Did a Weather Balloon, Not a Mysterious Space Object, Strike That United Airlines Flight? (sfgate.com) 34
Slashdot reader joshuark shares this report from SFGate:
The mystery object that struck a plane at 36,000 feet is likely not space debris, as some speculated, but rather a Silicon Valley test project gone wrong...
WindBorne Systems, a Palo Alto startup that uses atmospheric balloons to collect weather data for AI-based forecast models,has come forward to say that they believe they may be responsible for the object that hit the windshield... "At 6am PT, we sent our preliminary investigation to both NTSB and FAA, and are working with both of them to investigate further," [WindBorne's CEO John Dean posted on social media...] WindBorne said the company has launched more than 4,000 balloons and that it coordinates with the Federal Aviation Administration for every launch.
WindBorne "has conducted more than 4,000 launches," the company said in a statement, noting that they've always coordinated those launched with America's Federal Aviation Administration and filed aviation alerts for every launched balloon. Plus "The system is designed to be safe in the event of a midair collision... Our balloon is 2.4 pounds at launch and gets lighter throughout flight." We are working closely with the FAA on this matter. We immediately rolled out changes to minimize time spent between 30,000 and 40,000 feet. These changes are already live with immediate effect. Additionally, we are further accelerating our plans to use live flight data to autonomously avoid planes, even if the planes are at a non-standard altitude. We are also actively working on new hardware designs to further reduce impact force magnitude and concentration.
WindBorne Systems, a Palo Alto startup that uses atmospheric balloons to collect weather data for AI-based forecast models,has come forward to say that they believe they may be responsible for the object that hit the windshield... "At 6am PT, we sent our preliminary investigation to both NTSB and FAA, and are working with both of them to investigate further," [WindBorne's CEO John Dean posted on social media...] WindBorne said the company has launched more than 4,000 balloons and that it coordinates with the Federal Aviation Administration for every launch.
WindBorne "has conducted more than 4,000 launches," the company said in a statement, noting that they've always coordinated those launched with America's Federal Aviation Administration and filed aviation alerts for every launched balloon. Plus "The system is designed to be safe in the event of a midair collision... Our balloon is 2.4 pounds at launch and gets lighter throughout flight." We are working closely with the FAA on this matter. We immediately rolled out changes to minimize time spent between 30,000 and 40,000 feet. These changes are already live with immediate effect. Additionally, we are further accelerating our plans to use live flight data to autonomously avoid planes, even if the planes are at a non-standard altitude. We are also actively working on new hardware designs to further reduce impact force magnitude and concentration.
ADSB? (Score:5, Interesting)
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Might need to actually allow them to fit ADSB before you start talking about requiring them to.
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Weather balloons usually have a radar reflectors so that airplanes can detect them.
They also know their altitude and latitude + longitude, which they transmit to the ground. That could optionally be transmitted to the air control.
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Price really. ADS-B transmitters are expensive. They're smaller nowadays but those still need a regular transponder (they are not UAT devices, but regular transponders in "ES" or "extended squitter" mode meaning they output regular transponder data but add extra bits to the end - Garmin has a patent where it detects a normal plane transponder responding to a query then adds the extra data to the end).
Most of the radiosondes aren't recovered - the recovery rates are up to 50% or so so they're made to be chea
Re: ADSB? (Score:3)
Sounds like a huge waste of resources. P = MV. Any form of air-balloon is ... how many kilograms? The plane will be going at less than mach 1.
Also, do you not understand what ADSB is? I think you mean TCAS.
Avi Loeb will certainly disaggree with the title (Score:3)
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And the Pentagram will claim it was a Chinese spy balloon.
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Yes, they really dropped the balloon on this one: https://fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/... [fosstodon.org]
2.4lbs at 500mph... (Score:3)
... is going to do a lot of damage. Anyone want to guess how much a bullet weighs?
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... is going to do a lot of damage. Anyone want to guess how much a bullet weighs?
Uh..
noting that they've always coordinated those launched with America's Federal Aviation Administration and filed aviation alerts for every launched balloon.
Anyone want to guess as to who had one fucking job here with regards to coordinating traffic?
The hell is the point in filing aviation alerts? To let the migrating geese know?
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Well, in all honesty it was a United flight, we should be happy that the wheels didn't freaking fall off again. The same budgetary shenanigans which ensured that there was no on left at the FAA who could say, "The 737 MAX has too many changes and needs to recertify" has also ensured that airline executives can cut back the maintenance budget to enhance their own bonuses.
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Well, in all honesty it was a United flight, we should be happy that the wheels didn't freaking fall off again. The same budgetary shenanigans which ensured that there was no on left at the FAA who could say, "The 737 MAX has too many changes and needs to recertify" has also ensured that airline executives can cut back the maintenance budget to enhance their own bonuses.
At least they still managed to break my Taylor guitar.
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Comment above mentions the lack of an ADSB transponder so while sure they can say that a balloon was launched from a location but in 30 do the FAA and other planes have any read on it's location?
"Hey we launched 20 balloons from these coorindates"
"Noted, and where are they headed?"
"Literally wherever the wind takes them"
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I presume they are collecting data over a radio link. Could they not just read the GPS position and use a ground-based ADSB transponder to broadcast that information to nearby planes?
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That's probably a good idea and should happen but also a cost and liability Windborne would rather not have to deal with. I also genuinely don't know how ADSB and everyone reading it reacting to objects that are moving unpredictably, it's not a plane where chances are if it's on a heading it's probably going to around that same heading in the next, 10,20, 30 seconds but these things are at the mercy of the elements and I bet they can get updrafted very quickly. .
The better point is that in that much as wit
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"Literally wherever the wind takes them"
When the FAA requires aviation alerts per flight for objects flying with Mother Nature at the controls, it tends to smell like the shitty wind that comes right before some bullshit justification that ultimately helps no one, but will probably legally absolve a Federal organization from any wrongdoing when a balloon eventually gets sucked through an engine. Which any airline mechanic will tell you a 1-pound wrench tossed into those works can ruin a day quick.
ADSB transponders might be the only logical choic
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So wait do they have tracking or not, is this a matter of facts and the law or politics and vibes because it sure sounds like the latter.
I'm not saying they shouldn't have transmitters, they absolutely should if they are in airspace but did the law allow them to launch without them or as you are suggesting now this was illegal?
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I heard it was (Score:2)
Swamp gas
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You mean: I smelled...
If you read the comments on your own site... (Score:1)
The last story literally already confirmed this (Score:2)
God I can't wait for AI to put "Editor"David out of a job.
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Finally! (Score:2)
Mentioned this originally.. (Score:1)
In the previous post on this topic, I pointed out that an object entering the atmosphere from space would be going so fast it'd blow a hole through the plane, not 'bounce off the windshield'.
Shouldn't that have been obvious from the start? Or is this more of a clickbait kinda topic?
Or perhaps ... (Score:2)
weather ballon not space object? (Score:2)