House attached to balloons flies, sets world record (w/ Video)

It took a team of scientists and engineers? It's a high school level problem dealing with buoyancy. I'm pretty sure you can do it with one single equation.

I wonder if they popped balloons to get back on solid ground safely.

I think it was going to be a high school project but none of the students got the permission slips signed

Basic buoyancy yes, but I think doing it with people inside adds a few more degrees of complexity.

Basic buoyancy yes, but I think doing it with people inside adds a few more degrees of complexity.

Putting people inside also adds a few more degrees of insanity. A wooden structure could easily have self disassembled mid-flight, leading to the ultimate oops moment.

A wooden structure could easily have self disassembled mid-flight, leading to the ultimate oops moment.

Of course, getting the house in the air was not a big problem. Keeping it level for the people inside is a bit different. And making it safe enough for people to actually want to hitch a ride is still another.

I thought we were running out of helium?

Plus, the house has to be built for the specific purpose of being lifted by balloons. Houses are designed to sit on foundations, not float through the air. So there's your engineers right there. Then you've got to figure out how to tie the balloons together and to the house in such a way that the whole thing doesn't just start twisting violently under a cross-wind. The theory behind lifting a house with helium balloons is pretty well understood. But as that sage Yogi Berra once said, "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there always is."

waste of money...

Scary thought a house falling out of the sky, and only two weeks to plan something like that, I guess they have a lot of faith in their ability. I like looking two, or three times before I pull out in traffic, and would want a few more looks before I flew off in a house.

@trekgeek1

While it's true that the bouyancy calculations are basic high school physics, geting a house shaped object to fly is not that simple. Houses after all are not designed to leave the ground. Flight stability and structural integrity have to be well though out, otherwise bad things will happen.

As the remaining 25 yr supply of helium further dwindles..
Pretty cool though.

way to waste a sh*tload of helium genius'.

16x16 is NOT a house. Large tent is more like it.

This is a tiny amount of Helium in the grand scheme of things.

Not a house, more like a Unabomber shelter :p

I think scientists have SLIGHTLY more pressing problems to be working on than something like this.

I think scientists have SLIGHTLY more pressing problems to be working on than something like this.

But even scientists like to have fun every once in a while.

What a total waste of time and money.

Since the effort was probably paid for by the TV show (and therefore indirectly by commercials) I assume you'd rather the money and time had been spent on producing another talent show or sitcom?

Helium is a byproduct of the natural gas industry and there are problems with storing it. It takes up SPACE. Quite a lot. It gets produced whether anyone intends to or not and it might as well be used for entertainment rather being released to the air to get rid of the excess to avoid storing it.

As for it being a waste of time an money.

So are movies, books, dancing, your posts but not mine of course, this site, television, radio, sports, most of the people on Earth except me, political candidates I don't like, political candidates I do like that don't get elected, any political candidate or entertainer you whiners like, the entire Fox network except House, Twilight movies, chick flicks, spam, the pepper pot sketches except the spam sketch, telephone solicitation, Marjon, string theory unless they finish the math, 95 percent of Oliver's spam, aliens abducting drunken crackers, the Electoral College, Glenn Beck, American Idol and of course the thousand character limit.

Ethelred

Why is the speech backwards in the second half of the video?

Wow Ethelred! I just got the chills. Exceptional list (although I'd add anything Seth MacFarlane touches to the Fox list). You just reminded me of Maddox, and that's pretty tough for someone to do. In case you don't know who Maddox is, he can be found at thebestpageintheuniverse.com.

I thought we were running out of helium?

Apparently not - or some people are getting way too much money for their gaming.

Where are the talking dogs?

I guess entertainment is more important than a scarce resource. Dumb stunt.

I maintain that it is simple. Buoyancy = simple. It is suspended from above so stability is super simple. Designing a house that isn't an actual house, but rather a strong frame that looks like a house is also simple.

As for it being a waste of time an money.

So are movies, books, dancing, your posts but not mine of course, this site, television, radio, sports, most of the people on Earth except me, political candidates I don't like, political candidates I do like that don't get elected, any political candidate or entertainer you whiners like, the entire Fox network except House, Twilight movies, chick flicks, spam, the pepper pot sketches except the spam sketch, telephone solicitation, Marjon, string theory unless they finish the math, 95 percent of Oliver's spam, aliens abducting drunken crackers, the Electoral College, Glenn Beck, American Idol and of course the thousand character limit.

I think this is the post of the year.

They did it for Science. What more reason do you need?

What a waste of time, money, effort and helium.
A wasteful wank.