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The stratospheric balloon flights of Auguste Piccard in 1931-1932 changed the way people thought about conquering the stratosphere and began a race to the stratosphere via the balloon which rivaled the race to the moon in the 1960s. The ballooning of the 1930s, including Auguste and Jean Piccards' work and the Explorer flights, led to Project Helios during the 1940s. Project Helios, in turn, led to Skyhook, Stratolab and modern scientific ballooning. These modern projects, i.e., Project Skyhook, allowed longer look times than sounding rockets and were far more economical. Furthermore, they were valuable in obtaining data for both scientific missions and military interests.
NASM.1993.0050
United States. Office of Naval Research
[ca. 1940s-1960s]
Office of Naval Research, Gift, 1993, 1993-0050, Public Domain
2.18 Cubic feet ((2 records center boxes))
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This collection consists of photographs, correspondence, reports, clippings and press kits, mostly centering on the following ballooning topics: Project Skyhook, Project Helios, Stratoscope I and II and Stratolab. There is also material on general ballooning events, the Vanguard satellite and the VTOL.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
No restrictions on access
Rockets (Aeronautics)
Rockets, Sounding
Vertically rising aircraft
Balloons
Balloons, Sounding
Stratoscope I
Stratoscope II
Stratolab Program
Project Vanguard
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Press releases
Clippings
Reports
Correspondence
Photographs