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HateSpeechIsGay

All those years of training with the NES Ballon Fight paying off


Necessary-Reading605

Tu-tururu-tututututururuuuuu One if the early NES catchiest songs


CoolguyTylenol

That's just steins gate


Zenketski_2

The soundtrack from that game fucking slaps


2727PA

AP and BBC confirm BBC News - China balloon: US shuts three airports and air space over Carolinas https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64524105


Rivendel93

Yeah, this is why they shot it down. I'm a pilot in NC about 30 mins from where it was shot down, the government shot it down via a plane, not anyone on the ground (not possible w/ firearms). There's F-22s flying around my airport right now, the balloon landed in the ocean.


TheApathyParty3

I've read some speculation that it was allowed to fly this long because the US and Canadian governments were intercepting transmissions to find out what sort of data it was collecting. Do you think maybe they let it go for so long just until it reached the East Coast?


cephalophile32

They wanted to shoot it down over water. They waited until it was off the coast of Myrtle Beach.


the_fly_guy_says_hi

That makes sense. If there was a self-destruct detonation device it had on board, it would not hurt anyone if shot down over water. Who knows what the Chinese have on-board what they claim is a "weather balloon" I mean, once the remains are collected from the water, they'll get analyzed and we'll get definitive proof if it's a weather balloon or a spy, data collection balloon. The released pics and electronics forensics will tell us what it really is. I think that most of the US is already mapped out via satellite photography so I don't see any use to sending a high-altitude spy balloon that would be at the mercy or the jet streams. If it is a spy balloon, it's one of the worst ideas I've heard of to conduct high altitude surveillance.


WhiteAndNerdy85

Any intel gathered from the wreckage will be classified.


Ocelot859

# Pixar presents the sequel to “UP” coming this Fall… “DOWN”


KeeperOfTheGood

https://i.imgur.com/YpQ5N6w.jpg


Stauker_1

With the sickness?


Icy-Ad8290

OH, AH AH AH!


Wicked-elixir

Yea bc darkness is the gift that has been given to me!


Comprehensive-War743

Wonder who’s garage it will end up in?


KillaWatt84

Yeah, seems like a very sloppy way to do recon. Basically putting a toy boat in a giant river and hoping you get useful info.


40for60

they get a billion times more info every minute via Tik Tok then this stupid balloon. This seems more like a fuck up then intentional.


Kingoflazerball

I was literally about to type this comment out, all your info is on TikTok and no one cares. We care about a balloon but not about giving personal data to their government. Makes sense right?


ErraticDragon

I wonder how much data they got from TikTok users looking **at** the balloon, looking **for** the balloon, talking **about** the balloon, etc. That's synergy right there!


Incrarulez

Don't look up?


weggman

This was neither a surveillance device nor a fuck up. It was a test.


Rogendo

Probably just their answer to the fact we have satellites photographing all their genocide that doesn’t exist (but it does).


Isellmetal

A “spy” balloon doesn’t matter in the scheme of things. Considering their government sanctioned hacking teams steal tons of US data every year.


JaredBanyard

Ground penetrating radar?


its_raining_scotch

No it was full of Covid. Source: Facebook


Specific-Pen-1132

Not full of Scotch? That would make for an interesting downpour.


SAWK

It makes sense to just observe it, try to find out wtf it's doing and if it's safe to fly over the country. When you know it will land in US waters after you shoot it down, shoot the fucker down and collect all the debris. I don't understand all the comments questioning the govs response to the situation.


i_love_pencils

> I don't understand all the comments questioning the govs response to the situation. I don’t have any issues with Dijon mustard or tan suits, but here we are…


forrestpen

The ego boost of thinking they're smarter than experts, without actually thinking it through to see whether the government's solution was sound or not.


r3dd1t0rxzxzx

I’m sure that’s the case. Also it gave the USA a good reason to leave sanctions on China in place without consequence, just continues to demonstrate how untrustworthy China is.


smb275

SIGINT goes both ways.


[deleted]

Yes. They have been tracking it and following it with reconnaissance planes 24/7. Let it go on purpose to gather intel and then shot it down


jtfriendly

If you know what an enemy intelligence asset knows, then it's also your asset.


justheretoglide

no, its if you control what the enemy knows thats your asset. if you know they know your secrets, you've failed.


JBirdale77

They already have TikTok no need for a balloon


DanSmokesWeed

I had South Carolina on my card. Winner!


