  The Pic du Midi Observatory, situated at an altitude of 2890 meters, was
always very hard to reach, and living there was difficult. Its history is a
lesson in courage. It is also a lesson in creativity, because astronomers took
advantage of the remarkable quality of the site in many ways, to study planets
and, later, to prepare for the Apollo missions. They also invited
geophysicists, botanists, and cosmic ray physicists to conduct experiments
there, and the Observatory became a successful center for multidisciplinary
studies. The heroic period, which ended in 1952, is reviewed through the
accomplishments of four directors, Celestin Vaussenat, Emile Marchand, Camille
Dauzere and Jules Baillaud.
