JF Ptak Science Books LLC Post #110
Horace Benedict DeSaussure (1740-1799) of Geneva
(aristocrat, geologist, physicist and (maybe the first) alpinist) made
the first truly scientific ascent in a balloon—he climbed into the
‘cockpit” of a hydrogen gas balloon with a few scientific instruments
and flew to the incredible height of 15,000 feet, to the summit of Mt.
Blanc. He achieved a life-long dream in this ueber accomplishment and
even did some science along the way—he was not going for height per se
for stardom, but was in fact doing upper atmosphere research. (He was
strangely, or perhaps understandably, filled with nothing at the point
of achievement: “at the moment of my reaching the summit I did not
feel satisfied; I was less so when I left. I only reflected there on
what I had not done…”) In any event DeSaussure went aloft with not all
that much in the way of recording and observational equipment.
It is interesting to see the state of the art in upper atmosphere test
equipment in the article published by James Glaisher in the Popular
Science Review* of 1865. Glaisher (1809-1903) was an all-around science
guy—President of the Microscopical Society, founding member of the
Aeronautical Club of England as well as the Meteorological Scoiety),
and was an early and very determined balloonist/aviator and
meteorologist. In the accompanying image to his article we find a
relatively safe (but not necessarily comfortable) control panel in the
balloon containing no less than 20 pieces of scientific apparatus for
collecting air at different elevations, noting different types of
clouds, determining the electric state of the air, making physiological
observations and comparisons, sound research, and other atmospheric
phenomena in general.
For the record, the enumerated instruments are as follows:
1-8: various types of blackened bulb thermometers, with dry and wet bulbs as well, placed in different aspects to the sun;
9: chronometer
10: Regnault’s hygrometer with a single silver cup
11 + 12 Mercurial barometers (Gay-Lussac siphon)
13: aneroid barometer
14: a second Regnault hygrometer
15. Daniel’s hygrometer
16. spiral bulb thermometer
17. gridiron form bulb thermometer
18+19: spectroscopes
20: Herschel’s actinometer
21. bottled water and aether
22+23: stop cocks for aspiratior
Glaisher as it turns out set a world record for a balloon ascension in
1862—three years before this article was published—but was unable to
conduct any experiments, as he passed out due to the lack of oxygen and
cold at 35,000 feet.
*“Balloon Ascents, and their Scientific Importance” See the NYT article.
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