Enormous stratospheric balloon

An enormous stratospheric balloon is inflated at the Timmins Stratospheric Balloon Base in Ontario, Canada. The new $4 million facility is operated by the Canadian Space Agency and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French space agency. Last month, the first balloon campaign was launched to study Earth's atmosphere and environment. The remotely controlled atmospheric balloons can carry up to 1.75 tons of equipment into the stratosphere, and are capable of reaching an altitude of 26 miles (42 kilometers). The balloons also do not require any energy or fuel, and are fully recoverable following their flights. [Related Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere Top to Bottom]