Balloons that takes us back to the border with the cosmos

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Воздушные шары, которые отнесут нас на границу с космосомBalloons, which are based on projects, paving for us the way to the stars, can change everything.

You look out the window — a big window at the world outside. You’re so high that the earth beneath smeared and lost all the parts except the greatest: the wide rivers, ridges of mountains, silver city. The horizon is not a straight line, and curve, bent at each end. Not many of us know what it’s like to be in space. But balloons, which are based on projects, paving for us the way to the stars, can change everything.

But the sky is different. It is not as dark blue as you usually see, waiting in flight, while the crew will offer you chicken or beef to choose from; it is almost black. The star, which is almost invisible on the ground, breaking out thousands. You’ve never seen before.

This is no ordinary flight. The window through which you look, like window fighters from “Star wars”; “Airbuses” and “Boeings” fly far below you. You are in one of the balloons World View Enterprises, a company that intends to walk the passengers to an altitude of 32 kilometers above the Earth.

While on this balloon to fly. Arizona, the company is only conducting test flights. She hopes to put the first passengers in a basket next year. But this is only one of a few recent developments of high-altitude balloons that are often overlooked, but they allow people to conquer and space, and sky.

How long have we manned balloons?

Ballooning proposed future aviators to take to the skies for a hundred years before in the air first flew the Wright brothers. Jacques Charles and Nicolas-Louis Robert picked up the first balloon, filled with hydrogen, over Paris in December 1783; the same day Charles flew in the balloon itself, rose to a height of 3000 metres, has experienced Earache and returned to Earth.

Although balloons were superseded by the arrival of airplanes in the early 20th century, they could fly much higher than the first aircraft. In 1935, captains Orvil Anderson, William Kepner and albert Stevens rose to a high-altitude balloon to $ 22.4 kilometers — high enough to see the curvature of the Earth with the naked eye. After this intensified the desire to fly even higher.

What was the problem?

Anderson, Kepner, and Stevens made his flight in the capsule under pressure, like those who descend to the bottom of the sea. Ten years later, in 1946, the American scientist Paul Stapp found that breathing 100% oxygen will allow high-altitude balloon to avoid choking and tested this theory, fly in an open gondola. Stappa guess was correct, and the NASA astronauts breathe this mixture of air to this day.

In 1957 David Simons was the first who reached the height of 30 kilometers. Flight of Simons was to test the effect of space flight on the human body and whether the person can survive, being outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Capsule for this flight was built Vincen Otto, German engineer, one of the main architects of the successful high-altitude balloons. Winzen developed the first life support system, a way of “scraping” of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the capsule and method, which allowed to contain the internal atmosphere of the capsule is not too hot and not too cold. Methods Vincena allowed people to get to the edge of space and return to Earth safe.

Can we go to the border of space in a balloon?

In 1999 two people for 20 days were in the balloon, which was moving ceaselessly around the world. Nowadays companies like World View and Zero2infinity, a Spanish working on tourist flights to the “boundary of space”, and in the process of testing output to scientific equipment. Zero2infinity plans to conduct its first flight with passengers by 2018.

The loudest balloon flight for the last time was with the participation of Austrian Felix Baumgartner, who broke the record for the highest jump jumped from a balloon capsule at a height of 36.4 kilometers above new Mexico.

Balloons, of course, do not attract as much attention as Virgin Galactic Richard Branson, but flying them will be far cheaper — and passengers will feel calmer and more relaxed.

World View is planning to take five passengers and two crew members on Board, and it will cost $ 75,000. Surrounded by the viewports, you’ll be able for two hours to see the Earth, flying over the planet. On Board there are even online, so you will be able to sit in social networks. But your friends won’t like it.

The first passengers will be able to leave the planet view, which was available not very many. The best view opens only with the International space station. But the ticket on it is very, very expensive.

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