2004-03-01 - Lowell, MA - Other

Parachute-like object drifting past window

I'm an elementary school teacher in a public school. I was taking my morning break to have a cup of tea and sat on a chair by the window in the teachers room. I noticed something that seemed to be drifting past the window (the school sits on a hill overlooking the city). It was about 150 feet away. At first I thought it was a para sail, but when I looked closely, I realized it was something that looked like three stuffed pillows stacked one on top of the other. There were cables or wires that held a dark canister hanging beneath it and seemed to be suspended from the sructure.

There was a teacher in the room with me, and I directed her attention to the object. She went to the window where I was standing and watched without comment. I thought the whole incident was very strange. The object drifted, rising and falling with the general contour of the hillside until it passed out of site. I don't know why, but I had the feeling that it was gathering information, collecting data of some kind. It seemed to be under control and climed in elevation when necessary. It seemed to maintain a level elevation.