An aircraft, such as a balloon or airship, that is kept aloft by buoyancy from lighter-than-air gas rather than by wings and engine power.
From 'aero-' (air) combined with the Greek 'statos' (standing or stationary). The term was coined in the late 18th century during the early days of hot air balloons and dirigibles.
Aerostats were humanity's first flying machines—before airplanes existed, hot air balloons let people reach the sky, and they're still used today for weather observation and dramatic advertising. The Goodyear blimp is technically an aerostat, and it works on the same physics as the balloons at the county fair.
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