|THE balloon is inflated by pumping cold air into it. Here are
two photographs taken while the balloon was partially inflated.
The first one was taken from the "top" of the balloon, looking
out; the other was taken from mouth of the balloon, looking in.|
|For a perspective on how much space the balloon occupies when
it's lying flat on the ground, note how small the balloon's
pilot looks when he stands at the "top" of the balloon in the
"looking in" photograph. (Note: You can view larger versions of
either of these photos by clicking on them.)| THE "smart vent"
system releases hot air from the top of the balloon after
landing. NOTE: This must not be done at altitude! Here you can
see the vent in operation. You are looking straight up at the
top of the balloon. In the first photograph, the vent is only
partially open. In the second one, the opening cable has been
pulled to retract the vent fabric. This permits the air to
escape much more rapidly, thus causing the balloon to deflate. -
A short history of balloon