Most people who have at least once launched a gas balloon into the sky, or have seen others do it, are interested in the question of how far the balloon flies, what will happen to it, and where it will fall. Some even try to launch a balloon with a letter that a person must find and forward it to the addressee so that one can find out how far the balloon flew into the sky. But consider what is the probability that this ball will fall in the city, and that it will be found, and what is the probability that a person wants to send something to someone. Yes, the probability is very small, but we have heard real stories when letter balloons actually found and forwarded letters to the person who launched the balloon. We recommend that you read
WHAT ARE BALLOONS LAUNCHED INTO THE AIR INFLATED
In this case, we are only talking about small balloons that are inflated with gas and launched into the sky, and do not consider large passenger balloons that can be flown. And so, in order to launch the balloon into the sky and find out how far it will fly, you need to inflate it with gas. Hydrogen will be the lightest gas, but since it is very explosive, it is not used to inflate balloons. Hydrogen is followed by Helium gas, it does not explode, is non-toxic and has a high lifting force, which allows it to be successfully used in inflating balloons. Of course, you can inflate a balloon with gas from a home stove, but the lifting force of such a balloon will be extremely small.
WHICH BALLOONS FLY THE LONGEST
In this question, we will consider two types of ball. The first balloon will be latex, inflated with helium and coated with HiFloat, which creates a film inside the balloon and does not allow helium to penetrate through the latex. Without HiFloat, a latex balloon flies approximately 12-24 hours depending on the quality of the latex and the size of the balloon. The second balloon will be foil and inflated with helium. According to a preliminary estimate, such a balloon flies for about 14 days, since the foil does not allow helium to pass through and does not exert pressure on the gas, unlike a latex balloon, which inflates and creates pressure. To find out how long a balloon inflated with helium flies, we conducted tests, see the results below.
What is remarkable is that a balloon inflated with helium flies very far, one might say, into the stratosphere. Due to the difference in pressure at sea level (on the ground) and in the stratosphere, the gas inside the latex balloon begins to push and inflate the balloon with more force, which leads to its rupture. The approximate time for a latex balloon to reach the height at which it bursts is on average 2-3 hours from the moment of launch.
PHOTOS OF TESTED HELIUM BALLOONS
TEST RESULTS
helium gas|
foil 18 inches Height 35, Width 35, Depth 16 cm1 day - 0 hours - 2.76 grams 1 day - 9 hours - 2.75 grams 1 day - 16 hours - 2.71 grams 1 day - 24 hours - 2.71 grams 2 day - 32 hours - 2.70 grams 2 day - 40 hours - 2.47 grams Day 3 - 57 hours - 2.40 grams 3 day - 81 hours - 2.10 grams Day 4 - 104 hours - 1.90 grams Day 5 - 128 hours - 1.80 grams Day 6 - 152 hours - 1.56 grams Day 7 - 186 hours - 1.18 grams Day 8 - 200 hours - 1.05 grams 9 days - 224 hours - 0.90 grams 10 days - 248 hours - 0.69 grams Day 11 - 272 hours - 0.48 grams Day 12 - 296 hours - 0.26 grams Day 13 - 320 hours - 0.10 grams Day 14 - 344 hours - 0.00 grams |
latex 14 inches Height 34, Width 27, Depth 27 cm(girth 86) 1 day - 0 hours - 5.57 grams 1 day - 9 hours - 4.59 grams 1 day - 16 hours - 4.29 grams 1 day - 24 hours - 4.05 grams 2 day - 32 hours - 3.70 grams 2 day - 40 hours - 2.76 grams Day 3 - 57 hours - 2.20 grams Day 3 - 81 hours - 1.44 grams 4 day - 104 hours - 0.60 grams Day 5 - 128 hours - 0.15 grams Day 6 - 152 hours - 0.00 grams latex 18 inches Height 41, Width 40.7, Depth 40.7 cm (girth 128 cm), 1 ball - 24.51 grams |
WHAT IS THE LOADING CAPACITY OF A GAS BALL
To find out what is the carrying capacity of one balloon, you can use the following data, where 1m3 of helium lifts one kilogram of cargo minus the weight of the balloon itself. On average, the carrying capacity of one standard balloon inflated with helium will be 3-4 grams. To find out in practice what is the carrying capacity of a balloon inflated with helium, we conducted tests, see the results above.
