Ballonkapsel
Ballongondel Breitling Orbiter 2
Dating
1997Persons
Description
Ballongondel Breitling Orbiter 2 - Gondel ist Bestandteil eines 55 Meter hohen Hybridballons <Rozière> - maximale Flughöhe: 13000 m - Treibstoff: Kerosin - Startort: Château d’Oex (VD) - Landeort: bei Sitkwin (Burma) - Flugdauer: 9 Tage 17 Stunden 51 Minuten (damals Weltrekord) - Flugstrecke: 8473 kmSignature / Inscription
Signatur / Beschriftung: Beschriftung: "Breitling Orbiter 2", "Swiss Chronographs"Object type
Object (three-dimensional)Geography
Territorium: Château d’Oex (VD), Sitkwin (Burma)Material / Technique
Kevlar, KohlefasernDimensions
540 x 274 x 305 cm inkl. Armaturen, Handlauf, etc. ca. 2000 kgInventory number
VHS-7891Legend
Breitling Orbiter 2 balloon gondola
Forerunner of success
Bertrand Piccard launched his second attempt to circumnavigate the earth in a balloon on 28 January 1998 in Château d’Oex, with Wim Verstraeten and Andy Elson on board. The Breitling Orbiter 2 covered over 8’000 km, but was compelled to land in Burma because permission by China to overfly that country was not granted in time. Nevertheless, the balloon was in the air for longer than any previous flying machine.
The gondola is largely identical in construction to that of Orbiter 3, with which Piccard and Brian Jones achieved the first circumnavigation of the world a year later, in March 1999. Pressure equalisation creates conditions similar to those in an airliner.
Kerosene, stored in the lower part of the capsule as fuel for the balloon burner, did not prove successful, being sensitive to cold. For Orbiter 3 it was decided to fall back on the more reliable propane gas. Experience with Orbiter 2 therefore made a significant contribution to the success of its successor.
Technical data
Main colour
orangeNumber of crew
3Number of passengers
0Range [km]
8473Type of propulsion
WindantriebSystematics
• Balloon
Literature
Auguste, Jacques, Bertrand. À la conquête du ciel et des abysses. Préface de Neil Armstrong, Autor/in: Rubin, Jean-François; Co-Autor/in: Schwartz, Arnaud, S., Abb.: S. 157-159, Sign.: GPE 10 sowie GPE 10 MZG
Piccard. Pioniere ohne Grenzen, Autor/in: Dieminger, Susanne; Co-Autor/in: Jeanneret, Roland, Sign.: GPE 20 sowie GPE 20 MZG
Un, deux, trois Piccard. Pionniers du ciel et des abysses, Duhoo, Jean-Yves, Sign.: GPE 55 sowie GPE 55 MZG