The Astronomical Balloon

Curious Cases

BBC

Science

4.8 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2017

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"How far up can a helium balloon go? Could it go out to space?" asks Juliet Gok, aged 9.

This calls for some fieldwork! Adam travels to the Meteorology Department at the University of Reading where Dr Keri Nicholl helps him launch a party balloon and track its ascent. But this experiment doesn't quite go to plan.

Meanwhile, Hannah consults Public Astronomer Dr Marek Kukula, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, to discover where space begins.

And she decides to take matters into her own hands, with the help of a helium canister and some trusty equations, to help answer Juliet's question.

Send your Curious Cases for consideration to: curiouscases@bbc.co.uk

Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford Producer: Michelle Martin.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'd just like to tell you about a podcast that I've been doing with my friend Brian Cox.
0:04.8	I'm Robinins. Welcome to The Infinite Monkey Cage.
0:07.2	What we're doing in this new series, Sharks, fungi, bees versus wasps.
0:11.8	We're going to explain how bees explode, why wasps don't explode,
0:15.0	before we then climb into a Supervolcano metaphorically.
0:18.2	So, if you'd like to hear about the magnificence and strangeness of the universe
0:22.4	and all the wonders that lie within, listen to The Infinite Monkey Cage.
0:25.2	And you can listen to the whole series before anyone else
0:27.8	when you listen on BBC Sound.
0:30.2	Hello, welcome. Hello.
0:32.4	Hello. Hello.
0:33.4	Hi.
0:34.4	Hello.
0:35.8	This is the fourth episode in the fifth series of the curious cases of Fry and Rutherford.
0:40.2	Indeed. And this episode, actually this is one of my favourites.
0:43.6	Not going to lie, like this one a lot.
0:45.4	Did a bit of maths.
0:46.2	Did a bit of maths. But also, it's just a nice question.
0:49.2	Did a bit of maths from a nice warm office whilst I was standing.
0:53.8	As is my right.
0:54.8	As I was standing in a field at the University of Reading.
0:59.0	Thing is, you do complain, but you also really like it.
	...

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