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NASA's Space Balloon Smashes Car In Australia

Posted by samzenpus on from the wrong-turn dept.

Humunculus writes "Of more worldly issues, NASA's latest multimillion-dollar stratosphere-bound balloon launch has gone horribly wrong and crashed into a car, turning it over and narrowly missing two elderly people who were observing the launch. The payload fared worse, reportedly being smashed into a 'thousand pieces.'"

8 of 174 comments (clear)

  1. NASA forgot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    that Australia is upside down

  2. Re:humm? by chalkyj · · Score: 5, Informative

    Quite high if you had a car parked next to the launch rig. Which is what happened. If you bothered to click the link.

  3. could someone translate from australian for me? by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Funny

    He said the balloon was then seen lying partially-inflated above a paddock "like a white Uluru".

    what's a paddock?

    and what is with the reference to an albino version of a star trek character?

    i know you australians typically speak german like your neighbors to the north, but if you are going to write a story in the american language, try to more precise

    thanks

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:could someone translate from australian for me? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      > Rife with typo's

      Ah, the ireny.

  4. Re:In related news... by bwcarty · · Score: 5, Funny

    The lead baloon engineer....

    Why was he trying to engineer a lead balloon? Didn't he watch that episode of MythBusters?

  5. Re:Who authorized go on launch? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I don't think that was a planned release, it seems more like an accident.

    It looks as if the crane was rotating when the accident happened. The force of the balloon and the rotation of the crane seemed to have put a torque on the apparatus that was holding the rig in place. The apparatus snapped, releasing the rig and hijinx ensued.

    Also, never part downwind of space balloon launches.

  6. Re:First by twistedsymphony · · Score: 5, Funny

    The director of the Balloon Launching Centre, Professor Ravi Sood, says no one was hurt.
    But he says the scientists involved in the NASA-sponsored project are crushed.

    Rather harsh punishment don't you think?

    --
    Collector's Edition
  7. Whoosh? by Pteraspidomorphi · · Score: 5, Funny

    It may be a bad day for balloon launches, but at least jokes seem to be flying right past some people.