# The Pentagon is tracking a Chinese spy balloon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 3, 2023, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228 "2023-02-03T01:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 26
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/502 "2023-02-09T01:25:37Z")
Apparently there was a U-2 following, er, flying circles around the balloon. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/503 "2023-02-09T01:27:21Z")
I wonder if they were going for the smallest size, and/or plausible deniability; “It’s only a weather balloon”. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/504 "2023-02-09T01:29:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > This is the second mention of U-2s I’ve seen in this thread. More than a mention [U-2 Spy Planes Snooped On Chinese Surveillance Balloon | The Drive](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/u-2-spy-planes-snooped-on-chinese-surveillance-balloon) To my knowledge, the U-2 was never retired from active missions. It went from a CIA asset to USAF domain. (I’m sure the CIA gets loaners). One of its most significant contributions lately is in communications. The F-35 and other US/NATO aircraft speak one language. The super stealthy F-22 couldn’t communicate with the other forces. The U-2 provided that link. [F-22 And F-35 Datalinks Finally Talk Freely With Each Other Thanks To A U-2 Flying Translator](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40380/f-22-and-f-35-datalinks-finally-talk-freely-with-each-other-thanks-to-a-u-2-flying-translatorThe) F-117 Nighthawk is still flying missions as well as opposed to being retired. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/505 "2023-02-09T01:32:54Z")
Cool. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/506 "2023-02-09T03:09:48Z")
So, that’s why Bono was at the State of the Union. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/507 "2023-02-09T10:43:43Z")
99 Red Scare Balloons? ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/508 "2023-02-09T17:39:48Z")
[Chinese spy balloon contained technology to monitor communication signals, US says](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/chinese-spy-balloon-contained-technology-to-monitor-communication-signals-us-says/ar-AA17imAz?ocid=BingHp01&cvid=71a0e025d20c4a77b94bcf4480981bbb) MSN/CNN _The Biden administration has determined that the suspected [Chinese surveillance balloon](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics/spy-balloon/index.html?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_msn) that traversed the United States last week was operating with electronic surveillance technology capable of monitoring US communications, according to a senior State Department official._ _Despite the latest revelations about the capabilities of the spy balloon, the Pentagon has insisted since the vessel was first acknowledged publicly that it does not give China capabilities above and beyond what they already have from spy satellites or other means._ _“We did not assess that it presented a significant collection hazard beyond what already exists in actionable technical means from the Chinese,” said Gen. Glenn VanHerck, the commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, on Monday._ If true, I don’t understand their motive. Surveillance gaps? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/509 "2023-02-09T17:54:20Z")
I thought surveillance gap meant that they hadn’t been watching out for balloons. ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/510 "2023-02-09T18:28:59Z")
If that was their motive they did us a favor because we’ll close those gaps now. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/511 "2023-02-09T19:02:15Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Let out gas to descend / maintain altitude as balloon heats (sunlight) > Let out ballast to ascend / maintain altitude as balloon cools (night time). In manned gas balloons, ballast is either sand or water (over populated areas) Going back to this question, I’ve just heard that a balloon can use air as a ballast, since air is not a lifting gas and can be extracted from the surrounding atmosphere. The air is pumped into a smaller balloon, called a balloonet, which will add to the weight and drag the balloon down. This can be reversed by pumping out the balloonet. Since the solar panels can supply a basically unlimited amount of power, this method can be used almost indefinitely. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/512 "2023-02-09T19:07:06Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > Going back to this question, I’ve just heard that a balloon can use air as a ballast, since air is not a lifting gas and can be extracted from the surrounding atmosphere. The air is pumped into a smaller balloon, called a balloonet, which will add to the weight and drag the balloon down Wow. That’s interesting. Really thinking outside the box. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/513 "2023-02-09T20:04:53Z")
Blimps and dirigibles have been using ballonets since before WWII. They’re not a new idea. Most sporting balloons nowadays use hot air as the lifting gas. But back in the early days hydrogen or helium was tried for balloons. Which mostly used ballonets for lift control. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/514 "2023-02-09T20:16:41Z")
Is it sad that I keep wondering if the solar panels are going to be reused? I imagine whichever government agency ends up with them could auction them off, panel by panel. Who wouldn’t want a shot-down Chinese solar panel? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/515 "2023-02-09T20:51:45Z")
Or, more likely after the shoot-down and hard landing, several hundred pieces of a Chinese solar panel. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/516 "2023-02-09T20:56:01Z")
I wonder if this is all a way to test satellite hardware before going to the expense of launching it into orbit. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/517 "2023-02-09T23:07:16Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Or, more likely after the shoot-down and hard landing, several hundred pieces of a Chinese solar panel. If the pieces are small enough, maybe I could afford one. Heck, I’ve got a brick from the California Capitol that was replaced during a refurbishment in the 1970s. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/518 "2023-02-09T23:14:36Z")
[From Heather Cox Richardson](https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-8-2023): > [@](#): > > At a press conference today, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that U.S. intelligence has determined that the spy balloon was part of a larger Chinese surveillance program operating around the world. On Monday, the U.S. shared the information it gleaned from the wreckage of the balloon with around 150 people from about 40 embassies. China has launched “dozens” of such surveillance balloons since 2018. New information has made U.S. intelligence able to revisit previous objects that were classified as “unknown” and recognize them as part of this balloon program. > > The news about the balloon illustrated the difference between the slow, hard work of governance and the easy hit of sound bites. From the beginning of his administration, President Joe Biden emphasized that he intended to focus on cybertechnology as a central element of national security. That focus meant that in May 2021, just four months after he took office, he issued an executive order on “improving the nation’s cybersecurity.” > > According to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, that focus meant that the U.S. “enhanced our surveillance of our territorial airspace, we enhanced our capacity to be able to detect things that the Trump administration was unable to detect.” The Chinese apparently sent at least three of these balloons into U.S. airspace when Trump was president, but we didn’t know it until the Biden administration tightened security. Sullivan said that the surveillance improvements enabled the U.S. to “go back and look at the historical patterns” and uncover “multiple instances” during the Trump administration when similar things had happened. ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/519 "2023-02-10T01:59:26Z")
That’s one possible scenario. But I’m guessing the fact the it could be seen with the naked eye heavily influenced official disclosure/messaging to the public. IMHO, if the balloon was only visible to .gov the public wouldn’t even know about it. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/520 "2023-02-10T02:29:34Z")
Lots of objects that are visible to the naked eye are unexplained. The fact that no private citizen reports came up until the government announced it speaks for itself. Is it so far fetched that the government was open about this? Why didn’t Sarah Palin see it from her house? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/521 "2023-02-10T02:39:21Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > The fact that no private citizen reports came up until the government announced it speaks for itself. I didn’t hear that. Thanks for the info. -I’m not anti-gov. But I’ve been in a meeting or two. I would think open disclosure would be decided based on how the messaging would look. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=27)