Somewhere out there in all of that vast void called space, thousands of helium balloons must be floating on their upward journey. That is the myth and the legend behind helium balloons.
In theory, a hot-air balloon can go to space. However, this feat has not yet been achieved. But there is at least one company working on a project for doing so. The development of a spaceworthy balloon is scheduled to be complete by 2024, and riding it will cost roughly $125,000.
Some people do think that hot air balloons reach space and make their way to the moon and beyond. But is this the reality? To find the answer to both questions, just continue to read our article. It explores the issue so you have the facts, not the legend or myth.
Can hot air balloons go to space?
This is a difficult question to answer as no one is up at that level to see if hot air balloons actually make it outside of the earth’s atmosphere. But hot air balloons are not filled with hot air. If they were, they would not make it to space very well.
Hot air balloons use heated propane to give them the lift they need to get off the ground and float freely through the atmosphere. They do not use helium as birthday balloons do. Propane is light and gets even lighter than air when heated.
With propane as the fuel, it is possible that the hot air balloon can make it into space. However, to make it into space, the balloon must first travel 60 miles, approx., up into the air and the interior weight of the hot ‘air’ must remain lighter than the ambient temperatures surrounding it.
As does the interior temperature. it is a very complicated battle to keep that interior air lighter and hotter than the outside atmosphere the higher you go up. It is said that space is not a complete vacuum.
This means that there is at least some atmosphere for the balloon to rise in once it clears the earth’s atmosphere. It is possible for a hot air balloon to make it into space if all the conditions are met.
A couple of those conditions will be material strength as well as being able to withstand any heat upon re-entry.
How much will it cost you to get a trip into space by a hot air balloon?
There are at least 2 newspaper articles that talk about this question. Both are dated to June of 2021 which means that the possibility of reaching space is within anyone’s reach. The first article is at this link and the second at this one.
Both articles talk about the Florida company called Space Perspective and its goal of sending a hot air balloon into space in the year 2024. There is a lot of preparation work to be done thus the long delay between reservation and actual flight.
The cost is not for the average person. To go on this ride, you will have to pay $125,000. But if you can afford it, the ride is filled with unlimited potential. There is a 2-hour rise to 100,000 feet or 99% above the earth’s atmosphere. Then a 2-hour floating time so you get an astronaut’s view of the world and a 2-hour descent.
To make it all possible, the company is going to use hydrogen instead of propane. The capsule will hold 8 people and be towed upwards by a 650-foot tall hydrogen-filled balloon. This is a gentle voyage so all you will be missing on this flight will be the G-force the astronauts’ experience.
There was another company trying to do the same venture 5 years ago. The BBC had a story on their efforts. The company is called zero2infinity but we have found no mention of any successful manned flights between then and now.
Their lack of success may be due to a limited revenue resource. The company’s goal was to reach 22 miles up, beating Space Perspective by 4 miles.
Who went to space in a hot air balloon?
This is also a tricky question to answer because the definition of the atmosphere and space is flexible. It depends on who you talk to and how they view the thickness of the atmosphere. Some people say the atmosphere is only 100 kilometers thick while others claim it is 10,000 kilometers thick.
There has been one man who has ventured up high and his descent was done through a record-breaking parachute jump. Felix Baumgartner floated up to 128,000 feet, which equals 39,000 meters or roughly 100 kilometers before making his jump.
To many people, he is the only one to take a hot air balloon into space. To others, he merely reached the lower levels of the atmosphere. Mr. Baumgartner used a helium-filled balloon to reach this height.
The speed of his descent reached over 800 miles per hour at its top speed in the 4-minute 20-second free fall. That is the equivalent of Mach 1.25. You can figure the difference between 128,000 feet and 100,000 feet but at only 18 miles high, you will not be breaking any records for the highest hot air balloon ride.
You will just have to be content with the view and the included bar that provides a little liquid courage if you need it. The descent will also not reach speeds of Mach 1 but it will be gentle enough so you can enjoy the return to earth while watching the geography change.
There may have been some occupied weather balloons that have made it higher than Mr. Baumgartner. These are designed to reach 24 miles before they will burst. However, there is no mention of any occupied weather balloon reaching space.
What happens to a balloon in space?
The longevity of the balloon is determined a lot by the ambient conditions outside of the balloon. The higher the balloon goes, the less outside pressure is available to counter-balance the inside pressure.
When those conditions arise, the balloon merely bursts. What this means is that technically, the balloon would never make it into space because there is no counter balancing pressure to keep the balloon intact.
The gas inside the balloon would just continue to expand as the pressure from the outside waned. This is a natural process and once the strength limit of the balloon is exceeded, the gas would explode the balloon.
In other words, despite some scientists thinking and calculations, any balloon sent into space may not make it any further than about 10 to 100 feet past the earth’s atmosphere.
This is the same for a water balloon. If you released on in space, then the interior pressure would outweigh the exterior and the balloon would burst. Then the water would immediately vaporize or disperse.
How fast it does this depends on many factors and some are quite technical to get into here.
Some hot air balloon records
Mr. Baumgartner is certainly not the first person to try and reach extreme heights above the earth. his attempt is probably the highest that we have found. Other attempts have only gone as high as 69.500 feet by Vijaypat Singhania – November 26th, 2005, India.
Another was 64,997 feet by Per Lindstrand – October 24th, 2014, United States. Mr. Lindstrand also traveled 4,767 miles, from Japan to Canada during this or one of his other attempts.
A longer distance was achieved by Bertrand Piccard – March 1st, who traveled 25,000 miles from Switzerland to Egypt. There are probably other attempts made by daredevils over the years but these three stand out the most.
On average, there is a limit to the height most balloons can go. Unless they are made from special material, the average weather balloon only makes it to about 60,000 to 105,000 feet before bursting.
To go higher means to have some special material to hold the gas inside and keep it from bursting too soon. While hot air balloon travel is probably the most environmentally friendly way to travel to space, it is not without its share of risks.
The different layers of Earth’s atmosphere
Not everyone will agree with the following but these few measurements should give you an idea of what to expect when you make the same attempts as the other daredevils:
#1. Troposphere Layer- 4 to 12 miles thick with the polar regions being the thinnest region
#2. The Stratosphere- 12 to 31 miles thick and the more stable layer for airplanes
#3. The Mysterious Mesosphere- 31 to 53 miles thick and it is the layer where meteors burn up
#4. The Thermosphere and Outer Space- 56 to 621 miles thick
#5. The Exosphere- 310 to 6,213 miles thick
Some final words
Taking a hot air balloon into space may sound like a great way to travel. However, the risks may outweigh the positives as you may not have the control astronauts have when you get too high.
Low-level flights maybe your best option to enjoy the free flight and view of the earth. The only question will be is the price worth the fun?
