The Surprising History of Scientific Ballooning in 11 Missions

Last year, NASA lofted a massive balloon over Antarctica, carrying beneath it a 5,000-pound telescope. Known as GUSTO, it will help astronomers understand the story of star formation in the universe. A lofted balloon might seem rather a low-tech approach to enable front-line cosmological discoveries in an era when rockets are now ripping into space with such regularity. But scientists have been working for nearly 250 years to perfect the art of scientific ballooning. From the first samples of the Earth’s high troposphere—gathered in a glass bottle—to new hints about the shape of the universe, balloons have played a surprisingly important role in our understanding of our own planet and the universe beyond. Here are 11 of the most fascinating balloon missions across history. 1783: In late 1700s France, the Montgolfier brothers sent the first passengers into the skies in a balloon: At the court of King Louis XVI at Versailles, they loaded a sheep, duck, and chicken into a round wicker b ... Read full article.