--- title: "Man Loses Control of Hydrogen Balloon, Helplessly Drifts Almost 200 Miles" description: "A hydrogen balloon expedition turned dangerous in China when the men operating it lost control, leading too a two-day, nearly 200-mile detour. " date: "2022-09-09" modified: "2022-09-09" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/man-loses-control-hydrogen-balloon" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "aviation" - "Balloons" - "Hydrogen" - "the digest" --- # Man Loses Control of Hydrogen Balloon, Helplessly Drifts Almost 200 Miles ![A hydrogen balloon expedition turned dangerous in China when the men operating it lost control, leading too a two-day, nearly 200-mile detour. ]() *\Image: Leon Neal/Getty Images\* ## Puff Up A hydrogen balloon expedition turned dangerous in China when the passenger lost control, leading too a two-day, nearly 200-mile detour. As [*CNN* reports](), based on Chinese media, the man was on a work trip to harvest pine nuts near the country's coast last weekend when he and a colleague lost control of the hydrogen balloon. Though his colleague was able to jump to safety, the man reportedly missed his chance to do the same and had to stay aboard the zeppelin as it drifted further and further away. More than 300 kilometers (roughly 186 miles) and two days later, however, the man was found by a 500-person rescue party when someone spotted his balloon stuck in a tree. He suffered minor injuries aside from being cold, hungry, and freaked out while he was adrift in the skies. "I almost gave up," the man told *CTV*, a state-run broadcast network. "Thanks to the rescuers, otherwise, I wouldn't be alive." ## Nutty Professor As outlandish as the tale may be, it's neither the first time a hydrogen balloon has gone adrift in China nor the only cautionary tale about the dangers of pine nut harvesting, *CNN* notes. Two men seeking pine cones — which are the [growing vessels for delicious pine nuts]() — were arrested in 2019 for breaking aviation rules, it reported, after they lost control of their balloon in China's Changbai mountains in 2019. In 2017, another pine nut forager went missing around the North Korean border when his balloon got loose from its tether. Nut harvesters have also been known to wear spiked shoes, *CNN* adds, because they have to climb super-tall pine trees to get to their bounty. If and when they fall, [it can be deadly]() — which makes the whole endeavor sound a lot more dangerous than it's worth. **READ MORE:** [A Chinese man rode a hydrogen balloon to pick pine nuts. He ended up drifting 300km]() \[*CNN*\] **More regional balloons:** *[North Korea Claims It Only Got COVID Because South Korea Sent Over "Tainted Balloons"]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()