The question of who invented the balloon will surely be of interest to every schoolchild. After all, this aircraft was created in the distant 18th century and has stood the test of time, as it is used in aeronautics today. Technique and materials change and improve, but the principle of operation has remained the same for centuries. That is why the appeal to the personalities of those people who came up with this new amazing vehicle seems to be especially relevant.
Short biography
The Montgolfier brothers were the inventors of the hot air balloon. They lived in the small French town of Annone. Both from childhood were fond of sciences, crafts, technology. Their father was an entrepreneur, he had his own paper mill. After his death, the eldest of the brothers, Joseph-Michel, inherited it and subsequently used it for his invention.
For his scientific achievements, he later became the administrator of the famous Parisian Conservatory of Arts and Crafts. His younger brother Jacques-Étienne was an architect by training.
He was fond of the scientific works of an outstanding British scientist-naturalist Joseph Priestley, who discovered oxygen. This passion led to the fact that he began to take part in all the experiments of his older brother.
Background
The story of who invented the balloon must begin by explaining the conditions that made such an amazing discovery possible. By the second half of the 18th century, a number of important scientific discoveries had already been made, which allowed the brothers to put their own observations into practice. We have already mentioned the discovery of oxygen. In 1766, another British researcher, G. Cavendish, discovered hydrogen, a substance that later became actively used in aeronautics. Approximately ten years before the famous balloon-lifting experiment, the famous French scientist A. L. Lavoisier developed a theory about the role of oxygen in oxidation processes.
Preparation
So, the story of who invented the balloon is closely connected with the scientific life of the second half of the 18th century. In this case, it is important to note that such an invention became possible due to the above discoveries. The brothers were not only aware of the latest scientific discoveries, but also tried to put them into practice.
It was this thought that prompted them to create the ball.
They had at their disposal all the necessary materials for its manufacture: the paper factory left by him from his father provided them with paper and fabrics. At first, they made large bags, filled them with hot air and launched them into the sky. The first few experiences led them to the ideamaking a big ball. At first, they filled it with steam, but this substance quickly cooled when raised, settling in the form of water precipitation on the walls of matter. The decision was then made to use hydrogen, which is known to be lighter than air.
However, this light gas quickly evaporated and escaped through the walls of matter. Even covering the ball with paper did not help, through which the gas quickly disappeared anyway. In addition, hydrogen was a very expensive substance, and the brothers were able to get it with great difficulty. It was necessary to look for another way to successfully complete the experiment.
Pre-tests
When describing the activities of those who invented the balloon, it is necessary to point out the obstacles that the brothers had to face before their experiment was successfully completed. After the first two unsuccessful attempts to lift the structure into the air, Joseph-Michel suggested using hot smoke instead of hydrogen.
This option seemed to the brothers successful, since this substance was also lighter than air and, therefore, could lift the ball up. The new experience was successful. Word of this success quickly spread throughout the town, and residents began to ask the brothers to hold a public experience.
Flight of 1783
The brothers have scheduled a trial for June 5th. Both carefully prepared for this significant event. They made a ball that weighed more than 200 kilograms. He was without a basket - that indispensable attribute that we are used to seeing in modern designs. Attached to ita special belt and several ropes to hold it in position until it heats up the air inside the shell. The balloon of the Montgolfier brothers had a very impressive appearance and made a great impression on the audience. Its neck was placed over a fire that heated the air. Eight assistants held him by the ropes from below. When the shell filled with hot air, the balloon rose up.
Second flight
The balloon with a basket was also invented by these people. However, this was preceded by a huge resonance, which had the discovery of unknown researchers from a small French town. Scientists from the Academy of Sciences became interested in this discovery. King Louis XVI himself showed such interest in the flight of the balloon that the brothers were summoned to Paris. a new flight was scheduled for September 1783. The brothers attached a willow basket to the balloon and claimed that it would hold the passengers. They wanted to fly themselves, but there was a heated discussion in the newspapers about the great risk. Therefore, for starters, it was decided to raise the animals in the basket. On the appointed day, September 19, in the presence of scientists, courtiers and the king, the ball went upstairs along with the “passengers”: a rooster, a ram and a duck. After a short flight, the balloon caught on tree branches and sank to the ground. It turned out that the animals feel good, and then it was decided that a balloon with a basket would also withstand a person. Some time later, the world's first air flight was carried out by Jacques-Etienne and the famousFrench scientist, physicist and chemist Pilatre de Rozier.
Types of balls
Depending on the type of gas used to fill the shell, it is customary to distinguish three types of these aircraft. Those that rise with the help of heated air are called hot air balloons - after the name of its creators. This is one of the most convenient and safe ways to fill matter with a gas that is lighter than air and, accordingly, can lift a basket with people in it. Different types of balloons allow travelers to choose the most convenient way to travel. Of particular importance in this design is the balloon burner.
Its purpose is to constantly heat the air. In cases where it is necessary to lower the ball, it is necessary to open a special valve in the shell in order to cool the air. Those balls, the inside of which is filled with hydrogen, are called charliers - after another outstanding French chemist-inventor, a contemporary of the Montgolfier brothers, Jacques Charles.
Other types of devices
The merit of this researcher lies in the fact that he independently, without using the development of his outstanding compatriots, invented his own balloon, filling it with hydrogen. However, his first experiments were unsuccessful, since hydrogen, being an explosive substance, having come into contact with air, exploded. Hydrogen is an explosive substance, so its use when filling the shell of aircraft is associated with certain inconveniences.
Helium balloons are also called balloons. The molecular weight of this substance is greater than that of hydrogen, it has sufficient carrying capacity, it is harmless and safe. The only drawback of this substance is its high cost, so it is used for manned vehicles. Those balls that are half filled with air, half with gases, were called rosiers - after another contemporary of the Montgolfier brothers - the aforementioned Pilatre de Rosieres. He divided the shell of the ball into two parts, one of which was filled with hydrogen, the other with hot air. He tried to make a flight on his apparatus, but the hydrogen caught fire, and he, along with his companion, died. Nevertheless, the type of apparatus he invented was recognized. Balloons filled with helium and air or hydrogen are used in modern aeronautics.
