How high can a balloon fly? Where do the balloons fly or the mystery of the balloons will be revealed

All kids and even some adults love balloons. These products can give a rosy mood, a feeling of triumph and happiness. decorate the halls for various events. And some people buy them specifically to release them into the sky and enjoy how they soar in the sky. Surely everyone has thought about this question at least once in their life.

How far do balloons fly?

The flight altitude of a ball launched into the sky may vary. It depends on the following 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, which is more than 50 kilometers from the earth.

Where do the balloons go?

The answer 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 to. This will interest the child and will help him not to be too upset if suddenly the desired “piece of joy” is lost from his hands and flies into the sky.

For example, little boys and girls might be told the following:

• On a journey through space.
• To your parents.
• To the rainbow.
• To the distant country of Shararam, where many similar balls live.
• To warm lands with migratory birds.

Your child will certainly like these versions of the answer to the question of where the balloons fly. In fact, when the ball rises high into the sky, it bursts from the pressure and descends back to the ground, but in the form of a rubber rag.

How long can rubber helium balloons float in the sky?

Knowing where balloons go, many are interested in which products will last longer between heaven and earth. Rubber balls are generally inelastic and not very durable.

Therefore, having reached a height where helium is replaced by air due to atmospheric pressure, the rubber balloon cannot withstand the 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 float in the sky?

Latex is a material that is obtained from the Hevea brasiliensis plant. That is, it is a natural material. Therefore, even if the product bursts under pressure and falls into a pond, in a forest, or in the middle of a city, it will not harm the environment. If people check where balloons fly using rubber products, then they can harm the environment. But even rubber balls are not as harmful to the ecological system as plastic bottles, which have a destructive effect on the environment.

Everyone understands why balloons fly away. The helium with which they are filled is lighter than air, so the rainbow ball floats in the wind. As the ball rises upward, it is affected by the atmosphere. The air temperature in the upper regions of the globe is much lower than on the ground. Because of this, the interior of the balloon releases helium and fills with air. Under the pressure of cold air, latex stretches. The balloon becomes heavier. After which the product begins to smoothly float and descend.

There were cases when the entire ball reached the ground. Schoolchildren from Canada conducted an interesting experiment. They launched a helium-filled balloon into the sky and fixed a camera on it. The latest images were taken at an altitude of more than 35,000 meters.

Experiments have also been carried out around the world on launching balloons into the sky along with “passengers”. The most popular hero who rose to the clouds on a helium-filled balloon is the bear, which was the symbol of the Moscow Olympics. There are many versions about where this “pilot” landed. A version considered accurate has never been found.

There are also people in the world who have experienced first-hand what it’s 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 became entangled in wires, which deprived the populated area of ​​electricity. There was also a man from Russia who was ready to do anything for the sake of science. This man stayed at bird's eye level for 25 minutes.

The balloons that fly into the sky have different destinies. But in any case, this process is interesting for science and deserves attention.

Interesting fact: in the 12th century, every Karelian family had a balloon made of whale and bull skin. Karelians flew on them, overcoming impassable terrain. Whether this is true or not, this fact is reflected in the manuscripts. It was only in the 19th century that 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, which injured an official, balloons began to be filled with helium. In the 20th century, latex balloons appeared. Not only round, but also oval shapes became possible. The inventor became a billionaire.

A sheep, a duck and a chicken were the first to travel in a hot air balloon.

Interesting fact: balloons, falling into a stream of wind, fly away to a distance of several thousand kilometers. Gel balloons increase in size as they gain height. The reason is a drop in pressure in the atmosphere. The balloons fly and fly upward 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 eventually, the helium gradually comes out and the balloon loses altitude, sinking to the ground.

Related posts:

Most people who have at least once in their life launched a balloon inflated with gas into the sky, or 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, which a person must find and forward to the recipient, so that they can find out how far the balloon flew into the sky. But think about the probability that this ball will fall in the city and that it will be found, and what is the probability that a person will want to send something to someone. Yes, the probability is very low, but we have heard real stories when balloons with letters were actually found and letters were sent to the person who launched the balloon. We recommend that you read

WHAT ARE BALLOONS INFLATED INTO THE AIR?

