# 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:** 28
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/542 "2023-02-10T21:35:30Z")
That’s too fucking funny. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/543 "2023-02-10T21:40:38Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > Say some high altitude research project gets launched from a university in japan, intending to operate over intl waters in the Pacific, loses the plot due to buggy software or hardware, and is assumed lost?, In this hypothetical the project was ruined when they assumed it was lost. It is a moot point what happens to it afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/544 "2023-02-10T21:42:27Z")
> > ---
**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 10, 2023, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/545 "2023-02-10T21:51:48Z")
Ooh - are we shooting down UFOs now? ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/546 "2023-02-10T21:54:14Z")
It would be ironic if this became a reverse Roswell - shooting down a “weather balloon”, only for it to turn out to be an alien UFO. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/547 "2023-02-10T22:02:37Z")
> [@](#): > > It was described as “cylindrical and silver-ish gray” and seemed to be floating, a U.S. official said. > **[US shoots down unknown 'high-altitude object' over Alaska, White House says](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-shoots-balloon-alaska-white-house/story?id=97040022)** > > The U.S. has shot down what was called a "high-altitude object" over waters off Alaska, the White House said Friday. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/548 "2023-02-10T22:06:04Z")
Reminds me of the description of what an American Airlines pilot reported seeing a couple of years ago: > [@](#): > > “We just had something just go over the top of us that — I hate to say this — looked like a long, cylindrical object.” > **[American Airlines pilot reports seeing 'long, cylindrical object' fly over plane](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/american-airlines-pilot-reports-seeing-long-cylindrical-object-fly-over-n1258831)** > > The pilot saw the strange object while flying over New Mexico on Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/549 "2023-02-10T22:06:20Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > So what will be the Republican, angrier at Biden than at China, take on this last one be? Don’t need answer fast, Republicans will provide. They’ll scream “why didn’t he wait until it was over water and then shoot it down so we could recover it?” They know their base will not see the hypocrisy. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/550 "2023-02-10T22:09:10Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > It was described as “ **cylindrical and silver-ish gra** y” and seemed to be floating, a U.S. official said . > > [US shoots down unknown 'high-altitude object' over Alaska, White House says - ABC News](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-shoots-balloon-alaska-white-house/story?id=97040022) 👽 ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/551 "2023-02-10T22:09:53Z")
As far as “floating”…what lighter than air gas can be used that won’t expand past the size of a small car at that altitude? I don’t think there is any? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/552 "2023-02-10T22:17:26Z")
Actual weather balloons ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/553 "2023-02-10T22:31:41Z")
And as mentioned, drifting at 40K feet whatever it is becomes considered a hazard to air traffic, which a balloon above 60K would not necessarily be. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/554 "2023-02-10T22:40:00Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Actual weather balloons A small car to me is about 10-12 ft in length. A typical weather balloon expands to 20+ ft in dia at altitude so that seems too small. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/555 "2023-02-10T22:44:23Z")
I can’t tell for sure that the “small car” reference is specifically to the payload of the balloon rather than the balloon itself … but that’s what I assume. Some guest on CNN ~90 minutes ago was making that same assumption, for what that’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/556 "2023-02-10T22:53:03Z")
Yeah, I was thinking they were talking about the payload. We’ll have to wait for a better description of the object. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/557 "2023-02-10T23:13:35Z")
> [@Ssounder](#): > > Maybe legit projects should register with the FAA before entering our airspace? Even model rockets above a certain weight and engine class have to have authorization from the FAA before flight. Any legit project will register with the FAA. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/558 "2023-02-10T23:14:57Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > It was described as “cylindrical and silver-ish gray” and seemed to be floating, a U.S. official said. Don’t worry, we have top people working to identify it. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pnXu2xGwJRo/hqdefault.jpg "It is Balloon!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnXu2xGwJRo) ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/559 "2023-02-10T23:30:24Z")
> “unidentified object flying” Say it! 🛸 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/560 "2023-02-10T23:30:54Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > It would be ironic if this became a reverse Roswell - shooting down a “weather balloon”, only for it to turn out to be an alien UFO. They should have been watching CNN, so tough. > [@BobLibDem](#): > > They’ll scream “why didn’t he wait until it was over water and then shoot it down so we could recover it?” They know their base will not see the hypocrisy. Actually, it was over water, ice in this case, so the best of both worlds. Won’t fall on anyone and easy to recover. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/561 "2023-02-10T23:52:24Z")
A long cylindrical object sounds sort of like, lets see… Opps. Sorry Alaskan Airlines. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=29)