Popular Science Monthly, August 1931, Vol. 119: No.
Featuring Auguste Piccard Aerial Record
POPULAR SCIENCE PUBLISHING CO. 381 FOURTH AVE. , NEW YORK 1931
Founded in 1872. Pictorial cover design features image of speed boats tied to posts with engineers taking readings from gauges: "Speedboats Race Standing Still!" Moderate cover, edge wear, corner curl, few small gouges diminishing from front pages through first twenty; remains vibrantly colorful. Exterior spine good with some chip. Pages generally near very good and without writing; moderate toning, discoloration. Bind good, intact. Rare near good and fully intact, highly sought periodical.
Unique rarity for its coverage of a hot air balloon expedition to new heights led by physicist Auguste Piccard entitled: "Ten Miles High in an Air-Tight Ball: A fantastic aerial exploit that Jules Verne never dreamed of". On May 27, 1931 Auguste Piccard and Paul Kipfer floated from Augsburg, Germany, and reached a record altitude of 15,781 meters or 51,775' which is 9.8 miles sky high in the stratosphere. (FAI Record File Number 10634) During this flight, Piccard and Kipfer became the first human beings to enter the stratosphere, and were able to gather substantial data on the upper atmosphere, as well as measure cosmic rays. Their achievement was documented in this Popular Science Monthly article.
An anonymous writer for the official website of Auguste's grandson, Bertrand Piccard, claims that grandfather was the first to witness the shape of the earth with his own eyes. From article: "Through portholes, the observers saw the earth through a copper-colored, then bluish, haze. It seemed a flat disk with upturned edges. At the ten-mile level the sky appeared a deep, dark blue." Illustrated throughout with classic photography, illustrations, and stylishly exciting graphic design. An amazing time-capsule of articles, research, and adverts. 8 3/4" x 11 1/2" design. 120 pages. Insured post.