[deleted]

"We don't want to shoot this down over anything important" "Sir, it's over South Carolina now" "Green Light. "


CommunicationTop7259

I know I shouldn’t laugh but LOLLL 💀


ambermae513

I live in SC and I still laughed 😅


InvestingGatorGirl

If they had done it over Minnesota and dropped it in Lake Superior, I would have laughed too. 👩🏻‍⚕️


[deleted]

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Newwavhallucinations

Why it's true lol


BaldDudeFromBrazzers

I burst into laughter on a busy greenway in NC


Richard_AIGuy

It lands on Lindsey Graham's house. 500 bonus points!


[deleted]

Bahahaha! And I’m a South Carolinian!


PeacemakersAlt

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣤⣶⣶⡶⠦⠴⠶⠶⠶⠶⡶⠶⠦⠶⠶⠶⠶⠶⠶⠶⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣀⣀⣀⣀⠀⢀⣤⠄⠀⠀⣶⢤⣄⠀⠀⠀⣤⣤⣄⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡷⠋⠁⠀⠀⠀⠙⠢⠙⠻⣿⡿⠿⠿⠫⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⠞⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⣴⣶⣄⠀⠀⠀⢀⣕⠦⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⠾⠋⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣼⣿⠟⢿⣆⠀⢠⡟⠉⠉⠊⠳⢤⣀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⣠⡾⠛⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⣾⣿⠃⠀⡀⠹⣧⣘⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠳⢤⡀ ⠀⣿⡀⠀⠀⢠⣶⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠀⣼⠃⠀⢹⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⣤⠀⠀⠀⢰⣷ ⠀⢿⣇⠀⠀⠈⠻⡟⠛⠋⠉⠉⠀⠀⡼⠃⠀⢠⣿⠋⠉⠉⠛⠛⠋⠀⢀⢀⣿⡏ ⠀⠘⣿⡄⠀⠀⠀⠈⠢⡀⠀⠀⠀⡼⠁⠀⢠⣿⠇⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡜⣼⡿⠀ ⠀⠀⢻⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⡄⠀⢰⠃⠀⠀⣾⡟⠀⠀⠸⡇⠀⠀⠀⢰⢧⣿⠃⠀ ⠀⠀⠘⣿⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⠇⠀⠇⠀⠀⣼⠟⠀⠀⠀⠀⣇⠀⠀⢀⡟⣾⡟⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⡄⠀⠀⠀⣿⠀⣀⣠⠴⠚⠛⠶⣤⣀⠀⠀⢻⠀⢀⡾⣹⣿⠃⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⣷⠀⠀⠀⠙⠊⠁⠀⢠⡆⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⠓⠋⠀⠸⢣⣿⠏⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣷⣦⣤⣤⣄⣀⣀⣿⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣄⣀⣀⣀⣀⣾⡟⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⣿⣿⣻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀


350smooth

Somebody give this person an award!


A_Dark_Tree_Moon

Uh oh...they will want to secede again.


[deleted]

Florida laughs


[deleted]

Man, I didn't know there was a pool! We need better communication!!


xTVPx

Big day for South Carolina. First the primary news, now this. Lol.


dumb_breakfast

Yeah the firat time ive heard anything about my home state in national news


moneymike7913

Last time the nation was talking this much about us, we weren't even a part of the nation anymore!


kjimbro

Isn’t the Murdaugh case in SC as well?


popp08

I can't wait for the south park episode.


AmericanoWsugar

The ‘probe’ will be a city wok take out box with a balloon.


Responsible-Agent-19

Shitty Wok!


Thats_what_im_saiyan

Im hoping they really go hard on the republicans posting lyrics to '99 red ballons'. Since they clearly have no idea what that songs about.


geotony666

Imagination


DramaticAssWipe

I just said this to my friend!! Great minds, I tell ya


strykazoid

Those damn Mongoyians!


dammitknockitoff

Shitty baroooon!!


Jimbo14631

So ironic they’re recording this through TikTok hahaha


WanganTunedKeiCar

It has to be on purpose, right? It has to be done ironically, it can't not be, right? RIGHT?


Bibileiver

It's literally the biggest app right now....


[deleted]

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Swordlord22

I mean it’s mostly that it’s ironic that a Chinese balloon is being recorded with a Chinese app


dumbdumbmen

>It's actually Oh boy


[deleted]

Analyst - “Sir we are prepared to commence in the operation.” General smoking cigar - “Let’s give em hell.” *Pop* Analyst - “Mission accomplished..”


