# 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:** 29
**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 11, 2023, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/562 "2023-02-11T00:03:23Z")
This could be the location of the crashed unidentified flying object, although there don’t appear to be any planes circling 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 11, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/563 "2023-02-11T00:19:48Z")
Flight restrictions in place: > > > Howard Altman @haltman ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/564 "2023-02-11T02:42:03Z")
I wonder if they could collapse a balloon with the wake of a jet passing over at 100 ft? ---
**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 11, 2023, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/565 "2023-02-11T03:19:22Z")
That might be hazardous for the jet. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/566 "2023-02-11T03:35:28Z")
Took 18 years, but the Raptor has finally found its career/life calling. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/567 "2023-02-11T03:36:35Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That might be hazardous for the jet. How so? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/568 "2023-02-11T05:54:42Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I would think that anything operating near an altitude where aircraft fly must file a flight plan. When _The Blues Brothers_ was being filmed, before the Illinois Nazi car drop could be filmed an air _un_worthiness certificate was issued, stating the Pinto would drop more or less like a brick rather than glide too far. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gWRH4P1HDcA/hqdefault.jpg "The Blues Brothers Nazi's car drop") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWRH4P1HDcA) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/569 "2023-02-11T06:42:10Z")
I imagine that given that the object is near stationary, but the jet would be at hundreds of miles per hour, and the jet is aiming to blow by within just 100 feet of the balloon, it would be very easy to accidentally collide with it. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/570 "2023-02-11T08:01:18Z")
If that were true then air shows would not exist. they’re doing head on passes at the width of a runway. balloons are relatively stationary in comparison and their altitude is easily marked by spotter aircraft. Anything on a plane’s altitude is lined up on on the horizon. It would be easy to coordinate. the question is whether or not it’s effective and that’s something that can be tested ahead of time with a weather balloon tethered to the ground. Missiles aren’t cheap and wasting them on a balloon is expensive. It’s just a thought thrown out there. I didn’t think balloons were going to become a “thing” but it looks like china has invested some effort into flying them over different countries. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/571 "2023-02-11T10:13:22Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I imagine that given that the object is near stationary, but the jet would be at hundreds of miles per hour, and the jet is aiming to blow by within just 100 feet of the balloon, it would be very easy to accidentally collide with it. The wake of a jet like that is hazardous out beyond 100 feet, the plane wouldn’t have to pass that close. And what @Magiver said. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/572 "2023-02-11T16:26:15Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Missiles aren’t cheap and wasting them on a balloon is expensive. you are aware that missiles have a shelf-life … so using it to neutralize a threat isn’t exactly “wastage” for something that might otherwise have to be rebuilt at high cost. here is an in depth 34 page report from the US Army Missile Command on the topic of shelf-life of missiles, that should get you into the ballpark: [![](https://i.postimg.cc/y8Qf2Dhd/image.png) ](https://i.postimg.cc/y8Qf2Dhd/image.png) [\*\* PDF DOWNLOAD STARTS WHEN CLICKING HERE \*\*](https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA329324.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/573 "2023-02-11T16:45:26Z")
The military probably also has a standard operating procedure of firing off X numbers of missiles per year, just to keep in practice. If they didn’t have these things to shoot at, they might even have to launch their own balloons to serve as targets. It’s sort of like how the fighter-jet flybys at sporting events don’t actually cost the military anything, because the planes and pilots have to go up every so often anyway to maintain their certifications. If they weren’t flying over some stadium, they’d just be flying over a cornfield or something instead. ---
**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 11, 2023, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/574 "2023-02-11T16:58:19Z")
How many junk cars and old weather balloons do you think North Korea has in their inventory? They could keep our F-22s busy for decades. ---
