There isn’t enough helium in the world to keep BioShock Infinite’s city of Columbia afloat

BioShock Infinite's sky city of Columbia would take more helium to float than what exists in the world today, according to calculations from io9.

The publication first used the example of New York's most famous landmark, the Empire State building. Just to lift the building, it would take 330 million cubic meters of helium, or something like 1,650 Hindenburgs. That is more than twice the amount produced on an annual, worldwide basis.

Estimating that Columbia weighs a modest estimate of 10,000 times heavier than a skyscraper, the city would require at least 2 percent of the planet's helium to even stay in the air.

"As helium escapes from the city's balloons due to maintenance and failure (and perhaps your own handiwork in the game)," the post reads, "it would need to be replaced delicately and immediately. Before you know it, one city has completely drained the atmosphere of one of the universe's most abundant elements."

You can read the full post here, which also includes if rockets could carry the city (spoiler alert: they can't.)