Lighter than air (32 photos) (Photos)

Fill a lightweight object with hot air, helium, or hydrogen, and it will fly. People around the world use balloons, airships, and aerostats for transportation, research, message delivery, protests, and, most importantly, fun. This issue features photographs of balloons of all sizes, shapes, and purposes—from children's toys to football-field-sized research airships.







1. The MetLife blimp hovers during the third leg of The Players Championship on May 8 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)





2. Balloons with messages attached, released by Palestinian children, float into the sky during a UNICEF event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Ramallah on November 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)



3. Balloons with candy and leaflets for North Korean citizens are released by South Korean activists in Paju on January 12, 2010. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)



4. Hot air balloons fly over temple-dotted plains in Bagan, Myanmar, on January 14, 2010. Bagan, the ancient capital of Myanmar, is the country's main archaeological site and a popular tourist destination. (REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun)



5. A balloon carrying GPS equipment and a camera bursts and falls to the ground in September 2009. The balloon was launched into the air by Massachusetts Institute of Technology students Oliver Yeh and Justin Lee. The students managed to launch the balloon to an altitude of 28,346 meters. (Oliver Yeh and Justin Lee)



6. People peer into an inflated balloon on the first day of a three-day festival at Kibbutz Ruhama, near the southern Israeli city of Sderot, on March 4. (REUTERS/Sharon Perry)



7. A flying inflatable figure of "Toy Story" character Buzz Lightyear prepares to turn a corner at 42nd Street and 6th Avenue during the Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 26, 2009. Several online children's stores offer scaled-down versions of the flying inflatable figures. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)



8. A 14-year-old balloon vendor stands on the roadside on the outskirts of Islamabad on February 25, 2010. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)



9. The shadow of a hot air balloon that just landed lies on the snow during Hot Air Balloon Week in Chateau-d'Oex, Switzerland, January 23. More than 80 balloons from 15 countries took part in the renowned event in the Swiss ski resort, known for its ideal weather conditions thanks to its exceptional microclimate. (REUTERS/Valentin Flauraud)



10. Thousands of biodegradable balloons released by a Sao Paulo commercial association float over the city on December 30, 2009. (NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images)



11. One of 22 balloons – shaped like Darth Vader – flies at the start of the Putrajaya Balloon Festival in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on March 18. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)



12. A fire inflates a hot air balloon in Fitzgerald, Georgia, on March 19. (Kevin King/ CC BY)



13. The world's largest airship, the Bullet 580, sits at Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Alabama, on May 19 after a readiness check. The airship will undergo testing later this summer. It will be loaded with a NASA and Old Dominion University instrument for measuring soil moisture. In addition to research, the airship can also be used for military purposes, homeland security, and disaster relief missions. The airship can lift a payload of up to 907 kg (2,000 lbs) to an altitude of 6,096 meters (20,000 ft). (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser, David Bundy)



14. An Orthodox Jew, with balloons tied to his hair, walks down a street in the Mea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday of Purim on March 1. Purim symbolizes the liberation of the Jewish people from the oppression of the ancient Persians. (MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images)



15. Hot air balloons on August 19, 2007, in central Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey. Lava and white ash mixed with floodwaters to form a hard, sun-baked layer known as tufa. This layer gradually eroded, creating incredible geological formations such as the famous "fairy chimneys." (Yoray Liberman/Getty Images)



16. Ukrainian soldiers march with a barrage balloon during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade on May 4 in central Kyiv. For some reason, this photo has become a popular choice among SEOs when writing reviews on Tweet. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov)



17. A soldier prepares a hot air balloon during the First Indonesian Hot Air Balloon Race in Sentul, Bogor, West Bank, March 26. (REUTERS/Supri)



18. Hot air balloons soar through the sky during the Ayutthaya International Balloon Festival on December 3, 2009. Pilots from around the world brought their balloons to the four-day event, which was held as part of the celebrations for the 82nd birthday of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej. (REUTERS/Damir Sagolj)



19. Hot air balloons, recently released from the runway at Bristol International Airport, float towards the sun on June 12, 2009. The 25 balloons took off at 5 a.m. before the runway opened, in preparation for the International Balloon Fiesta in August. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)



20. A helicopter flies past white balloons released during an anti-violence demonstration in Monterrey, Mexico, on March 28. (AP Photo/Claudio Cruz)



21. A massive NASA research balloon is inflated at its launch site near Ellis Springs, Australia, on April 16. The balloon broke apart during takeoff on April 29, destroying millions of dollars worth of scientific equipment. The balloon, about the size of a football field when inflated, was designed to rise 40 kilometers (25 miles) into the stratosphere to measure X-rays and gamma rays emitted by various stars and galaxies, and then return to Earth with the collected data. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)



22. Skydivers jump from a hot air balloon over Fitzgerald, Georgia, on March 20. (Kevin King/ CC BY)



23. Buddhists release lanterns into the sky at Borobudur Temple during Vesak Day, known as Buddha's birthday, in Magelang on May 28. (Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)



24. A replica of the hot air balloon that will carry Jean-Louis Etienne on his next adventure sways in the breeze in the Carroz d'Arache, in the French Alps. Jean-Louis Etienne, 62, is a doctor, explorer, and adventurer who attempted to cross the Arctic via Norway's Spitzberg Island and Alaska in April. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)



25. A Palestinian woman prepares to release a string of balloons along with world peace activists, including members of Israel's left-wing party, over the border into the settlement of Givat Ze'ev during a rally in the town of al-Ram, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, on May 6. (ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images)



26. Hot air balloons fly during a race as part of the 100 Years of Ballooning festival near Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 9. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)



27. A hot air balloon flies over houses during International Balloon Week in Chateau-d'Oex on January 23. (REUTERS/Valentin Flauraud)



28. A silhouette of a person stands in front of a partially inflated balloon before the start of the 15th International Filipino Festival in Pampanga on February 11. Balloon pilots from around the world participate in the annual event, which began in 1994 and is held at a former U.S. military base. The event still attracts hundreds of spectators each year. (NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images)



29. American balloonist Jonathan Trappe clings to his balloon after landing in a field in Moher, France, on May 28. Trappe took off from Challock, England, to become the first person to cross the English Channel in a chair tethered to helium balloons. Trappe had been planning the flight for months after setting a world record for the longest balloon flight over North Carolina (14 hours). (AP Photo/Gareth Fuller-pa)



30. Hot air balloons float over the Pyramid of the Sun at the Teotihuacan archaeological site during the San Juan Balloon Festival on March 21. The festival was held on the vernal equinox. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images)



31. A Palestinian girl plays with a ball in an alley in Jerusalem's Old City on May 13. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)