In this case, we are only talking about small balloons that are inflated with gas and launched into the sky, and are not considering large passenger balloons that can be flown. And so, in order to launch a ball into the sky and find out how far it will fly, you need to inflate it with gas. The lightest gas will be hydrogen, but since it is very explosive, it is not used to inflate balloons. After hydrogen comes 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 look at 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 the latex. Without HiFloat, a latex balloon flies for approximately 12-24 hours depending on the quality of the latex and the size of the balloon. The second balloon will be foil-lined and inflated with helium. According to preliminary estimates, 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 earth) and in the stratosphere, the gas inside the latex balloon begins to press and inflate the balloon with greater force, which leads to its rupture. The approximate time for a latex ball to reach the height at which it will burst 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 cm 1 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 Day 2 - 32 hours - 2.70 grams Day 2 - 40 hours - 2.47 grams Day 3 - 57 hours - 2.40 grams Day 3 - 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 Day 9 - 224 hours - 0.90 grams 10 day - 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 Day 2 - 32 hours - 3.70 grams Day 2 - 40 hours - 2.76 grams Day 3 - 57 hours - 2.20 grams Day 3 - 81 hours - 1.44 grams Day 4 - 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 (circumference 128 cm), 1 ball - 24.51 grams in percentage terms exactly same as 14 inch latex balloon

WHAT IS THE LOADING CAPACITY OF A BALLO INFLATED WITH GAS

To find out what the lifting capacity of one ball is, you can use the following data, where 1 m3 of helium lifts one kilogram of cargo minus the weight of the ball itself. On average, the carrying capacity of one standard balloon inflated with helium will be 3-4 grams. To find out in practice what the carrying capacity of a balloon inflated with helium is, we conducted tests; see the results above.

HOW FAR DOES A BALLON INFLATED WITH GAS 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 distance of the balloon will depend on the time during which it will fly, and on the strength of the wind that will move the ball. A lot depends on weather conditions; in a calm weather, a ball can fly for a whole month and fall at the place where it was launched, 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 time of flight of the ball and the strength of the wind. Let us assume that the wind force throughout the entire flight of the ball will be 3 meters per second, although, in fact, depending on the altitude and weather conditions during the flight of the ball, the wind force 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 ball will fly in one hour. 10.8 km * 24 hours = 269 km the ball will fly in 24 hours. 269 ​​km * 14 days = 3766 km the ball will fly in two weeks. The calculation was made on the basis that the wind will blow with a force of 3 m/s during the entire flight of the ball, but since weather conditions are always different, it is impossible to assume that the ball will fly exactly that far. In practice, the ball can land a kilometer from the launch site, or it can even circle the entire globe, because the wind strength can be different. Below you will find our practical tests to answer how far a balloon can fly 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 areas and at different altitudes, it is impossible to predict in which direction the ball will fly, one can only guess. See practical tests below.

ATMOSPHERE 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 it is already 405 mm. rt. Art.. It turns out that if a 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 will most likely lead to the rupture of the ball. Therefore, if you want the ball to fly high without bursting, then you need to pump it with gas in such a way that it has a safety margin for a certain flight altitude. If you want the ball to fly far, try to inflate it with a safety margin of two times and in such a way that it flies no higher than two or three kilometers, otherwise the ball will burst and fall.

PRACTICAL TESTS OF WHERE A BALL INFLATED WITH GAS WILL FLY

How do we test? To find out practically how far a balloon inflated with helium will fly, you need to launch it and control the flight of the balloon. The hardest and most expensive part is controlling where the ball goes.

OPTION No. 1

You can control the flight of a balloon inflated with gas using a mobile phone with the option to track the location of the mobile phone enabled. It turns out that in order to conduct tests that answer 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 No. 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 is more accurate in indicating its location.

---=== TEST RESULTS ===---

TEST #1
dated March 20, 2015

Technical data: Mobile phone weighing 61 grams, 1 latex ball 27 inches, two latex balls 18 inches and 5 latex balls 12 inches. All balloons are inflated with 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 you had to wait a tedious 2-3 hours until the next session. We assume that at that time they were flying over a remote area where there is no mobile phone coverage. The approximate flight altitude of the balls at the time of launch is 1-2 km above sea level. It was very important that the balls did not fly to a height of 10 km or higher, since the temperature there is 50 degrees and at this altitude the pressure is much less than at sea level, which causes the latex balls to simply burst and the beacon to freeze.

Launch location: Chuvash Republic, Cheboksary city, Kalinina street, building 109. Launch time 10:20 minutes. The weather is sunny, no clouds, wind 5-7 m/s SW (which means blowing to the NE).

