Posted on 10/16/2009 7:53:50 AM PDT by GoldStandard
Colorado authorities met Friday morning to discuss whether they should investigate suspicions a family that claimed their six-year-old boy was trapped in an experimental, saucer-shaped ballon set up the international spectacle.
Colorado authorities chased the balloon for three hours, across several counties believing the boy was trapped inside, while television cameras followed the silver balloon's every dip and dive.
When the balloon finally landed in a farmer's field about 80 kilometres southeast of the boy's home in Fort Collins, Colo., they found no child inside and speculation immediately began that he may have fallen out during the flight.
But Falcon Heene was hiding in the attic and now suggestions are swirling the whole thing may have been a hoax.
Larimer County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Deputy Kathy Messick said the county sheriff was meeting with investigators and command staff to discuss their next investigative moves.
"They want to determine if there is something else going on besides what they presented to us initially," said Messick, in an interview with Canwest News Service. "Some people think it's a hoax and we are going to determine whether we are going to go down that avenue."
(Excerpt) Read more at vancouversun.com ...
What I thought I heard was the boy answering to a direct question from his dad. His dad asked why the boy had not answer when they called out his name and the boy replied, “You said...it was for the show.” Am I wrong about the “you said” part?
My comments were about their first swap with the ‘safety’ mom, I haven’t seen the new one except for your clip (I didn’t know they made a reappearance.) What would I do? I would obey the rules of the show, do my contractual part, would keep my composure and behave in a civilized manner, even if the other spouse would not. The dad acts like a child without discipline, so do his kids. He is UNHINGED.
LOL!!! The laws of physics strike again!
The media's gullible reaction shows just how well educated "journalism" majors really are...
Of course, most of them actually believe that a shotgun blast can knock a 200-lb man ten feet backward, through a wall, and twenty feet out into the yard -- yet not even ruffle the shooter's hair...
Not math challenged, so I understand “average”.
The minutes before landing looked much faster, BUT, that could have been the visual effect of the copter moving around the balloon position.
Yes it is a disk approximately 20 feet across and 5 feet tall.
One cubic foot of air has a weight or mass equivalent of about .078 pounds and helium .011 pounds for a net lift of .067 pounds per foot.
3.141592654 PI
10 Radius
5 Hieght
1570.796327 Cubic feet of volume
0.067 Lift Per Cubic Foot
105.2433539 Pounds of Lift
It was twenty feet tall? Wow, I didn’t realize it was that big. From what I saw, it looked to be maybe 6 feet in diameter and 6 feet tall.
If you watch this video they made, it sure looks like it wouldn't lift anything of any substantial weight for as slow as it rose!
Although, I wonder how much the balloon weighed? Looks like it could've weighed close to 100 lbs, I'll bet!
At sea level. Lower atmospheric pressure at Colorado altitude reduces that to 80.
Then it's not a cylinder but an oblate spheroid - and from the video not completely pressuirized.
figure 60-70 lb lift tops.
Anyway, they are apparently turning out to be a pack of flakes. I hope they get the full legal treatment of the Colorado Justice system if so.
Again, thanks for the good analysis. I love real world math problems...
the Heene Family
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