gas balloon
Quick Summary
A gas balloon is an airtight bag filled with a lighter-than-air gas, such as helium or hydrogen, to provide buoyancy and allow it to float in the atmosphere. Unlike hot-air balloons, which use heated air from a burner, gas balloons are filled with gas before flight. Altitude is controlled by releasing gas or dropping ballast.12
The first successful human flights were made using balloons. In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers demonstrated that a bag filled with hot air would rise, leading to the first manned flight over Paris in a hot-air balloon. Later that year, Jacques Charles and Nicolas-Louis Robert achieved a two-hour flight in a balloon filled with hydrogen.1
Balloons have been used for military observation and scientific research, including studies of cosmic rays and atmospheric conditions. A hybrid balloon, combining a hydrogen envelope with a hot-air envelope, was developed to allow for better flight control.13
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