A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air.For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light sources.Modern day balloons are made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, and can come in many different colors.

The Balloon Boy hoax occurred on October 15, 2009, when a homemade helium-filled gas balloon shaped to resemble a silver flying saucer was released into the atmosphere above Fort Collins, Colorado, by Richard and Mayumi Heene.They then claimed that their six-year-old son Falcon was trapped inside it. Authorities confirmed the balloon reached 7,000 feet (2,100 m) …

The Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) is an American low-level airborne ground surveillance system that uses ... System. The aerostats are large fabric envelopes filled with helium, and can rise up to an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,600 m) while tethered by a single cable. The largest lifts a 1000 kg payload to an operating altitude providing ...

High-altitude balloons are crewed or uncrewed balloons, usually filled with helium or hydrogen, that are released into the stratosphere, generally attaining between 18 and 37 km (11 and 23 mi; 59,000 and 121,000 ft) above sea level.. The most common type of high-altitude balloons is weather balloons.Other purposes include use as a platform for experiments in the upper …

A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries passengers and a source of heat, in most cases an open flame caused by burning liquid propane.The heated air inside the envelope makes it …

Balloon kites Applies to both lighter- and heavier-than-air kite types. The lighter-than-air balloon kite is the kytoon, which is aloft whether or not the wind blows. When the kytoon is not kiting, it floats aloft as a pure balloon; when it is kiting, it is a true kite. Kytoons are used to loft radio antennas, rescue signals, and kite-line laundry.

Uncrewed gas balloon. A Winzen balloon launched from Chico, California 3).. During 2002 an ultra-thin-film balloon named BU60-1 made of polyethylene. This was the greatest height a flying object reached without using rockets or a launch with a cannon. . Gliders. On February 17, 1986, The highest altitude obtained by a soaring aircraft was set at 49,009 ft (14,938 m) by Robert …

First helium-filled rigid airship to fly: was the USS Shenandoah on August 20, 1923, although it did not make a powered flight until September 24, 1923.; First people to reach the stratosphere: were Auguste Piccard and Paul Kipfer, who ascended to the height of 51,000 ft (15,500 m) in a hydrogen balloon on May 27, 1931.; First crossing of the Atlantic by balloon: was made by …

Helium (from Greek: ἥλιος, romanized: helios, lit. 'sun') is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. Its boiling and melting point are the lowest among all the elements.It is the second lightest and second most abundant element in the ...

Hot air ballooning is the activity of flying hot air balloons.Attractive aspects of ballooning include the exceptional quiet (except when the propane burners are firing), the lack of a feeling of movement, and the bird's-eye view. Since the balloon moves with the direction of the winds, the passengers feel absolutely no wind, except for brief periods during the flight when the balloon …