The Roswell Report: Case Closed

Finally, on August 11,1960, DISCOVERER XIII successfully ejected a capsule and, amid much fanfare, the first recovery of a manmade object that had orbited the earth was accomplished. $ ^{92} $ This first successful mission of an American satellite, made possible in part by Holloman AFB high altitude balloons, enabled the U.S. to beat the Soviets and claim the honor of the first space recovery by only nine days. $ ^{93} $

The SURVEYOR (Moon), VOYAGER-MARS (Mars), VIKING (Mars), PIONEER (Venus), and GALILEO (Jupiter) spacecraft were tested by Air Force high altitude balloons before they were launched into space.

VIKING and VOYAGER-MARS Space Probes. Examples of unusual payloads, not likely to be associated with balloons, were qualification trials of NASA's VOYAGER-MARS and VIKING space probes. Both of these spacecraft looked remarkably similar to the classic domeshaped "flying saucer."

In 1966-67 and 1972, eight of the UFO lookalikes were launched by the Balloon Branch from the former Roswell Army Air Field (now Roswell Industrial Air Center), N.M. $ ^{94} $ The spacecraft were transported by Air Force balloons to altitudes above 100,000 feet and released for a period of self-propelled, supersonic, free-flight prior to landing on the White Sands Missile Range. $ ^{95} $ While the origins of the "Roswell" scenarios cannot be specifically traced to these vehicles, their flying saucer-like appearance, and the fact that they were launched exclusively from the original "Roswell Incident" location, leaves an impression that perhaps these odd balloon payloads may have played some role in the unclear and distorted stories of at least some of the "Roswell" witnesses.

Fig. 52. A NASA VIKING space probe is rolled out of its assembly building at Martin Marietta Corporation in Denver, Colo. (NASA)