»  Principles of Around the World Balloon Flight and Atmospheric Information

The Atmosphere is the gaseous envelope that surrounds the Earth and other planets of the solar system. It includes the exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere and troposphere.

»  What makes the air go around the world faster in the same direction as the world revolves on its axis?

It is the equator that pulls the world's air mass around the world in the same direction as the world turns on its axis in its orbit around the sun. The entire world's air mass comes from the west and flows east, as the linear movement at the equator is far greater than the linear movement towards the South and North Poles, therefore pulling the air mass past these latter regions faster in the same direction.

THIS IS THE REASON THE "AROUND THE WORLD BALLOONISTS" ARE ABLE TO FLY A BALLOON AROUND THE WORLD.

It is at the higher and lower latitudes of the world that the wind speed is much faster, rather than the “doldrums” at the equator. This explains why sailing ships and around-the-world yachtsmen go slow over the equator and then well south to speed their craft in the southern seas from west to east. This is also why it is much faster to fly from New Zealand to the USA than the reverse direction. It is slower to fly to Australia from New Zealand than the reverse direction. The same principle applies in all parts of the world.