Gas Balloon World Record

We have a camera on board a hydrogen-filled gas balloon as its crew breaks the world women's record for flight duration. Dr Janet Folkes, one of the pilots, talks us through the extraordinary footage.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• gas
• balloon
• gordon
• bennett

[tbrowniscool]

what a view......Spliff time!!! woop woop

[themunster2]

wooo go great britan

[farooque72]

nice



[TomHilditch]

@Soulrider2012 also wind resistance and air resistance are two different things, a balloon travels with the wind so whilst airborne there is no air resistance except when moving between different directions and/or speeds at different altitudes thus having wind hitting the top of the balloon differently to at the bottom as it climbs or descends between the different winds.

[TomHilditch]

@Soulrider2012 If there was lift the balloon would not descend, the weight of the balloon has to be negative for it to descend, my initial answer is correct, due to the Hydrogen and the size of the balloon the density of the weight when it is say 20lbs more than the lift of the balloon is far less than a 20lbs lead weight and far more air has to be displaced. Same with a skydiver; the weight is the same before and after the parachute opens but the open parachute creates more resistance.

[tbrowniscool]

@basherofnoggins

if its leaking then they could egnite it.. but if i was they would be dropping and such a view would be gone, meaning spliff time wouldnt happen...think it through..

[basherofnoggins]

@tbrowniscool On a hydrogen balloon? Think it through...

[koffypr]

wow, That must have been awesome ! Man, i wish i did something like that.

[TheSuperMegaUltraMan]

Hydrogen? BALLOON? GIANT?!?!

Someone! Hold it near fire! Now!

[jacegil]

Thanks for responding, that was very enlightening. I'm fascinated with that stuff but unfortunately my mind is absolutely closed to any kind of understanding of physics, but your explanation does help.

[Soulrider2012]

@jacegil Because even when landing there is a certain amount of lift happening. Think of it as being more close to neutral lift but only slightly less. It's not as though at the end there is NO lift going on. If that were the case then yes, they would drop like a stone.

I don't agree with the other person's answer (wind resistance) simply because at that slow of a speed wind resistance is going to be almost nothing and won't have virtually any effect.