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A PHYSICIST LOOKS AT BALLOON BOY
Complete with three pages of analysis
Given that the balloon was not fully infl ated, and that the plywood used for the basket would contribute a signi cant amount of weight, it should have been immediately obvious that the Heene Balloon was not capable of lifting a six year old boy, especially when the rate of climb and its ability to reach an altitude of more than 3000m is considered. The absence of the correct shape of the balloon should have further reinforced the absence of Falcon Heene aboard the balloon. A knowledge of basic physics on the part of the emergency services and news organisations would have avoided a great deal of wasted time, eort and money and prevented a great deal of distress.
Given that the balloon was not fully infl ated, and that the plywood used for the basket would contribute a signi cant amount of weight, it should have been immediately obvious that the Heene Balloon was not capable of lifting a six year old boy, especially when the rate of climb and its ability to reach an altitude of more than 3000m is considered. The absence of the correct shape of the balloon should have further reinforced the absence of Falcon Heene aboard the balloon. A knowledge of basic physics on the part of the emergency services and news organisations would have avoided a great deal of wasted time, eort and money and prevented a great deal of distress.
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