For Sale: Balloon Rides to Near-Space for $75,000 a Seat

Re:For Sale: Balloon Rides to Near-Space for $75,000 a Seat by ricg on Wednesday October 23, 2013 @08:58AM (#6598381)

Thinking about space debris: What happens to the balloon afterwards? Will it remain in orbit or sink down to earth? Could the balloons cause problems for other aircrafts later on?

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Re:For Sale: Balloon Rides to Near-Space for $75,000 a Seat by omegant on Wednesday October 23, 2013 @09:37AM (#6598600)

30km is not space (official boundary is at 100km). Also the balloon is not in orbit, so even if they it could go much much higher, the debris would fall straight down. Space debris come from spacecraft that are in orbit, and therefore remain in orbit for quite some time. That´s why they are dangerous.

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Re:For Sale: Balloon Rides to Near-Space for $75,000 a Seat by hedgie13 on Wednesday October 23, 2013 @09:45AM (#6598650)

I am so tired of people suggesting that balloons "go to space".

Yes, Felix Baumgartner set a new record and his jump was a great accomplishment. But it was not a "space jump".

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Re:For Sale: Balloon Rides to Near-Space for $75,000 a Seat by ricg on Wednesday October 23, 2013 @09:41AM (#6598625)

Ok, so they're coming down again. Isn't this a problem as well? Where will they land, a desert, the ocean, a city?

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Re:For Sale: Balloon Rides to Near-Space for $75,000 a Seat by eru on Wednesday October 23, 2013 @09:21AM (#6598502)

A balloon needs air to float. When there's air, there's friction.

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