**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 11, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/575 "2023-02-11T17:00:43Z")
Practice, practice, practice. Chronos makes a good point, the guys are paid and planes flown whatever is going on. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/576 "2023-02-11T17:20:20Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > you are aware that missiles have a shelf-life … so using it to neutralize a threat isn’t exactly “wastage” for something that might otherwise have to be rebuilt at high cost. The make a training version of the sidewinder for about half the price. It’s likely that functional versions are maintained by replacing parts with a shelf life. This isn’t a hill I want to die on but just a thought. Using an explosive device is likely to damage the electronics of the balloon payload so anything they can do to keep it intact would help determine the nature of the device. If they use a missile that tracks a laser spotter then they might be able to shoot an inert missile into the balloon. I’m sure the powers that be are thinking of new ways to deal with it going forward. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/577 "2023-02-11T19:01:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The military probably also has a standard operating procedure of firing off X numbers of missiles per year, just to keep in practice. If they didn’t have these things to shoot at, they might even have to launch their own balloons to serve as targets. > > It’s sort of like how the fighter-jet flybys at sporting events don’t actually cost the military anything, because the planes and pilots have to go up every so often anyway to maintain their certifications. If they weren’t flying over some stadium, they’d just be flying over a cornfield or something instead. same is true for trucks … when I was in the army, every motor vehicle had to be driven for x miles per month - for the same reasons you mention. this was mostly programmed into daily events, but ever so often they had to take out truck 1234 and drive it around senselessly for half an hour or so … > [@Magiver](#): > > If they use a missile that tracks a laser spotter then they might be able to shoot an inert missile into the balloon. I’m sure the powers that be are thinking of new ways to deal with it going forward. I’d not be surprised if the “protocols” for those kinds of events are being re-assessed and re-written as we speak … heck, I could also see some sort of modified slasher-sidewinder that rips a good sized hole front and aft w/out a bang. donno why I keep visualizing a wooden sidewinder … LOL ---
**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 11, 2023, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/578 "2023-02-11T21:29:04Z")
A cylindrical unidentified flying object spotted over the U.K. in 2009: > [@](#): > > Footage of what appears to be a UFO hovering above the British coastline has caused a stir among experts. > > The mysterious cylinder was spotted above a busy caravan park in Brean, Somerset, on a rare sunny day last summer. > > Holidaymakers looked in amazement as the object appeared in the clear blue sky and remained for more than 10 minutes. [![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/02/11/article-1142223-0376EC2D000005DC-602_468x286.jpg) ](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/02/11/article-1142223-0376EC2D000005DC-602_468x286.jpg) > **[Is this a UFO hovering above a Somerset caravan park?](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1142223/Is-UFO-hovering-Somerset-caravan-park.html)** > > Footage of what appears to be a UFO hovering above the British coastline has caused a stir among experts. Another cylindrical unidentified flying object spotted over North Carolina in 2019: [![](https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/TWCNews/0130_gb_ufo_jpg) ](https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/TWCNews/0130_gb_ufo_jpg) > **[Video of UFO-Like Object Near Greensboro Sparks Online Debate](https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triad/news/2019/01/30/video-of-ufo-over-greensboro-sparks-online-debate)** > > Folks online are trying to determine the strange object. This mysterious object in 2012 turned out to be a Google balloon: [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/83RGDLBMec8fPuBM3EVT7Z-970-80.jpg) ](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/83RGDLBMec8fPuBM3EVT7Z-970-80.jpg) > **[UFO Sighting? No, Just Google's 'Rogue' Balloon](https://www.space.com/26035-google-ufo-was-rogue-balloon.html)** > > When Google took credit for a 2012 UFO sighting, the image it offered bore little resemblance to the photos at hand. That's because the balloon was a new prototype, and one that had gone rogue. ---
**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 11, 2023, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/579 "2023-02-11T21:41:46Z")
News of more unidentified flying objects being spotted over North America: > > ---
**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 11, 2023, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/580 "2023-02-11T21:59:22Z")
The balloon from 2009 in Somerset was a solar balloon, just a black plastic bag full of air which is heated by absorbing sunlight which turns it into a ‘warm air’ balloon. So long as the air inside (plus the weight of the balloon itself) is less dense than the air outside, the balloon will rise. I suspect many of the other cylindrical balloon sightings were solar balloons as well. Perhaps the second 2023 balloon in Alaska was one, too. [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/79/a9/2a/79a92aa51ce2a3a69fe84f2deccde2b6.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/79/a9/2a/79a92aa51ce2a3a69fe84f2deccde2b6.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/581 "2023-02-11T22:06:34Z")
They’re gonna shoot down Santa again, aren’t they? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=30)