Flight is so delightful and exhilarating that the dream of flying has existed since the beginning of human history.

Those climbing mountains may have fantasized about the beautiful experience of soaring like a bird overlooking the Earth.

Countless aviation pioneers embarked on their explorations to design machines capable of carrying humans in flight, tackling two significant challenges: making the machine take off and achieve controllable flight. The entire history of human aviation has revolved around continuously refining and improving solutions to these two fundamental problems.

The first human ascent into the sky was achieved using flying vessels lighter than air, filled with lighter-than-air gases such as hot air or hydrogen, generating lift to lift the machine off the ground.

Typical lighter-than-air flying vessels include hot air balloons and airships. The main difference between a hot air balloon and an airship is that the former relies solely on wind for propulsion, while the latter, with its streamlined shape and equipped with an engine, can control both speed and direction.

A hot air balloon is a flying vessel lighter than air, with its upper part resembling a giant balloon and a basket hanging below. The balloon is filled with heated air, which, having a lower density than the surrounding cold air, provides the lift necessary for the machine to ascend. The basket can carry passengers and a heat source, often an open flame. Modern sport balloons are typically made of nylon fabric with a fire-resistant material at the opening.

In the 18th century, French papermakers, the Montgolfier brothers, reinvented the hot air balloon in Europe. Inspired by the continuous ascent of shredded paper in a fireplace, they conducted experiments using paper bags to gather heated air, allowing the bags to rise with the airflow. On June 4, 1783, the Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrated a simulated balloon with a circumference of 110 feet in Lyon's Place des Terreaux, which ascended and flew 1.5 miles.

On September 19 of the same year, in front of the Palace of Versailles in Paris, they performed a public demonstration of a manned hot air balloon ascent for the king, queen, court ministers, and 130,000 citizens.

On November 21 that year afternoon, the Montgolfier brothers conducted the world's first manned hot air balloon flight over Paris for 25 minutes, crossing half of the city before landing near the Tuileries Gardens. This flight predates the Wright brothers' airplane flight by 120 years. In gas-filled balloons the Robert brothers of France were the first to ascend into the sky using hydrogen-filled balloons.

The path to "conquering the skies" for humanity is intertwined with both romance and tragedy. Each test flight by aviation pioneers is a great adventure, marked by countless failures leading up to that one final moment of great success. Many lives may be lost in this process, but to explore, humanity must fly higher and farther.

Exploring the vast cosmos and oceans of stars may be the most significant and thrilling endeavor in human history.

The International Aeronautical Federation once ranked hot air balloons as the safest flying vessels. The data alone shows hot air balloons have a high safety coefficient. It is estimated that there are around 20,000 hot air balloons worldwide, and in developed countries like Europe and America, hot air ballooning is a popular activity, with balloon races or events almost every day.

With the development of hot air ballooning, technological elements have continuously been incorporated into the sport, reflected in the equipment used and theoretical and practical training for pilots, showing significant qualitative leaps.

Today, hot air ballooning is becoming increasingly popular as a sports activity, setting records such as ascending to 34,668 meters. Hope that the above content has provided a deeper understanding and appreciation for hot air balloons.