The main portal at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.OAK RIDGE, Tenn. -- Security police at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant confiscated what was described as a "weather balloon" that landed near the national-security installation.
National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Steven Wyatt tells the Knoxville News Sentinel that the balloon, which landed Sunday afternoon, is believed to have been part of a "geospatial balloon challenge" that originated in Middle Tennessee.
Wyatt says the balloon did not pose a security threat.
Ralph Hutchison, coordinator of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, said members of his group noticed a commotion involving numerous security vehicles at Y-12 on Sunday while Hutchison and others were staging their weekly peace vigil nearby.
Wyatt says he was unaware of any charges in the incident. No one was immediately available for comment at the Oak Ridge Police Department.