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BALLOONS
Have you ever gotten a balloon as a present? You know how that balloon always tries to float away? That's because there is helium inside. Helium is a very light element. When you put it inside a balloon it tries to float.
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THE SUN
Helium is in the Sun. That's right. If you were to look at everything in the sun you would discover large amounts of helium. The Sun is a really big ball of gases and all those gases are on fire. One of the results of that fire is helium.
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COMPRESSED AIR TANKS
Whenever you see a SCUBA diver in the water, you should know that he has some helium in his air tank. Divers combine helium and regular air in those tanks at very high pressures. When they go deep in the water the helium makes it easier for them to breathe.
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LASERS
Sometimes helium is used in lasers. It's a good element to use because it is non-reactive. Even at really high temperatures helium will not bond with other elements.
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COOLANTS
Nuclear Reactors use helium as coolant. When helium is in a liquid form it is a very low temperature. Because a reactor can be very hot, scientists need something very cool to keep everything under control.
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ROCKET FUEL
Whenever you see NASA shoot a rocket into space they are using helium. When they launch rockets into space, they sometimes use helium to cool the engines.
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BLIMPS
Next time you go to a football game you might see a blimp. That blimp is using helium to stay up in the air. Helium is lighter than regular air so it helps things float. A blimp is filled with helium and floats for a very long time. They use propellers to move around.
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