof.
Auguste Piccards, and will contain hy-
drogen gas. Inflated to only 125.0OO
cubic feet of its capacity at the start
at midnight. the envelope soon will be
expanded to full size under the suns
warm rays in the lighter atmosphere
above. Then the gas will begin es-
Gaping through an open appendix at
the bottom.
At approximately 10 miles, the alti-
tude reached by Prof. Picard, the gas
would expand 10 times, to l.250,O00
cubic feet 1t is expected only $4,000
cubic feet will be left when the bal
loon is landed.
The bottom Of the ball is painted
black to absorb the suns rays for
warmth in early morning and late att
ernoon while in the chill stratosphere
of perhaps so or 10 degrees below zero.
The top is painted white to reflect the
rays when the sun is high and hot.