(c) 2009, Los Angeles Times FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- As the silvery UFO-shaped balloon sailed over the high plains and a national television audience watched transfixed Thursday, the Colorado Army National Guard scrambled together combat helicopters for a possible rescue of the 6-year-old boy reportedly inside. Flights in and out of Denver International Airport were re-routed, while on the ground, would-be rescuers with eyes skyward chased the craft along winding back roads. CNN upped its tape delay to 10 seconds, lest it broadcast a tragedy live. Some people offered prayers for the boy's safe return. But when the balloon finally landed, Falcon Heene was not inside. And he hadn't fallen from the sky. He had been home, asleep. The saga of Falcon began when a homemade helium-filled balloon accidentally went airborne and one of his older brothers reported that he thought the boy had crawled into the craft. As the story unfolded, it seemed tailored for the current age, complete with a nod to reality TV, lots of chatter in the blogosphere and even a hint of scandal as questions were raised about whether the whole thing had been a hoax. The nation has experienced shared media moments before, such as the nervous waiting for the successful rescue of 'Baby Jessica,' an 18-month-old baby named Jessica McClure who fell into a well in Midland, Texas, in 1987. But unlike the leading characters in previous media moments, Falcon Heene and his family were, to some people, familiar figures. The Heene family has a television studio in their basement, and YouTube is full of videos of Richard and Mayumi Heene's three boys. The parents are storm chasers who have brought their children along to pursue tornadoes and hurricanes. They even opened up their most private moments to scrutiny by appearing on the ABC show 'Wife Swap,' in which two mothers trade places. Swiftly, the Heene You Tube channel filled with comments from well-wishers. 'I heard about the story on the news,' wrote videogirl130. 'I am praying for you.' As authorities and the family later described it, the flight of Falcon went something like this: Falcon's inventor father yelled at him Thursday morning for messing with the flying device, intended to be steered through electrical inputs. When it accidentally went aloft at 11:20 a.m., Falcon crept into a crawl space above the family garage and hid in a cardboard box. 'I played, and then I went to bed,' he told reporters late Thursday afternoon after he was found. Falcon's older brother said he had seen the boy enter a plywood compartment just below the balloon just before it slipped its tether and went skyward. The report triggered the scramble to save the boy. PICK UP 13th graf: As the balloon's flight xxx 