Auguste Piccard

Auguste Piccard was a super-smart scientist from Switzerland who loved adventures! He was like a real-life explorer, but instead of sailing ships, he invented special machines to go to places no one had ever been before. He was the first person to ever travel into the stratosphere, which is super high up in the sky, and he also invented a special submarine to explore the very bottom of the ocean.

He was always curious about the world around him!

Auguste Piccard built a giant balloon filled with a gas called hydrogen. This balloon was so big, it could lift a special metal ball called a gondola, where he sat. He flew this balloon higher and higher, way above the clouds, to study the air way up in the sky.

It was like going to the edge of space! He was the first person to ever reach the stratosphere, which is like the tippy-top of our atmosphere.

After exploring the sky, Auguste Piccard wanted to see what was at the bottom of the ocean. He invented a special deep-sea diving machine called a bathyscaphe. It was like a super-strong bubble that could withstand all the pressure of the deep water.

His first bathyscaphe was called FNRS-2. He sent it down many times, even without people inside, to discover the mysteries of the ocean floor. It was a very important invention for ocean science!

Auguste Piccard wasn't the only adventurer in his family! He had a twin brother named Jean Felix Piccard, who was also a scientist and explorer. Their children and grandchildren also became famous explorers! There was Jacques Piccard, who went to the deepest part of the ocean, and Bertrand Piccard, who flew around the world in a balloon. It seems like exploring runs in their family's blood!