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About The Aeronauts: Travels In The Air
Product Description The True Story Behind the Major Motion Picture — and one of the greatest daredevil stories in the history of aviation In 1862, ambitious scientist James Glaisher set out to do the impossible: ascend higher into the skies than ever before. A pioneer of weather forecasting and of photography, and a founding member of the Royal Meteorological Society, he wanted to take ground-breaking research measurements from different altitudes. On 5th September, along with experienced balloonist Henry Coxwell as his pilot, he lifted off in a hot air balloon for what would prove to be a death-defying and historic flight. Rising above the English countryside, they rose to the remarkable height of 37,000 feet (7 miles or 11km), almost killing both men, who experienced blurred vision, loss of motor function and, eventually, unconsciousness. It was a miracle they survived to tell the tale. Written in his own words, The Aeronauts chronicles Glaisher’s incredible flights and discoveries first hand, as well as his observations on those pioneers who came before and inspired him. His audaciously daring journey forms the story of the forthcoming major motion picture The Aeronauts. With an introduction by Professor Liz Bentley, Chief Executive at the Royal Meteorological Society About the Author James Glaisher (1809-1903) was an English meteorologist, aeronaut and astronomer who worked at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich for forty-three years. He was a founding member of the Meteorological Society and the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain. He is most famous as a pioneering balloonist and his ascent on 5th September 1862 along with Henry Tracey Coxwell broke the world record for altitude. Introduction by Professor Liz Bentley, Chief Executive at the Royal Meteorological Society, of which Glaisher was a founding member in 1850. She also heads theWeather Club, the public outreach arm of the Royal Meteorological Society, dedicated to helping people understand the weather and its role in our lives and in the life of the planet. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter I, The Aeronauts CHAPTER I The first scientific ascents in England There are no frontiers in the reign of thought, and the conquests of the human mind belong to all the world; yet each civilized nation is called upon to give its contingent to the great work of the study of nature, and to choose those branches which are most suited to its genius. France has given the balloon to the world, but her work is still incomplete, and the conquest of Charles and Montgolfier remains undeveloped. It is not, however, my intention to describe the attempts which have been made to this end, or discuss the value of the balloon as a first step towards the solution of the problem of aerial locomotion; I desire only to describe the principal results of my own aeronautical excursions, after briefly alluding to the observations of my predecessors in this field of inquiry. The first persons in England who devoted themselves to aerial navigation were foreigners. The philosopher Tiberius Cavallo and the diplomatist Vincent Lunardi were both Italians. But from the time when Lunardi inaugurated balloon ascents to the present day, it may be truly said that balloons have remained popular with us; not only have noblemen and gentlemen shown a taste for aerial journeys, but men of science have followed up with avidity the great experiments made on the Continent, and several attempts have been made in England, both by free and captive balloons, to study systematically the phenomena of the atmosphere. In 1838 and 1850, Mr. [George] Rush ascended several times with Mr. Green, and made some observations mainly on humidity. Public attention was aroused to a certain extent, but the ascents were chiefly known from an incident which occurred at the end of one of them. The balloon descended in the sea near Sheerness, and the car was dragged through the water with
