Using a hot air balloon to get to space | Physics - The Science of a Space Dive

To raise Felix 24 miles above the earth’s surface, he flew the largest manned balloon ever. This clip explains the science behind why a seemingly ordinary piece of equipment was so complicated, and so essential. Subscribe for more Physics clips from BBC Teach on Wednesdays when we have them in: http://bit.ly/BBCSubscribeTeach If you found this video helpful, give it a like. Share it with someone. Add the video to your own teaching playlists. Create an account, subscribe to the channel and create playlists for different age groups, sets and syllabuses. ===================== Felix Baumgartner's mission depended on one of the least heralded but most remarkable pieces of equipment - a balloon. To take him 24 miles above the earth’s surface, Felix flew the largest manned balloon ever. It was as tall as a fifty-storey building and held 30 million cubic feet of helium. So even before Felix jumped he had entered the record books. This clip is from the BBC series The Science of a Space Dive. The science behind Felix Baumgartner's historic, record-breaking freefall from the edge of space to Earth is explained in six short clips. This includes explanations about the physics of gravity and the sound barrier. For more clips from The Science of a Space Dive: http://bit.ly/TeachSDive For our Physics playlist: http://bit.ly/BBCTeachPhysics For our Gravity playlist: http://bit.ly/TeachGravity For Class Clips users, the original reference for the clip was p012x5wk. ===================== Teaching Physics? You could use this clip to stimulate a discussion about air density. Students could be asked to consider why the balloon is filled with helium or why decreasing atmospheric pressure has an effect on the balloon's shape. Students could also talk about the effects of weather conditions on similar projects. This is the second of six clips from ‘The Science of a Space Dive’ and could be used in conjunction with the others. This clip could be relevant to teaching Science at KS3 and KS4 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and at National 4/5 or Higher in Scotland. ===================== For more clips from other subjects at the BBC Teach YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/bbcteach More from BBC Learning Zone: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone More resources from BBC Bitesize: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education ===================== Subscribe to create your own customised playlists, and get notified about our latest clips. As we have them, new videos will be uploaded on the following days: Mondays: Biology, Computer Science, Music, Religious Studies Tuesdays: Drama and Performance, English Language, Maths, Physical Education Wednesdays: Languages, Media Studies, Modern Studies and PSHE, Physics Thursdays: Art and Design, Chemistry, Geography, History Fridays: Business Studies, Design and Technology, English Literature, Early Years