Air Force Revisiting Balloons for Missions

FoxNews (AP Story) ^ | July 5, 2005 | unattributed

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON — The Air Force is eyeing a seldom-used region of the Earth's atmosphere called "near space" for communications and intelligence-gathering with one of the oldest types of aircraft — balloons.

[SandRat]

It's a FoxNews story so you'll have to go to the site to read it.

Can anyone say Zepplin?

[hattend]

An American intelligence officer jumps from balloon to infiltrate enemy lines.

[Slicksadick]

Great picture, I believe the red box is the backside of his extra giant jockstrap. Required, as THIS MAN HAS THE BIGGEST BALLS IN THE WORLD.

[Tennessee_Bob]

I thought that was the Air Force's high altitude weather lab?

[hattend]

Yep, into the box and probably down his pressure suit leg as well.

I met Joe Kittinger at the International Space Hall of Fame in New Mexico in the early 80's. He was always a hero to me and I was in awe! ...even at 25 years old.

[hattend]

I was just kidding in post #2.

That pic was taken back in the 50's during Project Excelsior.

The world's highest freefall. 102,000+ and hit 600+ mph on the way down.

BIG BRASS ONES!

[Tennessee_Bob]

Oh, I knew that - I recognized the Kittinger picture when I saw it - but I saw you were AF Met at one time, so I figured I'd have to get a dig in there somehow. I was a jet engine mechanic - we used to have to rely on you guys to tell us there was "no lighting in five," when we were watching it strike the stadium lights along the flightline.

[hattend]

...we used to have to rely on you guys to tell us there was "no lighting in five," when we were watching it strike the stadium lights along the flightline.

heheheh...been there, done that. ;-)

At some of the bases we did have lightning detectors but they were few and far between. About the only time we would know there was lightning within 5 was when one of you flightline guys called the command post...LOL.

Ah, those were the days.

[Atlas Sneezed]

"It's not a balloon, it's an airship!"</python>

[axes_of_weezles]

Buy GTEL. They are gonna make some money. They are not vaporware like alot of others. They have let contracts for services already and have a working prototype.

http://www.globetel.net/images/stratellite.jpg

Axes

[axes_of_weezles]

ping

[Tennessee_Bob]

We had a "once in a century" storm hit us at Nellis. Weather gave us about a 45 minute warning. We had sustained 70 knots across the base, a 25 degree temperature drop in 30 minutes, and what seemed like a foot of rain. As the guys on the line were chaining down (I was working MOC at the time), we begin getting calls asking if we lightning on station. We told them that we hadn't heard anything other than the weather warning. I called weather, and the guy advises me that the detector system wasn't showing anything, and just about then, he sees a strike on our stadium lights. From what I understood from him, the detection system had taken a shot and wasn't registering anything.