Digital heart book

They observed, in the lofty
flights they were accustomed to make into the air, that as they ascended
the atmosphere grew lighter, and this led them to think they might go far
into the upper regions, collect large quantities of rarefied air, bring it
down, and use it for floating flying machines. Of course, they understood
that any vessel this thin air was put into must be strong enough to
prevent being collapsed by the weight of the denser atmosphere on the
surface. But they thought small spherical vessels of very thin metal could
be made that would withstand this pressure and still hold enough to float
and carry some weight besides. They had a large number of these hollow
balls made and started on a trial trip, expecting to bring down only a
small quantity each time. But, in their endeavor to obtain the very best
quality of lifting material possible, they went much higher than they
intended, although this did not cause them as much inconvenience as might
have been expected, since they were provided with the latest improved
breathing apparatus.


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