The Roswell Report: Fact vs. Fiction in the New Mexico Desert

A blimp hangar at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, NJ (left), contains a Project MOGUL balloon during its preparation for flight. Lying on the desert floor near Roswell, NM, in July 1948 (right) is a Project MOGUL balloon. Due to the prevailing westerlies, MOGUL balloons often descended in the vicinity of Roswell after launch from Alamogordo. The unpredictability and hazards to aircraft presented by the balloons prompted the Civil Aviation Administration (now the Federal Aviation Administration) to conduct a hearing addressing safety concerns of balloons landing in the Roswell area (see App 13, pp. 43-44).