PENTAGON PERSONNEL ARE ON THE SCENE INVESTIGATING A BLIMP
THAT GOT LOOSE.
IT IS MY FAVORITE STORY IN A VERY LONG
TIME.
THERE WAS A BLIMP THAT GOT LOOSE, AND IT WAS SUPPOSED
TO BE TIED DOWN BUT IT JUST FLOATED AWAY.
THE BEST PART WAS THAT IT HAD A MILE-LONG CORD DANGLING
FROM IT WHICH JUST WENT FROM POWERLINE TO POWERLINE.
30,000 PEOPLE ARE WITHOUT POWER JUST BECAUSE IT KNOCKED OUT
POWER LINES.
THERE WAS ALSO A SCHOOL ñ HERE IS ONE OF THEM GETTING DEFLATED.
THIS GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE SIZE OF ONE OF THESE BLIMPS.
IT IS AMAZING.
THEY FOUND THE BLIMP AT THE END, IT CAME SAFELY TO THE GROUND
WITHOUT ANY KINETIC ACTION TO BRING IT TO THE GROUND.
THEY DID SCRAMBLE JETS TO MAKE SURE IT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING.
OFFICIALS NOTICED THERE WAS STILL HELIUM IN THE NOSE ON
THURSDAY MORNING, SO THEY DECIDED TO SHOOT IT WITH A
SHOT GUN.
>> THAT WOULD'VE BEEN MY FIRST RESPONSE.
JUST SHOOT IT WITH A SHOTGUN.
>> WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SHOOT HELIUM WITH A SHOTGUN?
DOES THAT DO ANYTHING?
>> WHAT I WANT TO HAPPEN IS ALL THE HELIUM SHOOTS OUT AND
EVERYONE STARTS TALKING FUNNY FROM BREATHING IN HELIUM.
>> WHAT I HOPE THEY MIGHT MEAN IS THAT IT LOST SOME
HELIUM, BUT IT WAS STILL FILLED WITH ENOUGH HELIUM THAT
THEY THOUGHT MAYBE IT COULD TAKE OFF AGAIN.
THAT MAKES SENSE.
>> IT CAME TO THE GROUND.
>> I THOUGHT THEY SHOT AT THE HELIUM ITSELF, WHICH IS
HARD TO HIT.
>> BLIMPS ARE SUPPOSED TO CARRY A RADAR SIGNAL TO PICK UP
ANY THREATS.
THEIR WHOLE JOB IS TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE.
THEIR PERFORMANCE RATINGS ARE SUPPOSEDLY REALLY, REALLY POOR.
>> IT SAYS THEY ARE CALLED THE JOINT LAND ATTACK CRUISE
MISSILE DEFENSE ELEVATED NETTED SENSOR SYSTEM.
THAT'S WHAT THIS THING IS.
IT'S CRAZY BECAUSE THIS THING THAT IS SUPPOSED TO DEFEND
US AGAINST THESE HUGE MISSILES IS A BLIMP.
>> THE COOL THING IS THAT IT CAN STAY THERE FOR 30
DAYS, WHICH MEANS IT CAN DO IT'S RADAR FOR A LONG TIME.
THERE ARE CONSPIRACY THEORIES THAT THESE ARE GOING TO BE
USED FOR LONG-TERM SURVEILLANCE OF THE AMERICAN POPULATION.
WHICH CONSIDERING WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY,
IS PROBABLY NOT TOO MUCH OF A CONSPIRACY THEORY.
>> THEY SAID THERE IS NO CAMERAS ON IT.
I TRUST THEM, THEY ARE THE PENTAGON.
>> I LOVE THE IDEA OF A BLIMP THAT IS LOOSE MOVING SLOWLY
ACROSS THE STATE.
IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN GO 10 MILES AN HOUR.
THEIR TRACKING IS GOING FAST AROUND IT.
>> AMERICA NEVER WASTES ANY MONEY.
THE 41 MILLION THEY SPENT ON TRAINING RECRUITS
TO FIGHT ISIS, THAT IS A BARGAIN.
I'VE NEVER SEEN THEM WASTE MONEY.
THESE GLOVES ARE PROBABLY WELL WORTH IT.
>> YES, IT'S AMAZING.
LET'S LOOK AT IT.
>> IT LOOKS LIKE A WHALE.
>> IT LOOKS SO INNOCUOUS, BUT IT IS STILL INTENT ON STOPPING
MISSILES.
>> IT'S AN INTERESTING PROBLEM TO HAVE BECAUSE IT GOES UP THERE
ñ HOW DO YOU GET IT DOWN?
YOU CAN'T GET ANY PLANE ABOVE IT THE CAUSE IS A BLIMP, IT'S
GIGANTIC.
THE THING IS HANGING DOWN, BUT CAN YOU ACTUALLY GRAB ONTO
THE WIRE?
>> DID ANYONE ELSE THINK THIS, I WOULD LIKE TO TEST AND SEE
IF ANYONE ELSE IS AS WEIRD ñ
AS SOON AS I HEARD THERE WAS A TETHER HANGING DOWN FROM IT
OBVIOUSLY WE SHOULD FIND SOMEONE TO CLIMB THAT WITH SOME KIND OF
SPIDERMAN TYPE ABILITY TO GRAB ONTO IT.
>> IT SEEMS DANGEROUS, I GUESS.
I DON'T KNOW.
>> THE COMPLICATED THING IS THAT IT DOESN'T NEED TO HAVE ANY
CREW ON IT BECAUSE IT'S SUPPOSED TO STAY THERE FOR A MONTH.
YOU'D IMAGINE THEY WOULD HAVE SOME AUTOMATED LANDING.
THE THING COSTS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
>> THE PENTAGON IS LOOKING INTO IT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED.
>> I THINK HIGH SCHOOL KIDS CUT IT LOOSE.
>>
THE CHANCE OF HIGH SCHOOL KIDS CUTTING IT IS VERY SMALL BECAUSE
THE TETHER HAS WITHSTOOD STORMS IN EXCESS OF 100 KNOTS.
HOWEVER, IN THE EVENT IT DOES HAPPEN, THERE ARE A NUMBER
OF PROCEDURES AND SYSTEMS IN PLACE WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO
BRING
IT DOWN.
>> I TRIED SO HARD NOT TO MAKE A KNOT JOKE.