Max Cosyns
Encyclopedia
Max Cosyns was a Belgian
physicist
, inventor and explorer.
He was Auguste Piccard
's assistant at the Université Libre de Bruxelles
and on 18 August 1932 participated in the record-breaking ascent into the stratosphere
to 16,200 m (53,152 ft), launched from Dübendorf
, Switzerland
. For this he was awarded the Cross of Knight of the Order of Leopold by the Belgian King
in 1932.
On 18 August 1934 Cosyns together with his student Nérée van der Elst piloted a balloon to an altitude of 52,952 feet. Following a take off from Hour-Havenne in Belgium, they flew over Germany and Austria
before landing near the village of Ženavlje
(now in Slovenia
). They were unsuccessful in maintaining satisfactory radio communication with ground, but were able to make observations of the currents
in the stratosphere as well as investigate the nature of the cosmic ray
s. They failed to beat the height record, but stated on landing that they were fully satisfied with their discoveries.
A large bronze
monument in the shape of a balloon was erected in 1997 on the spot of their landing in Ženavlje to commemorate the event.
In the Second World War he joined the Resistance
and was imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp.
After the war he was co-director of the FNRS-2
bathyscaphe
expedition in Dakar
in 1948.
In 1952 he was in charge of the speleological
expedition to the Gouffre de la Pierre-Saint-Martin cave system in the Pyrenees
. The French speleologist Marcel Loubens, died in an accident with an electric hoist
during the ascent after spending four days in the cave when the steel cable snapped. Cosyns as head of the expedition and due to his involvement in the design of the winch
was considered responsible for the accident.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, inventor and explorer.
He was Auguste Piccard
Auguste Piccard
Auguste Antoine Piccard was a Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer.-Biography:Piccard and his twin brother Jean Felix were born in Basel, Switzerland...
's assistant at the Université Libre de Bruxelles
Université Libre de Bruxelles
The Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.-Name:...
and on 18 August 1932 participated in the record-breaking ascent into the stratosphere
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
to 16,200 m (53,152 ft), launched from Dübendorf
Dübendorf
Dübendorf is a municipality in the district of Uster in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.It is a suburb of Zürich in Switzerland with a population of about 23,000 . It is the fourth largest city in the canton, after Zürich, Winterthur, and Uster.-History:Dübendorf is first mentioned in 946 as...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. For this he was awarded the Cross of Knight of the Order of Leopold by the Belgian King
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
in 1932.
On 18 August 1934 Cosyns together with his student Nérée van der Elst piloted a balloon to an altitude of 52,952 feet. Following a take off from Hour-Havenne in Belgium, they flew over Germany and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
before landing near the village of Ženavlje
Ženavlje
Ženavlje is a village in the Gornji Petrovci Municipality in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia.Its claim to fame is an unplanned landing of a stratospheric balloon with the Belgian pioneering balloonist Max Cosyns and his student Nérée van der Elst on 18 August 1934...
(now in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
). They were unsuccessful in maintaining satisfactory radio communication with ground, but were able to make observations of the currents
Air current
Air currents may be caused by differences in temperature, pressure, or impurity concentration. Temperature differences can cause air currents because warmer air is less dense than cooler air, causing the warmer air to appear "lighter." Thus, if the warm air is under the cool air, air currents will...
in the stratosphere as well as investigate the nature of the cosmic ray
Cosmic ray
Cosmic rays are energetic charged subatomic particles, originating from outer space. They may produce secondary particles that penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and surface. The term ray is historical as cosmic rays were thought to be electromagnetic radiation...
s. They failed to beat the height record, but stated on landing that they were fully satisfied with their discoveries.
A large bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
monument in the shape of a balloon was erected in 1997 on the spot of their landing in Ženavlje to commemorate the event.
In the Second World War he joined the Resistance
Belgian resistance
Belgian resistance during World War II to the occupation of Belgium by Nazi Germany took different forms. "The Belgian Resistance" was the common name for the Netwerk van de weerstand - Réseau de Résistance or Resistance Network , a group of partisans fighting the Nazis...
and was imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp.
After the war he was co-director of the FNRS-2
FNRS-2
The FNRS-2 was the first bathyscaphe. It was created by Auguste Piccard. Work started in 1937 but was interrupted by World War II. The deep-diving submarine was finished in 1948. The bathyscaphe was named after the Belgian Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique , the funding organization for...
bathyscaphe
Bathyscaphe
A bathyscaphe is a free-diving self-propelled deep-sea submersible, consisting of a crew cabin similar to a bathysphere, but suspended below a float rather than from a surface cable, as in the classic bathysphere design....
expedition in Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
in 1948.
In 1952 he was in charge of the speleological
Speleology
Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form and change over time...
expedition to the Gouffre de la Pierre-Saint-Martin cave system in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
. The French speleologist Marcel Loubens, died in an accident with an electric hoist
Hoist (device)
A hoist is a device used for lifting or lowering a load by means of a drum or lift-wheel around which rope or chain wraps. It may be manually operated, electrically or pneumatically driven and may use chain, fiber or wire rope as its lifting medium. The load is attached to the hoist by means of a...
during the ascent after spending four days in the cave when the steel cable snapped. Cosyns as head of the expedition and due to his involvement in the design of the winch
Winch
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow trucks, steam shovels and...
was considered responsible for the accident.