In 1960 a metal-coated plastic balloon 100ft across sent up by America's space agency was used by Bell to bounce telephone calls to distant destinations in the United States.

ECONOMIST: John Pierce

The secret to the screens is in what's behind them: a thin strip of metal-coated plastic that's only 50 microns thick -- about half the width of a human hair -- and wraps around a spool.

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Such balloons are made from metal-coated plastic.

ECONOMIST: Monitor