Illustration of the Swiss-Belgian physicist Auguste Piccard (1884-1953) giving a press conference in Dubendorf, Switzerland, prior his flight with Belgian physicist Max Cosyns (1906-1998) on 18th August 1932. The balloon and gondola, which were designed by Piccard, reached an altitude of 16.201 metres, a record at the time. In order to reach the stratosphere Piccard had designed the gondola to be airtight, with pressurised air inside, and used a very large balloon, that didn't require to be fully inflated for take-off. Piccard ultimately made a total of twenty-seven balloon flights, setting a final record of 23 meters.