10:20 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Chuvash region. Cheboksary, intersection of st. Kalinina and st. Gagarin Yu. within a radius of 1000 meters.
10:41 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Chuvash region. Novocheboksarsk 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-Tureksky district, Verkhniy Turek village, 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, Komsomolets village, 76 km north of the center of Izhevsk within a radius of 1000 meters

16:38 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Udmurt Republic, Igrinsky district, village. Menil, 87 km north of the center of Izhevsk within a radius of 1000 meters.
16:53 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address 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 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 the address Perm region, Ochersky district, Nizovskaya, 91 km west of the center of Perm within a radius of 1000 meters.
19:49 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Perm region, Ochersky district, x Zimi, 93 km west of the center of Perm within a radius of 1000 meters.
20:27 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Perm region, Bolshesosinsky district, Yuzhny village, 97 km southwest of the center of Perm within a radius of 300 meters.
23:00 - The Sharik subscriber is in the same place as at 20:27, that is, the balls flew approximately 480 kilometers in 10 hours after launch.

PHOTOS:

TEST #2
dated April 07, 2015

Technical data: Mobile phone weighing 61 grams, 4 latex 18-inch balloons treated with HiFloat and inflated with 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 balls in such a way that the balls did not rise above 1-2 kilometers and did not burst from the difference in pressure, then in this test we inflated 4 balls, which lifted approximately 100 grams of weight, while lifting the mobile It was enough for the phone to inflate 3 balloons. That is, during this test the balls flew over 10 kilometers in height. The test results are roughly what we expected. The balloons flew about 100 kilometers, from the city of Ivanteevka, M.O., to the city of Yegoryevsk, M.O. Presumably the flight unfolded as follows: see below. From the data received from the mobile phone, it can be assumed that initially the ball went rapidly up and forward in the wind, reaching a great height, communication with it was lost (from 06:26 to 08:00), having reached an even greater height, one or two balls burst ( strongly inflated) due to the pressure difference and the mobile phone began to go down. The phone got in touch at 08:00 in the area of ​​the village. Gzhel, and ultimately, it fell in the area of ​​the village of Barsuki, Yegoryevsky district, Moscow region, and all further requests for location were issued from this area.

Launch location: Moscow region, Ivanteevka city. Start time 06:00 minutes. The weather is cloudy, wind 3-4 m/s NW (which means 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, Shchelkovsky 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, village. Gzhel within a radius of 1800 meters.
09:00 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Voskresensky district, Katunino village, within a radius of 4300 meters.
10:05 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Egoryevsky district, Barsuki village 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 BALLOONS

Having carried out two tests on launching a mobile phone on latex balloons, we can draw the following conclusions: if you inflate latex balloons in such a way that they do not rise above 2 kilometers in height and treat them with a special composition, then 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. You probably thought that everyone says that a latex balloon treated with a special compound flies for up to two weeks, but here it’s only 10-15 hours. Indeed, the balls fly for up to two weeks, the tests carried out above are proof of this, but they fly without a load and only support their weight. If you attach a weight, the ball will fly as long as it holds the weight of the load; calculate how much time it will take you yourself based on the percentage of the ball’s flight time and the loss of lift (see above). So, if you inflate the balloons in such a way that they lift a weight a little more than the weight of a mobile phone, then they will not fly more than 2 kilometers in height and will not burst, but they will 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 balls fly longer, then they fly high and burst, which is what 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 balloons burst, but only those that were more heavily inflated. After which the remaining balls began to descend, so the mobile phone simply fell, but not much, since some balls supported it, and the speed of descent was low. It also follows that all the latex balls that you release into the air without a load fly over 10 kilometers in height, burst and fall.

Technical data: GSM tracker mini A8 weighing 19 grams (with moisture protection and garters 23 grams), five foil balls with a carrying capacity of 8 grams in each ball (40 grams total carrying capacity), 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 safety margin of each ball should have been more than three times that on the ground. This is because the difference in atmospheric pressure on the ground and in the sky is different, which means the force of gas pressure on the ball from the inside at altitude will be greater. For more 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 the lifting force was no longer enough, and the tracker began to smoothly decline and fell.

