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Navy May Shoot Tough BalloonWASHINGTON (UPD - The Navy said Thursday that jet fighters may have to shoot down the wayward skyhook balloon, now heading west over the Pacific.The 40*story high “Skyhook Glynro for two days has defeated all efforts to retrieve it and its precious cosmic ray research data.Early Thursday evening, a Navy spokesman said the -balloon had climbed to 75,000 feet and was 85 miles west of San Diego, Calif.The Navy had hoped it would descend to 65,000 feet or lower where an east wind might carry it inland.“We are considering shooting down the balloon if it becomes necessary and feasihle, the spokesman said.Jet fighters were reported standing by at the North Island Naval Air Station, San Diego. However, they presumably would wait until the balloon had descended in the cool night air to a lower altitude lo be more certain of success. At its present altitude, it apparently would be necessary . for fighters to use rockets to reach it.The Navy wanted to preserve the two-and-a-half ton gondola with its BDO-pound stack of nuclear emulsion with recordings of cosmic ray activity.Spokesman reported no cosmic rlt;*' research balloon has made recording over such a long time and the balloon's payload Is considered invaluable.The balloon was launched from Glynco. Ga.t on June 5 and the Navy had planned to retrain it in Texas after a two-day flight.Radio signals from the ground originally were supposed to set off a charge which would blow up the balloon and open a parachute to let the payload descend. This procedure failed. So did an automatic device designed to blow ir the balloon if the radio signals failed.
Newspaper Details
Billings Gazette
Billings, Montana, US
Fri, Jun 10, 1960
Page 22
Full Page
Clipped by
Luis P.
AR 25 Jun 2019
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