Fig 3 2 Inventor Menotti Nam waves a grim goodbye as he prepares for a plunge into the Hudson River (Mr C Richards Vincent, Houston. Tex ) 



Piccard, a towering, innovative research 

 scientist, was interested in the study of 

 cosmic rays, and, because of the earth's pro- 

 tective atmosphere, designed a stratospheric 

 balloon to carry him and his instruments 

 above the atmosphere for unhindered meas- 

 urements. On August 18, 1932, the Professor 

 ascended from Zurich to a world record 72,- 

 177 feet. Financed by the Belgium National 

 Fund for Scientific Research or Ponds Na- 

 tional de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS), 

 the balloon was named FNRS, and in 1933 its 

 gondola hung prophetically over the BATHY- 

 SPHERE in the Hall of Science of the Cen- 

 tury of Progress Exposition at Chicago. 



Beebe was a biologist whose major interest 

 in the BATHYSPHERE was its ability to 



provide him with a better means to conduct 

 his studies; he was a user of technology, not 

 a developer. Piccard, on the other hand, be- 

 came a developer of technology and a user of 

 the laws of physics. His initial interest was 

 cosmic ray study which forced him to modify 

 and apply the stratospheric balloon in the 

 same manner that Beebe applied the BATH- 

 YSPHERE. Subsequently, he developed a ve- 

 hicle the marine scientist could use to pene- 

 trate the oceans as he did the atmosphere 

 (3). The seed of this undersea vehicle germi- 

 nated for some time in the Professor's mind, 

 and in 1939 the FNRS granted him some $25 

 thousand to construct a bathyscaph or deep 

 boat, christened FNRS-2. But before he pro- 

 gressed into the actual construction stage, 



35 



