For Sounding Balloons or Red Bull Stratos: Why not use hydrogen over helium

The heat generated from pressurized hydrogen escaping its container is enough to ignite it

Is that correct, I would have thought quite high temperatures might be needed?
You could ignite a hydrogen air mixture by compressing it, a spark would not be required.
Maybe hydrogen igniting when escaping a container could be an effect related to both temperature and pressure?

For some fun ]:smiley:
Fill a bucket half full with soapy water. Take an oxyhydrogen torch and adjust for a good flame. Turn the torch off without changing the mixture. Place the torch head in the bucket and pass the gas mixture through the water to produce bubbles. Once you have a good bucket full of bubbles turn the gas off and remove the torch.

Now using a lit taper on a very long pole ignite the bubbles.
Be ready for a very big bang.

It is best to do this outdoors.
If done in a large indoor space, say an aditorium or lecture hall, you can expect suspended roof tiles to be blown out of place.
Definitely don't do it in an ordinary room it could easily blow the windows out and perhaps much worse.