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What was the debris Brazel found?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·4 answers·0·0 following
Answered: The balloon train of Project Mogul flight 4, launched 4 June 1947, with its neoprene balloons, balsa and foil…Passed its tests and review.

Where it stands

Four answers have been proposed. An ordinary weather balloon and radar target, as the Army said in 1947. leads, with evidence 1 for, 1 against: partly supported by its tests. Three are still possible.

Why it matters

Everything else depends on this. The 1947 record describes foil, sticks, tape and rubber; the Air Force says Project Mogul; the later accounts say a craft⁠[1]⁠[2].

Answers 4

Evidence: 1 for, 1 against
Most likely
Evidence: 3 for, 1 against
Most likely
Evidence: 1 for, 1 against
Disputed
None of these.
Failed a test; not refuted outright
Evidence: none yet
Disputed

History

  1. University of Texas at Arlington Libraries: the Johnson photographs show foil, balsa sticks and a reflector consistent with the 1947 identification.Against: A craft of unknown origin, with the balloon a substituted cover.
  2. Weaver & McAndrew puts forward: the balloon train of Project Mogul flight 4, launched 4 June 1947, with its neoprene balloons, balsa and foil…
  3. United States General Accounting Office puts forward: an ordinary weather balloon and radar target, as the Army said in 1947.
  4. Weaver & McAndrew: flight 4 was lost to tracking within about 17 miles of the ranch, and Charles Moore identified the…For: The balloon train of Project Mogul flight 4, launched 4 June 1947, with its neoprene balloons, balsa and foil…
  5. United States General Accounting Office: the FBI teletype and the 509th history of July 1947 both record a balloon with a radar reflector.For: The balloon train of Project Mogul flight 4, launched 4 June 1947, with its neoprene balloons, balsa and foil…
  6. Weaver & McAndrew: ramey's identification of the hardware was correct; only the project was omitted.For: An ordinary weather balloon and radar target, as the Army said in 1947.
  7. Wikipedia contributors puts forward: a craft of unknown origin, with the balloon a substituted cover.
  8. Wikipedia contributors: the NYU records do not record where flight 4 came down.Against: The balloon train of Project Mogul flight 4, launched 4 June 1947, with its neoprene balloons, balsa and foil…
  9. Wikipedia contributors: brazel's 1947 description (rubber, foil, tape, sticks, about five pounds) matches a balloon train with…For: The balloon train of Project Mogul flight 4, launched 4 June 1947, with its neoprene balloons, balsa and foil…
  10. Wikipedia contributors: brazel described debris over about 200 yards, more than one target would leave.Against: An ordinary weather balloon and radar target, as the Army said in 1947.
  11. Wikipedia contributors: marcel said in 1978 that the material could not be burned or bent and that the Fort Worth balloon was a…For: A craft of unknown origin, with the balloon a substituted cover.
  12. Asked on this site
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