Balloons are a type of aircraft that is supported in air by buoyancy, which in effect, makes the airship lighter than air.
During the American Civil War, the Union Army utilized observation balloons that were tendered at around six hundred feet high. (TOS: "The Savage Curtain")
Types of balloons
Background
The Union Army Balloon Corps operated and/or built eight hydrogen-gas balloons from 1861 – 1863.
- Small balloons: Enterprise, Eagle, Constitution, and Washington
- Large balloons: Union, Excelsior, Intrepid, and United States