Launch location: Moscow region, Ivanteevka city. Start time is 22:00. The weather is cloudy, wind 3-4 m/s SE (which means 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 address Moscow region, Pushkinsky district, Pravdinsky settlement, 43 km northeast of the center of Moscow.
22:40 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Pushkinsky district, Nagornoye village, 49 km northeast of the center of Moscow
22:50 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Moscow region, Sergiev Posad district, Repikhovo village, 62 km northeast 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, Alexandrov, intersection of st. Bolshaya Petrovskaya and st. Baksheevskaya
00:39 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Yaroslavl region, Pereslavl district, Kriushkino, 110 km southwest of the center of Yaroslavl, 05/14/2015, 00:39
00:50 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Yaroslavl region, Rostov district, with Debolovskoye, 67 km southwest of the center of Yaroslavl
06:00 - Subscriber "Sharik" is located at the address Yaroslavl region, Borisoglebsky district, Nikifortsevo, 48 km southwest of the center of Yaroslavl

PHOTOS:

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF FOIL BALLOONS

Based on the launches of foil balloons, we can conclude that a foil balloon flies much longer in comparison with a latex balloon, but at the same time has a very small margin of safety. That is, a latex balloon has the ability to expand, that is, stretch, but a foil balloon does not have this ability. 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 an altitude of up to a kilometer, then their lifting force will be quite small and the wind will most likely blow them to the ground. If you inflate a foil balloon so that it flies at a high altitude, then you need to inflate so much gas that there is both lifting force and a safety margin remaining so that the balloons do not burst due to the difference in pressure at altitude.

TEST No. 4

Flew: (Latex ball)
- Moscow region, Ivanteevka
- Moscow region, Taldomsky district, Penskoye village

TEST No. 5

Flew: (latex balloon)

- Ivanovo region, Savinsky district, Fedorovo village

TEST No. 6

Flew: (latex balloon)
- Moscow region, Ivanteevka
- Saratov region, Romanovsky district, Alekseevsky village

TEST No. 7

Flew: (foil ball)
- Moscow region, Ivanteevka
- Ryazan region, Ryazan district, with Agro-Pustyn

TEST No. 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 than air. It is extracted from natural gas. Helium has no color, smell or taste, and in addition to the gaseous state, they have learned to obtain the substance in liquid and even solid form.

The effect of helium on human health

It is a fairly common belief that the inert gas helium is dangerous to human health. This belief is absolutely wrong.

Helium is considered an inert gas and does not interact with any substances , is not subject to combustion and will definitely not cause poisoning.

Helium cannot ignite. If a match, 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, in this way only the shell of the latex ball is destroyed - you definitely won’t see the flame or explosion.

According to the standards of European countries and the Russian Federation, latex balloons can be inflated with helium and plain air.

Is there a danger when breathing helium out of a balloon?

No, helium is absolutely safe for humans. Moreover, some scuba divers, before diving to great depths, add helium to the breathing mixture, since it is not able to completely dissolve in human blood.

If several helium balloons burst in a room, can a person suffocate?

Helium is a harmless substance and does not cause allergic reactions. Among other things, helium will instantly rush upward and very soon will leave the room altogether, seeping through the pores of the ceiling, since its penetrating ability is great. Also, the desire to breathe helium from balloons will not harm you (it is known to change your voice). The main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise you may feel dizzy.

How safe are helium balloons for small children?

Based on the standards, there is a restriction on the use of toys by children under 3 years of age. And we are talking here 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 the toys, which children strive to taste. There is a high probability that a child will put a toy in his mouth after dropping it on a “non-sterile surface.”

Any materials used in the production and inflation of latex balloons are not harmful to human health.

Flight time of a helium balloon

Balloons inflated with helium without processing, fly on average until 10 o'clock. Treatment with a special composition “hi-float” (liquid solution of plastic) creates a film inside the balloon, the pores of which are very small, as a result, helium evaporates very slowly, and the balloon flies longer, about 5 days.

Under ideal conditions, the treated ball can “live” up to a month!

Hi-float is safe for health and for the environment. If it gets on the skin, it is washed off with plain water without any problems.

Why do helium balloons deflate?

1. The main reason that the ball flies so little is 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, over a certain time, helium simply comes out of the ball, which deflates and falls. This is the first reason why balloons fall.

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 heating devices.

3. In addition to the sun, the balls are also negatively affected precipitation. They settle on the latex surface, thereby increasing the total weight of the ball, which begins to slowly fall. But don't worry: once the water evaporates, the balloon will be able to fly again. In a strong wind, the balls rub against each other, wearing out greatly, forming microcracks through which helium passes.

4. Also worth avoiding drafts, moisture and sudden temperature changes.

5. The most common reason that helium balloons don’t fly much is mechanical impact. But nothing can be done about this, because balls are created to be played with, run, jumped and rejoiced at their beauty.