HOW FAR DOES A GAS BALLOON FLY FLY
To answer the question: “How far will a balloon inflated with gas (helium) fly?”, You need to know a lot of data. The flight range of the balloon will depend on the time during which it will fly, and on the strength of the wind that will move the balloon. A lot depends on weather conditions, in calm weather the ball can fly for a whole month and fall at the place of its launch, and in a strong wind it can fly very far. And so, in order to understand how far a balloon inflated with gas will fly, you need to know the flight time of the balloon and the strength of the wind. Let us assume that the wind strength throughout the entire flight of the balloon will be 3 meters per second, although, in fact, depending on the height and weather conditions, during the flight of the balloon, the wind strength will change both up and down. Now let's calculate: 3m/s * 60 seconds = 180 meters the ball will fly in 1 minute. 180 meters * 60 minutes = 10800 meters (10.8 km) the balloon will fly in one hour. 10.8 km * 24 hours = 269 km the balloon will fly in a day. 269 km * 14 days = 3766 km the balloon will fly in two weeks. The calculation was made from the fact that the wind will blow with a force of 3 m / s all the time the balloon is flying, but since the weather conditions are always different, it is impossible to assume that the balloon will fly that far. In practice, the ball can land even a kilometer from the launch site, or it can go around the entire globe, because the wind strength can be different. Below you will find our practical tests that give the answer to how far a balloon travels when inflated with gas.
In which direction will the balloon, inflated with gas, fly? Of course, the ball will fly where the wind blows, but since the wind blows in different directions in different places and at different heights, it is impossible to predict in which direction the ball will fly, one can only guess. See practical tests below.
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AT DIFFERENT HEIGHTS
| As you can see from the plate, the atmospheric pressure above sea level is 760 mm. rt. Art., and at an altitude of 5 kilometers already 405 mm. rt. Art. It turns out that if the ball flies to a height of five kilometers, it begins to experience pressure inside itself twice as strong as on the ground, and such a difference is likely to lead to a rupture of the ball. Therefore, if you want the balloon to fly high and not burst at the same time, then it must be inflated with gas in such a way that it has a margin of safety for a certain flight height. If you want the balloon to fly far, try to inflate it with a margin of safety twice and in such a way that it flies no higher than two or three kilometers, otherwise the balloon will burst and fall. |
PRACTICAL TESTS WHERE THE BALL IS INFLATED WITH GAS WILL FLY
How do we test? To find out practically how far a balloon inflated with helium will fly, it is necessary to launch it and control the flight of the balloon. The most difficult and expensive thing is to control where the ball flies.
OPTION #1
You can control the flight of a balloon inflated with gas using a mobile phone with the option to track the location of a mobile phone turned on. It turns out that in order to conduct tests that give an answer to the question of where and how far a balloon inflated with gas (helium) will fly, it is necessary:
- Mobile phone;
- SIM card with a positive balance;
- Connected service that determines the location of a mobile phone;
- Mobile coverage area;
- Packaging for a mobile phone so that it does not get wet in the rain
- The number of balls is sufficient to lift a mobile phone.
OPTION #2
In some ways, it is similar to option No. 1, but instead of a mobile phone, a GPS tracker will be used with the ability to send SMS messages about your location if there is a GSM signal. This option is more expensive than the first option, but more accurate in indicating your location.
---=== TEST RESULTS ===---
TEST #1
March 20, 2015
Specifications: Mobile phone weighing 61 grams, 1 27" latex balloon, two 18" latex balloons and 5 12" latex balloons. All balloons are inflated with "He" Helium gas and treated with HiFloat. Location requests were made every 10-20 minutes using the MTS "POISK" system. As you can see from the time and place data below, the balls were not always in touch, sometimes they did not get in touch and had to wait a tedious 2-3 hours before the next session. We assume that at this time they were flying over a remote area where there is no mobile coverage. The approximate flight height of the balls at the time of launch is 1-2 km above sea level. It was very important that the balloons did not fly to a height of 10 km or more, since the temperature there is 50 degrees and at this altitude the pressure is much less than at sea level, from which the latex balloons simply burst and the beacon freezes.
Launch location: Chuvash Republic, Cheboksary city, Kalinina street, 109. Launch time 10:20 minutes. The weather is sunny, without clouds, the wind is 5-7 m/s SW (it means it is blowing to the NE).
10:20 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the Chuvash region. Cheboksary, crossing st. Kalinin and st. Gagarina Y. within a radius of 1000 meters.
