Local Hackerspace Loses Solar Balloon, Creating Another UFO In New Mexico

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday January 20, 2015 @04:31PM from the states-obsessed-with-aliens,-illegal-and-otherwise dept.

bugnuts writes: Local Albuquerque, New Mexico Hackerspace Quelab created and unintentionally launched a solar-powered tetroon over the city, prompting several calls to the FAA, Kirtland Air Force Base, and news organizations, describing it as a "floating tortilla chip." The tetroon allows sunlight to pass through the top layer, heating the inner black layers, creating a hot-air balloon as the interior gas expands. Besides the well-known "Roswell" incident, New Mexico often has many UFO sightings due to the prevalence of technology and military groups, good weather, and clear skies.

2 of 31 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Seriously? by hermitdev · 2015-01-20 16:46 · Score: 2

Not a UFO, already determined that even in the summary. We know what it is, thus "identified". Not "unidentified". Thus no UFO. Why is this a story? That a few people called in and didn't recognize a few lights in the sky?
In Albuquerque? by Hartree · 2015-01-20 16:57 · Score: 2

With all the weird aircraft that fly into Kirtland, and the yearly Balloon Fiesta with hundreds of hot air balloons, I'm surprised it would have drawn much in the way of UFO calls in ABQ.
They regularly have weirder things in the air.