Gondola | Define Gondola at Dictionary.com gondola [gon-dl-uh or especially for 1, gon-doh-luh] /ˈgɒn dl ə or especially for 1, gɒnˈdoʊ lə/ Spell noun 1. a long, narrow, flat-bottomed boat having a tall, ornamental stem and stern and sometimes a small cabin for passengers, rowed or poled by a single person who stands at the stern, facing forward: used especially on the canals of Venice, Italy. 2. a passenger compartment suspended beneath a balloon or airship. Compare car 1 (def 4). 3. an enclosed cabin suspended from an overhead cable, used to transport passengers up and down a ski slope or over scenic or treacherous terrain. 4. Also called gondola car. an open railroad freight car with low sides, for transporting bulk freight and manufactured goods. 5. a truck whose bed or trailer is a hopper, as for transporting mixed cement. 6. a freestanding structure for displaying merchandise in a retail establishment, as a supermarket. 7. a chair or couch having a gondola back.

Origin of gondola Gondola - definition of gondola by The Free Dictionary Gondola - definition of gondola by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . gon·do·la n. 1. Nautical a. A lightweight narrow barge with ends that curve up into a point, propelled with a single oar from the stern and used on the canals of Venice. b. A flatbottom riverboat. 2. A gondola car. 3. A basket, enclosure, or instrument sling suspended from and carried aloft by a balloon. 4. An enclosed structure suspended from a cable, used for conveying passengers, as to and from a ski slope.

[Italian, of Venetian origin, alteration (probably influenced by -ola, feminine diminutive suffix, or by Italian dialectal words akin to Italian dondolare, to rock back and forth) of Old Venetian condura, from Medieval Greek kontoura, kondoura, a kind of small boat (probably so called from a distinctive high or wide stern), from feminine of kontouros, having a docked tail : Late Greek kontos, short (probably back-formed from konto-, taken as meaning "short" in such compounds as Greek kontokunēgesion, a hunt using pikes, or kontobolein, to strike with a pole (that is, at short range, not with arrows or javelins), stem of Greek kontos, pike, pole) + Greek ourā, tail; see ors- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] gondola (ˈɡɒndələ) n 1. (Nautical Terms) a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with a high ornamented stem and a platform at the stern where an oarsman stands and propels the boat by sculling or punting: traditionally used on the canals of Venice 2.

(Aeronautics) a. a car or cabin suspended from an airship or balloon b. a moving cabin suspended from a cable across a valley, etc 3. (Nautical Terms) a flat-bottomed barge used on canals and rivers of the US as far west as the Mississippi 4. (Railways) US and Canadian a low open flat-bottomed railway goods wagon 5. (Commerce) a set of island shelves in a self-service shop: used for displaying goods 6. (Broadcasting) Canadian a broadcasting booth built close to the roof over an ice-hockey arena, used by commentators [C16: from Italian (Venetian dialect), from Medieval Latin gondula, perhaps ultimately from Greek kondu drinking vessel] gon•do•la (ˈgɒn dl ə or, esp. for 1, gɒnˈdoʊ lə) n., pl. -las. 1. a long, narrow, flat-bottomed boat, rowed by an oarsman at the stern: used on the canals in Venice, Italy. 2. a passenger compartment suspended beneath a balloon or airship. Compare car (def. 3). 3.

an enclosed cabin suspended from an overhead cable, used to transport passengers, as up and down a ski slope. 4. Also called gon′dola car`. an open railroad freight car with low sides. [1540–50; < Italian < Venetian] freight car - a railway car that carries freight 2. gondola - long narrow flat-bottomed boat propelled by sculling; traditionally used on canals of Venice boat - a small vessel for travel on water 3. gondola - the compartment that is suspended from an airship and that carries personnel and the cargo and the power plant airship , dirigible - a steerable self-propelled aircraft compartment - a partitioned section, chamber, or separate room within a larger enclosed area Translations زورَق من زوارق البُنْدُقِيَّهقَفَص حول العمارة يقف عليه العُمّال gondolaklec 2. [of hot-air balloon] → barquilla f B.

CPD gondola car N (US) (Rail) → vagón m descubierto , batea f gondola [ˈgɒndələ] n (= boat) → gondole f gondola (in Venice, of balloon, cable car etc) → Gondel f (US Rail: also gondola car) → offener Güterwagen (in supermarket) → Gondel f gondola (ˈgondələ) noun 1. a long narrow boat used on the canals of Venice.

gondel زورَق من زوارق البُنْدُقِيَّه гондола gôndola gondola die Gondel gondol γόνδολα góndola gondel قایق ونیزی؛ گندولا gondoli gondole גונדולה विशेष रूप से वेनिस की नहरों में उपयोग की जानी वाली नौका, नाव gondola gondola gondola gondóll gondola ゴンドラ 이탈리아 Venice 특유의 좁고 바닥이 평평한 배 gondola gondola gondola gondel gondol gondola يوډول اوږده بيړۍ چي د ( وينس ) په سيند و كې دخونې په تو ګه استعماليږي: جاله gôndola gondolă гондола gondola gond

ola gondola gondol เรือแจวโดยสารท้องแบนลำตัวยาวในลำคลองกรุงเวนิส gondol 威尼斯平底船 гондола وینس کی نہروں میں چلنے والی ہلکی چپٹے بیندوں والی کشتیاں thuyền gônđôla 威尼斯平底船，两头尖的平底船 2.

a kind of safety cage for people who are working on the outside of a tall building to stand in.

gondel قَفَص حول العمارة يقف عليه العُمّال платформа gaiola klec die Sicherheitsgondel gondol κρεμαστή σκαλωσιά góndola kaitsepuur اتاقک متحرک nostokori nacelle גונדולה ऊंची इमारतों में काम करने के लिए पिंजड़ा नुमा ढांचा teretni plato kabin gondola öryggisbúr piattaforma sospesa つりかご 곤돌라 krepšys piekaru grozs (strādāšanai lielā augstumā) gondola gondel arbeidsheis platforma جاله gaiola nacelă люлька klietka gondola gondola skyddskorg เรือแจวท้องแบน iskele asansörü 安全吊籠 відкритий підйомник اون

چی عمارتوں کے پاس کام کرنے والوں کے لۓ حفاظتی بنجرہ giỏ khí cầu 安全吊笼 gondoˈlier (-ˈliə) noun a person who rows a gondola.

gondelier نوتي الزورَق، سائِق الغوندولا гонделиер gondoleiro gondoliér der Gondoliere gondolier γονδολιέρης gondolero gondoljeer گوندولا ران gondolieeri gondolier/-ière גוֹנדוֹלייֵר नौका-चालक vozač gondole gondolás tukang gondola gondólaræðari gondoliere ゴンドラの船頭 곤돌라 사공 gondolininkas gondoljers pendayung gondola gondelier gondolfører gondolier چلوونكى gondoleiro gondolier гондольер gondoliér gondoljer gondolijer gondoljär คนแจวเรือกอนโดลาในเมืองเวนิส gondolcü 平底船的船夫 гондольєр کشتی چلانے والا شخص người chèo thuyền g

