Jeannette Ridlon Piccard
First woman to ascend into the stratosphere
On October 23, 1934, Jeannette Piccard piloted a balloon to an altitude of
57,579 feet, thus becoming the first woman to ascend into the stratosphere.
Accompanying her on the flight was her husband, Dr. Jean Piccard. The flight
originated from Dearborn, Michigan and terminated near Cadiz, Ohio. Dr.
Jeannette Piccard became the first licensed woman balloonist in the world.
Jeannette was born in Chicago and earned Bachelors Degrees in Philosophy and
Psychology from Bryn Mawr College, a Masters Degree in Organic Chemistry from
the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of
Minnesota. She served as a consultant to NASA's manned Spacecraft Center (now
Johnson Space Center) in Houston, between 1964 and 1970. In 1975, Dr. Piccard
was ordained as the first female Priest in the Episcopal Church.
From: The
New Mexico Museum of Space History Alamogordo,
N.M.