Balloons were the earliest flying machines in human history, predating the invention of the airplane by more than 100 years.
To date, there are more than 20,000 hot air balloons in the world.
In Europe, the United States and other developed countries, hot air balloons are used almost every day.
The oldest "hot air balloon" in the world is the Kong Ming lantern, which appeared in ancient China.
It is at least 1000 years old.
This paper lantern was used for military contacts.
It was widely spread among the people.
However, Kong Ming lanterns cannot carry people.
The inventors of hot air balloons that could carry and drive people were the Monfils brothers of France.
When an object is burned, it emits a thick smoke.
The idea of a hot air balloon was inspired by the fact that clothes baked on a fire could be lifted by the heat emitted from the fire.
More than 170 years after its invention, hot air balloons were difficult to popularize because of the materials and fuel.
It was not until April 15, 1956, that the problem of heating the airbags was finally solved.
On that day, the American James Cantor successfully flew for 26 minutes in a hot air balloon equipped with a new propane burner.
Later, the balloon material was used by the U.S. military parachute nylon cloth, light weight and high strength.
The new fuel and spherical material provided a broad prospect for the development of hot air balloons.
On October 21, 1960, the first modern material hot air balloon successfully flew in the United States.
The advent of modern ballooning greatly contributed to the application and popularity of hot air ballooning.
1966, the first modern hot air balloon appeared in Europe.
Since then, the activity has rapidly gained popularity.
A hot air balloon consists mainly of an airbag, a burner to heat the air, and a basket to carry people or goods.
The air bag is made of high-strength nylon or polyester fabric.
Although this material is thin and light, it is strong.
The burner is the heart of the hot air balloon.
When the main burner is ignited, the flame height can reach 2-3 M.
Hot air balloons use hot air to create buoyancy.
They control the balloon's ascent and descent by regulating the temperature of the air inside the air bag with an onboard heater.
Although a hot air balloon is called an airplane, it cannot fly as freely as an airplane.
The pilot can only control the balloon to change altitude.
The rise and fall of a hot air balloon is related to the temperature inside the balloon.
When the temperature inside the ball is high, the buoyancy of the balloon increases and the balloon rises.
As the air inside the ball cools, the buoyancy generated by the ball is less than its own weight, and the balloon descends.
The pilot controls the air switch inside the balloon to adjust the temperature inside the balloon to control the rise and fall of the balloon.
In addition to sightseeing, hot air balloons can also be used for weather observation and military purposes.
Scientific technology continues to advance and the use of hot air balloons is no longer limited to the interior of the atmosphere, but to the vastness of the universe.
NASA is currently developing a low-cost method of space exploration, using hot air balloons to explore other planets and moons in the solar system.