10:41 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the Chuvash region. Novocheboksarsk, the intersection of Shkolny Ave. and st. Soviet within a radius of 1000 meters.
11:26 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address of the Republic of Mari El, Zvenigovsky district, from Kuzhmar, 48 km east of the center of Cheboksary, within a radius of 1000 meters.
13:25 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address of the Republic of Mari El, Mari-Turek district, Verkhniy Turek, 109 km east of the center of Yoshkar-Ola within a radius of 1000 meters.
16:24 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Udmurt Republic, Igrinsky district, d Komsomolets, 76 km north of the center of Izhevsk within a radius of 1000 meters
16:38 - The subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address of the Udmurt Republic, Igrinsky district, with. Menil, 87 km north of the center of Izhevsk, within a radius of 1000 meters.
16:53 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address of the Udmurt Republic, Igrinsky district, Chemoshur village, 62 km north of the center of Izhevsk, within a radius of 1000 meters.
17:22 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address of the Udmurt Republic, rp Kez, 118 km north of the center of Izhevsk within a radius of 1000 meters.
18:05 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at Nizovskaya, Ochersky district, Perm Territory, 91 km west of the center of Perm, within a radius of 1000 meters.
19:49 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Perm Territory, Ochersky district, x Winters, 93 km west of the center of Perm within a radius of 1000 meters.
20:27 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Perm Territory, Bolshesosinsky district, p Yuzhny, 97 km south-west of the center of Perm within a radius of 300 meters.
23:00 - The "Ball" subscriber is in the same place as at 20:27, that is, it turns out that the balls flew about 480 kilometers in 10 hours after launch.
PHOTOS:
TEST #2
dated 07 April 2015
Technical data: Mobile phone weighing 61 grams, 4 latex 18 inch balloons treated with HiFloat and inflated with "He" Helium gas. Location requests were made every 10-30 minutes using the MTS "POISK" system. If during the first test we inflated the number of balloons in such a way that the balloons did not rise above 1-2 kilometers and did not burst due to the difference in pressure, then in this test we inflated 4 balloons, which lifted about 100 grams of weight, while to raise the mobile phone it was enough to inflate 3 balloons. That is, during this test, the balls flew over 10 kilometers in height. The test results are exactly what we expected. Balloons flew about 100 kilometers, from the city of Ivanteevka, M.O., to the city of Egorievsk, M.O. Presumably the flight developed as follows: see below. From the data received from the mobile phone, it can be assumed that initially the balloon went rapidly up and forward with the wind, reaching a great height, communication with it was lost (from 06:26 to 08:00), reaching an even greater height, one or two balloons burst (highly inflated) from the pressure difference and mobile phone started going down. The phone got in touch at 08:00 in the area with. Gzhel, and in the end, he fell in the area of the village of Barsuki, Yegoryevsky district, Moscow region, and issued all further requests for a location from this area.
Launch location: Moscow region, the city of Ivanteevka. Start time 06:00 minutes. The weather is cloudy, the wind is 3-4 m/s NW (it means it is blowing to the SE).
06:00 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Ivanteevka, intersection of st. Pervomaiskaya and st. Greenhouse within a radius of 900 meters.
06:11 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Schelkovsky district, Obraztsovo village, within a radius of 700 meters.
06:27 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Shchelkovo, intersection of st. Polevaya and st. Kosmodemyanskaya within a radius of 450 meters.
- There was no contact with the ball for 1 hour 30 minutes.
08:00 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address: Moscow region, Ramensky district, s. Gzhel within a radius of 1800 meters.
09:00 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Voskresensky district, d Katunino, within a radius of 4300 meters.
10:05 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Yegoryevsky district, d Barsuki within a radius of 7600 meters.
17:00 - Subscriber "Sharik" is in the same place where he was at 10:05.
