subject: Sky Traffic [print this page] What actually flies through the skies these days has changed dramatically in the last few decades, and is likely to change again as technology advances yet further. This article looks at a few of the things you are likely to see when you look up.
Birds
Birds have been in the sky for far longer than anything that man has made or produced, and their ability to take off and fly has been envied seemingly for ever by humans. Of course, not all birds can fly, and of those that have the ability there are plenty that can only cover small distances, but if you look into a patch of sky for just a few minutes it's extremely likely you'll see an avian friend.
Hot Air Balloons
Hot Air Balloons were one of the earliest forms or aerial transport for humans, and although today they aren't relied upon so heavily, they certainly aren't uncommon. Of course, nowadays they are used much less for trade and much for tourism, as flying in a hot air balloon at a pace much more leisurely than other forms of air transport really makes them an enjoyable experience for those lucky enough to be flying in them
Satellites
Satellites are becoming more and more common in the sky above us, as we use them to send information huge distances so that we can communicate in every way that we do in modern life. Of course, there's only so much space in the sky and it's believed that there are a lot of defunct satellites still orbiting the earth. What will happen to them is unclear, whether they will fall out of earth's orbit or eventually fall back towards the ground.
Planes
Aeroplanes are now seen as the easiest way for humans to travel around the world when the distance they need to cover is reasonably great, and it's obvious to see why with the speed of the machines so great. Like birds, you generally don't have to wait too long to see an aeroplane fly through a patch of sky and if you listen carefully there's usually the drone of one humming away above our larger cities.
As you can probably tell from the above the sky is a pretty busy place. Once the preserve of birds, man has managed to make it his realm too. How would you make most use of our ascent into the heavens?
