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Friday, July 29, 2011

Helium anomaly forces Lockheed airship down on maiden flight


Lockheed Martin is investigating why a high-altitude airship was forced to make a controlled landing less than 3h after lifting off on a maiden flight that was supposed to last several days.

The high-altitude long-endurance demonstrator (HALE-D) rose to 32,000ft after lifting off at 05:47 from Akron, Ohio, on 27 July, but then experienced a serious anomaly, Lockheed said.

Helium was escaping from the airship's gas envelope, preventing the demonstrator from ascending to 60,000ft, the company said. The US Army's Space and Missile Defence Command (SMDC), the project's sponsor, directed Lockheed to land the aircraft as quickly as possible.

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