In any discussion of the important moments in the history of air and space, we can't forget one of the oldest human-carrying flight technologies: balloons. Join curator Tom Crouch as he discusses the Museum's balloons involved in the record-setting feats: Breitling Orbiter III, the first balloon to fly around the world non-stop; Red Bull Stratos, from which Felix Baumgartner made his record-setting jump from an altitude of over 127,000 feet; and the cabin in which aeronaut Julian Nott set a new altitude record for hot air balloon.

Meet at the nose of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird in the Boeing Aviation Hangar.

About the Ask an Expert Series: Several times a month at 12:30 pm at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a Museum staff member talks to the public about the history, collection, or individuals related to a specific artifact or exhibition in the Museum. For upcoming dates of the Udvar-Hazy Center Ask an Expert lecture series, click here.

Copy of an illustration of the Montgolfier Balloon used by François Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes for flight of November 21, 1783 from the Chateau de la Mutte, Paris. How to attend