格兰德河上空的热气球，阿尔伯克基，新墨西哥州，美国 Hot air balloons over the Rio Grande, Albuquerque, New Mexico (© Jennifer MacCornack/Shutterstock)

格兰德河上空的热气球，阿尔伯克基，新墨西哥州，美国 Hot air balloons over the Rio Grande, Albuquerque, New Mexico (© Jennifer MacCornack/Shutterstock)

乘着热气球向上飞 Coming in hot

热气球升空日

今天是热气球升空日，一个致力于纪念布兰沙尔的成就的日子。布兰沙尔是一位法国的气球驾驶员及发明家，早在1793年，他就完成了美国历史上第一次载人气球航行，从费城飞往新泽西州的德特福德。自2011年起，每年的这一天人们都会热烈庆祝，以致敬这一空中壮举。在今天的图片中，太阳落在格兰德河的上空，照亮了新墨西哥州阿尔伯克基上空的彩色热气球。每年的10月初，人们从世界各地赶来齐聚一堂，参加为期9天的阿尔伯克基国际热气球节，这是世界上最盛大的热气球节，在这里，人们可以欣赏到经验丰富的热气球驾驶员熟练地操作他们的热气球。

Balloon Ascension Day

Up, up, and away! Today is Balloon Ascension Day, celebrating the anniversary of the first manned balloon flight in North America. French aeronaut Jean-Pierre Blanchard's flight took him from Philadelphia to Deptford, New Jersey, back in 1793. Interest in ballooning took off from there and today, hot air balloon festivals take place across the country, including Albuquerque, where today's sunrise image was taken. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people attend the nine-day Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta—the largest hot air balloon festival in the world—to see skilled pilots expertly maneuver their baskets through balloon-filled skies.