A strange sight over Arizona in the very early morning recently was just another Air Force Research Lab scientific balloon, according to the Holbrook (Ariz.) Tribune-News, which quoted someone as saying it looked like a “big jellyfish.” AFRL researchers from Kirtland AFB, N.M., launched the large balloon from the Holbrook Airport about 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 9 to test communications signals. AFRL controlled the balloon via long-distance radio waves, sending it toward Kirtland and touchdown at Tucamcari, N.M. Researches plan to make about 100 flights over the next three years from Holbrook, which was chosen due to its wind patterns and open airspace.
The Navy should complete the business cases for its proposed alternatives to GPS navigation so that Congress can properly oversee and fund the programs, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. The Air Force’s business-case documents for its Resilient-Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (R-EGI), on the other…