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Frequently Asked Questions
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2.2: |
What is the Balloon filled with? |
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Helium Gas.
Lighter than atmospheric gases, balloons filled with helium displace the surrounding atmospheric air and this displacement provides the lift that we need to fly
Helium filled airships obey the Principle of Archimedes which states: "Bodies submerged into a fluid receive from it a lifting force which is equal to the mass of the displaced fluid." (This is the same principle that explains why boats float on water.) The airship is filled with a lifting gas – Helium in our example. The atmospheric air outside the airship has a higher specific weight than the lifting gas. The envelope filled with the light gas generates a lift that is equal to the weight of the displaced air. To say the same thing in another way, the weight of the airship balloon and the turbofan gondola is less than the weight of the atmospheric air it displaces, and the airship floats! Ballast weights are adjusted until neutral buoyancy is attained, then the propellers on the turbofan provide the maneuvering thrust.
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Prev: 2.1
Do They Really Fly?
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Next: 2.3
How much Helium gas (in cubic ft) is needed to inllate the saucer and the blimp, respectively?
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