NASA 'UFO' pops a leak, lands in outback Australia

NASA has terminated the flight of its Super Pressure Balloon after one-third of its planned flight. While the aviation agency's Wallops Flight Facility is pleased that the balloon made a near-circumnavigation in its 32 days aloft, the mission was originally planned to last 100 days. “Controllers detected a leak developing in …

[Martin Budden]

Recovery?

Are they planning to collect it?

EDIT: I see in the Otago Daily Times article that yes it will be recovered.

[Gray Ham]

I hope they can find it ...

"near the Queensland and New South Wales border just east of Australia’s Sturt National Park"

That'd be in South Australia, then ...

[Winkypop]

Bloody Kiwis

Always coming over here and then staying!

[Neil Barnes]

Is that twirly bit at the end of the track

where it went plplplplplplplplplplp as all the helium got out?

[Fred Flintstone]

Is that twirly bit at the end of the track

where it went plplplplplplplplplplp as all the helium got out?

:) Do helium balloons do this at a higher pitch?

The one with the folded acre of mylar in the pocket, thanks.

[James 51]

If it's going up that high, why not use hydrogen? Might be risker on the way up but a lot cheaper and will it deflate any faster?

[Dr Patrick J R Harkin]

"for safety, issued flight termination commands"

I believe the assembler opcode is BalloonAcquireNearestGround.

[pizzathief]

Americans are attacking us again.

Didn't they drop rubbish on us before, like a whole space station? we'll have to fine them again.

[John Brown (no body)]

Circumnavigation?

Judging by the track, not really anything close to an unqualified circumnavigation. A near circumnavigation of the Antarctic continent is more accurate with the qualifier. If someone at the South Pole dances around the actual Pole, would that also be a circumnavigation? Qualifiers help to disambiguate.

Still, it's all good science and engineering, especially getting the balloon to maintain shape and altitude despite changes in temperature, even if the reporting is ambiguous.

[x 7]

total waste of helium.