Otto C. Winzen
Encyclopedia
Otto C. Winzen was a German
- American
aeronautics engineer who made significant advances in the materials and construction of balloons after World War II
.
Winzen emigrated to the United States in 1937, and spent time during the war in interment camps. He studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Detroit. After World War II, he became involved in high-altitude balloon research, working with Jean Piccard
. In 1949 he started his own company with his wife called Winzen Research, Inc. He created a number of plastic balloons, in particular of polyethylene, which he sold to the United States Army and Navy including the Skyhook balloon
. In 1972 he developed the Winzen Research
Balloon, which achieved the record for the highest unmanned balloon flight, setting a record altitude of 51,816 m over Chico, California
.
He committed suicide in 1979, aged 58.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aeronautics engineer who made significant advances in the materials and construction of balloons after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Winzen emigrated to the United States in 1937, and spent time during the war in interment camps. He studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Detroit. After World War II, he became involved in high-altitude balloon research, working with Jean Piccard
Jean Piccard
Jean Felix Piccard , also known as Jean Piccard, was a Swiss-born American chemist, engineer, professor and high-altitude balloonist. He invented clustered high-altitude balloons, and with his wife Jeannette, the plastic balloon...
. In 1949 he started his own company with his wife called Winzen Research, Inc. He created a number of plastic balloons, in particular of polyethylene, which he sold to the United States Army and Navy including the Skyhook balloon
Skyhook balloon
Skyhook balloons were balloons developed by Otto C. Winzen and General Mills, Inc., and used by the United States Navy Office of Naval Research in the late 1940s and in the 1950s for atmospheric research, especially for constant-level meteorological observations at very high altitudes...
. In 1972 he developed the Winzen Research
Winzen Research
Winzen Research Inc created balloons in the 1950s and 1960s that were used by the United States Navy in its Projects Helios, Skyhook, and Strato-Lab. Balloons were also sold to the United States Air Force for use in Project Manhigh and for a secret reconnaissance mission, called Moby Dick, to...
Balloon, which achieved the record for the highest unmanned balloon flight, setting a record altitude of 51,816 m over Chico, California
Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
.
He committed suicide in 1979, aged 58.