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USAAF Intelligence Officer Major Jesse Marcel displays pieces of a weather balloon in General Roger Ramey’s Office, which was allegedly recovered from the Foster Ranch near Roswell in June 1947. Following a poorly considered USAAF press release, there would be claims that the USAAF had recovered debris and perhaps crewmembers from a crashed alien spacecraft. When the USAF re- opened the case fifty years later, they suggested that a top-secret balloon project called Mogul was the reason for the cover-up. Many still doubt this is the real explanation. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Photograph Collection, Special Collections Division, University of Texas at Arlington Libraries (30.5cm) telescope lifted to very high altitude by a balloon. The nature of some operations however, especially those conducted by the USAAF/USAF from Alamogordo Army Airfield (later Holloman AFB), New Mexico, remain less clear —- while the balloons themselves were not classified it seems that many of the payloads were. Some balloons undoubtedly carried experimental photographic equip- ment intended for future use in high-altitude spyplanes like the Lockheed U-2, and several large balloons lifted payloads in excess of five tons to altitudes above 100,000ft (30,500m). The names for these secret development projects included Grandson and Greyback, which would lead to the Genetrix pro- gramme. The USAF and US Navy undertook balloon releases right across the country, from locations within states such as New Mexico and Colorado to New Jersey and New York, and many of the balloons launched in the Western States drifted across the whole near-dark conditions on the ground. It is this different astronomers, appears to confirmthe — of America. At high altitudes the huge light- particular feature that is thought to have gen- _ balloon explanation. weight envelope would lose its shape, often erated many UFO reports. According to Pro- There were many suggestions that the bal- becoming spherical, oval or disc-like, and ject Blue Book, the USAF’s UFO investigation loon in question had been launched from _ perhaps slowly shifting in appearance and bureau that operated at Wright-Patterson Clinton County Air Base (now a commercial glowing in unusual colours as the balloon’s AFB from 1952 to 1969 and employed several _ site) near Wilmington Ohio, but this seems _ polythene picked up sunlight no longer visi- eminent scientists as consultants, atleast 21.3 incorrect because records show that no Sky- _ ble from the ground. It is therefore hardly sur- per cent of all UFO reports could be directly hooks were released from this location _ prising that the public reported many of these attributed to balloons. before July 1951. However, Professor Charles | objects as UFOs during a period of intense It now seems certain that a Skyhook bal- _B Moore, who headed the US Navy’s Skyhook __ interest in the subject. fa that thin hallann wndaehe Bhan fae tha bana Mantall USAAF Intelligence Officer Major Jesse Marcel displays pieces of a weather balloon in General Roger Ramey’s Office, which was allegedly recovered from the Foster Ranch near Roswell in June 1947, Following a poorly considered USAAF press release, there would be claims that the USAAF had recovered debris and perhaps crewmembers from a crashed alien spacecraft. When the USAF re- opened the case fifty years later, they suggested that a top-secret balloon project called Mogul was the reason for the cover-up. Many still doubt this is the real explanation. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Photograph Collection, Special Collections Division, University of Texas at Arlington Libraries near-dark conditions on the ground. It is this particular feature that is thought to have gen- erated many UFO reports. According to Pro- ject Blue Book, the USAF’s UFO investigation bureau that operated at Wright-Patterson AFB from 1952 to 1969 and employed several eminent scientists as consultants, at least 21.3 per cent of all UFO reports could be directly attributed to balloons. different astronomers, appears to confirm the balloon explanation. There were many suggestions that the bal- loon in question had been launched from Clinton County Air Base (now a commercial site) near Wilmington Ohio, but this seems incorrect because records show that no Sky- hooks were released from this location before July 1951. However, Professor Charles B Moore, who headed the US Navy’s Skyhook programme, said that this balloon undoubt- edly originated from Camp Ripley, Minnesota on 6th January 1948 and that it was carrying cosmic ray detection equipment. Moore claimed that, after the event, the US Navy was reluctant to admit it had played any part in the death of a flyer and personnel were instructed not to discuss the matter. From 1947 until around 1960 several hun- dred Skyhook balloons were launched froma wide variety of sites, carrying scientific pay- loads. Missions included cosmic ray detec- tion and photography, such as the 1957 Stratoscope Project that provided the first high-quality images of sunspots using a 12in It now seems certain that a Skyhook bal- loon was responsible for the famous Mantell Incident of 7th January 1947. Drifting at an alti- tude of about 70,000ft (21,336m), it was observed by large numbers of witnesses across Kentucky and generally described as a UFO. Captain Mantell tried to intercept the unidentified object in his North American P-51 piston-engined fighter and broke regula- tions by climbing above 14,000ft (4,267m) without oxygen. He then lost consciousness at an estimated height of about 25,000ft (7,620m) and was killed in the subsequent crash. While this story has entered UFO folk- lore, scientific evidence, including meteoro- logical data and telescope sightings by two Project Mogul In late 1945 US Intelligence learned that the Soviets had started a crash programme to build an atomic bomb and concerns began to be voiced about the issue of detecting a Soviet nuclear explosion. Although the first Russian test was not anticipated before early 1950, Lewis Strauss of the Atomic Energy Commission raised the question of long- range detection in April 1947. His concerns were taken seriously by the Central Intelli- gence Group (the initial name for the CIA), who formed a committee during May 1947 to investigate ways to gather information. 114 | | Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft