FAI celebrates 90th anniversary of Auguste Piccard breaking the stratospheric barrier
Ninety years ago, on 27 May 1931, Swiss physicist and balloonist Auguste Piccard made history by becoming - together with his co-pilot Paul Kipfer - one of the first two humans to enter the stratosphere.
Safe within the pressurised cabin he invented, Piccard flew his enormous gas balloon to a height of 15,781m above the earth, setting an FAI world record in the process.
Today, the FAI commemorates his incredible feat, which was a major turning point for both aviation and space travel.
