Okay, so this thought popped into my head a while back, watching my kid’s birthday balloon just float away – could a balloon actually make it to space? Like, proper outer space? Seemed kinda nuts, but you see those videos online, right?
My Little Experiment
I figured, why not give it a whirl? Not like a fancy science project, just messing around, you know? First step, needed a balloon. Not just any party balloon, I thought maybe something a bit tougher. Went down to the supply store, found some bigger latex ones they called weather balloons, or something close enough. Looked sturdier than the cheapo ones.
Next, the gas. Helium, obviously. Got a small tank, the kind you use for parties. Filling this bigger balloon was kinda tricky, took way more gas than I expected. Felt pretty light though, definitely wanted to go up.
Now, the “payload”. I wasn’t about to strap my phone to it, no way. Too much hassle, and probably illegal or something. Plus, how would I even get it back? So, I just tied a bright orange ribbon to it. Figured maybe I could track it with binoculars for a bit longer.
Letting Go
Went out to an open field nearby. Nice clear day. Took a deep breath and just… let go. Man, that thing shot up fast. Faster than I thought it would. Watched it climb, getting smaller and smaller. Pulled out the binoculars, kept my eye on that orange ribbon.
- It went straight up for a good while.
- Got caught in some wind currents, started drifting east.
- Kept getting smaller, even with the binoculars.
After maybe 20 minutes, maybe longer, I couldn’t see the ribbon anymore. Just a tiny speck. And then, poof, gone. Couldn’t find it again.
So, Did It Reach Space?
Nah. No way. Here’s the thing I learned doing this little backyard test. Space is REALLY high up. Like, way, way higher than where planes fly. My balloon? It probably went up pretty high, maybe into the upper atmosphere, what they call “near space”. Looked it up later – those proper high-altitude balloons can go maybe 20-30 miles up.
But space, like where astronauts hang out? That’s more like 62 miles up, or 100 kilometers. It’s called the Kármán line, apparently.
And the balloon itself is the problem. As it goes higher, the air pressure outside gets lower. The helium inside keeps pushing out, and the balloon stretches… and stretches… until pop. It just can’t handle the pressure difference. That’s probably what happened to mine. It burst way before it got anywhere near actual space.
Those fancy videos online? They use huge, specially designed balloons, helium, GPS trackers, cameras in insulated boxes… the whole nine yards. It’s a serious operation. My little test? Just proved that a simple balloon isn’t punching a ticket to orbit anytime soon.
It was fun to watch it go, though. Made me realize space is a heck of a lot further away than just “up”. Kinda puts things in perspective. Anyway, that was my little adventure. Didn’t discover anything new, but satisfied my curiosity, I guess.