Evening star., 1934-05-28
PICARD PLANNING
10 SOAR Il MILES
Belgian Scientists Brother
Will Seek New Data on
CoSmic Rays.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
DETROIT, Mich, May % (N.A.N.A).
Some morning this Summer, If plans
carry through, Detroiters will see
huge balloon carrying round metal
sphere for its passengers, instead OF
the usual basket, weigh of and ascend
until it is mere speck.
Twelve or fourteen hours later, If
all goes we'll, the occupants of the
balloon, Prof. and Mrs. Jean Picard,
will descend several hundred miles
east of Detroit with additional scientific
data on coSmic rays.
Prof. Picard discussed today the
problems involved in his StratoSphere
ascent and the preparations he Is
making to overcome them.
we came here because We wanted
Edward J. Hill, the Detroit balloonist,
to teach Mrs. Picard to pilot bal
loon and to have charge of ground
arrangements for the flight" he said.
Bag Holds 100000 Cubic Feet.
He described his balloon, the one
Lieut.. Thomas G. Settle piloted into
the stratosphere last Summer.
The bag has a volume of 600 900
cubic feet, about eight times the
volume of the balloon we are using on
our training flights he said. The
gondola is of light aluminium alloy.
Its walls are only an eighth OF an
inch thick and it weighs about 200
pounds. In a water landing 1t would
float easily.
I'VE could ascend with the bag only
tenth full, as our hydrogen will ex-
pand as We get into the thinner air.
However, we probably will take more
gas than that so We can carry more
ballast as a safety factor. For ballast
We will carry fine lead shot. That
flows more easily than sand. 1t is so
fine it will not cause any damage when
it lands.
Part of the ballast will be in
trap door in the gondola, so it can be
dumped without opening the alright
sphere. Other ballast will be in bags
on the outside. We will have dyna-
mite caps in these bags We can ex-
plode to release the lead shot.
Will Garry Oxygen and Alkali.
In the gondola we will have
liquid oxygen and alkali to keep the
air fresh. The alkali is more i'm
portant than the oxygen, as it absorbs
the carbon dioxide. Man can live in
an atmosphere containing as little as
10 per cent oxygen, but an atmos-
phere containing 8 per cent carbon
dioXide is fatal.
AT 10000 feet we will seal our
gondola. At attitudes much higher
than that man loses his intelligence.
He does not always realize that he
has. He may feel perfectly well, but
if ne were to try to write sentence
he would find how much he is af-
fected.
I'VE expect temperature OF 81
degrees below zero in the stratoS-
phere, which will make the ceiling OF
our balloon about II miles above the
earth. If the temperature is greater,
our hydrogen will expand more
quickly and we will not be able to go
that high.
I'VE do not hope to set an altitude
record, but the balloon the National
Geographic Society is building should
reach Is miles, because of its great
size"
Many Seek to Go Along.
Prof. Picard has received many let
ters from all parts Of the country, the
writer's asking to accompany him on
the ascent.
They write, I am such strong
boy,' or I am such good girl and
want to go along with you, he
said.
Hill described the recent ascent he
made to give Mrs. Picard instruc-
ton in plotting balloon.
I'VE ran into lot of wind, and
Mrs. Picard got the works" he said,
"I compliment her on her courage.
I am sure she will be capable of han
ding their balloon on stratosphere
flight"
Prof Picard, whose home is in
Marshallton, Del, is brother OF Prof.
Auguste Picard, celebrated Belgian
scientist and conquerer of the strato-
sphere.
(Copyright 1924. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. lncD