6. At different times of the year, the flight time of helium balloons changes. In summer, in hot weather with significant humidity, even very well-treated balloons fly for an average of 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, prolongs it. But we must not forget that each created conditions are individual.

There are many more harmful factors that affect the flight of the ball, so it is not enough to simply treat 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 - a week or more.

Such a ball reacts well to changes in temperature, so in the cold it shrinks noticeably, and in the heat it regains its shape and size. Do not store foil balloons at temperatures higher than the temperature at which they were inflated to avoid tearing the foil at the seams.

Lifting height of helium balloons

Every person has once wondered how high helium balloons can rise. Such thoughts usually come when a sphere of air filled with gas disappears from view behind the clouds, and no trace remains 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 altitudes, the air is rarefied, so the balloon expands, which eventually bursts.

After all, such a ball is an ordinary piece of rubber. The fact that it is round and beautiful does not change anything. And it turns out that we are throwing away this rubber solemnly, in front of all the people, and even with the hands of children. I think this does not add any benefit to our already disappointing ecology. Maybe it’s time for us to ask ourselves this question: is a moment’s fun worth completely turning nature into a landfill?” – wrote Nikolay Voloshchenko from Volokonovka.

According to Archimedes' law

Lifespan of a balloon depends on the material from which it is made: rubber or latex. Some burst quickly and noisily, others are able to live an interesting and, without exaggeration, rich life.

From a physics point of view, the flight of both a rubber and a latex ball is the same:

“The ball rises to the upper layers, cools slightly, and its volume increases four to six times or more with height. And the greater the height, the greater the volume of the ball,” says Physics teacher Pavel Galutskikh.– If a latex balloon is inflated too much, it bursts; if not too much, then its shell stretches, helium molecules come out of it, and air molecules, in turn, fall into the ball. Air is heavier than helium, and the ball becomes heavier and begins to fall down, where the air density is greater. So the ball gradually decreases. As for rubber balls, under the influence of the same factors, as they rise to a height and increase in volume, as a rule, they burst.”

Galutskikh calculated that at an altitude of 10 km, the air density decreases three times compared to the surface of the earth, and the volume of the ball, accordingly, triples. At an altitude of 12 km, the air density will decrease fourfold, and the volume of the ball will increase fourfold. At an altitude of 50 km, the air density decreases by 1,200 times, and here the balloon undergoes its final strength test.

“If the balloon is overinflated, it will burst, and if it is not overinflated, it will live for a long time, although helium, of course, will still diffuse through the shell,” explained Pavel Galutskikh.

50 km from the earth is almost space! And yet, an ordinary latex ball is capable of such feats.

Photo from the site https://malevi4.wordpress.com

Faster, higher, bolder

In 2007 schoolchildren from Canada launched a helium balloon into the sky, attaching a camera to it. The photo from the highest point was taken at a distance of 35.8 km from the ground.

Last year an American did a similar experiment Robert Garisson. His helium-filled balloon flew higher than 20 km, and also transmitted pictures to the ground, proving that this whole story was not fiction. The balloon burst in the stratosphere, and the camera returned safely to its owner via parachute.

The most famous balloon passenger can be considered Mishka, the symbol of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. There are many versions about where he flew and where he landed. According to one of them, Misha was found on Vorobyovy Gory, 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 simply rotted away in warehouses.

His fame haunted many. In 1982, American Larry Walters, soaring into the sky on balloons filled with helium, stayed in the air for 13 hours. However, the landing was not very successful - Larry became entangled in power lines and thousands of Americans were left without electricity.

Russian Vitaly Kulikov soared into the sky twice on latex balloons in 2004. The first time he pumped hydrogen into 360 balloons 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 the site http://pulson.ru

In 2008, a Brazilian priest Adelir Antonio de Carli rose on helium balloons. He expected to fly 750 km north-west of his church parish, but instead, after eight hours of flight, the wind ended up 50 km above the ocean waves. Contact with him was lost, and the fate of the Brazilian is unknown.

No matter who and where they fly on balloons, the result is always the same: everyone lands somewhere. Including the balloons themselves. Beauty and romance are behind us, and the inevitable process of decomposition begins for the colorful scraps and deflated shapeless rags that were once balls.

Latex– a natural material obtained from the milky juice of the Brazilian Hevea plant. Therefore, it is destroyed without causing damage to nature; rubber balls are more harmful in this regard. And yet, small balloons that people release from time to time are much less hazardous to the environment than plastic bottles thrown away every day. 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