Wrap-around Balloon
Aug 22, 2018 2:15:08 GMT -5
Post by J E G on Aug 22, 2018 2:15:08 GMT -5
Let's discuss the difficulties and futilities of inventing a new technique for ballooning: the wrap-around.
As almost everyone knows, hot–air ballooning nowadays utilizes a basket underneath a large inflatable bag — well, a balloon.
This works quite well for granting you a serene view of the ground and the horizon. You go up, and then the air currents take you where they will.
The balloon rather gets in the way of the sky above, however.
Now, some may recognize the fact that you don't exactly need to be floating in the air to observe the sky. You can do that well enough from the ground.
Yeah, yeah. I'm not debating that.
What if you wanted to view both the horizon and the sky?
If the balloon were shaped like a vertically elongated toroid, then riders could travel up and down a cylindrical tube through the middle of the balloon. You could have some of them down below, watching the ground and monitoring for safe conditions; you could also have some on a platform atop the balloon taking their leisure.
The shape of the envelope could be molded by the platform above. You probably wouldn't want a collapsable platform, à–la Hoberman domes, because such could likely be unsafe.
Obviously, storing, inflating, and deflating the envelope with a rigid platform and central column would make this seem little different than a dirigible.
What are your thoughts?
As almost everyone knows, hot–air ballooning nowadays utilizes a basket underneath a large inflatable bag — well, a balloon.
This works quite well for granting you a serene view of the ground and the horizon. You go up, and then the air currents take you where they will.
The balloon rather gets in the way of the sky above, however.
Now, some may recognize the fact that you don't exactly need to be floating in the air to observe the sky. You can do that well enough from the ground.
Yeah, yeah. I'm not debating that.
What if you wanted to view both the horizon and the sky?
If the balloon were shaped like a vertically elongated toroid, then riders could travel up and down a cylindrical tube through the middle of the balloon. You could have some of them down below, watching the ground and monitoring for safe conditions; you could also have some on a platform atop the balloon taking their leisure.
The shape of the envelope could be molded by the platform above. You probably wouldn't want a collapsable platform, à–la Hoberman domes, because such could likely be unsafe.
Obviously, storing, inflating, and deflating the envelope with a rigid platform and central column would make this seem little different than a dirigible.
What are your thoughts?