View of Piccard Balloon from Airplane during the Stratosphere Flight, Altitude 16,000 Feet, October 23, 1934

THF230936 / View of Piccard Balloon from Airplane during the Stratosphere Flight, Altitude 16,000 Feet, October 23, 1934
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Artifact Overview

The Piccard stratosphere flight departed Ford Airport field on October 23, 1934. Spouses Jean and Jeannette Piccard ascended 10.9 miles in a metal gondola carried by a hydrogen balloon. Jeannette was the first American woman licensed as a balloonist, and first to reach the stratosphere. William Duckwitz's shortwave radio maintained communication until their landing 400-miles away, in Cadiz, Ohio.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

23 October 1934

Collection Title

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

64.167.285.34.4

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Inscriptions

Handwritten on back: Balloon photographed by Captain [Stevens?] at elevation of about 16000 feet.
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Related Content

  • Jean and Jeannette Piccard and Others with Balloon Gondola before the Stratosphere Flight, Ford Airport, October 23, 1934 (detail)
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    A Flight of Firsts: The Piccard Stratosphere Ascension

    • 16 Artifacts
    In October 1934, Jean and Jeannette Piccard set a new altitude record, ascending 10.9 miles in a metal gondola carried by a hydrogen balloon. Jeannette -- the first American woman licensed as a balloonist -- piloted, while Jean gathered scientific data. On this historic flight, Jeannette became the first woman to reach the stratosphere.