CO - Richard & Mayumi Heene charged in Balloon Boy hoax, Fort Collins, 2009 - #1

[momtective]

Showing what might be the falling box...on HLN

 

[Kimster]

The term "boys will be boys" comes to mind... I'm more to think this wasn't malicious... probably the older brother got the bright idea to use the smallest brother to test the balloon. I have been checking some of the science based sites to see if anyone has a balloon kit for flying, and have yet to find one... I'll keep looking.

I've been looking as well...also without success.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

why were these kids at home during the school day? homeschooled?

My kids are in a nearby school district and on Fall Break right now

 

[SuziQ]

I am so sad right now. That's too high up to survive. I'm praying for a miracle.

 

[lonetraveler]

Can anyone post this pic?

ETA: NVM, I see it now...

OMG, the photo of the object falling from the craft makes me sick to my stomach. Please God don't let the boy be in that box.

 

[KaylynnCouture]

Neighbor on HLN: Confirms they were on Wifeswap. Says the father was an inventor, and they had moved to Colorado from California. Father more recently had a "little flying saucer contraption" that had an electrical current and he lifted it off the ground with that. Neighbor says they were all storm chasers and says he never saw a box attached to the balloon.

 

[impatientredhead]

Here is that photo with the black dot underneath the balloon:

The scale of this picture doesn't seem like a basket that would hold a person. Perhaps the box that the camera they referenced might have been housed. But compared to the bottom of the balloon where the people sized basket would have been attached it seems way too small for him to have been in.

 

[sniperacer]

And listening to the live feed ... they are saying the basket was attached when it landed and was damaged.

Boy, we are getting a lot of reports here!

NO. I can say by the time the news was filming the balloon in flight, there was NO basket or anything attached to the bottom.

It fell off before anyone started to film. The lady that captured the "falling off" picture didn't even know what she captured until later.

 

[Elphaba]

This looks like a viable site for creating such a balloon:

http://www.myairship.com/building/index.html

 

[January.]

The scale of this picture doesn't seem like a basket that would hold a person. Perhaps the box that the camera they referenced might have been housed. But compared to the bottom of the balloon where the people sized basket would have been attached it seems way too small for him to have been in.

That's what I first thought too. The more I look at it though, I'm not so sure. I do hope you're right.

 

[octobermoon]

http://www.kdvr.com/news/livestreaming/

 

[Kat]

From link picture of something below balloon:

If momtective is still here she can make it bigger and fix the resolution to see it better ~ she is a whiz with that kind of stuff.


Opps I forgot to put link again: http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=125161&catid=339

 

[lilpony]

I'm sure the parents have already answered the question, if there was a basket attached to this balloon.
So I really wish this answer would get relayed to the news network. So we can settle this once and for all. :waitasec:

 

[Julessleuther]

In researching weather balloons, it appears that this balloon is considerably larger than typical experimental weather balloons. Why did he need such a large balloon that had a cabin?


Here are some things I found:

http://www.kaymont.com/pages/home.cfm

http://www.eoss.org/pubs/faqloon.htm

http://www.adeex.us/buy-sell/hobby-collection/weather-balloon-helium-inflatables

Traditional weather balloons:

http://www.scientificsales.com/Meteorological-Balloons-Weather-Balloons-Sounding-Balloon-s/25.htm

http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp?pn=3041755&bhcd2=1255642782


This looks that closest:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/106975651/helium_UFO.html
They are now stating on CNN that the balloon was homemade. What in the world was the father going to do with it? Perpetuate UFO sightings?

I've been looking as well...also without success.

 

[lonetraveler]

I have not and not for lack of looking.

HLN reporting that the pegs were on the bottom of the craft, and that they once held the box on. LE are estimating that the object seen falling from the craft was at about 35 minutes into the flight.

 

[Kat]

HLN reporting that the pegs were on the bottom of the craft, and that they once held the box on. LE are estimating that the object seen falling from the craft was at about 35 minutes into the flight.

I wonder how far off the ground the balloon was at that point in time, did they speculate? TIA LT.

 

[KaylynnCouture]

Ryan Tool, Falcons friend, is on HLN. Poor kid Says he "feels jumpy and my heart is kind of jumping every once in awhile. I'm hoping that Falcon is ok."

 

[lawlady84]

the family has to have a picture of what the balloon looked like including the basket. they really should release a picture of what this basket/compartment looked like so the people in the area watching TV can go out and LOOK for something tangible

 

[Pooka]

HLN reporting that the pegs were on the bottom of the craft, and that they once held the box on. LE are estimating that the object seen falling from the craft was at about 35 minutes into the flight.

Weren't the helicopters already filming at that point? I started watching early on and I didn't see a box.

 

[Kimster]

Expert on CNN just said that couldn't be a bird on that pic...Oh no...But it could be a spec on the lens of the camera.