ônđôla 平底船的船夫 Gondola | Article about Gondola by The Free Dictionary Gondola | Article about Gondola by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia .

gondola 1. a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with a high ornamented stem and a platform at the stern where an oarsman stands and propels the boat by sculling or punting: traditionally used on the canals of Venice 2. a. a car or cabin suspended from an airship or balloon b. a moving cabin suspended from a cable across a valley, etc. 3. a flat-bottomed barge used on canals and rivers of the US as far west as the Mississippi 4. US and Canadian a low open flat-bottomed railway goods wagon 5. a set of island shelves in a self-service shop: used for displaying goods Gondola the cabin attached to a balloon or aircraft, used as the crew’s quarters and for stowage of equipment and ballast. The gondolas on the first free balloons were in the shape of the Venetian gondola (hence the name); later, an open osier wickerwork basket was used. With a light weight this basket possessed sufficient strength and elasticity to soften the shock upon landing. For tethered balloons used for adjusting artillery fire, the gondolas are made from plywood.

For high-altitude balloons, airtight spherical gondolas of metal or plastic are used, with a shock absorber of wicker or a pneumatic shock absorber of rubberized material. The gondola is fastened to the soft envelope of the balloon by a rope or cable suspension rigging. The metal streamlined gondolas of the semirigid and rigid dirigibles are fastened to metal structures on the body. Pneumatic shock absorbers of aircraft-type tricycle landing gear are mounted on the bottom of the gondola. N. F. L Gondola a single-oar flat-bottommed boat with high figured prow and stern, found chiefly in Venice and mentioned in sources as early as the end of the 11th century. The average length of the gondola is 10 m; its average width is 1.3 m. The gondola is steered by a single oarsman, called the gondolier, who stands at the stern and faces in the direction of motion. Usually a gondola has a cabin or shed for passengers. Present-day gondolas in Venice are used mostly for tourists.

Gondola cars - definition of gondola cars by The Free Dictionary Gondola cars - definition of gondola cars by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia . gon·do·la n. 1. Nautical a. A lightweight narrow barge with ends that curve up into a point, propelled with a single oar from the stern and used on the canals of Venice. b. A flatbottom riverboat. 2. A gondola car. 3. A basket, enclosure, or instrument sling suspended from and carried aloft by a balloon. 4. An enclosed structure suspended from a cable, used for conveying passengers, as to and from a ski slope.

[Italian, of Venetian origin, alteration (probably influenced by -ola, feminine diminutive suffix, or by Italian dialectal words akin to Italian dondolare, to rock back and forth) of Old Venetian condura, from Medieval Greek kontoura, kondoura, a kind of small boat (probably so called from a distinctive high or wide stern), from feminine of kontouros, having a docked tail : Late Greek kontos, short (probably back-formed from konto-, taken as meaning "short" in such compounds as Greek kontokunēgesion, a hunt using pikes, or kontobolein, to strike with a pole (that is, at short range, not with arrows or javelins), stem of Greek kontos, pike, pole) + Greek ourā, tail; see ors- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] gondola (ˈɡɒndələ) n 1. (Nautical Terms) a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with a high ornamented stem and a platform at the stern where an oarsman stands and propels the boat by sculling or punting: traditionally used on the canals of Venice 2.

(Aeronautics) a. a car or cabin suspended from an airship or balloon b. a moving cabin suspended from a cable across a valley, etc 3. (Nautical Terms) a flat-bottomed barge used on canals and rivers of the US as far west as the Mississippi 4. (Railways) US and Canadian a low open flat-bottomed railway goods wagon 5. (Commerce) a set of island shelves in a self-service shop: used for displaying goods 6. (Broadcasting) Canadian a broadcasting booth built close to the roof over an ice-hockey arena, used by commentators [C16: from Italian (Venetian dialect), from Medieval Latin gondula, perhaps ultimately from Greek kondu drinking vessel] gon•do•la (ˈgɒn dl ə or, esp. for 1, gɒnˈdoʊ lə) n., pl. -las. 1. a long, narrow, flat-bottomed boat, rowed by an oarsman at the stern: used on the canals in Venice, Italy. 2. a passenger compartment suspended beneath a balloon or airship. Compare car (def. 3). 3.

an enclosed cabin suspended from an overhead cable, used to transport passengers, as up and down a ski slope. 4. Also called gon′dola car`. an open railroad freight car with low sides. [1540–50; < Italian < Venetian] freight car - a railway car that carries freight 2. gondola - long narrow flat-bottomed boat propelled by sculling; traditionally used on canals of Venice boat - a small vessel for travel on water 3. gondola - the compartment that is suspended from an airship and that carries personnel and the cargo and the power plant airship , dirigible - a steerable self-propelled aircraft compartment - a partitioned section, chamber, or separate room within a larger enclosed area Translations زورَق من زوارق البُنْدُقِيَّهقَفَص حول العمارة يقف عليه العُمّال gondolaklec 2. [of hot-air balloon] → barquilla f B.

CPD gondola car N (US) (Rail) → vagón m descubierto , batea f gondola [ˈgɒndələ] n (= boat) → gondole f gondola (in Venice, of balloon, cable car etc) → Gondel f (US Rail: also gondola car) → offener Güterwagen (in supermarket) → Gondel f gondola (ˈgondələ) noun 1. a long narrow boat used on the canals of Venice.

gondel زورَق من زوارق البُنْدُقِيَّه гондола gôndola gondola die Gondel gondol γόνδολα góndola gondel قایق ونیزی؛ گندولا gondoli gondole גונדולה विशेष रूप से वेनिस की नहरों में उपयोग की जानी वाली नौका, नाव gondola gondola gondola gondóll gondola ゴンドラ 이탈리아 Venice 특유의 좁고 바닥이 평평한 배 gondola gondola gondola gondel gondol gondola يوډول اوږده بيړۍ چي د ( وينس ) په سيند و كې دخونې په تو ګه استعماليږي: جاله gôndola gondolă гондола gondola gond

ola gondola gondol เรือแจวโดยสารท้องแบนลำตัวยาวในลำคลองกรุงเวนิส gondol 威尼斯平底船 гондола وینس کی نہروں میں چلنے والی ہلکی چپٹے بیندوں والی کشتیاں thuyền gônđôla 威尼斯平底船，两头尖的平底船 2.

a kind of safety cage for people who are working on the outside of a tall building to stand in.

