Comments on: RIP Jacques Piccard 1922-2008

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:21:21 +0000

The vehicle was initially developed with his father, as it is really the gondola that Auguste used in his high altitude balloon flights with the bracing and entry hatch reversed as the pressure is outside, rather than inside.

The US Air Force used a gondola based on Auguste Piccard’s design for its high altitude research.

Basic research is where the big payoffs occur, but you can’t convince people of that. They think that it is a waste of money. That’s why US manufacturing is almost gone – no new ideas outside of marketing.

By: Kryten42

Kryten42 — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:08:27 +0000

A good tribute to an amazing human Bryan, thanks!

I know of Jacques Piccard because of his expedition to the Mariana Trench. A story that fascinated me as an engineer. He was a great explorer, but the engineering feat was amazing also. A true man of vision and dreams, but he was the very rare type who made them real. The World needs people like him more than ever now, and one less makes us all so much poorer for it. Sadly, most people won’t even have a clue what I mean (present company excepted). *shrug*

I have to admit, it was the Piccard name that got me interesting in Star Trek: The Next Generation. 😉 I never liked Captain Sleeze… err… Kirk, much. LOL I think he shows his true nature on Boston Legal. 😉 😀

Anyway, salute to Jacques Piccard and condolences to his family. RIP.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:55:15 +0000

Now we do everything with robots because governments are risk adverse. I was a a freshman in high school on Long Island when they did it. One of out neighbors was an avid SCUBA divers and he was just floored with the feat because the deepest he had ever been was about 60 feet and it took an entire tank to go down and then come back up slowly to avoid the bends. He kept saying he couldn’t imagine being subjected to the weight of that much water.

A truly amazing family.

By: jams O'Donnell

jams O'Donnell — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:29:02 +0000

An utterly amazing member of an utterly amazing family. I wasn;t born when he and Walsh took the Triest to the very bottom of our oceans. I’m not surprised that nobody has made the trip since

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:37:40 +0000

Two of my early heroes were named Jacques – Piccard and Cousteau. Prescription lenses kept me from outer space, but they didn’t affect my ability to dive, something I picked up while growing up on a Florida bayou with dolphins, sharks, and rays.

I’ve gone off the oceans after a little incident in the military, but I remember the dreams.

By: JimD

JimD — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:13:09 +0000

Thanks for this link. Great life and story. I have trouble crossing the street in traffic.