SPACE reports that NASA’s GUSTO mission, which launched from Antarctica on Dec. 31, set a new agency record for a heavy-lift, long-duration scientific balloon flight. The balloon remained “aloft for a total of 57 days, 7 hours and 38 minutes, representing the longest flight of any NASA heavy-lift, long-duration balloon mission, according to a statement from the space agency.”
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Tag: Balloon
US Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon
The New York Times reported that “the United States shot down a Chinese spy balloon on Saturday.” The balloon “spent five days traveling in a diagonal southeast route from Idaho to the Carolinas” and “was shot down within moments of its arrival over the Atlantic Ocean,” off the coast of South Carolina. “One of two F-22 fighter jets from Langley Air Force Base fired a Sidewinder air-to-air missile, downing the balloon, which was flying at an altitude of 60,000 to 65,000 feet. The F-22s were at 58,000 feet, with other American fighters in support.”
Full Story (New York Times)