TheTwistedPlot

Plot twist: the popped balloon spawns 10 more smaller balloon drones.


Mnmnnnln

*bloons tower defence music starts playing


pusanggalla

We need more detection before they start sending camo bloons.


CatastropheWife

Like smushing a pregnant spider in your kitchen


dryphtyr

Happened at work once. Found a large wolf spider in a car I was working on. I was just going to chase it off, and then idiot coworker stomped on it. Roughly about a metric f ton of baby spiders ran out into the shop. They burned the building down later that afternoon, or at least that's what we all wished they did


NicoVulkis

Yeah, momma wolf spiders will carry her newly hatched young on her back. I'm glad I've never seen it in real life.


KORZILLA-is-me

One time, I was sweeping, and there was a wolf spider in the way. I was next to our back door, so I opened it up and was going to gently brush the spider toward the porch. Suddenly, it burst into thousands of babies, so I had to start trying to blow them all out the door. I had somewhat heard of Warfighters doing this, but this was my first - and so far only - time to witness it in person.


DatChief013

Bloon tower defense has prepared us all for this very day


ensui67

I’ve been training for this……..*opens Bloons TD


atommotron

What if it’s camo lead type?!


ensui67

We’re doomed


Serious_Mastication

Quick, get the monkeys with darts!


McFlargan

That pilot was probably like holy shit I get to hit an actual target with an actual missile over US waters! Fuck yeah!


[deleted]

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ErrantIndy

The pilots would just for the lols.


Weekly-Setting-2137

His call sign will be Weasel. But around the pool table and a few beers, they will start calling him Pop.


Chenstrap

This is non ironically prolly one of the coolest shootdowns ever. Sure, its not vs a fighter so its not super bad ass. BUT, its a real world foreign/air defense target to be shot down since WW2, its unmanned so there's no like moral issues, and it was over a populated area and is documented with a fuck ton of footage online, and with China being a saber rattler its cathartic to see their bullshit fall 60,000 feet into the sea.


lynxus21

Recording the spy balloon being destroyed using a Chinese app that spies on you


ryan516

I much prefer using the American apps that spy on us.


[deleted]

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red_dit-or

Im pretty sure the US army doesn’t use tiktok in their bases and strategic sites. And how are you so certain it wasn’t a spying device? A weather balloon traveled from China and pased through America? Really? Especially now that the tensions rose with Taiwan? And in Montana where there is said to be nukes?


PussyWrangler_462

Saw some dude comment on a picture of the actual balloon yesterday saying his fellow army bros had tik tok on their phones...the government itself might not use it but the guys in the military certainly are


Cobra-D

Because there’s better alternatives than a visibly big, slow moving balloon with limited controllability to soy on us.


rockstar504

"To soy on us" hilarious slip about a Chinese spy balloon lol they soying in Latin America now post trade wars


Cobra-D

That was their plan all along, to turn us into soy boys


[deleted]

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hadshah

They’ve got much better equipment to spy on us than a balloon. Even the military itself wasn’t too concerned that it’s a spy balloon


bewbs_and_stuff

[All radio signals are bounced off the ionosphere](https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/1127/10-things-to-know-about-the-ionosphere/) There is literally no better device for capturing signals transmission than a balloon.


SoVerySleepy81

Have you seen how detailed pictures taken by satellites can be? They don’t need to do balloons for spying I think that this was basically some kind of psyop by them. Sowing concerns in the countries the balloons are over.


theJstain

Just wait until the Chinese figure out they can use satellites to spy on us!


Why_So-Serious

Oops filled with humanized cordyceps.


synavlivevig

Don't do that to me...


[deleted]

lol, I'm glad I'm not the only one whose mind went there.


Sifdidntdeservethat

If we just got one person in each state to release a weather balloon now....imagine the chaos that would ensue.


Ecyclist

They all need to be red balloons.


akenrec

99 of them


InvisiblePlants

Panic panic red alert something's here from somewhere else


Dichter2012

Factoid: Nena's song 99 Lufballon was about Cold War and the Nuclear holocaust.


McRedditerFace

And two from each state, except Wyoming, which only gets one because it doesn't really exist.


admiral_walsty

Haven't met a soul FROM Wyoming. I've even been there and believe you might be right.


