How high does a balloon go before popping?

Question

How high does a balloon go before popping?

Answer 1

Radiosonde balloons used by atmospheric upper air stations were released to measure atmospheric conditions (such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, etc) These instrument attached to these balloons would return information from altitudes from 90,000 feet plus, and it was believed that these balloons could go to about 100,000 feet before popping.

Answer 2

These are all incorrect-

A ballon either filled with gas, or a hot air ballon will only go as high until the density of air in the ballon is equal to the density of the surrounding air.

If a gas filled ballon is forced to ascend to a higher altutude, than it will pop when the pressure differerntial exceeds the strength of the material hold the gas in the ballon, and this depends on the ballon, as a thicker ballon will be able maintain a higher pressure.

Answer 3

It depends on the pressure in the balloon to start with.. and the material from which the balloon is made.  We had a scare that turned funny...  someone shipped mylar "birthday balloons"  inflated.. and mylar is tough stuff and doesn't stretch. I could NOT figure what could have been in the boxes... they felt empty... so...  I exercised my command authority and opened one and looked inside... inflated mylar balloon from the "Stratosphere Balloon Co."   couldn't believe it... so.. there were cruising along.. and KA- POWW!!  it sounded as if someone fired a rifle in the cabin behind us... man...we were looking at every swtich/gauge/prop ice/ rivets?? pressurization??  POW! it goes again... so my f/o jumps out of his seat and goes aft... and I am trying to look around the corner and watch him and the plane at the same time... and POW! it goes again... and he said in his thick New Jersey accent... it's dem d**n balloons! they are all going off!  scared the moose out of us... we thought the plane was coming apart at the seams.. but we ended up laughing all the way everytime one would pop.

Answer 4

It will go up until the pressure inside the balloon is so much greater than the pressure outside it that the balloon is stretched to the breaking point. Pressure decreases with altitude. So the balloon gets bigger the higher it goes. The altitude it bursts at just depends on the pressure that day (often dictated by temperature), the initial pressure you inflated the balloon to and the tensile strength of the skin.

Answer 5

At a height where the fabric of the baloon can not withstand the differential pressure within the baloon - vs - the pressure at that altitude.

Answer 6

A baloon goes up and up and if more hydrozen gas is filled up it goes high and high and then only it popps?