Jacques Piccard

Jacques Piccard (born July 28, 1922) is an explorer and engineer, known for having developed underwater vehicles for studying ocean currents. He is the only person (as of 2005), along with Lt. Don Walsh, to have reached the deepest point on the earth's surface, the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench.

Family

The Piccard family is noted for undertaking challenges. Jacques' father Auguste Piccard twice beat the record for reaching the highest altitude in a balloon, in 1931-32. Jacques' son Bertrand Piccard was the first person to fly around the world nonstop with the balloon "Orbiter 3" in March 1999. In fiction, Star Trek's Jean-Luc Picard is arguably descended from the Piccard Family.

Related Topics:
Bertrand Piccard - Star Trek - Jean-Luc Picard

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