PHOTOS:
CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF LATEX BALLOWNS
After conducting two tests to launch a mobile phone on latex balloons, we can draw the following conclusions: if you inflate latex balloons so that they do not rise above 2 kilometers in height and treat them with a special composition, they will fly for about 10-15 hours, and the flight range will depend on the strength and direction of the wind. The approximate range will vary from 300 to 600 kilometers. So you probably thought that everyone says that a latex balloon treated with a special composition flies up to two weeks, and here it is only 10-15 hours. Indeed, the balls fly up to two weeks, the tests carried out above are proof of this, but they fly without a load and hold only their own weight. If you attach a weight, then the ball will fly as long as it holds the weight of the load, calculate how much time it will take for yourself based on the percentage of the flight time of the ball and the loss of lift (see above). So, if you inflate the balloons in such a way that they will lift a little more than the weight of a mobile phone, then they will not fly over 2 kilometers in height and will not burst, but fly no more than 10-15 hours. And if you inflate the balloons in such a way that they lift the weight of the load, at least 25 percent more than the weight of the load itself, so that the balloons fly longer, then they fly high and burst, which happened with our second test (the weight of the mobile phone is 61 grams, the lifting force of the ball is 100 grams). At the same time, not all the balls burst, but only those that were more strongly inflated. After that, the remaining balls began to descend, so the mobile phone just fell, but not much, since some balls supported it, and the descent speed was small. It also follows from this that all the latex balloons that you release into the air without a load fly over 10 kilometers in height, burst and fall.
Specifications: GSM tracker mini A8 weighing 19 grams (with moisture protection and garters 23 grams), five foil balloons with a load capacity of 8 grams each (40 grams total load capacity), "He" Helium gas. Location requests were made every 10-30 minutes using the MTS "POISK" system. With such data, the balls rise over five kilometers, which means that the margin of safety for each ball should have been more than three times than on the ground. So because the difference atmospheric pressure on the ground and in the sky is different, which means that the force of gas pressure on the ball from the inside at a height will be greater. For details, see the pressure plate at different heights (see above). From the results obtained, it follows that the balls, having reached a certain height, began to experience gas pressure from the inside and the weakest ball burst, which led to the fact that there was no longer enough lift, and the tracker began to smoothly decline and fell.
Launch site: Moscow region, city of Ivanteevka. Start time 22:00. The weather is cloudy, the wind is 3-4 m/s SE (it means it is blowing to the NW).
22:00 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Ivanteevka, intersection of st. Pervomaiskaya and st. Greenhouse within a radius of 900 meters.
22:17 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the Moscow region, Pushkinsky district, p Pravdinsky, 43 km north-east of the center of Moscow.
22:40 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address: Moscow region, Pushkinsky district, d Nagornoye, 49 km north-east from the center of Moscow
22:50 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Sergiev Posad district, Repikhovo village, 62 km north-east of the center of Moscow
23:17 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Sergiev Posad, intersection of st. Shlyakova and st. Stakhanovskaya
23:35 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Krasnozavodsk, intersection of st. 40 years of October, etc. Parkovy
00:15 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Vladimir region, Aleksandrov, intersection of st. Bolshaya Petrovskaya and st. Baksheevskaya
00:39 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Yaroslavl region, Pereslavsky district, d Kriushkino, 110 km south-west of the center of Yaroslavl, 05/14/2015, 00:39
00:50 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at Yaroslavl region,
Rostov district, from Debolovskoye, 67 km south-west of the center of Yaroslavl
06:00 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Yaroslavl region, Borisoglebsky district, Nikifortsevo, 48 km south-west of the center of Yaroslavl
PHOTOS:
CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF FOIL BALLOONS
Based on the launches of foil balloons, it can be concluded that a foil balloon flies much longer than a latex balloon, but at the same time it has a very small margin of safety. That is, the latex balloon has the ability to expand, that is, stretch, and the foil balloon does not have such an opportunity. Therefore, when launching a foil balloon, the main task is to calculate the flight height of the balloon and inflate it in such a way that the balloon, having risen to a height, does not burst from the gas pressure from the inside. The risks in launching are such that if you inflate foil balloons so that they fly at a height of up to a kilometer, then their lifting force will be small enough and they will most likely be beaten to the ground by the wind. If a foil balloon is inflated so that it flies at a high altitude, then it is necessary to inflate the gas so much that there is both lift and a margin of safety so that the balloons do not burst from the pressure difference at altitude.
TEST #4
Flew: (Latex ball)
- Moscow region, Ivanteevka
- Moscow region, Taldomsky district, d Penskoe
TEST #5
Flew: (latex balloon)
- Ivanovo region, Savinsky district, Fedorovo village
TEST #6
Flew: (latex balloon)
- Moscow region, Ivanteevka
- Saratov region, Romanovsky district, Alekseevsky settlement
TEST #7
Flew: (foil ball)
- Moscow region, Ivanteevka
- Ryazan Oblast, Ryazan region, from Agro-Pustyn
TEST #8
Flew: (latex)
- Moscow region, Ivanteevka
- Vologda region, Ustyuzhensky district, Zimnik village
All about helium balloons
Helium is one of the lightest gases. Its weight is seven times less compared to air. It is produced from natural gas. Helium is colorless, odorless and tasteless, and in addition to the gaseous state, they learned how to obtain a substance in liquid and even solid form.