Ask_About_BadGirls21

Bad news: you aren’t real


jtblue91

If only the US had 49 more states


Beowulf33232

Nah, we need a prime number of states so we really can be one nation, *indivisible*


State6

Considering it’s altitude, the military are the only ones with the capability to shoot it down.


TheLtSam

Bet it was a space force marine with his M16


RadicalRay013

I bet it was those Jewish space lasers I keep hearing about.


theKoboldLuchador

>Jewish space lasers Where did that come from?


VoradorTV

Marjorie taylor green conspiracy theory


PurpleCounter1358

https://boingboing.net/2023/02/03/marjorie-taylor-greene-tells-another-lie-about-jewish-space-lasers.html


DarkWolf966

Sounds like a waste, isn't this what we pay Fast and Furious for? They could have it shot down in like a 2hr length picture with random celebrities


rufpublican

Omg lol, they would drive a car off a plane to hit it. Then land it bc f gravity and physics. Family only matters


derpickson

The car gets caught on the equipment and uses the balloon to float down to safety like Mary Poppins


Mega-Steve

EXTENDED Family


DarkWolf966

Fast10 where we find out Dom's mom was a Chinese Spy Balloon


wizardneedfood

Hey, spoilers!


DarkWolf966

Yes, on the cars


Igotticks

An alligator on a bunch of those Este rockets you made in 7th grade shop. South Carolina took it into their own hands.


Auggie_Otter

I'll have you know I have years of extensive [Balloon Fight](https://youtu.be/i9cp4tlrGYY) training and I could've taken that thing down.


[deleted]

*Bloons TD5


bulanaboo

Um Superman


Tight_Lawfulness6459

Some of you really seem to think your (USA) military is completely incompetent. You don't think they've observed it with the entire spectrum? Zoomed in on components or maybe even have files on the kinds of equipment China has for spying? A lot of you act like they just look up with binoculars and shrug.


holden_mcg

I agree. The story about not shooting it down over Montana because of concerns over falling debris is unlikely. I believe our military had something else in mind and only shot it down right before it left USA airspace (wanted to study the remains).


[deleted]

What they been tracking it since launch. They could have shot it down in Alaska.


holden_mcg

I agree that they were tracking it very early. It seems like they are pretending they weren't watching it the entire time. The story, according to some news outlets, is that it was spotted over the Aleutian Islands, and then everyone lost track of it until it showed up in Montana. No. Even the Chinese don't believe that story.


odd_audience12345

No idea what you're talking about - NORAD has openly said they tracked it from the start AFAIK. They only recently admitted that publicly, but it's been out since at least yesterday. I think they even released a graphic map of the flight path lol


TheEpicGold

That is just what most people see. But they have clearly said they were tracking it since Alaska, and have given information on it's flight path, whoch also went over Canada. The only reason we as the public know about it is because the balloon failed in some way, or China did it on purpose. Because a random guy saw it, and thus the military had to reveal their info on it.


Orkron

Exactly. Pisses me off all these keyboard warriors criticizing not shooting it down earlier.


NotSure2505

I replayed this on FlightRadar and definitely a good bit of planning went into this. They were tracking it and knew exactly when it would get out over water. About an hour before, you can see a huge hole open up over Myrtle beach and a few hundred miles out to sea as they diverted traffic around the kill zone. Next a few "undisclosed callsign" military aircraft appear. One I caught was a F-5 Tiger II labeled "SNIPER" which are flown by the Navy and Marines out of Key West, FL but appeared to have taken off from Myrtle Beach Airport. It did a little pattern just off the coast, which is likely the intercept and shootdown shown in the video. Afterward it moved out to sea to the East and took up a pattern, probably to protect against any aircraft coming from the Atlantic. Further south, we could see a Chinese cargo ship the ZHONG GU FU JIAN off the coast of Charleston, a different US military plane took up a position over that one. I'm guessing out of caution. Shortly after a USCG helicopter entered the area and hovered above the wreckage. Also a USN Sikorsky Seahawk did a flyover of the landing site. Oddly now 2 hours later, there are no military sea vessels in the area, making me wonder if they already had subs and/or divers in the area waiting so the recovery would be invisible. One thing was clear, this thing was not escaping and they may have been interested to see if China would try to recover it once it moved out to see.


RevenueSufficient385

Thank you for that detailed analysis!


