Thanks for the diagram.
I’m still not clear of the story: was this meant to be a tethered balloon, for a party... or an instrumented balloon for some type of weather investigation.
My guess right now is that they built it for the former purpose and that batteries and instrumentation would have been carried in the compartment. However, there may have been thoughts of a tethered flight for kids to ride in for fun before using it for the science flight.
If so, that would clearly have been intended to be done under strict supervision, and may be that the kids jumped the gun, and the balloon got away from them.
I also heard one thing about “ballast” ... and if there was ballast in the compartment of some type, that could have been taken out by the older child (or the younger) and the tethers didn’t hold. All will eventually be clear, but right now it is very murky.
The boy;
FOUND HIDING IN THE ATTIC OF HIS HOME GARAGE!!!!!!
Fox News 5:15pm
Reports had it as a weather balloon which would “hover 20’ off the ground.
No mention of it being tethered (reporting on this was horrid). A former weatherman and current storm chaser, might it have been intended to be tethered to the vehicle.
The kids slept in their clothes in case they had to get up fast to go chasing.