Balloon

‘Shoot. It. Down.’ How Washington Freaked Out About the Chinese Spy Balloon

The Secretary of State cancelled a trip to Beijing. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made a meme. D.C. is obsessed with the "civilian airship."

China Is Sorry a Spy Balloon Ended Up in Montana but Swears It’s Not a Spy Balloon

The country’s foreign ministry said the balloon was a civilian “airship” used to study the weather that drifted way, way, way off course.

The Pentagon Claims a Chinese Surveillance Balloon Has Been Floating Over the U.S. for Days

U.S. defense officials say that a foreign spy blimp has been spotted hovering over several states.

Mexico Bans Solar Geoengineering After Startup Stunt

Make Sunsets said it released sulfur-filled balloons in Baja California Sur to counteract global warming. The Mexican government isn't happy.

NASA Gets Closer to Venus Mission With Successful Robo-Balloon Test

A scaled-down prototype of the aerobot balloon recently completed tests above Nevada's Black Rock Desert.

Space Perspective Reveals Capsule Designed to Take Passengers to the Edge of Space

The Florida company is charging $125,000 for the balloon-propelled flights, the first of which could start in 2024.

Take a Look Inside a Luxury Balloon That Serves Martinis at the Edge of Space

Space Perspective's planned $125,000-a-seat ride is heavy on the ambiance, if gazing down on Earth isn't thrilling enough.

The Helium in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons Could Power Some Sweet Science

The element is used for cooling down particle colliders, cleaning out rocket tanks, and more.

World View to Charge $50,000 for Epic Balloon Rides to the Stratosphere

The company hopes to get its “space tourism” offering off the ground by 2024.

The First Star Wars Balloon at the Macy’s Parade Is Somehow a Funko Pop

The unstoppable collectible sensation will bring a giant Baby Yoda to the Thanksgiving tradition.

‘The Balloon Never Had a Chance’

io9's latest Concept Art Writing Prompt displays its air superiority.

For Just $125,000, You Too Can Take a Balloon Ride to Space

Liftoffs won't begin until 2024, but the six-hour trip features a 360-view that's out of this world.

NASA’s Giant Super Balloon Mission is Called Off Early

NASA’s most recent test flight of a super pressure balloon ended prematurely, but was still able to set some records along the way, including one for flight duration. The agency announced Saturday that while the original goal was to keep the balloon aloft for 100 days at just over 100,000 feet, it was successful in…

One of Google’s Loon Balloons Crashed in Chile

The internet is down in part of Chile, quite literally. One of Google’s data-spewing Loon balloons appears to have crashed in the South American country over the weekend. The balloon seems to have landed in a farmer’s field east of Los Ángeles (not that one, no, the one in Chile). Google tells the local press…

Campaigners Float Thousands of Anti-Jong-Un Flyers into North Korea

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a series of leaflets criticizing the leader of North Korea being sent into the country via helium balloon! AFP reports that over the course of the last three days a group of activists called Fighters for Free North Korea—including many people who’ve in fact defected…

As part of the inaugural Global Space Balloon Challenge, a group of Stanford students took this photo from just above the Earth using two high altitude balloons. With one of them perched slightly above the other, you can see the balloon braving the flight as the other captures this breathtaking view over California. [cnet]

This is what the air looks like when a balloon pops

What happens when you blow up a balloon, fill it with corn starch, and photograph it when it pops? Apparently, you make a powderflower. And it looks amazing. You gotta love a little artistic physics. If you want to see what goes on, in terms of air currents, when you pop a balloon, check out…

Watch a model Enterprise fly into the stratosphere

There are few sights in science fiction as iconic as the various starship Enterprises cruising through the stars. Steve Schnier decided to create his own high-flying video of the Enterprise by launching a model into the stratosphere. Schnier mixes the J.J. Abrams Enterprise with the theme to The Next Generation as his model reaches an…

The Most Expensive Home Movie Ever Will Make You Miss the Summer Even More

Gizmodo reader Brad Kremer sent this beautiful home movie, shot at 2,564 frames per second with a Phantom Flex, Zeiss super speed glass, Canon 5DMKII and Canon L series glass. Total: $300,000 to shoot what’s probably the coolest water balloon battle ever filmed. Worth every cent and second. “As summer comes to an end and…

Inflatable Interface Lets You Literally Poke Your Friends

In an attempt to make hitting a poke button convey as much emotion as actually jabbing someone with your finger, researchers at Osaka University have developed a smart balloon interface that knows when it’s being touched or squeezed. The system uses a standard birthday party issue balloon that’s been packed with pressure sensors and microphones.…