The effect of helium on human health
It is widely believed that the inert gas - helium - is dangerous to human health. Such a belief is absolutely wrong.
Helium is considered an inert gas, does not interact with any substances , is not subject to combustion and will definitely not cause poisoning.
Helium cannot ignite. If a match, a smoldering cigarette or other object touches a helium balloon, it will certainly burst. A similar situation will occur when a ball and a hot light bulb come into contact. However, only the shell of the latex balloon is destroyed in this way - you definitely will not see the flame and explosion.
Standards European countries and RF, latex balloons can be inflated with helium and plain air.
Is there any danger in exhaling helium from a balloon?
No, helium is absolutely safe for humans. Moreover, some scuba divers, before diving to great depths, add helium to the respiratory mixture, as it is not able to completely dissolve in human blood.
If several helium balloons burst indoors, can a person suffocate?
Helium is a harmless substance, does not lead to allergic reactions. Among other things, helium instantly rushes up, very soon and completely leaves the room, seeping through the pores of the ceiling, since its penetrating power is great. Also, you will not be harmed by the desire to breathe helium from balloons (as you know, it changes the voice). The main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise dizziness may begin.
How safe are helium balloons for young children?
Based on standards, there is a restriction on the use of toys by children under 3 years of age. And we are talking not only about balls, but about all toys in general. The problem, by and large, is not in the material, but in the very details of toys that children strive to taste. There is a high probability that the child will put a toy in his mouth, having previously dropped it on a “non-sterile coating”.
Any materials that are used in the production and inflation of latex balloons are not harmful to human health.
Helium balloon flight time
Balloons inflated with helium without processing fly on average until 10 o'clock. Treatment with a special “hi-float” compound (plastic liquid solution) creates a film inside the balloon, the pores of which are very small, as a result, helium escapes very slowly, and the balloon flies longer, about 5 days.
Under ideal conditions, a treated ball can "live" up to a month!
Hi-float is safe for health and environment. When it comes into contact with the skin, it is washed off with plain water without any problems.
Why do helium balloons deflate?
1. main reason the fact that the ball flies so little size of helium molecules. Helium molecules are much smaller than those of air and easily penetrate the latex from which the balloons are made. Therefore, after a certain time, helium simply leaves the balloon, which deflates and falls. This is the first reason for the fall of balloons.
2. Helium is also negatively affected Sun rays And elevated temperatures. As a result, serious pressure is created in the middle of the ball, which pushes the gas out. Therefore, it is important to hide the balls from direct sunlight and heaters.
3. In addition to the sun, the balls are also negatively affected precipitation. They settle on the latex surface, which increases the total weight of the ball, which begins to slowly fall. But do not worry: when the water evaporates, the balloon will be able to fly again. In a strong wind, the balls rub against each other, wearing out a lot, forming microcracks through which helium passes.
4. You should also avoid drafts, moisture and sudden changes in temperature.
5. The most common reason why helium balloons don't fly well is mechanical impact. But nothing can be done about it, because the balls are designed to be played with, run, jump and enjoy their beauty.
6. At different times of the year, balloons with helium change their flight time. In summer, in hot weather with significant humidity, even very well processed balloons fly on average 2 days. Late autumn - about 3 weeks. Cold and snow do not have any effect on the service life of helium balloons, but on the contrary, prolong it. But we must not forget that each created conditions are individual.
There are many more harmful factors affecting the flight of the ball, so it is not enough just to process it.
foil balloons
Foil balloons are more durable: their walls are denser, so they hold gas much better than latex. A sealed balloon with air can last for several months, a helium balloon for a week or more.
Such a ball responds well to temperature changes, so in the cold it shrinks noticeably, and in the heat it regains its shape and size. Do not store foil balloons above the temperature at which they were inflated to avoid tearing the foil at the seams.
Lift height of helium balloons
Every person once thought about how high helium balloons can rise. Such thoughts usually come when a sphere of air filled with gas is hidden from view behind the clouds, and there is no trace of it. Helium is lighter than air, which ensures the flight of the ball, however, the sphere will not fly further than five kilometers from the ground.