gondel قَفَص حول العمارة يقف عليه العُمّال платформа gaiola klec die Sicherheitsgondel gondol κρεμαστή σκαλωσιά góndola kaitsepuur اتاقک متحرک nostokori nacelle גונדולה ऊंची इमारतों में काम करने के लिए पिंजड़ा नुमा ढांचा teretni plato kabin gondola öryggisbúr piattaforma sospesa つりかご 곤돌라 krepšys piekaru grozs (strādāšanai lielā augstumā) gondola gondel arbeidsheis platforma جاله gaiola nacelă люлька klietka gondola gondola skyddskorg เรือแจวท้องแบน iskele asansörü 安全吊籠 відкритий підйомник اون

چی عمارتوں کے پاس کام کرنے والوں کے لۓ حفاظتی بنجرہ giỏ khí cầu 安全吊笼 gondoˈlier (-ˈliə) noun a person who rows a gondola.

gondelier نوتي الزورَق، سائِق الغوندولا гонделиер gondoleiro gondoliér der Gondoliere gondolier γονδολιέρης gondolero gondoljeer گوندولا ران gondolieeri gondolier/-ière גוֹנדוֹלייֵר नौका-चालक vozač gondole gondolás tukang gondola gondólaræðari gondoliere ゴンドラの船頭 곤돌라 사공 gondolininkas gondoljers pendayung gondola gondelier gondolfører gondolier چلوونكى gondoleiro gondolier гондольер gondoliér gondoljer gondolijer gondoljär คนแจวเรือกอนโดลาในเมืองเวนิส gondolcü 平底船的船夫 гондольєр کشتی چلانے والا شخص người chèo thuyền g

ônđôla 平底船的船夫 Gondolas | Article about Gondolas by The Free Dictionary Gondolas | Article about Gondolas by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia .

gondola 1. a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with a high ornamented stem and a platform at the stern where an oarsman stands and propels the boat by sculling or punting: traditionally used on the canals of Venice 2. a. a car or cabin suspended from an airship or balloon b. a moving cabin suspended from a cable across a valley, etc. 3. a flat-bottomed barge used on canals and rivers of the US as far west as the Mississippi 4. US and Canadian a low open flat-bottomed railway goods wagon 5. a set of island shelves in a self-service shop: used for displaying goods Gondola the cabin attached to a balloon or aircraft, used as the crew’s quarters and for stowage of equipment and ballast. The gondolas on the first free balloons were in the shape of the Venetian gondola (hence the name); later, an open osier wickerwork basket was used. With a light weight this basket possessed sufficient strength and elasticity to soften the shock upon landing. For tethered balloons used for adjusting artillery fire, the gondolas are made from plywood.

For high-altitude balloons, airtight spherical gondolas of metal or plastic are used, with a shock absorber of wicker or a pneumatic shock absorber of rubberized material. The gondola is fastened to the soft envelope of the balloon by a rope or cable suspension rigging. The metal streamlined gondolas of the semirigid and rigid dirigibles are fastened to metal structures on the body. Pneumatic shock absorbers of aircraft-type tricycle landing gear are mounted on the bottom of the gondola. N. F. L Gondola a single-oar flat-bottommed boat with high figured prow and stern, found chiefly in Venice and mentioned in sources as early as the end of the 11th century. The average length of the gondola is 10 m; its average width is 1.3 m. The gondola is steered by a single oarsman, called the gondolier, who stands at the stern and faces in the direction of motion. Usually a gondola has a cabin or shed for passengers. Present-day gondolas in Venice are used mostly for tourists.

balloon flight | aviation | Britannica.com Balloon flight gliding Balloon flight, passage through the air of a balloon that contains a buoyant gas, such as helium or heated air, for which reason it is also known as lighter-than-air free flight . Unmanned balloons have been used to carry meteorological instruments and may be radio-controlled. Manned balloons have a basket, or gondola, attached below the balloon for the pilot and passengers. A simple harness or boatswain’s chair has become popular for solo flights. By adjusting the ascent and descent of a balloon through the air, a pilot can take advantage of available winds to guide the course of the balloon over the surface of Earth . This element of control, or the lack of it, is the hallmark of sport ballooning. Balloons flying over the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico. Ron Behrmann Balloons at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico, 2010.

Michael Salisbury/Skylight.cc (A Britannica Publishing Partner) The first untethered manned balloon ascent took place on November 21, 1783, when two Frenchmen climbed into a wicker basket suspended from the base of a beautifully decorated, paper-lined cotton balloon. The balloon, filled with air heated by burning straw, carried the men aloft for a little more than 20 minutes over Paris . Witnessing this ascension were Louis XVI , members of the French Academy of Sciences , and multitudes of the public, including the American inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin . This event left a profound impression on the world of the 18th century: men had actually flown! Since that time the field of flight has been taken over by airships, gliders, airplanes, helicopters, and even rockets and spacecraft, but balloons continue to be used for recreation, competitive sport, and scientific exploration. Hot-air balloons may be used for short flights at low altitudes or taken on “long jumps,” using stronger winter winds to travel hundreds of kilometres at altitudes of up to about 3 km (2 miles). Gas balloons can stay aloft for several days and travel a thousand kilometres or more.

Indeed, combination hot-air and gas balloons have crossed continents and oceans and even circled the globe. For scientific research, special gas balloons can float in stable conditions for days or even months at a time, carrying instrument payloads through the upper reaches of the stratosphere . Similar Topics hang gliding The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale was founded in France in 1905. This nongovernmental organization maintains records for manned flights from balloons to spacecraft, as well as records for flights of model aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and sporting events. In addition, various national aeronautics organizations, such as the Balloon Federation of America and the British Balloon and Airship Club, maintain ballooning records. Airworthiness and operating criteria are controlled in the United States by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). FAA regulations for ballooning are generally used by all countries, with only minor local variations.

Elements of balloon flight The three basic principles of buoyancy were discovered by the ancient Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes , the 17th-century British natural philosopher Robert Boyle , and the 18th-century French physicist Jacques-Alexandre-César Charles : Archimedes’ principle (3rd century bce), which states that any body completely or partially submerged in a fluid (gas or liquid) at rest is acted upon by an upward, or buoyant, force the magnitude of which is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body; Boyle’s law (1662), which states that the pressure of a given quantity of gas varies inversely as its volume at constant temperature; and Charles’s law (1787), which states that the volume occupied by a fixed amount of gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature, if the pressure remains constant. Navigating the Sky A balloon can carry the difference between its weight (including its enclosed gas) and the weight of the air that it displaces.

Nine cubic metres (1,000 cubic feet) of hydrogen weighs about 2.2 kg (5 pounds), the same volume of helium weighs about 4.5 kg (10 pounds), methane 18 kg (40 pounds), and hot air, at normal hot-air balloon operating temperatures, 22.5 kg (50 pounds). Thus, the lifting force of a chosen gas at low altitudes can be obtained by subtracting its weight from the typical weight of the same volume of air (about 34 kg, or 75 pounds, in this example). Britannica Stories Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent Because the atmosphere is compressed by its own weight, it is less dense at higher altitudes. At 3,600 metres (about 12,000 feet) the atmosphere is approximately two-thirds as dense and so will provide two-thirds the buoyancy.

