It s about 660 feet long and 460 feet wide. A 300-foot tether hangs below the balloon and holds an instrument package conducting the experiment, said Doug Baugh, a weather specialist with the Grand Junction office of the National Weather Service. Curious people from all over the area called the weather service inquiring about the balloon, he said. Koehler said the balloon is buoyed in the air with helium. It is made of a plastic material as thin as plastic food wrap.
Supportive strands run from the top to the bottom of the balloon.
Though still quite visible from Cortez at 2 p.m., the balloon was located in San Miguel County about 10 miles south of Naturita, at an altitude of 129,800 feet. By comparison, a typical commercial, cross-country airplane cruises at about 30,000 feet. The balloon was traveling northwest at 24 mph and was 354 miles from its launch site. Scientists follow the balloon via tracking systems and bring it down in a remote clearing, Koehler said. As it approaches earth, an airplane and a ground crew chase the balloon.