Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne
page 84 of 453 (18%)
page 84 of 453 (18%)
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dense than water, in which the ship is only half submerged,
while the whole bulk of a balloon is plunged in the atmosphere, and remains motionless with reference to the element that surrounds it." "You think, then, that aerostatic science has said its last word?" "Not at all! not at all! But we must look for another point in the case, and if we cannot manage to guide our balloon, we must, at least, try to keep it in favorable aerial currents. In proportion as we ascend, the latter become much more uniform and flow more constantly in one direction. They are no longer disturbed by the mountains and valleys that traverse the surface of the globe, and these, you know, are the chief cause of the variations of the wind and the inequality of their force. Therefore, these zones having been once determined, the balloon will merely have to be placed in the currents best adapted to its destination." "But then," continued Captain Bennet, "in order to reach them, you must keep constantly ascending or descending. That is the real difficulty, doctor." "And why, my dear captain?" "Let us understand one another. It would be a difficulty and an obstacle only for long journeys, and not for short aerial excursions." |
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