There's been a lot of news about balloons in the past couple of weeks. It may seem like something new, but scientists and weather researchers have been using them for many years. Thousands are launched every week around the world, mostly without notice or incident.
For the curious, Nature has a guide to some of the different types of balloons and how they are used.
Balloons are a valuable tool for getting a good view downwards or upwards, from an altitude higher than drones or planes can reach and at a lower cost than satellites.
By far the majority are weather balloons: these are launched twice a day simultaneously from almost 900 locations worldwide, according to the US National Weather Service. They transmit data about temperature, humidity, pressure and location, and are disposable. The thin balloons — typically made of biodegradable latex — expand at altitude to about 6 metres in diameter. Flights are designed to go straight up to about 30 kilometres, and last for only a few hours.
Some scientists use much larger, longer-lasting balloons, for example to get a clear view of space, or to test instruments destined for high altitudes. NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia manages the launch of about 10–15 scientific balloons each year worldwide. These can carry around 3,000 kilograms, expand to be larger than a football stadium and fly to an altitude of 37 kilometres.
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