Charles and Robert hydrogen balloon
Globo de hidrógeno de Charles y Robert
- Date
- 1 de diciembre de 1783 · confidence high
- Place
- Tuileries Garden, Paris, France
- Credited to
- Jacques Charles and the Robert brothers
- Field
- Movement
What it is
A balloon of rubberised silk inflated with hydrogen produced from iron and sulphuric acid, with valve, net and basket. Jacques Charles and Nicolas-Louis Robert flew in it for about two hours and about 36 km, the first manned hydrogen flight.
Earlier in 1783 Charles had launched an unmanned hydrogen balloon from the Champ de Mars on 27 August; on 21 November the Montgolfiers had made the first free manned hot-air flight.
What it led to
- the gas balloon as the model of the modern aerostat (valve, ballast, basket)
- high-altitude scientific flights and aerial meteorology
- airships that replaced air with hydrogen