This effect continues progressively, so that at 15,000 metres (50,000 feet) it is only one-tenth as dense, at 30,000 metres (100,000 feet) one-hundredth, and at 45,000 metres (150,000 feet) one-thousandth. In order to carry the same load at an altitude of 50 km (30 miles) as at sea level, a balloon would have to be 1,000 times as big and yet weigh the same (that is, keeping everything constant except the balloon’s volume). The buoyancy of a hot-air balloon is controlled by heating the air in the balloon or by changing the amount of ballast (extra weight). The buoyancy of a gas balloon is controlled by changing the amount of gas in the balloon or the amount of ballast. Tiny changes in one of these components can force dramatic changes in a balloon’s flight. Just a one- or two-degree change in temperature in a hot-air balloon, a few grams of ballast dropped, or a tiny release of gas will make a balloon ascend or descend accordingly.

On the other hand, in violent maneuvers (such as during a storm), whole bags of sand or great blasts of heat from a balloon’s burner may be required for a proper correction. To help in rapid atmospheric cooling, modern hot-air balloons also have very large hot-air release vents in the form of a parachute that can seal and unseal an opening in the top of the balloon. Hot-air balloon being deflated by lowering the parachute top (parachute valve) from the inside of … © Micha Fleuren/Shutterstock.com Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest Changing the altitude of a balloon will permit it to follow different air currents. A 20- or 30-degree difference in wind direction usually occurs in the first few thousand metres of altitude, but a full circle of wind directions (“box winds”) can also occur. Albuquerque, New Mexico , is famous for its box winds, which can be used to climb and descend back to the original launch site. If there is only a simple and stable wind pattern, no additional control is possible. With superior weather monitoring, use of the Global Positioning System ( GPS ), and radio or satellite communication, remarkable flight control is now possible.

Early hot-air balloons burned straw and alcohol spirits for fuel, though by 1900 these fuels had been replaced with petroleum. Compressed liquefied propane is used almost exclusively today. Hot-air balloon burners use vaporizing coils to preheat the fuel for efficient combustion. Most of these coils are made of stainless steel, but copper coils also work adequately. The burners are mounted, often on gimbals, on the suspension concentration ring between the basket and the mouth of the balloon. Most systems have redundant burners to compensate for problems with defective controls or contaminated fuel. A particularly notorious early problem was leaking seals on control valves. Basic components of a hot-air balloon. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. A variety of materials has been used for the actual balloon, or envelope . Cotton , nylon , and polyester are common for the envelopes of hot-air balloons. Cotton, having a poor weight-to-strength ratio, is only favoured for carnival “smoke” balloons. Although gas balloons have sometimes used rubberized cotton, modern sport gas balloons use urethane-coated nylon. Balloons for high-altitude research are generally made of polyethylene or polyester film.

When a scientific payload is attached to the bottom point of a modern balloon, the envelope, if given overall excess material circumferentially, will form the shape of an acorn squash. This is a result of the natural stresses on the “skin” caused by the tension from the payload and the varying internal forces of the gas, which depend on the elevation inside the balloon. Additional excess material in the horizontal dimension will only result in loose wrinkles. Less horizontal fullness will cause tight spots or even indentations. A large lightly loaded balloon will be very “fat.” The top will have a large flat or even indented area, and the bottom point will have an obtuse included angle. If the balloon envelope is only a small percentage of the total weight, the balloon will have more of a teardrop shape, and the bottom point will have an acute included angle. This family of cross sections is known as the natural shape. Britannica Lists & Quizzes Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies In addition to the choice of envelopes, an even greater variety of systems for carrying the load or passengers has been used, ranging from a simple trapeze to the sealed environmentally controlled cabin of the stratosphere balloon.

For sport ballooning, the traditional wicker basket , albeit with a stainless steel frame, is popular. Criteria for evaluation of a basket design should include toughness, energy absorption, and electrical resistance, but style and marketability are more often the governing factors. Historical development The Montgolfier brothers Credit for the invention of ballooning goes to a pair of 18th-century brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier of Annonay, a small town just south of Lyon, France. According to one, possibly apocryphal , story, the brothers took inspiration from watching Joseph’s wife’s skirts as they billowed in the kitchen from the heat of a charcoal burner being used to dry laundry. The Italian-born English scientist Tiberius Cavallo had recently demonstrated that Archimedes’ principle is applicable to airborne objects by successfully floating hydrogen-filled soap bubbles. When he attempted to duplicate this with animal bladders, though, they proved too heavy to ascend. Fortunately, the provincial Montgolfiers were not constrained by laboratory techniques and created their hot-air balloon on a cruder and much larger scale.

Because the area (and therefore the weight) of a balloon goes up by the square of its diameter and the volume (and therefore the lift) increases by the cube of its diameter, they succeeded handily. On June 4, 1783, they made a public demonstration in Annonay with a 10.5-metre (35-foot) diameter unmanned cloth-and-paper balloon, using the heat from a straw fire. Charles and de Rozier join the race Trending Topics Eyjafjallajökull volcano With the news from Annonay, French inventor Jacques-Alexandre-César Charles , who knew that hydrogen was lighter than the hot-air smoke used by the Montgolfiers, realized that all he had to do to succeed was to make his balloon experiment on a larger scale. The first space race was on. On August 27, 1783, Charles launched an unmanned varnished-silk hydrogen balloon from Paris. It was attacked and destroyed by local villagers when it landed near Gonesse some 15 km (9 miles) to the northeast.

The Montgolfiers countered by launching a hot-air balloon carrying a sheep, a duck, and a rooster from Versailles on September 19 to determine if the animals could survive in the open air at higher altitudes. The first person at the landing site of the menagerie balloon was Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, who would become the first balloon pilot. French aeronauts Jacques-Alexandre-César Charles and Marie-Noël Robert made the first … Photos.com/Thinkstock While Charles was designing—and having engineering brothers Marie-Noël and Anne-Jean Robert build—a larger hydrogen balloon that could carry him aloft, de Rozier was teaching himself to fly a hot-air balloon by first going up with a restraining rope. Before Charles could get his gas balloon ready, de Rozier and François Laurent, marquis d’Arlandes , persuaded the king to permit them to make the first manned free flight. On November 21 they went aloft over Paris. A little more than 20 minutes and 16 km (10 miles) later, they safely returned to Earth. Ten days later Charles made the first manned gas balloon ascension, accompanied by Marie-Noël Robert.

On landing near Nesles, some 36 km (22 miles) away from the launch in Paris, Robert stepped out to let Charles make a second flight. The balloon ascended at a terrifying rate with Charles on the world’s first solo free flight. The balloon finally leveled out at about 3,000 metres (10,000 feet), and he was able to bring it down safely. Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent, marquis d’Arlandes, … © Photos.com/Jupiterimages The rip panel and drag rope Most of the features of the classic free balloon were included in Charles’s first machine. Important later additions were the rip panel, first used on April 27, 1839, by the American aeronaut John Wise , and the drag rope, invented about 1830 by the English aeronaut Charles Green . A rip panel is an elongated section of the balloon that is lightly fixed in place and can be quickly ripped or pulled open at the moment of landing. It adds greatly to the safety of ballooning by making quick deflation possible. The drag rope, or compensator, serves two purposes.

