Space tour is not all about rockets—large space balloons can do it too! The company HALO Space in Spain completed the first test flight of its balloon in December, 2022. This means another company joined the competition of making space tour a reality.
During the test flight, the balloon reached an altitude of 37 kilometers where passengers would be able to look at the Earth from the blackness of space, according to Daily Mail. When the flights are available, the company aims to carry 3,000 passengers on 400 trips every year.
How does a space balloon work? The balloon is usually filled with helium or hydrogen, which are both much lighter than air, and it flies up.
According to NASA, the balloon is filled with the amount of gas that will give it enough lift to get off the ground and rise. As it rises, the gas inside the balloon grows larger.
The balloon stops when the density of the gas inside and the air outside is about the same, it begins to fall down as gas goes out slowly.
So the whole trip is not intense. The Space Perspective in US says that the trips are about relaxation. The balloon rises slowly at 12 miles (about 18.3 kilometers) an hour, and it takes about two hours to get to the 37 km altitude. It also takes another two hours to go back to the land.
Since its successful test flight in June 2022, Space Perspective Company started selling tickets for spaceflights in 2024—and it has already sold out. The company now buys ships to turn them into “floating spaceports”, reported Daily Mail. By lifting the balloon from ships on the sea, there will be more chances to enjoy the tour, such as flights at sunrise and sunset.
【小题1】The word “This” in Para. 1 refers to ________.| A．Spain made space tour a reality |
| B．the balloon reached an altitude of 37 km |
| C．HALO Space Company completed the test flight of its balloon |
| D．the company in space in Spain joined the competition of making space tour |
| A．The gas inside the balloon is lighter than the air outside. |
| B．The balloon is usually filled with a little heavier gas. |
| C．The gas inside the balloons always grows smaller. |
| D．The density of the gas inside and the air outside is the same. |
| A．About two hours. | B．About four hours. |
| C．About twelve hours. | D．About eighteen hours. |
| A．Daily Mail plans to carry 3,000 passengers on a trip in the future. |
| B．The company buy ships to offer people more chances to enjoy the sea. |
| C．All tickets to travel in space in 2024 have been sold out. |
| D．Space Perspective thinks the tour by balloon is slow but relaxing. |
