The radar picked up an object of considerable size, flying from Rio Gallegos toward the north. The device is unable to determine its point of origin. But it flies without stopping. There is astonishment and disquiet. However, the decision in quick and unequivocal: two Mirage interceptors are scrambled from the Tandil Base to intercept the object...and they find that it is a weather balloon launched in Australia, winding up in Argentina's airspace.
More or less, this is the story told by Commodore Jorge Tealdi, press officer for the Argentinean Air Force (FAA) which decided in late 2010 to create a commission to investigate celestial phenomena that penetrate the nation's skies.
The incident he recalled took place several years ago, but it helps to explain the goals of this new commission. There was something strange in the air, an unknown object, and it was possible -- by specific actions -- to establish what it was. "The Argentinean Air Force's main mission is to safeguard Argentinean airspace, and we admit that our skies have cases involving objects or phenomena that cannot be explained. This does not necessarily mean that they are alien spacecraft, but they are indeed unidentified flying objects," explained Tealdi, a resident of Córdoba, born in Morteros, in a statement to Día a Día.
The new commission already has the authorization of the Ministry of Defense and will operate out of the Condor Building as the Comisión de Estudios de Fenómenos Aeroespaciales o Celestes (Aerospatial or Heavenly Phenomena Study Commission). Its members have not yet been appointed, but will include specialists in a variety of disciplines, such as meteorologists, air traffic controllers, pilots and radar experts. Collaborators will also be invited to participate -- Ufologists, for example -- under the command of military personnel.
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