It is a long, heavy rope that trails the balloon in order to slow down the balloon’s vertical and horizontal speed in landing operations before the basket touches down. If a landing is aborted, the rope is automatically recovered and can be used again. In areas without electrical power lines, balloons can “drag rope” for many kilometres at a time without having to drop sand or release gas. Hot-air balloon being deflated by lowering the parachute top (parachute valve) from the inside of … © Micha Fleuren/Shutterstock.com The gas–hot air hybrid balloon Within two years, de Rozier began thinking about flying across the English Channel . To compensate for the shortcomings of the two types of balloons, he combined a hydrogen envelope with a small hot-air envelope below it. Hydrogen provided the basic lift, while the hot-air balloon system allowed him to control his flight without having to constantly drop ballast or release gas. His balloon, christened Tour de Calais, was brilliantly decorated with artwork and metallic gilding. According to modern investigations, the metallic coating caused a static discharge that ignited the varnished envelope some 30 minutes after its launch from Boulogne on June 15, 1785.

De Rozier and his passenger, Pierre-Jules Romain, died within minutes of the ensuing crash, becoming the first balloon fatalities. Despite this tragic failure, de Rozier’s invention eventually succeeded in the ultimate transglobal balloon voyage two centuries later. The three basic types of balloons (hot air, gas, and a gas–hot air hybrid) were, then, all invented at the very beginning. A fourth type, the superpressure balloon, which is kept at a constant volume, was proposed by French Gen. Jean Meusnier on December 3, 1783, but not successfully built until stronger materials became available in the 1950s. See below Superpressure balloons . Smoke and coal gas Smoke balloons, without onboard fire, became popular for fairs and exhibitions as parachutes were perfected. In particular, the standard grand climax of many celebrations at the turn of the 20th century was to have a trapeze artist ascend for hundreds of metres below a balloon belching black smoke before jumping from the trapeze to parachute back to Earth. Illustration showing typical performances by aerial balloonists. Prints and Photographs Division/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital. id.

cph 3g10308) The smoke was not just for dramatic effect; it was essential to retain heat, as no fire was carried onboard. Clean air cools rapidly in an ascending balloon, not only by radiation but also by the adiabatic process of expansion. The heat in the carbon particles is not affected by the change in atmospheric pressure during the ascent, so the smoke acts as a heat sink in addition to freshly sealing the porous muslin fabric typically used in such balloons. On July 19, 1821, at the coronation in London of George IV , Charles Green made the first ascent in a balloon inflated with coal gas . He also made a historic flight on November 7, 1836, from London to Weilburg, Duchy of Nassau (now in Germany), a distance of about 800 km (500 miles). Other great flights of the period included French aeronaut François Arban’s September 1849 flight across the Alps and John Wise’s 1,300-km (800-mile) flight from St. Louis, Missouri, to Henderson, New York .

Wise’s flight, which was launched on July 1, 1859, was a test of the air currents for a proposed transatlantic attempt. Military experiments and petroleum fuel Manned balloons have had only minimal military use, the Siege of Paris (September 19, 1870–January 28, 1871), during the Franco-German War , being a notable exception. Mail, carrier pigeons, and important individuals were transported in balloons built in the unused Paris railway stations, and the pigeons brought mail back. French republican politician Léon Gambetta (in hat, centre) about to escape besieged Paris … © Photos.com/Jupiterimages In 1903 the Rev. John M. Bacon invented the forerunner of the modern hot-air balloon in England. While coal gas was plentiful and inexpensive locally, expeditionary forces had severe logistic problems with producing hydrogen in the field or transporting heavy compressed-gas cylinders. Bacon promoted the concept of performing military observations with a hot-air balloon that would burn petroleum. His trials in the summer of 1903 were successful, but he did not pursue it further and his work went unnoticed in the ballooning community .

During the 1930s, attempts were made to utilize petroleum or propane fuels by German and Austrian pioneers. Their efforts were technically promising, but they did not replace the sport gas balloon. The philosophy of ballooning entailed long flights at considerable altitude. Hydrogen and coal gas were plentiful, inexpensive, and accepted fearlessly. Heavy cotton balloons with their cumbersome fuel systems were not suited to traditional ballooning routines. Even in England, where long-duration gas flights were not possible for fear of the sea, there was no interest. Balloons reach the stratosphere Unmanned sounding balloons for high-altitude scientific investigations were introduced in 1893, but manned ballooning was limited to moderate altitudes until the 1930s. In 1931 Swiss physicist Auguste Piccard inverted a 1905 conception devised by him and his twin brother, Jean Piccard , for a diving ship ( bathyscaphe ). The 1931 invention consisted of a spherical aluminum pressure cabin and a 14,000-cubic-metre (500,000-cubic-foot) lightweight rubberized-cotton netless hydrogen balloon.

This would make possible the first successful stratosphere flight. It carried Auguste and his assistant, Paul Kipfer, to 15,781 metres (51,775 feet) on May 27, 1931. Jean Piccard and his wife, Jeannette, went to 17,550 metres (57,579 feet) on October 23, 1934, with a slightly larger duplicate that used a magnesium-alloy cabin. The official project was completed earlier when U.S. Navy Lieut. Comdr. Thomas G.W. Settle achieved a world-record flight of 18,665 metres (61,237 feet) in the same balloon on November 20, 1933. Jean and Jeannette Piccard’s balloon had several novel advances, the most significant being the remote-control pyrotechnic ballasting system. Contrary to conventional designs, they used blasting caps and trinitrotoluene (TNT) to cut cords outside the sealed capsule. The Piccard 17,550-metre flight was followed by longtime National Geographic magazine contributor Capt. A.

Stevens and Capt. Orville Anderson, both of the U.S. Army Air Corps, going to 22,065 metres (72,395 feet) on November 11, 1935. The flight was sponsored by the National Geographic Society and the U.S. Army Air Corps. Stevens and Anderson used a 100,000-cubic-metre (3,700,000-cubic-foot) rubberized-cotton balloon carrying a large magnesium-alloy cabin. That balloon, the Explorer II, was seven times the size of Piccard’s, but still with very similar fabric. The stress in the skin of the giant balloon was formidable , resulting in repeated failures. On one occasion the crew, this time including Maj. William E. Kepner, barely escaped by parachute. Plastic balloons Jean Piccard realized that the giant single-cell balloon had reached the end of its practical development. Larger balloons would require heavier fabric with diminishing returns. Small latex balloons were routinely carrying light loads to much greater heights, and Piccard postulated that with a cluster of these he could extend the limits of ballooning. Thomas H.

