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This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Type ART-Prints, Original Medium Print, Aquatint on Paper, Colored Physical Description Colored aquatint of four balloons in flight. Each balloon has its own date and caption describing the flight in French. . 1. The balloon built by Robert frères for the Duc de Chartres was 52 feet long, 32 feet in diameter and contained 30,000 cubic feet of gas. It was the first oblong balloon, a shape Meusnier has suggested as being more aerodynamic. It was also the first balloon to have a ballonet in the envelope, which could be filled or emptied with a bellows to control altitude. It was fitted with surfaces intended to increase its navigability. Launching from St. Cloud on July 15, 1784, the balloon rose to a considerable altitude. Not fitted with a valve, the Duke was forced to punch a hole in the envelope with his flag staff. The flight ended with a safe landing near Chalais Meudon. 2. Vincenzo Lunardi's well-known first ascent from the artillery ground. 3. September 19, 1784 -- Robert and Collin-Hullin ascend from Paris and fly a record 150 miles to a safe landing at Beuvry, near Bethune. 4. The well-known Channel flight of Blanchard and Dr. John Jeffries, January 1785. Dimensions Mat: 25.4 × 30.5cm (10 × 12 in.)
Unmatted: 8.6 × 16.2cm (3 3/8 × 6 3/8 in.)
 Inventory Number A20140392004 Credit Line Gift of the Norfolk Charitable Trust Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.