The Chinese are are probably peeing themselves laughing over how much dissent a weather balloon has created here. No, I'm not referring to this thread ... I'm referring to throughout North America. Lots of finger pointing and blaming going around and around.
Question.....The balloon was first reported by a pilot, then civilians so what if nobody said anything? How long would the balloon be flying over the U.S before our military woke up from their desk naps and discovered it on their own?
[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 02-10-2023).]
Question.....The balloon was first reported by a pilot, then civilians so what if nobody said anything? How long would the balloon be flying over the U.S before our military woke up from their desk naps and discovered it on their own?
Let us not berate, lest we be late. Let us turn instead to wise counsel from Buoyancy 1: 9; to wit:
quote
A day before the suspected Chinese spy balloon entered US airspace over Alaska, the Defense Intelligence Agency quietly sent an internal report that a foreign object was headed towards US territory, military and intelligence officials familiar with the matter told CNN.
The report – also known as a “tipper” – was disseminated through classified channels accessible across the US government. But it wasn’t flagged as an urgent warning and top defense and intelligence officials who saw it weren’t immediately alarmed by it, according to sources. Sources familiar with the report said that the White House was not made aware of the DIA report, and President Joe Biden was not briefed on it.
Instead of treating it as an immediate threat, the US moved to investigate the object, seeing it as an opportunity to observe and collect intelligence.
It wasn’t until the balloon entered Alaskan airspace, on January 28, and then took a sharp turn south that officials came to believe it was on a course to cross over the continental US – and that its mission might be to spy on the US mainland.
This timeline of events – previously unreported – helps explain why US defense officials declined to act before the balloon had crossed over US territory. That lack of urgency has become a sharp political flashpoint on Capitol Hill, where some Republicans have criticized the administration for not sounding the alarm sooner.
“Our government knew a Chinese military spy balloon was going to enter the airspace over the continental U.S. at least TWO DAYS BEFORE it happened Yet they failed to act to stop it,” Sen. Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, tweeted on Wednesday. “Biden must disclose to Americans when they knew the spay [sic] balloon was headed towards the U.S. & explain why they didn’t stop it.”
Officials familiar with the original DIA report conceded Rubio’s point that they didn’t see the balloon as an urgent threat until it was already over US territory – even as fresh revelations have emerged about what the US knew about Chinese spy balloons.
During a closed door briefing on Tuesday, Senate staff repeatedly pressed military officials about who knew what – and when. On Wednesday, Rubio and Sen. Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Biden’s top defense and intelligence officials raising questions about the administration’s decision-making after the balloon crossed into Alaskan airspace.
CNN reported on Tuesday that US officials tracking the balloon’s trajectory recognized it as part of a known aerial surveillance operation run by the Chinese military that officials say has flown dozens of missions world-wide, including half a dozen near or within US airspace. A military intelligence report from April of 2022, exclusively reported by CNN, revealed that the US had tracked previous flights by similar balloons.
It was only when the balloon turned south that it “got strange,” a senior US official told CNN. “We immediately started talking about shooting it down, then.”
Let us now return to our homes and contemplate the remainder of this text, which the modern marvel of the Internet makes so convenient for us; to wit:
"Initial classified balloon report wasn’t flagged as urgent, drawing criticism [from Congress]" Katie Bo Lillis, Alex Marquardt, Natasha Bertrand and Zachary Cohen for CNN; February 8, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/02...nt-action/index.html
Amen.
[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 02-10-2023).]
Welp, I think I got my answer on why they didn't just poke holes in the balloon to down it, from TikTok of all places.
These balloons are huge, and right at outside air pressure inside, they are kind of like a spider web floating on the air. As they showed on the blurb I watched, poking a lot of holes in it is similar to opening a window in your house and waiting for the air to leave. There was another video talking about pilots shooting similar balloons hundreds of times, with no sign of the balloons descending.
Also, the balloon was controllable. It would take on air to descend, and release it to ascend, catching the wind currents at different levels to go whatever direction it wants.
The payload capability was anywhere from 5,000lbs to 7,000lbs depending on who is estimating the size.
The incident was just the latest twist in a dizzying saga over unidentified flying objects in North American skies. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the downing of yet another object earlier Saturday, after NORAD warned of a “high-altitude airborne object” flying over northern Canada.
“I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace,” Trudeau said in a statement.
“Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object,” he said, adding that Canadian authorities will now “analyze” the wreckage. Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said “recovery operations” were underway for further investigation into the object.
Photo just released...
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 02-12-2023).]
adding that Canadian authorities will now “analyze” the wreckage. Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said “recovery operations” were underway for further investigation into the object.
I've heard it makes a pretty nifty Valentines Day gift......Anyone know where a man might buy last minute tickets for hot air balloon rides for his wife? (askin for a friend)
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 02-14-2023).]
Every time I think about wanting to go for a balloon ride, I hear of a balloon disaster; Crashing to the ground, running into electrical wires, explosions, etc. I'll watch, instead....(Of course, then a balloon will land on top of me (Scene from "The Great Race")
... I'm referring to throughout North America. Lots of finger pointing and blaming going around and around. 