Johnson of the Franklin Institute suggested using fewer but larger cellophane balloons. Piccard, working with Johnson, designed a netless film balloon that substituted a conical skin section for the suspension system. The payload was attached directly to the base of the cone. By 1937 Piccard and his students at the University of Minnesota , including Robert Gilruth (later head of Project Mercury ), had flown one of these unmanned balloons about 1,000 km (600 miles), carrying an automatic ballast-releasing device and radio instrumentation. American balloonist Donald Piccard making the world’s first manned flight in a plastic … Ted Russell—Time Life Pictures/Getty Images Piccard dreamed of a stratosphere flight with a cluster of film balloons, but there was concern that they would become tangled. To test the concept, he made a successful solo flight in the Pleiades with an ensemble of 92 latex balloons on July 18, 1937. After World War II , General Mills, Inc. , accepted a contract from the U.S. Office of Naval Research to advance the theory of ballooning. The DuPont Company ’s new polyethylene film was chosen for the envelope.

Launches of individual test balloons were finally successful, but there was little faith that the complicated task of rigging 80 of these at once would work, and the project was abandoned. However, the plastic balloon had been created, and they constantly grew larger and more acceptable as polyethylene films improved. The conversion of the seam tapes—from their original simple joining task to backup use over heat-welded seams and, finally, with reinforcing filaments, to the primary structural load-bearing factor—enabled further size increases and advanced reliability. Their use also enabled the abandonment of the load ring in the mouth of the balloon. This facilitated the development of the natural shape. In December 1955 the U.S. Air Force established Project Man High to obtain scientific data on the stratosphere and to test equipment for exploring above Earth’s atmosphere. Three pilots, Capt. Joseph W. Kittinger, Maj. David Simmons, and Lieut. Clifton M.

McClure, in Manhigh I (June 2, 1957), Manhigh II (August 19, 1957), and Manhigh III (October 8, 1958), respectively, each ascended to about 30 km (19 miles) aboard a single-cell plastic balloon. Unmanned flights, generally carrying scientific research payloads of more than 2,250 kg (5,000 pounds), have reached altitudes above 42 km (26 miles) with balloons as big as 1,000,000 cubic metres (some 40,000,000 cubic feet). Superpressure balloons Polyester film at a tensile strength of 1,400 kg per square cm (20,000 pounds per square inch)—compared with polyethylene at a tensile strength of about 40 kg per square cm (600 pounds per square inch)—finally made it possible to produce superpressure balloons, which do not expand or contract as the enclosed gas heats up or cools down. A series of contracts were awarded to the G.T. Schjeldahl Company by the U.S.

Air Force in the late 1950s to develop polyester balloons. After repeated failures, Donald Piccard (son of Jean and Jeannette Piccard) was assigned the project. He theorized that the failures were caused by the self-destructive tendencies of the stiff film. By laminating two layers of very thin Mylar , he produced a more flexible film that resulted in the first successful superpressure balloon. These balloons have been used by the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research to carry instrumentation aloft for months at a time, continually circumnavigating Earth. A weather balloon is released at a weather station at the South Pole. NOAA Manned superpressure balloons have had some success but have not yet been able to carry on through diurnal heating cycles. Modern hot-air balloons A small group of engineers under Wes Borgeson at General Mills developed a polyethylene hot-air balloon with a propane burner that was successfully flown by Tom Olson and later by Paul (“Ed”) Yost perhaps as early as 1955. Yost, then at Raven Industries, made the first publicized flight of the modern hot-air balloon in 1961 at Bruning, Neb.

The balloon, developed for “silent entry” (military) use, was soon found to be unsuited for covert operations because of the noise and light from the burners, and the classified project was apparently abandoned. Although these balloons proved unsuitable for military use, Mark Semich (Semco) and Donald Piccard (Don Piccard Balloons) pursued their American manufacture for sport service. American balloonist Donald Piccard preparing to take off in a trial flight of his multicylinder … Ted Russell—Time Life Pictures/Getty Images Yost’s hot-air balloon, using strong and durable nylon fabric instead of gossamer polyethylene, did not use load tapes. While load tapes had been an important factor in the success of film balloons, they were considered unnecessary for fabric balloons. However, with the growth of sport ballooning, a longer life and a safer design was required. In 1964 Donald Piccard adopted the full-length load tapes found on plastic balloons for fabric balloons. Coincidentally, this afforded the opportunity for his invention of the bulbous gore, or pumpkin-shaped balloon. A hot-air balloon making its ascent during a balloon festival in Taos, N.M.

The bulbous gore, or … © Jeff Banke/Shutterstock.com American aeronaut Tracy Barnes adapted a venting system used in parachutes to make the most important advance in safety and control of hot-air balloons since the rip panel. Barnes’s parachute top has also been used in gas balloons. His novel three-corner basket and three-point suspension distinguish his balloons from the commonplace. Hot-air balloon being deflated by lowering the parachute top (parachute valve) from the inside of … © Micha Fleuren/Shutterstock.com Gondola, Breitling Orbiter 3 | National Air and Space Museum National Air and Space Museum favorite Breitling Orbiter 3 Balloon Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard became the first people to circumnavigate the world non-stop in a balloon, the Breitling Orbiter 3. Display Status: This object is on display in the Boeing Aviation Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

SummaryLong Description Collection Item Summary: Breitling Orbiter 3 Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones guided the balloon Breitling Orbiter 3 up and away from the Swiss Alpine village of Chateau d'Oex at 8:05, GMT, 1March 1999. They landed in the Egyptian desert 19 days, 21 hours and 55 minutes later (21 March 1999), having traveled a distance of over 29,000 miles and completed the first non-stop flight around the world with a free balloon. The success of Breitling Orbiter 3 was based on the lessons learned during two previous attempts to fly around the globe in 1997 (Breitling Orbiter) and 1998 (Breitling Orbiter 2). That experience enabled the Breitling team to develop trustworthy technical systems and a basic strategy that called for Piccard and Jones to pilot their balloon to altitudes of over 30,000 feet, where jet stream winds would drive it across the Pacific at speeds of over 100 miles per hour.

