Does anyone understand why they haven't brought it down yet? They're just observing it as it collects information? With all the military response, I'd figure it would have been shot down within a few minutes.
They're just observing it as it collects information?
The balloon entered US air space after passing through/over Canada. It appears that all it's collected information on so far are endless forests, mountains and farmland.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 02-03-2023).]
They can make 1,500 drones make pictures in the sky, but cant use a few to "net it and pop it"? Maybe they don't want to make a big deal about it, or they know more about what it is then they are sharing with the public...
They already have satellites, and lots of them, in orbit that can read your watch. Why bother with a single-use balloon.
I'm guessing it is either EMP or packed with some very-very nasty bio agents.
Or maybe just a test to see how we would respond to this situation.
"I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you! " But when I first heard about it, I thought of this kid we know who launched a balloon a few years ago...thought maybe someone else did something similar
First- they should have spotted this before it came over the US.......Second, why can't they go up and puncture it with a couple of small bullets so that it slowly drops to the ground? And three, you just had to mention Bio-weapons, didn't you? I'm gonna have nightmares about that kind of situation...Now I have to build my "Bio-Bunker"......
The balloon entered US air space after passing through/over Canada. It appears that all it's collected information on so far are endless forests, mountains and farmland.
That's not really a fair statement. There are plenty of things that it's passed over which would be considered important. There are plenty of known and unknown military bases that exist throughout that entire path in Alaska and the continental U.S., including ones on the West coast of Canada. Most of our land-based ICBMs (meaning not on a ship or plane) and ICBM defense systems are also in the mid-west as well.
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Originally posted by MidEngineManiac:
Personally, I dont think it is a "spy" device.
They already have satellites, and lots of them, in orbit that can read your watch. Why bother with a single-use balloon.
I'm guessing it is either EMP or packed with some very-very nasty bio agents.
If there was an EMP on there, it would be a serious act of war... to which point, they would only put it on there if they intended to use it... and, well, we'd certainly go to war with them. As for a bio-agent... I think we know that China has much easier ways to release bio-agents into the United States... and the rest of the world.
The only benefit here that I can see is that there might be visuals that they can collect easier at that altitude than they can from space, and / or they're able to collect certain signals before they bounce off the Ionisphere. I don't know a whole lot about this, but as I understand it, this is one of the layers of our atmosphere where there is often radio interference and some signals are reflected or degraded. It sits somewhere in relation to the thermalsphere and below where satellites normally sit.
All of that said, my guess is that all this is, is just a simple test by China to see what the United States is going to do about it. Big shock... we are doing nothing. I'm sure it's collecting plenty of information, but obviously we won't know if we don't collect it. China is saying it's a science balloon... of course it is.
Wish a few of us would chip in and we'd buy a balloon put a PI+webcam and a matchbox Fiero into space (like they did in that F&F movie) get some funny footage for sure
Side-bonus : we might be able to see the curvature of the planet and prove the earth's not flat!
Here is something to consider, nothing more, nothing less:
The following is a single paragraph review of a book written 30 years ago: The Sputnik Challenge: Eisenhower's Response to the Soviet Satelliteby Robert Divine
When Sputnik went into orbit in 1957, America went into a panic. Only President Dwight Eisenhower retained his composure and understood that the United States was far superior to the Soviet Union in scientific research as well as in military firepower. Only Eisenhower realized that Nikita Khrushchev had done the United States a favor by setting a legal precedent for future reconnaissance satellites. Robert Divine, who has written extensively on the early Cold War, praises Eisenhower for his low-key, common-sense response to Sputnik, but faults him for failing to see the propaganda significance of the feat. He charges that by failing to convince the American people that they had nothing to fear, Eisenhower opened the way for a decade of arms races spurred by ignorance. Like all of Divine's work, well-researched, well-written, reliable.
I am certainly not suggesting that Biden is anything like Ike, but we all know that Biden is not in charge.
I alluded to this in another thread, several weeks ago.
