NASA balloon studying black holes crash lands in Texas field after launching in New Mexico
Published on Oct 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Oct 22, 2025 at 7:59 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A Texas woman was hanging out at home when she saw something strange floating from the sky.
Not a plane. Not a UFO. Something huge.
And it was heading straight for her neighbor’s field.
Turns out, this wasn’t the beginning of an alien invasion – it was a NASA science balloon that had just crash-landed.
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What happened when a NASA research balloon fell from space
The big object had launched just a day earlier from Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
It was part of a NASA project studying stars, galaxies, and black holes, all run by the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas.
Usually, these giant research balloons fly high above the Earth and land quietly in safe zones.
But this one came down early, with no warning for locals.
Ann Walter and her family watched it drift across the sky and land in a wheat field nearby.
When they got closer, it looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
A hulking chunk of NASA hardware resting awkwardly on the ground.
Walter phoned the sheriff, who looped in NASA, and soon the agency confirmed it was theirs.
They came to haul it away, leaving Walter with one word for the whole thing – ‘cool’.
NASA’s balloon lab is bigger than you think
The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, or CSBF, is a major NASA site managed by Peraton, responsible for launching and recovering massive, unmanned balloons for science teams around the world.
Each NASA research balloon can stretch nearly 400 feet wide and carry experiments to the edge of space.
Missions launch from places like New Mexico, Antarctica, and New Zealand, chasing the best skies for research.
Most land safely, far from people.
But every once in a while one takes a detour, giving locals like the Walters a front-row seat to NASA’s workday gone sideways.
For Ann, it was just a cool story to tell.
For NASA, another recovery mission.
And for the rest of us, further proof that what goes up really must come down, and not even NASA can beat the law of physics.
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
