"GOT NOTHING BUT BLUE SKIES" It is September 19,1783. The place,
Lyons, France. Preparations are being made for a journey. A
journey that will eventually take man from his secure
environment of terra firma, and place him in a hostile
environment called the atmosphere. The vehicle to be used is a
hot air balloon. The brainchild behind this trek is a wealthy
paper maker named Joseph Montgolfier. There has been much
speculation over just how Montgolfier made the discovery of the
hot air balloon. The most commonly-believed story is that his
wife was standing too close to a fire and that the smoke caused
her skirt to be inflated and lifted above her knees. This caused
Montgolfier to wonder-if this smoke, and its magical lifting
powers, could be captured in a very large container, it might
rise and lift a passenger along with it. So, Montgolfier went
about building the first hot air balloon. In 1783, not much was
known about the atmosphere and its effects on human beings. Upon
examination of the occupants for any i