Breitling Orbiter 3 was designed and built by Cameron Balloons, of Bristol, England. When fully inflated it stands 180 feet (55 meters) tall. The envelope is constructed of a nylon fabric welded to a helium-tight membrane covered with an outer protective skin that is coated with aluminum on both sides to provide improved thermal control. The shape and special features of the envelope were designed to insure maximum temperature stability in order to conserve helium and reduce propane consumption. The envelope is a Rozier design, combining the advantages of helium and hot air technologies to create a balloon capable of extended flights. A large cell of helium is placed within a specially designed hot air balloon. Six propane-fed burners warm the helium at night, while a system of insulation and vents reduce the effect of solar heating during the day. The result is a balloon that remains at a fairly constant altitude, conserving helium and making it possible to remain aloft for extended periods. The propane gas that fueled the six burners of Breitling Orbiter 3 was contained in 28 titanium cylinders mounted in two rows along the sides of the gondola. Their epic journey was applauded as one of the great aviation adventures of the century.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain spoke for millions around the world in a special message to the balloonists: "The news of your splendid achievement has delighted us all." Collection Item Long Description: On March 21, 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Bryan Jones guided Breitling Orbiter 3, the first balloon to fly around the world non-stop, to a safe landing on a desolate stretch of desert in Western Egypt. It was a happy ending to a story that had begun in June 1980, when English pilot and balloon builder Don Cameron announced that a group of adventurers planned to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon. That original project did not result in a launch, but it did establish the goal. Over the next two decades, 18 teams announced their intention to accept the challenge. Seven of those teams launched a total of sixteen balloons in unsuccessful attempts to fly around the world.

In the fall of 1997, the Anheuser-Busch Company offered a trophy and a one million dollar prize (one half of which was to be donated to charity) to the first balloonists to achieve what was widely recognized as "the last great aviation challenge of the century." While none of the teams had achieved that elusive goal by the end of 1998, they had captured the public imagination with a series of record-breaking long distances flights and hair's breadth escapes from danger. That Bertrand Piccard should be attracted to the challenge was quite natural. An experienced aviator who has flown everything from ultralights to high performance aerobatic aircraft, he is the grandson of the Swiss scientist who developed the pressurized balloon gondola; flew a balloon into the stratosphere for the first time (27 May 1931) with companion Paul Kipfer; and invented the Bathyscaph, a research submarine in which Bertrand's father Jacques descended to a depth of 10,916 meters, the deepest spot in the world's oceans.

Piccard has explained that circumnavigating the world in a balloon is "a fabulous metaphor for life - to try is the only way to succeed." He made two unsuccessful attempts to capture the prize in 1997 and 1998, accompanied by crewman Wim Verstaeten and with the support of Breitling SA, Swiss manufacturers of fine chronometers. The lessons learned on the Breitling Orbiters 1 and 2 flights provided a firm foundation of experience that enabled the team to develop trustworthy technical systems and a basic strategy for the Breitling Orbiter 3 project. Designed and built by Cameron Balloons, of Bristol, England, Breitling Orbiter 3 stood 180 feet (55 meters) tall when fully inflated. Like most of the balloons entered in the around the world competition, it combined the advantages of hot air and helium technologies to create a balloon capable of remaining aloft for extended periods of time. The envelope was constructed of a nylon fabric welded to a helium-tight membrane, covered with an outer protective skin coated with aluminum on both sides to provide improved thermal control.

The shape and special features of the envelope insured maximum temperature stability in order to maintain a constant altitude, conserve helium and reduce propane consumption. The propane gas that fueled the six burners of Breitling Orbiter 3 was contained in 28 titanium cylinders mounted in two rows along the sides of the gondola. Concerned about fuel consumption, the team added four additional propane containers prior to take-off. It was a wise decision. The balloon landed in the Egyptian desert almost three weeks after take-off with less than a quarter of a tank of fuel remaining. The Breitling Orbiter 3 gondola was constructed of a weave of Kevlar and carbon fiber material. After take-off the cabin was sealed at 6000 feet to trap the air within it. During the flight the cabin atmosphere was supplemented by oxygen, and the carbon dioxide was removed by lithium hydroxide filters. Cabin pressure was maintained at around 3.5 psi by adding oxygen and nitrogen to the cabin air, as necessary. At 10,000 meters (33,000 feet), the cabin pressure equaled the atmospheric pressure at 3,000 meters (10,000 feet).

Solar panels suspended beneath the gondola recharged the onboard lead-acid batteries that provided electrical power. Satellite-based systems enabled the crew to communicate and navigate. Bertrand Piccard and Bryan Jones guided Breitling Orbiter 3 up and away from the Swiss Alpine village of Chateau d'Oex at 8:05, GMT, 1March 1999. They landed in the Egyptian desert 19 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes later (March 21, 1999), having traveled a distance of 40,814 kilometers (25,361 miles). During the course of the trip, the balloon had climbed to altitudes of up to 11,373 meters (37,313 feet), and achieved a maximum speed of 161 knots per hour. The journey was far from easy. The two crewmen spent almost three weeks in a confined space roughly the size of a recreational vehicle. The daily routine called for each man to spend eight hours alone at the controls; eight hours working with his crewmate; and eight hours in the single bunk.

In spite of heaters designed to maintain a fairly comfortable 15 degrees C (59 degrees F), cabin temperatures occasionally fell so low that drinking water froze and ice had to be carefully chipped away from delicate electronic circuitry on the interior walls. Jones suffered with a cold, while Piccard resorted to self-hypnosis to fight depression and fall asleep. Having consumed the fresh food during the first few days of flight, the two balloonists subsisted on dehydrated meals. "When Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon, he was happy to be so far away," Bertrand Piccard commented after the flight. "When we stepped onto the desert, we were happy to put our footprints back on earth." In spite of the hardships, the two crewmen were able to find a deeper meaning in their great adventure. "For me, the flight was a unique opportunity to establish a friendlier relationship with our planet," Piccard explains.

"Human beings always want to control nature, but flying around the world by balloon … we must harmonize with nature, following the rhythm of the wind." On the morning of Monday, March 22, 1999, the Washington Post carried a front page feature article, "Earthbound but on Cloud Nine," following up on the successful conclusion of the flight of Breitling Orbiter 3 the day before. Asked by reporter Howard Schneider about the fate of Breitling Orbiter 3, the balloon that had carried the two adventurers on their historic voyage, project manager Alan Noble remarked that the sponsors and the team "… would probably donate the craft to a museum -- possibly the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian." Was the gondola of Breitling Orbiter 3 something that we wished to acquire for the NASM? There was no question about that. The museum staff takes special pride in preserving and displaying the world's finest collection of historic globe-girdling aircraft.

These included: The Douglas World Cruiser Chicago that made the first trip around the world in 1924; the Lockheed Vega Winnie Mae in which Wiley Post made headlines with world flights in 1931 and 1933; several light aircraft that made the trip after WW II; The Spirit of Texas, which Ross Perot, Jr. and Jay Coburn piloted on the first helicopter circumnavigation; and Voyager in which Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager made history with the first flight of an airplane around the world, non-stop and unrefueled. Breitling Orbiter 3 would be a worthy addition to that collection, a reminder of one of the great adventures in the history of flight. Actually acquiring the gondola was not an easy task, however. The real credit for the success belongs to the then NASM director, the late Admiral Donald Engen. Thanks in large measure to his superb negotiating skills and wide contacts in aviation and business, Breitling Orbiter 3 now rests in a place of honor in NASM's Milestones of Flight gallery, a proud addition to our collection of world-circling aircraft.