The thing is that there is a huge difference between the pressure inside the ball and the environment. At high altitude, the air is rarefied, so the balloon expands and eventually bursts.
All kids and even some adults love balloons. These products are able to give a rainbow mood, a sense of celebration and happiness. decorate the halls for various events. And some buy them specifically to release them into the sky and enjoy the way they soar in the sky. And where Surely everyone at least once in his life thought about this question.
How far do balloons fly?
The height of the flight of a balloon launched into the sky can vary. It depends on these facts:
- The density of the material from which the balloon is made.
- Weather.
- The amount of helium inside the product.
- Wind speed.
Under ideal conditions, the ball can rise almost into space, and this is more than 50 kilometers from the earth.
Where do the balloons go?
Answers to this question can be varied. For example, to answer the kids, you can come up with a magical story about where the balloons fly. This will interest the child and help not to be very upset if suddenly the desired “piece of joy” is lost from the hands and takes off into the sky.
For example, to little boys and girls, you might say the following:
- On a journey through space.
- To your parents.
- To the rainbow
- To the distant country of Shararam, where many such balls live.
- To warmer climes to migratory birds.
Such versions of the answer to the question of where the balloons fly to will certainly please the child. In fact, when the balloon rises high into the sky, it bursts due to pressure and descends back to the ground, but already in the form of a rubber rag.
How long can rubber helium balloons soar in the sky
Knowing where the balloons go, many are interested in which of the products will last longer between heaven and earth. Rubber balls tend to be inelastic and not very strong.
Therefore, having reached a height where helium is replaced by air due to atmospheric pressure, the rubber ball does not withstand stress, bursts and descends to the ground in the form of a piece of rubber, continuing its “life” somewhere in the forest, ocean or in the middle of the street. It is difficult to determine exactly where the balloon will fly after it bursts. But in any case, he gets to the ground.
How long can latex helium balloons soar in the sky
Latex is a material that is obtained from Hevea brasiliensis. That is, it is a natural material. Therefore, even if the product burst under pressure and fell into a pond, in a forest or in the middle of a city, it will not harm the environment. If people check where the balloons fly by using rubber products, then they can harm the environment. But even rubber balls are not so harmful to ecological system like plastic bottles that are devastating to the environment.
Why balloons fly away is clear to everyone. The helium with which they are filled is lighter than air, so the rainbow balloon is carried in the wind. As the balloon rises, it is affected by the atmosphere. Air temperature in the upper spheres the globe much lower than on earth. Because of this, the interior of the balloon releases helium and fills with air. Under the pressure of cold air, the latex is stretched. The balloon gets heavier. After that, the product begins to soar smoothly and go down.
There were cases when the ball as a whole flew to the ground. Schoolchildren from Canada conducted an interesting experiment. They launched a balloon filled with helium into the sky and fixed a camera on it. The latest pictures were taken at an altitude of more than 35,000 meters.
Experiments were also carried out in the world to launch balloons into the sky along with "passengers". The most popular hero who has risen to the clouds on a balloon filled with helium is the bear, which was the symbol of the Moscow Olympics. There are many versions of where this "pilot" landed. A version believed to be accurate has never been found.
There are also people in the world who have experienced first hand what it is like to fly on balloons filled with helium. One of the experimenters was a resident of America, and he hovered above the ground for more than 13 hours. True, his flight was unsuccessful, he got tangled in the wires, which deprived locality electricity. There was also a man from Russia who was ready to do anything for the sake of science. This man has been at bird's eye view for 25 minutes.
At the balloons flying into the sky different fates. But in any case, this process is interesting for science and deserves attention.
After all, such a ball is an ordinary piece of rubber. From the fact that it is round and beautiful, nothing changes. And it turns out that we solemnly throw away this rubber, in front of all the people, and even with the hands of the kids. I think this does not add to our already disappointing ecology. Maybe it's time for us to ask ourselves this question: is it worth a minute's fun to finally turn nature into a dump? – wrote Nikolay Voloshchenko from Volokonovka.
According to the law of Archimedes
balloon life span depends on the material from which it is made: rubber or latex. Some quickly and noisily burst, others are able to live an interesting and, without exaggeration, a rich life.