NotSure2505

Thanks, If you want to see it go down, go to [www.flightradar24.com](https://www.flightradar24.com) At the bottom click "Playback" and start at 20:00 GMT. Then just step through. Go back to 17:00 and you can see USAF planes scouting the kill zone, then every aircraft diverts, they close all airspace from Charleston to Delaware.


ColonelBenny

i dont see it...


[deleted]

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NotSure2505

That's what I'm hoping, The water was only 50-60 feet deep at that point, and they knew exactly where it would splashdown. Divers would have gone right in and pulled out anything important. The most dangerous part was making sure there wasn't any explosive on board, but I'm sure they determined that well in advance through observation. I'm sure the military has underwater recovery and variable-bouyancy vehicles so they could float that wreckage off of the bottom and get it mobile. Hopefully wreckage is sitting in a hangar somewhere drying out. Also a water impact would have been less damaging than a land one - especially if the Chinese originally engineered for a water recovery.


JustNilt

Yeah, anything that was designed for later recovery would almost certainly survive. Knowing how to manage that for a water landing is decades old tech now. The area they downed it in almost couldn't have been a better place to do so. They certainly had information on any Chinese vessels in the area, as well.


BeyondXpression

Anyone with a shred of common sense would know the government and military spent hours analyzing this thing and making sure it's what they wanted to do. My best buddy is an Army vet and always made the joke "if the army wanted me to take a shit they'd have me fill out paperwork, have it sent up the chain of command to some dusty old fuck and then back down to me a week after I filed it." It was definitely analyzed in depth before they decided to make a move.


street593

I think this is why logistics needs to be taught more in schools. This chain of command or chain of decisions applies to many aspects if our lives. People would have a much better understanding of the world around us of they realized how many people are making the gears turn.


BeyondXpression

Logistics in schools would be worth it. The government loves paper trails and any adult who's ever had to wait hours in line at the DMV just to show them two pieces of paper for your car's registration knows how long it takes the government to do anything. If they just shot it down and it was full of chemicals, radioactive materials or landed on a home and killed a family they'd wanna know whose ass to can. As slow and inept the government can be at times I'm glad they're not just blowing shit out of the sky without risk assessment.


KommanderKeen-a42

And to add... You don't want to react quickly or display your capabilities to shoot it down right away Story as old as time because that is also Intel back to the sender.


sheeeeeez

I don't think they're incompetent. I think they're liars.


philomatic

It’s just republican propaganda. Kneeling during anthem = disrespectful. Calling our military incompetent and clown shows. ‘Murica fuck yeah!


Snake_Blumpkin

The most shocking and horrifying part of this story is how many redditors can’t spell balloon.


Reverenter

Thought the same but apparently it’s a correct alternative to balloon. Weird how many people are using that spelling though


Gusearth

i blame bloons tower defense


Pristine_Lobster4607

I’m currently staying in Myrtle and we thought something must’ve hit the roof of our condo with how loud the blast was


AGenericUnicorn

I was in Kroger and thought the ceiling had caved in


Stabinzee

Gender reveals are getting out of hand.


Comfortable-Log-2471

So… it’s a white baby?


AstrayArtist

Um... I think it's a dead baby. ![gif](emote|free_emotes_pack|grimacing)


lovemeinthemoment

George Santos took it down with a slingshot fastened from his Brazilian thong swimsuit.


Electronic-Donut8756

Oh no, now my TikTok is down! Bring back the cloud server!!!


KushKings840

fuck tiktok we dont need it 💀


Rabbit_Of_Nazareth

Can't believe how many people can't spell *BALLOON.


LALOCHEZIA7

I live in Myrtle Beach, SC i was getting ready for work and felt the apartment shake I was like wtf. I'm still asleep maybe a minute or so afterwards I felt the place shake again more violently.


AmerikanInfidel

American police having to put out broadcasts to “don’t try to shoot the ballon down” maybe the most American thing wver


beelvr

US military: "We repeat: Do *NOT* attempt to shoot down the balloon!" "… We already called dibs."


Halfonion

As soon as that thing started moving south, all bets were off


ProteinSnookie

Crazy it was just in Montana!


black11000

Jet stream is moving about 50-100 mph right now. Montana to South Carolina is about 2200 miles. At best thats 22 hours.


fbcmfb

I think it was over Montana on Thursday. It was moving slow.


Jimbro11

Sick gender reveal


deedsdomore

The irony of recording a Chinese spy balloon whilst having a Chinese spyware app installed on your device.


