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The Roswell Report: Fact versus Fiction in the New Mexico Desert was published by Headquarters United States Air Force in 1995. The Black Vault distributes this copy. It reproduces the report by Col. Richard L. Weaver and the synopsis by 1st Lt. James McAndrew, both written after a General Accounting Office inquiry requested by Representative Steven Schiff. The Air Force search found no evidence of an extraterrestrial craft or crew. It concluded that the Roswell debris most likely came from NYU Flight No. 4, a Project MOGUL balloon train.
“R.G.”5 pages
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When the contact is made, the load line is cut and the entire weight of the dependent equipment is used to pull out a section of the balloon wall. Through this rupture, the lifting gas can escape, and the balloon descends, using the upper portion as a parachute. The rate of descent has been observed to vary from 600 to 1500 feet per minute when this system is employed. For some special applications it has been desirable to cause the balloon to descend after some predetermined time, instead of waiting for the descent to air traffic lanes. In these cases, a clockwork switch has been used instead of the pressure-activation unit. When clocks are used they are kept free of lubricants which will freeze. The best results have been obtained from the use of a Dow Corning Silicone (DC 701) diluted with 30% kerosene. If this is not available, it is better to send up a clock without any lubrication. Given relatively loose mechanism (a cheap alarm clock) the differential expansion of parts which is encountered at low temperatures is apt to cause less trouble than does the congealing of standard lubricants. ## IV. EQUATIONS AND THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS Development of a controlled altitude balloon has led to investigation of many theoretical considerations applicable both directly and indirectly to the description of variables encountered in balloon control. Some of these relationships have been derived directly from standard hydrodynamic or thermodynamic principles; others come from an empirical study of results of laboratory tests and actual balloon flights. In this section we will investigate these theoretical considerations and endeavor to correlate them with actual flight results. A more simple investigation of the equations necessary for the launching and tracking of a controlled altitude balloon is contained in Part II of this report, "Operations." We shall first consider the relationships which aid in evaluating the elementary characteristics of non-extensible balloon flight and those which are helpful in carrying out inflation and launching operations of such balloons. Next, we shall discuss more complex considerations involved in balloon flights. ## A. Floating Altitude and Altitude Sensitivity To determine the altitude at which a non-extensible balloon will float we must consider the weight of the balloon system, the volume of the balloon, and the densities of the lifting gas and the air. [If the lifting gas is 98% helium (molecular weight 4.50 lb./lb. mol), the lift of a unit of gas will be 24.4 lb./lb. mol. Similarly, if 98% hydrogen were the lifting gas, the lift would be 26.6 lb./lb. mol.] By using these three basic parameters, we can obtain an expression for the molar volume at which the balloon will float:
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