Documents / Report
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.
“Gross”27 pages
U L H A M A Y O F N Y U C O N S T A N T - L A V A L B A L L O O N F L I L T S FLIGHT NUMBER DATE AND BALLOON LINE MARKING DATA MARKING OF BALLOON MARKING OF EQUIPMENT AVERAL BALLOON IN BALLOON INCLUDING BALLOON DESCRIPTION OF AIRTURE CONTROL BALLOON NIGHT FREE LIFT BALLOON LIFT HADIOSONE PACKAGING TRACKING % AIRCRAFT OBSERVATION % FLIGHT DURATION OPTIMUM CONSTANCY MAXIMUM & CONSTANT LEVELS MSL RECOVERY & LAND LIMO SITE CRITIQUE 11 7 July 1949 0508 MST Alamogordo New Mexico 7 - General Mills 1 - 15'.008" Poly-ethylene 6 - 7'.001" Poly-ethylene in hollow cluster below 15' balloon 17.1 kg 74.5 mc Radiosonde Ballast assembly 15.9 kg Dribbler Compass fluid Fixed leak 300 gm/hr 3 kg 11.3 kg 27.2 kg 97% with recorder Theodo-lite 38% 100% C-54 550 min. 423 min. 1500' Max. 18200' Const. 16000' 0% Balloons used in cluster to obtain higher altitude. In high wind at launching 3 small balloons deflated. Therefore cluster did not rise high enough to actuate altitude control. Dribbler leak and balloon diffusion both 300 gm/hr. Therefore balloon remained at ceiling until ballast was expanded. 12 5 Aug. 1947 0714 KST Lakehurst New Jersey 1 - General Mills 20'.001 Poly-ethylene 4.1 kg 3 mc transmitters 39.7 mc Radiosonde 72.2 mc Radiosonde Ballast assembly 28.0 kg Automatic and manual ballast volves and minimum pressure switch 5 kg 3.8 kg 31.8 kg 100% Hillman Theodo-lite 15% SCR-658 80% 85% 407 min. 60 min. + 400' Max. 14100' 95% Seymra, Delaware 85 m. First flight with large this balloon. Open appendix caused ballium dilution with air cover over appendix thought to have caused balloon rupture, terminating flight early and low. Flight not successful as balloon test or altitude control test. 13 5 Sept. 1947 0647 MST Alamogordo New Mexico 2 General Mills 20'.001" Poly-ethylene. 10" appendices inside shroud lines 8.4 kg 397 mc Radiosonde Data Gear Ballast release 24.2 kg Automatic Ballast release assembly 10.0 kg 3.8 kg 28.0 kg 100% Theodo-lite 100% SCR-658 100% Not required Burst over desert 58 min. None (burst) Max. 47600' 0% White Sands, N. M. Appendices twisted around shroud lines, preventing valving of gas at pressure altitude. Both balloons burst within 2 minutes and gear fall free to desert. Recovery not attempted. 14 6 Sept. 1947 0613 MST Alamogordo New Mexico 1 General Mills 20'.001" Poly-ethylene. 10" appendix outside shroud lines 4.0 kg 397 mc Radiosonde Banner, Ballast release 15.1 kg Automatic Ballast release assembly 5.0 kg 2.2 kg 17.3 kg 100% Theodo-lite 100% SCR-658 100% Last 10% (1-5) 55 min. None (burst) Max. 49000' 100% 6 mi. north of Alamo-gordo AAF Appendix again twisted around shroud lines, preventing valving of gas at pressure altitude, where balloon burst. Descent retarded by benner. 15 6 Sept. 1947 1153 MST Alamogordo New Mexico 1 General Mills 20'.001" Poly-ethylene. 1" appendix outside shroud lines. 4.0 kg 397 mc Radiosonde Banner, Ballast release 15.1 kg Manual ballast valve. Fixed rate of leak 1000 gm/hr 5.0 kg 2.6 kg 17.7 kg 364 min. Theodo-lite 175 min. SCR-658 364 min. Not required Accurate data not required More than 364 min. 71 min. + 900' Max. 45800' Const. 34000' 0% First flight with large G. M. balloon which did not burst due to appendix. Believe holes in balloon due to high wind at launch caused slow descent after pressure height was reached. Shows need of short appendix and automatic ballast valve. 16 8 Sept. 1947 0828 LST Alamogordo New Mexico 1 General Mills 20'.001" Poly-ethylene. 2" appendix outside shroud lines 4.4 kg 397 mc Radiosonde Data gear Banner Ballast release 16.1 kg Automatic Ballast Release assembly 3.2 kg 2.4 kg 18.5 kg 100% Theodo-lite 100% SCR-658 100% Not required A/C used to search for gear 30 min. None (burst) Max. 31700' 0% 6 miles MK Alamo-gordo AAF Heavily loaded balloon with too much free lift (inflated by volume estimate in wind). High oscillations observed after release. Balloon burst due to blowing off top wall below pressure altitude. Balloon case down with free falling gear but was not found. 17 9 Sept. 1947 1647 MST Alamogordo New Mexico 1 H. A. Smith 15'.004" Poly-ethylene with 18 load points 6.4 kg 397 mc Radiosonde Banner Ballast release 11.3 kg Automatic Ballast release assembly 100 gm/hr fixed leak 4.0 kg 2.1 kg 13.4 kg 281 min. 281 min. Not required night flight anti-mated 10 hrs. 181 min. + 500' Max. 29700' Const. 29100' Croft, Kansas 555 miles Successful controlled altitude flight demonstrating altitude controls maintains height through a sunset. Balloon descended near Croft. Kansas long after passing out of Roewill's reception range. Need for a barograph shown.
Report, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. The text was read from the page images by an OCR model; expect the odd misread word. 882 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.