Piccard, Auguste Antoine (1884–1962)

Swiss scientist. In 1931–32 he and his twin brother, Jean Félix (1884–1963), made ascents to 17,000 m/55,000 ft in a balloon of his own design, resulting in useful discoveries concerning stratospheric phenomena such as cosmic radiation. He also built and used, with his son Jacques Ernest (1922– ), bathyscaphs for research under the sea.