An
aerostat (From
Greek ἀήρ
aer (air) + στατός
statos (standing) through French) is a
lighter than air craft (the average density of the craft is lower than the density of atmospheric air) that gains its lift through the use of a buoyant gas. Aerostats include unpowered
balloons and powered
airships. A balloon may be free-flying or
tethered. An aerostat's main component is one or more gasbags, a lightweight
skin containing a
lifting gas to provide
buoyancy, to which other components such as a gondola containing equipment or people are attached. Especially with airships, the gasbags are often protected by an outer envelope. One of the most recent deployments of an aerostat was seen at the opening ceremony of the nineteenth
2010 Commonwealth Games, held in Delhi, India. The aerostat used in the ceremony was the largest in the world.