balloon

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Lighter-than-air craft that consists of a gasbag filled with gas lighter than the surrounding air and an attached basket, or gondola, for carrying passengers and/or instruments. In 1783, the first successful human ascent was in Paris, in a hot-air balloon designed by the Montgolfier brothers Joseph Michel and Jacques Etienne. In 1785, a hydrogen-filled balloon designed by French physicist Jacques Charles travelled across the English Channel.

During the French Revolution balloons were used for observation; in World War I they were used by all sides as aerial observation posts for artillery spotters and as a form of air defence; in World War II they were used to defend London, England, against low-flying aircraft. They are now used for recreation and advertising, and as a means of meteorological, infrared, gamma-ray, and ultraviolet observation. The first transatlantic crossing by balloon was made in 1978 by a US team. In the late 1990s, NASA developed an Ultra-Long Duration Balloon to circle the Earth at the edge of space, but initial test flights in 2001 were unsuccessful.

Red and white are the colours of Bohemia, dating back to the 13th century. Blue represents Moravia. Unlike that of the Slovak Republic, the Czech flag is not based on the pan-Slav colours. Effective date: 1 January 1993. >>