IMO, the US has taken the correct stance and course of action, which is no action at all. 'Spy' balloons are 100+ year old 'technology'. By us officially doing nothing, we are telling the Chicoms "Big friggin deal. You launched a ballon and let the jet stream carry it where it wanted to'.You can't touch us or learn anything you don't already know or whatever we WANT you to know".
As far as what some have claimed, that it wasn't detected before it reached Montana, that's pure speculation. It's also speculation in saying that we haven't intercepted or jammed any communications the balloon's devices may be sending or receiving.
We are in effect, laughing at their feeble efforts.. They are the very models of modern major generals...
As far as what some have claimed, that it wasn't detected before it reached Montana, that's pure speculation.
The DoD has already (I think just a few hours ago), admitted that they've been tracking it for several days, so it debunks that (wherever that was said).
OK, here is the plan: I want everyone to call your friends, family, uncles, cousins, look on the internet and find out where the oriental orb is headed, grab your guns, go outside and when it passes over, present your piece, smile and wave.
OK, here is the plan: I want everyone to call your friends, family, uncles, cousins, look on the internet and find out where the oriental orb is headed, grab your guns, go outside and when it passes over, present your piece, smile and wave.
When you say piece... are you saying I should show my private parts? Or are you saying I should show my gun?
My 14 year old daughter, as of now... is the only one in the household who has weapons. She has a .22 rifle (pink) and a composite bow.
Just want to ensure I understand what you're asking me to tell my family members...
Someone here that knows the electromagnetic spectrum and antenna theory better than me... what kind of antennas are those? They look like some kind of dipoles on the end, and the long ones look like some kind of opposing pair of yagi antennas? And maybe those flat panels are solar?
Deep within the Pentagon's radar tracking information complex, they are in a panic. ' Sir, we're detecting that the balloon is rising in altitude ! ' ' How is it doing that ? ' ' It must be losing weight ! ' ' Could it be dropping vials of pathogens? ' ' Sure, but that would be an act of war. ' ' Undeclared war, like in 2019, the Woo Floo. ' ' They have declared their intent of world domination. ' ' Well, they don't actually mean it, surely. ' ' Could they actually be crazy enough to send a biological warfare balloon over the continental US, then, lie about it ? ' Well, looks like we're getting gypped again, can't even defend our airspace, trillions spent pretending they can. ( It's so pathetic... Biden_Joe is a dud. ) fjb in the gourd. Rotten dirty scoundrel. Bee Bee Network News at 11. ' WW3 began yesterday when a balloon released pathogens in to the air above ten major population centers on the US mainland ! ' ' Bejing denies any military involvement, lying, obviously. ' Well, duh.
The through-line goes from this balloon directly back to the U.S. elections of November 2020, and the denial of a second term as President for DJT; i.e., the "Steal". This balloon became inevitable from that final moment in the Senate when the completion of the "Steal" went down. When the electoral votes that created a "President Biden" were certified.
Blackrams- first off, my first name on that balloon kind of "Got me" (I only choked a little on my breakfast)....Then the warranty thing was a home run.
Seriously, after it had floated over part of Alaska then was over the Pacific for a few hundred miles, they should have shot it down. This is absolutely stupid.
[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 02-04-2023).]
All the story tellers are now teasing the grand finale. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion. Don't miss the excitement. Right after this message from Pfizer...
A balloon pop really is an exciting event. Never know where all those darts thrown at it are gonna end up and all...
But what I really wanna know is which one of you are gonna go get me some coke and chips so I can watch this properly without getting my delicate little hiney out in the cold ? Oh and binoculars. That is a bit far away, probably gonna need a pair of those too.
"It was discovered over Alaska...then spotted later over Montana".....So, after they spotted it over Alaska it then floated out across the Pacific for a while- I would have shot it down then.
[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 02-04-2023).]
NORAD has been tracking it since launch. They can track an errant bolt in orbital space, you think they didn't see this coming? They just don't want to admit just how much they can see.
The F-22, among other assets, are excellent at monitoring signals intelligence. The military wanted to see what it was reporting home, and find out exactly what the Chinese could and couldn't detect. I'm thinking signals are easier to detect from a couple thousand feet versus miles. THEN they can take it down to dissect the instruments it carried.
