I've been seeing the reports about the drifting flying-saucer shaped balloon (an experimental aircraft that looks like a flying saucer) in Colorado. This seemed kind of familiar in a way. Just a few days ago, I was talking to a sibling about the wild plans of childhood. One of which included this sibling and his best friend planning to order weather balloons, create hydrogen gas in the garage, and then build an airship and fly over the city. Real "Mad Scientists Club" type stuff.
Kind of dangerous, really, when you think about. Especially the part of the plan that involved creating and storing large amounts of hydrogen gas in the garage. And we never ended up producing any more flammable gas than boys ordinarily do.
Nothing ever came of this. We didn't even get as far as ordering the weather balloons from the Edmund's Scientific Catalog. You can probably tell that nothing ever became of this and similar projects, because I am alive to tell about it.
The airship looks a little like the Jupiter II, doesn't it? At the time I am writing this, they have no information on the whereabouts of the little boy who might have been riding in the saucer. I hope he turns up somewhere safe and sound.
7 comments:
I have a theory about this story that involves people wanting their balloon in the news and the lure of a child in danger...like catnip to the media cats. Cynicism is the new silver.
I was following this story from when it first started because I happened to be watching Fox at the time. I am so glad that it had a happy ending. I went from being relieved that the boy wasn't in the balloon to being worried that he might have fallen out. It seems like everytime a child is involved in something like this you can't help but think of your own kids.
Remember the story about a boy in Fresno in a well... but they found hims safe and hiding out... in the movie 12 Monkeys? Yeah... reminds me of that.
"The Unidentified Flying Man of Mammoth Falls",one of my favorite chapters in the Mad Scientists' Club when I was a kid.
But now they're saying that the parents may have staged this as a publicity stunt. If that's true, how sad would that be?
The Jupiter II gone but not forgotten...if nothing else good is accomplished by this incident atleast Lost in Space was brought back to the forefront!
Leo: The thing was rather amorphous wasn't it? It also looked like a topheavy muffin.
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