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bernardz
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 Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 12:20 pm Post subject: Help wanted an alternate history |
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I am writing an alternate history story that pictures an earlier
development of hot air balloons in Romans times, set about 200 CE.
Obviously they are going to be at the mercy of wind.
I am trying to think what uses it could be used for and I had some
thoughts.
Military
) Could it be used by scouts to see army columns or would the lack of a
telescope make it relatively useless.
) Imagine a city is under siege could the attacking army when the wind
is in the right location launch a hot air balloon with say heavy
stones. When the balloon is over the city, it drops the stones. It then
continues to drift over the city to be picked up on the other side. It
then is driven back to a suitable launch position to start again.
Commercial.
) Assuming that one is willing to wait a reasonable time for the
correct wind conditions could it be used to cart freight in places
where roads might not be available. I understand that it would not be
able to get it exactly at the desired spot but could it get the stuff
within a reasonable distance. Then the balloonist need a cart to come
pick it up. |
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Jim Logajan
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| Posted: Tue May 02, 2006 3:11 am Post subject: Re: Help wanted an alternate history |
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"bernardz" <bernardz (AT) mail (DOT) com> wrote:
| Quote: | I am writing an alternate history story that pictures an earlier
development of hot air balloons in Romans times, set about 200 CE.
Obviously they are going to be at the mercy of wind.
|
Helps if they are tethered to the ground (though tethered balloons are
more difficult to deal with than one might imagine).
| Quote: | I am trying to think what uses it could be used for and I had some
thoughts.
Military
) Could it be used by scouts to see army columns or would the lack of a
telescope make it relatively useless.
|
Balloons were used for reconnaissance during the American civil war - and
I believe they did not always use telescopes. For distant targetting of
artillery, telescopes are essential. Since Romans would not have had much
in the way of long range weapons (beyond good vision range), I'm sure
tethered balloon recons with passengers of good eyesight would have been
sufficiently advantageous.
Also, I believe Chinese used unmanned balloons for military signaling -
around the same era you have in mand.
| Quote: | ) Imagine a city is under siege could the attacking army when the wind
is in the right location launch a hot air balloon with say heavy
stones. When the balloon is over the city, it drops the stones. It then
continues to drift over the city to be picked up on the other side. It
then is driven back to a suitable launch position to start again.
|
Seems very unlikely - mostly because of the required payload relative to
the likely technical capabilities. A tethered recon balloon might be used
to direct catapult targetting into such a city.
| Quote: | Commercial.
) Assuming that one is willing to wait a reasonable time for the
correct wind conditions could it be used to cart freight in places
where roads might not be available. I understand that it would not be
able to get it exactly at the desired spot but could it get the stuff
within a reasonable distance. Then the balloonist need a cart to come
pick it up.
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Too much of a stretch. |
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David Drum
Guest
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| Posted: Tue May 02, 2006 3:18 am Post subject: Re: Help wanted an alternate history |
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In article <1146468005.530877.138470 (AT) y43g2000cwc (DOT) googlegroups.com>, bernardz wrote:
| Quote: | I am writing an alternate history story that pictures an earlier
development of hot air balloons in Romans times, set about 200 CE.
Obviously they are going to be at the mercy of wind.
I am trying to think what uses it could be used for and I had some
thoughts.
Military
) Could it be used by scouts to see army columns or would the lack of a
telescope make it relatively useless.
|
Yes, it could. "Relatively useless" is, ahem, a relative term. Balloons
could carry sentries, or just be decoys.
| Quote: | ) Imagine a city is under siege could the attacking army when the wind
is in the right location launch a hot air balloon with say heavy
stones. When the balloon is over the city, it drops the stones. It then
continues to drift over the city to be picked up on the other side. It
then is driven back to a suitable launch position to start again.
|
Yes. Assuming the besieging army surrounds the city, there will always
be an appropriate location from which to launch a sortie. Unfortunately
you need to think about what will happen to a balloon when it drops its
ballast. It may not come down for many miles.
A tethered balloon could be a useful, if not hidden, sniper post.
You should look at other ways balloons were dedicated to military
service in the 20th century and find their 2nd century BC analogs.
| Quote: | Commercial.
) Assuming that one is willing to wait a reasonable time for the
correct wind conditions could it be used to cart freight in places
where roads might not be available. I understand that it would not be
able to get it exactly at the desired spot but could it get the stuff
within a reasonable distance. Then the balloonist need a cart to come
pick it up.
|
This is probably farthest from practical. Smoke balloons would have
neither the carrying capacity nor the manuverability to be useful.
There are lots of sources of balloon history on the net and in books.
Check them out and let your imagination run wild.
David |
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bernardz
Guest
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 11:49 am Post subject: Re: Help wanted an alternate history |
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Thanks for your replies . I did notice that you both gave different
views on using it as artillery against a city.
I have a further question. Doing a netsearch, I found the following
article.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4467766.stm
Obviously it was a great flight.
Now how a trained mountain climber can go maximum without oxygen about
six miles above sea level. Could a primitive balloonist using hot air,
go up that height for say an hour and stay alive.
bernardz wrote:
| Quote: | I am writing an alternate history story that pictures an earlier
development of hot air balloons in Romans times, set about 200 CE.
Obviously they are going to be at the mercy of wind.
I am trying to think what uses it could be used for and I had some
thoughts.
Military
) Could it be used by scouts to see army columns or would the lack of a
telescope make it relatively useless.
) Imagine a city is under siege could the attacking army when the wind
is in the right location launch a hot air balloon with say heavy
stones. When the balloon is over the city, it drops the stones. It then
continues to drift over the city to be picked up on the other side. It
then is driven back to a suitable launch position to start again.
Commercial.
) Assuming that one is willing to wait a reasonable time for the
correct wind conditions could it be used to cart freight in places
where roads might not be available. I understand that it would not be
able to get it exactly at the desired spot but could it get the stuff
within a reasonable distance. Then the balloonist need a cart to come
pick it up. |
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David Drum
Guest
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 8:06 pm Post subject: Re: Help wanted an alternate history |
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In article <1146811795.730559.7260 (AT) e56g2000cwe (DOT) googlegroups.com>, bernardz wrote:
| Quote: | Now how a trained mountain climber can go maximum without oxygen about
six miles above sea level.
|
I assume you are referring to people who climb Mt. Everest without oxygen.
I believe the number of people who have accomplished this are very few.
Flying to this altitude in a hot air balloon is hard enough without
complicating it by foregoing supplemental oxygen.
| Quote: | Could a primitive balloonist using hot air, go up that height
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No, not ever, with only natural materials.
| Quote: | for say an hour and stay alive.
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Maybe. The human body is a fantastic thing.
Keep in mind that when the Montgolfier brothers were planning their
first balloon flight, common superstition held that there would be no
air to breathe at all. That's why animals were sent first, and why the
first manned flight was originally going to carry condemned criminals.
David |
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