Bertrand Piccard is a Swiss physician, engineer, astronaut and aviator. He is the first man to have flown in both outer space and through the air under his own power. His many aviation achievements include being the first to fly a balloon around the world in 1999 and setting a new record of circumnavigating the globe in a hot-air balloon in 2000. In 2001 he became the first to fly around the world in a winged solar-powered airplane
Read more
In 2003 he piloted Solar Impulse 2 on its attempt to fly around the world on solar power alone. In 2010 he became the first to circumnavigate the globe non-stop in a solar-powered airplane, flying over ten countries and five continents. Bertrand's accomplishments have earned him numerous distinctions, among them Knight of the French Legion of Honor, Commander of the American Legion of Merit, Officer of the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan), Gold Medal for Technology (Switzerland), Gold Medal for Technology (Austria) and the United States National Medal of Technology.
He has also received honorary degrees from several universities throughout Europe, Africa and America.