Word: ballasting
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...into the sky in a first-class launching. But, said the Defense Department, it "failed to complete its full flight because of technical difficulties." Thor, on the other hand, was eminently successful. For the first time, the Air Force fired its IRBM complete: nose cone, full guidance gear-and ballast in the nose to simulate the weight of its warhead. Thor flew a little under 1,200 nautical miles, landed within less than two nautical miles of its preselected target point. Thus Thor proved to be the leading IRBM in the U.S. arsenal; indeed, its manufacturer, Douglas Aircraft, already boasts...
...minute toward the storms that looked as harmless as tiny powder-puffs. Soon the balloon was down to 68,400 ft., and the temperature inside the gondola dropped to 34° F. Simons pulled on a warming suit over his figure-hugging space suit, dumped some ballast (including two spent batteries), and climbed back to safety. An hour before sunrise, he radioed a plea to the ground: "I've got to get some sleep!" Permission was granted; the gondola, conditioned by pressurized oxygen, helium and nitrogen, was awesomely hushed. "It's like no earthly quiet," he reported...
...Justice. His first major opinion was in the memorable school desegregation case, and he was joined in it by all his brethren on the court. But while millions cheered the result, many lawyers had an uneasy feeling that it hung on too much sociological ballooning and not enough legal ballast. More than a year ago sharp legal-eagle eyes began to open wide at signs of changes to come. The Warren court reversed the Pennsylvania State conviction of Communist Steve Nelson on the ground that federal security laws (notably the very same Smith Act) had pre-empted state antisedition statutes...
...start down, Kittinger released a calculated quantity of helium. Slowly the great balloon sank toward the earth. Kittinger could not see the surface that he might hit, so airplane pilots circling below him talked him down, telling him when to drop a little ballast to keep in the air until he had cleared all dangerous obstacles. At last the gondola settled into the shallow water of Indian Creek 80 miles from its take-off place. Colonel Stapp jumped out of his helicopter and unlatched the gondola's cover. Kittinger stepped out grinning. "Not a red hair of his head...
...gondola began to spin crazily, 14 miles above the earth, and the great gasbag would not stop descending. Apparently a malfunctioning valve on the balloon had begun to release helium. The men radioed that the balloon was out of control. They dumped all the ballast and strapped themselves to the gondola's seats. "We are calm, cool and collected," they radioed. "We think we'll stay with the balloon as long...