First manned hydrogen balloon flight History of ballooning

contemporary illustration of first flight professor jacques charles nicolas-louis robert, december 1, 1783. viewed place de la concorde tuileries palace

only few days later, @ 13:45 on december 1, 1783, professor jacques charles , robert brothers (les frères robert) launched new, manned hydrogen balloon jardin des tuileries in paris, amid vast crowds , excitement. balloon held on ropes , led final launch place 4 of leading noblemen in france, marechal de richelieu, marshal de biron, bailli de suffren, , duke of chaulnes. jacques charles accompanied nicolas-louis robert co-pilot of 380-cubic-metre, hydrogen-filled balloon. envelope fitted hydrogen release valve, , covered net basket suspended. sand ballast used control altitude. ascended height of 1,800 feet (550 m) , landed @ sunset in nesles-la-vallée after flight of 2 hours , 5 minutes, covering 36 km. chasers on horseback, led duc de chartres, held down craft while both charles , robert alighted.

charles decided ascend again, alone time because balloon had lost of hydrogen. time ascended rapidly altitude of 3,000 metres), saw sun again. began suffering aching pain in ears valved release gas, , descended land gently 3 km away @ tour du lay. unlike robert brothers, charles never flew again, although balloon using hydrogen lift came called charlière in honour.

charles , robert carried barometer , thermometer measure pressure , temperature of air, making not first manned hydrogen balloon flight, first balloon flight provide meteorological measurements of atmosphere above earth s surface.

it reported 400,000 spectators witnessed launch, , hundreds had paid 1 crown each finance construction , receive access special enclosure close-up view of take-off. among special enclosure crowd benjamin franklin, diplomatic representative of united states of america. present joseph montgolfier, whom charles honoured asking him release small, bright green, pilot balloon assess wind , weather conditions.