Professor Piccard leaves on balloon trip into the unknown . Professor Piccard , the Belgian scientist took off from the Dubendorf aerodrome , near Zurich , in his balloon , on his second voyage of discovery into regions of the sky never before attained by man . It is expected that he will beat his previous record of ten miles up in the air . The balloon taking off from the Dubendorf aerodrome at dawn at the start of the ascent into the stratosphere . 18 August 1932