The French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard set off on a record breaking journey from Paris in 1785. He brought his assistant John Jeffries onto a balloon that carried the pair high into the sky. Unfortunately, the balloon soon lost its lift and was in danger of crashing into the English Channel. They managed to lighten the load and save themselves, but today’s scientists use a much safer way to monitor the skies. A high altitude balloon lets meteorologists and other experts document their observations from the safety of the ground. On any given year, more than 60,000 weather balloons will be launched in the name of science. Hobbyists launch them with…