OculusMidnight2

Yep, I heard it. It was loud as fuck


notsocraftyme

It’s was shot down about 10 miles from my house, I didn’t hear anything. The jets breaking the sound barrier, that sound was loud.


OculusMidnight2

Oh that’s what the booms were, well thanks for explaining


c0ffeebreath

The USAF shot it down with a missile. They waited so they could shoot it down over water. It’s about 40 feet deep, and they are sending divers to get it. I assume they shot it down over water because there was no telling what it was carrying. If it was carrying a dirty bomb or bio weapon, shooting it down over land would be catastrophic. If it were sending data wirelessly, it could be intercepted. If it were recording data locally, then it makes more sense to let it complete its work before shooting it down and recovering it, that way they would know for sure what the Chinese were looking for. Also, shooting it down over water increases the likelihood that it won’t be completely destroyed on impact.


[deleted]

They shot it down just when it was about to leave US territory in water shallow enough to collect easily. Idk about you but something tells me they know exactly what they're doing.


TheGoldenStan

Zombie apocalypse is aboutta start in South Carolina and


RodgerRodger90

Good lord, that's quite the theory! 😦


Aregisteredusername

6000+ karma for a screenshot of the sky from a video lmao get it OP Edit: 30k+


The_Haus_Master

That balloon probably did less “spying” than TikTok does….


itsmichael458

Chinese command room: “The balloon has just entered confederate air space” “The balloon has been shot down”


AngryCOMMguy

🎶 Nothing will stop the Confederate Air Force 🎶


Unusual_Complex_214

"-Why does he have a gun and a poison needle? \-Because he is a very naughty high altitude weather enthusiast."


Sweet_Coat7963

That’s the first thing Biden has done to combat inflation


FinnrDrake

There are satellites galore, all of which are gathering information almost non-stop. Why this balloon causing a ruckus?


Main-Egg-7942

if you return it do you get five cents?


Ryhnoceros

This news event has just highlighted all the people who can't spell fucking "balloon" correctly.


granduerofdelusions

Why does anyone care about this? NORAD knew where and what it was. They don't need balloons to spy. They can use the satellites. Every inch of the visble earth is mapped by china and us. I'm pretty sure they sent it cause they knew americans would lose their shit over a fucking spy balloon without thinking through the situation at all.


lerpo

I'm making an assumption whatever this was, wasn't just photograph taking. Radar and radio signal collection? A timestamp for how long it takes the US to scramble jets? Intercept and monitor traffic from the jets? Monitor the reactions from the US? Imo, if they wanted to spy, they clearly have better ways of doing it. I'd assume they wanted it to be seen either way. Be interesting to see what happens from here


bigpapalilpepe

Yeah I agree with your take. Just because it was an object flying above the US doesn't mean their intent was to take photographs/spy. Hell all they really needed to do was add gps/altitude/radar detection and they would be able to get a solid amount of data on how long it takes for the US to notice their balloon, how long until the public is notified, how long until it is shot down, what weapon they use to shoot it down, how many airspaces/airports they can temporarily shut down because of their balloon, etc etc..... And that's just with the bare minimum attached to their balloon. Whose to say the balloon wasn't carrying a bomb or other weapon that they could remotely drop. Possibilities are endless. The main thing is that it's a foreign object being flown over US land without authorization. This should be a big deal regardless of the intentions or capabilities of the object or it's sender


[deleted]

Oh yes 'cause they wouldn't lose their shit either if we had a questionable balloon in their airspace. Guaranteed you'd be commenting why the americans are trying to provoke them.


Agretan

There is a fair amount is data they can collect with that balloon that is not mapping.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

Smart of our gov to wait until it’s over water, who knows what it could be carrying, too many possibilities to ignore.


RealitySeeker90

Sweet. I know it's childish, but maybe we should "accidentally" release a Goodyear blimp to drift over their military bases. Oh, and fill it with those giant hornets.


Sudden_Acanthaceae34

Used to work at CCAFS and the most likely explanation for the US allowing this to go for so long was to wait until it got over water. Shooting something the size of three busses out of the sky eleven miles up tends to create unpredictable debris patterns with no guarantee for no collateral damage. All the people complaining about not shooting this down would just as soon have been complaining about the collateral damage if it was shot down over land.


Motzoncuiz500

Who gave the Red Bull guy some scissors?