Do helium balloons reach space?

Arabia Weather - When we release a helium balloon into the air, it flies away little by little until it disappears in the sky, so where does this balloon go? Does it reach space?

Restrictions prevent a helium balloon from reaching space

In fact, there are two important restrictions that prevent helium balloons from reaching space, which are the physical strength of the balloon and Archimedes' principle.

What is Archimedes' principle?

This principle says that there is a point of convergence between the density of the surrounding air and the density of the helium inside the balloon, and at this point the balloon will stop rising upward, and this point of convergence is approximately 32 km from the surface of the Earth, which is very far from space, which begins about 100 km from The earth's surface

But does this mean that we will find a layer of helium balloons surrounding the Earth at an altitude of 32 km?

The physical strength of the balloon

Here comes the role of the second limitation, which is the material strength of the balloon. As the balloon rises higher, the air pressure decreases, and in return the helium inside the balloon will expand, which ultimately leads to the balloon exploding before it reaches a height of approximately 32 km. Most children’s balloons explode at an altitude of about 10 km. . While meteorological balloons may reach altitudes higher than 30 km.

But as stated by Archimedes' principle, even if weather balloons ascend above 30 km, they will not reach space and will only reach the point of contact between air and helium. However, in 2002, a helium balloon built by Dr. Takamasa Yamagami and his colleagues at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences rose to 53 km, almost half the distance from the official edge of space.

Helium balloons harm the environment

It is worth noting that if all of these balloons explode in the sky, their plastic parts will fall on the ground between trees or in the seas and oceans and harm the environment. Therefore, we advise against launching helium balloons into the air. Instead, empty it of helium when you're done and throw it in the trash.