Between 1930 and 1932, Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard made more than two dozen trips to the upper atmosphere using a balloon of his design. These flights to the stratosphere ignited a renewed interest in ballooning, which had been overshadowed by the emergence of a newer form of exploration—airplanes. Piccard’s accomplishment garnered international attention, prompting both the United States and the Soviet Union to prepare their own balloons and crews for similar high-altitude ventures.
The Soviet Air Force mobilized various experts from diverse fields, including designers, rubber technologists, and professors from the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, as well as personnel from the Air Forces Institute and the Zhukovsky Airforce Academy. The consolidation of practically all available expertise and military project management eventually resulted in a robust and safe design—the USSR-1. Similar projects were also afoot elsewhere.
Osoaviakhim-1 by Russian painter Georgy Bibikov.
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