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Explorer II (Balloon)

 Organization

Biography

The Explorer II (Balloon) was launched on November 11, 1935, from Rapid City, South Dakota. It was the second balloon experiment attempted by Captain Albert Stevens with the goal of reaching a world record altitude. Carrying Captain Stevens, Captain Orvil Anderson, and instruments that collected scientific data, the Explorer II reached a world record altitude of 22,066 meters (72,395 feet). This record height allowed for aerial photography which captured the actual curvature of the earth.

Citation:
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, via WWW, November 12, 2020 (Explorer II (Balloon); launched on November 11, 1935, from Rapid City, South Dakota; second balloon experiment attempted by Captain Albert Stevens with the goal of reaching a world record altitude; carried Captain Stevens, Captain Orvil Anderson, and instruments that collected scientific data; reached a world record altitude of 22,066 meters (72,395 feet); record height allowed for aerial photography which captured the actual curvature of the earth)

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Ruth Stevens papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 8112
Scope and Contents

Contains photographs of preparations for the Explorer II balloon flight in November 1935. This collection also includes photographs and postcards collected during the week that Ruth and Albert Stevens were in Poland in 1939. There is also a letter to Ruth Stevens from Richard H. Cracroft that he wrote after he read her manuscript for her husband's biography, and a copy of an obituary and funeral program for Ruth Stevens.

Dates: 1935-1990
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / Ruth Stevens papers

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