StratoCatOn April 22, 1959 astronomer Audouin #Dollfus made from Villacoublay, France an ascent to 43000 ft in a sealed cabin, using a cluster of 105 sounding balloons.
The lightweight #gondola, a 230-pound sphere of thin metal about six feet in diameter, was sealed, pressurized, and air-conditioned.
During the flight, the #balloon system stabilized at an altitude of about 43,000 feet. He studied the Moon, #Venus & other planets with a #telescope coupled to a spectrophotometer.
