Aerostat takes a dive

By ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN
MARFA, VALENTINE – The iconic big white blimp in the air between Marfa and Valentine went down Tuesday evening, according to the U.S. Air Force.
The aerostat, officially called a Tethered Aerostat Radar System, impacted the ground, still tethered to its mooring system at about 6:15pm Tuesday, USAF Air Combat Command Public Affairs spokesperson Scott Knuteson said by email Wednesday afternoon.
“Personnel at the site were hauling (down) the aerostat due to increasing winds aloft when the mishap occurred,” he said, adding that no one was injured and that no private property had been damaged.
Knuteson said he didn’t know long the aerostat would be grounded, and that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the mishap.
The Marfa aerostat is one of several helium-filled tethered balloons along the U.S. border with Mexico. It carries a sophisticated radar package designed to detect low-flying aircraft that may be smuggling narcotics and other contraband from Mexico into the United States.
There have been two previous major mishaps involving the Marfa aerostat, the first on October 4, 1995 in which the aerostat broke free from its mooring, and another on April 19, 1998 when the hull ruptured, Knuteson said. Two smaller incidents have also occurred.
The balloon was redesigned to make it more air worthy after the second major mishap.