From the point of view of physics, the flight of both a rubber and a latex balloon is the same:
“The ball rises to the upper layers, cools a little, its volume increases four to six or more times with height. And the greater the height, the greater the volume of the ball, - says Physics teacher Pavel Galutsky.- If the latex balloon is inflated strongly, it bursts, if not very strongly, then its shell is stretched, helium molecules come out of it, air molecules, in turn, enter the balloon. Air is heavier than helium, and the balloon gets heavier, starts to fall down, where the air density is higher. So gradually the ball is reduced. As for rubber balls, under the influence of all the same factors, as they rise to a height and increase in volume, as a rule, they burst.
Galutskikh calculated that at a height of 10 km, the air density decreases three times compared to the earth's surface, and the volume of the ball, respectively, increases three times. At a height of 12 km, the air density will decrease four times, and the volume of the ball will increase four times. At an altitude of 50 km, the density of air decreases by 1,200 times, and here the balloon passes the last test of strength.
“If the balloon is pumped over, it will burst, and if it is not pumped over, it will live for a long time, although helium, of course, will still diffuse through the shell,” Pavel Galutskikh explained.
50 km from the earth is already almost space! Nevertheless, an ordinary latex balloon is capable of such feats.
Photo from https://malevi4.wordpress.com
Faster, higher, bolder
In 2007 students from Canada launched a helium balloon into the sky, tying a camera to it. The picture from the highest point was taken at a distance of 35.8 km from the ground.
An American did a similar experiment last year. Robert Harrison. His balloon, filled with helium, flew higher than 20 km, and also transmitted pictures to the ground, proving that this whole story was not fiction. In the stratosphere, the ball burst, and the camera safely returned to the owner by parachute.
The most famous balloon passenger is Mishka, the symbol of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. There are many versions about where he flew away and where he landed. According to one of them, Misha was found on Sparrow Hills, according to another - in the Moscow region, his six-meter shell was torn. Initially, two copies were made, and the one that did not fly was exhibited at VDNKh for some time, and then the rubber product corny decayed in warehouses.
His fame haunted many. In 1982 an American Larry Walters, having soared into the sky in balloons filled with helium, he stayed in the air for 13 hours. However, the landing was not very successful - Larry got tangled in power lines and thousands of Americans were left without electricity.
Russian Vitaly Kulikov twice soared into the sky on latex balloons in 2004. For the first time, he pumped 360 balloons with hydrogen and enjoyed the views from a height of 400 m for 25 minutes. The wind carried the naturalist 8.5 km. The second time he flew 64 km on helium balloons.
Photo from http://pulson.ru
In 2008, a Brazilian priest Adelir Antonio de Carli rose on helium balloons. He expected to fly 750 km northwest of his church parish, but instead, after eight hours of flight, at the behest of the wind, he found himself 50 km above the ocean waves. Communication with him was lost, and the fate of the Brazilian is unknown.
Whoever and wherever he flew on balloons, the result is always the same: everyone lands somewhere. Including the balloons themselves. Beauty and romance are behind us, and for multi-colored shreds and blown shapeless rags that were once balls, the inevitable process of decomposition begins.
Latex – natural material obtained from the milky juice of the Brazilian Hevea. Therefore, it is destroyed without harming nature, rubber balls are more harmful in this respect. And yet, the small balloons that people launch from time to time are much less dangerous for the environment than the plastic bottles thrown away daily. If a thin rubber ball decomposes in a few months, then a plastic bottle will rot for about 200 years, and an aluminum can will last for half a millennium.
Irina Dudka
Interesting fact: in the 12th century, every Karelian family had a balloon made of whale and bull skin. Karelians flew on them, overcoming impassability. True or not, this fact is reflected in the manuscripts. And only in the 19th century, rubber balls were created by Michael Faraday. Hydrogen-filled balloons have delighted people for almost a hundred years. But after a comic explosion in the United States, as a result of which an official was injured, balloons began to be filled with helium. Latex balloons appeared in the 20th century. It became possible not only round, but also oval shape. The inventor became a billionaire.
Sheep, duck and chicken were the first to travel in a hot air balloon
Interesting fact: balloons, falling into a jet of wind, fly away at a distance equal to several thousand kilometers. Gel balloons increase in size as they gain height. The reason is the pressure drop in the atmosphere. Balloons fly and fly up for several kilometers until they burst. With a very dense shell, they rise up until the moment when the density of air becomes equal to the density of helium. But in the end, the helium gradually comes out and the balloon loses height, falling to the ground.