Data Source National Air and Space Museum Rights Do not reproduce without permission from the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum Credit Line Gift of the Breitling Watch Company. Materials Fiberglass, wood, metal, titanium (cylinders) Dimensions 122 7/16 x 158 1/4 x 212 5/8 in. (311 x 402 x 540 cm) See more items in National Air and Space Museum Collection Physical Description Basic structure is yellow and orange with the inscription, Breitling Orbiter 3. Upper structure houses burners and equipment. On March 21, 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Bryan Jones guided Breitling Orbiter 3, the first balloon to fly around the world non-stop, to a safe landing on a desolate stretch of desert in Western Egypt. It was a happy ending to a story that had begun in June 1980, when English pilot and balloon builder Don Cameron announced that a group of adventurers planned to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon. That original project did not result in a launch, but it did establish the goal.

Over the next two decades, 18 teams announced their intention to accept the challenge. Seven of those teams launched a total of sixteen balloons in unsuccessful attempts to fly around the world. In the fall of 1997, the Anheuser-Busch Company offered a trophy and a one million dollar prize (one half of which was to be donated to charity) to the first balloonists to achieve what was widely recognized as "the last great aviation challenge of the century." While none of the teams had achieved that elusive goal by the end of 1998, they had captured the public imagination with a series of record-breaking long distances flights and hair's breadth escapes from danger. That Bertrand Piccard should be attracted to the challenge was quite natural.

An experienced aviator who has flown everything from ultralights to high performance aerobatic aircraft, he is the grandson of the Swiss scientist who developed the pressurized balloon gondola; flew a balloon into the stratosphere for the first time (27 May 1931) with companion Paul Kipfer; and invented the Bathyscaph, a research submarine in which Bertrand's father Jacques descended to a depth of 10,916 meters, the deepest spot in the world's oceans. Piccard has explained that circumnavigating the world in a balloon is "a fabulous metaphor for life - to try is the only way to succeed." He made two unsuccessful attempts to capture the prize in 1997 and 1998, accompanied by crewman Wim Verstaeten and with the support of Breitling SA, Swiss manufacturers of fine chronometers. The lessons learned on the Breitling Orbiters 1 and 2 flights provided a firm foundation of experience that enabled the team to develop trustworthy technical systems and a basic strategy for the Breitling Orbiter 3 project.

Designed and built by Cameron Balloons, of Bristol, England, Breitling Orbiter 3 stood 180 feet (55 meters) tall when fully inflated. Like most of the balloons entered in the around the world competition, it combined the advantages of hot air and helium technologies to create a balloon capable of remaining aloft for extended periods of time. The envelope was constructed of a nylon fabric welded to a helium-tight membrane, covered with an outer protective skin coated with aluminum on both sides to provide improved thermal control. The shape and special features of the envelope insured maximum temperature stability in order to maintain a constant altitude, conserve helium and reduce propane consumption. The propane gas that fueled the six burners of Breitling Orbiter 3 was contained in 28 titanium cylinders mounted in two rows along the sides of the gondola. Concerned about fuel consumption, the team added four additional propane containers prior to take-off. It was a wise decision. The balloon landed in the Egyptian desert almost three weeks after take-off with less than a quarter of a tank of fuel remaining. The Breitling Orbiter 3 gondola was constructed of a weave of Kevlar and carbon fiber material.

After take-off the cabin was sealed at 6000 feet to trap the air within it. During the flight the cabin atmosphere was supplemented by oxygen, and the carbon dioxide was removed by lithium hydroxide filters. Cabin pressure was maintained at around 3.5 psi by adding oxygen and nitrogen to the cabin air, as necessary. At 10,000 meters (33,000 feet), the cabin pressure equaled the atmospheric pressure at 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). Solar panels suspended beneath the gondola recharged the onboard lead-acid batteries that provided electrical power. Satellite-based systems enabled the crew to communicate and navigate. Bertrand Piccard and Bryan Jones guided Breitling Orbiter 3 up and away from the Swiss Alpine village of Chateau d'Oex at 8:05, GMT, 1March 1999. They landed in the Egyptian desert 19 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes later (March 21, 1999), having traveled a distance of 40,814 kilometers (25,361 miles).

During the course of the trip, the balloon had climbed to altitudes of up to 11,373 meters (37,313 feet), and achieved a maximum speed of 161 knots per hour. The journey was far from easy. The two crewmen spent almost three weeks in a confined space roughly the size of a recreational vehicle. The daily routine called for each man to spend eight hours alone at the controls; eight hours working with his crewmate; and eight hours in the single bunk. In spite of heaters designed to maintain a fairly comfortable 15 degrees C (59 degrees F), cabin temperatures occasionally fell so low that drinking water froze and ice had to be carefully chipped away from delicate electronic circuitry on the interior walls. Jones suffered with a cold, while Piccard resorted to self-hypnosis to fight depression and fall asleep. Having consumed the fresh food during the first few days of flight, the two balloonists subsisted on dehydrated meals. "When Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon, he was happy to be so far away," Bertrand Piccard commented after the flight.

"When we stepped onto the desert, we were happy to put our footprints back on earth." In spite of the hardships, the two crewmen were able to find a deeper meaning in their great adventure. "For me, the flight was a unique opportunity to establish a friendlier relationship with our planet," Piccard explains. "Human beings always want to control nature, but flying around the world by balloon … we must harmonize with nature, following the rhythm of the wind." On the morning of Monday, March 22, 1999, the Washington Post carried a front page feature article, "Earthbound but on Cloud Nine," following up on the successful conclusion of the flight of Breitling Orbiter 3 the day before. Asked by reporter Howard Schneider about the fate of Breitling Orbiter 3, the balloon that had carried the two adventurers on their historic voyage, project manager Alan Noble remarked that the sponsors and the team "… would probably donate the craft to a museum -- possibly the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian." Was the gondola of Breitling Orbiter 3 something that we wished to acquire for the NASM? There was no question about that.

The museum staff take special pride in preserving and displaying the world's finest collection of historic globe-girdling aircraft. These included: The Douglas World Cruiser Chicago that made the first trip around the world in 1924; the Lockheed Vega Winnie Mae in which Wiley Post made headlines with world flights in 1931 and 1933; several light aircraft that made the trip after WW II; The Spirit of Texas, which Ross Perot, Jr. and Jay Coburn piloted on the first helicopter circumnavigation; and Voyager in which Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager made history with the first flight of an airplane around the world, non-stop and unrefueled. Breitling Orbiter 3 would be a worthy addition to that collection, a reminder of one of the great adventures in the history of flight. Actually acquiring the gondola was not be an easy task, however. The real credit for the success belongs to the then NASM director, the late Admiral Donald Engen.

Thanks in large measure to his superb negotiating skills and wide contacts in aviation and business, Breitling Orbiter 3 now rests in a place of honor in NASM's Milestones of Flight gallery, a proud addition to our collection of world-circling aircraft. Type

Question: What name is given to the cabin that is suspended from a balloon?
Answer: Gondola