Do Not Touch These Balloons of TIFR Scientific Research: Fact Check

Story:

If you happen to come across them, do Not Touch These Balloons of Scientific Research at any Cost.

Atomic Energy and ISRO officials said the balloons released into sky for scientific research will fall on ground and warned people not to touch them. They asked people to either inform nearby police or on the contact number mentioned on the balloons. They explained the balloons can come down and fall in some districts of Telangana.

Other Versions

(Telugu)

ఇవి కనిపిస్తే ముట్టుకోవద్దు

ఈ బెలూన్ లను ఎట్టి పరిస్థితి లోను తాకొద్దు

సైంటిఫిక్ రీసెర్చ్ లో భాగంగా ఆకాశం లోకి వదిలే బెలూన్ లు భూమి మీద పడిపోయి కనిపిస్తే వాటిని ఎవరు టాకొద్దని ..

వెంటనే పోలీసులకి గాని …దాని పై ఉన్న నంబరుకు గాని సమాచారం అందించాలని అటామిక్ ఎనర్జీ, ఇస్రో అధికారులు పేర్కొన్నారు. తెలంగణాలోని పలు జిల్లాల్లో ఈ బెలూన్ లు దిగే అవకాశం ఉన్నట్లు వివరించారు

Fact Check:

A message doing rounds on WhatsApp and other social media platforms warns people Not to Touch certain Balloons of Scientific Research in Telangana. It claims Atomic Energy of India and ISRO officials are releasing certain Balloons into sky for scientific research and they will fall on ground. They asked people who find the balloons to either inform nearby police or on the contact number mentioned on them. The claims are true with some misinformation explained here.

TIFR Scientific Research

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Government of India are going to launch 10 Balloon flights from Hyderabad for conducting scientific studies. The Balloon Facility of TIFR near ECIL will launch them in association with the Department of Atomic Energy and Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO. In view of the research, the balloons will be filled with Hydrogen gas and carry some scientific instruments.

Image of TIFR High altitude Weather Balloons Launch — TIFR High altitude Weather Balloons Launch

About the Launch

The first Balloon launch can take place around third week of January 2020, with the remaining going up until April 30. The balloons are normally launched during night hours between 8 pm and 6.30 am. They reach high altitudes between 30 to 42 Kilometers for research and experiments. The instruments will be kept at the height for some hours before releasing them down slowly suspended in large, colored parachutes. For example, below is an old image of the TIFR balloon facility parachute that descended in Vikarabad in October 2018. At the time, the balloon in fact carried equipment on board to record data on Ozone levels and for research into Infrared Astronomy.

Image of Old TIFR balloon facility parachute that descended in Vikarabad — Old TIFR balloon facility parachute that descended in Vikarabad

Request to Public Not to Touch the Balloons of Scientific Research

TIFR requested public to inform them about landing whereabouts of the balloons so officials can come and collect them. Scientific in-charge of the facility B Suneel Kumar appealed to public who find the parachute and instruments not to remove them from the place of landing. He in fact mentioned there may be high voltages on some of the instruments, which can be dangerous if opened. For the sake of safety, officials keep the instruments inside wooden cages or large aluminum framework containers. Suneel Kumar asked people to inform them at the address given on various packages. They are also requested to inform nearest police station, post office or district authorities. With this in mind, the officials even announced finder of the instruments a suitable reward.

Expected Regions of Fall

Depending on prevailing winds, the balloons can drift and the instruments can fall about 200 to 350 kilometers from Hyderabad. Officials said the balloon drifts will be on the Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad-Sholapur line.

The expected regions of the instruments fall include Adilabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Hyderabad, Jagtial, Jangoan, Jayshankar Bhupalpally, Jogulamba Gadwal, Kamareddy, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kumuram Bheem, Mahabubabad, Mahabubnagar, Mancherial, Medak, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda, Nirmal, Nizamabad, Peddapalli, Rajanna Sircilla, Rangareddy, Sangareddy, Siddipet, Suryapet, Vikarabad, Wanaparthy, Warangal, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts of Telangana.