Hydrogen, metal,acids and alkali's.

Hydrogen gas, a metal and an acid all had a part to play in the successful flight of this pioneer balloon. The h

ydrogen was used to fill the balloon skin and so keep the balloon in the air. The metal and the acid were both used to make the hydrogen. It was made in A barrel by mixing iron with sulfuric acid and was fed from there along a pipe into the balloon.

The balloon was one of the earliest flying machines. It was designed and built by'a Frenchman. Jacques Charles. On 27th August, 1783. One took off from a park in the middle of Paris. Thousands of people watch the take off,

but they didn't see very much. The balloon rose in a shower of rain and soon disappeared from view. Three quarters of an hour later, it landed 10 kilometers away. The only people to see it land were some terrified farmers. They thought that it was a monster, and attacked it with pitchforks and scythes!

  

Hydrogen gas, metals, and alkali have important jobs to do in this flying machine - the Space Shuttle. The hydrogen is used to get the Shuttle off the ground. It’s the main fuel burned by the engines. The metals are used in the Shuttle's body'. (Its skin, for

Example, is mainly aluminum.) The alkali's are used to remove carbon dioxide from the air breathed out by the astronauts, And also in the Shuttle's batteries,

The Shuttle is one of the most modern space vehicles; it was built by American American scientists and engineers. Hundreds of thousands of people watched it take off on its first mission from Cape Kennedy, U.S.A. on 12th April, 1981. Millions more watched on T.V. Within 2 minutes the Shuttle had blasted its way to a height of 40 kilometers. 54 1/2 hours later, after orbiting the Earth 36 times, and travelling 1729318 kilometers, it glided back to Earth. It landed in front of another huge crowd – to congratulations from everyone.

Hydrogen, metals, acids, and alkali's are important chemicals, and not just for flying machines! In this section you will learn more about them, and some other reasons why they are so important.