# 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:** 32
**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 12, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/622 "2023-02-12T03:20:05Z")
Maybe it’s a balloon: > [@](#): > > While Trudeau described the object Saturday as “unidentified,” [Canadian Defense Minister] Anand said it appeared to be “a small cylindrical object, smaller than the one that was downed off the coast of North Carolina.” A NORAD spokesman, Maj. Olivier Gallant, said the military had determined what it was but would not reveal details. > … > Anand didn’t use the word “balloon” to describe the object. But later, Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of the defense staff, said the instructions given to the planes was “who ever had the first, best shot to take out the balloon had the go-ahead.” > **[Trudeau: US fighter shot down object over northern Canada](https://apnews.com/article/united-states-government-canada-ottawa-93071207f2bbdf93b591d6b40ce1cb5a?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=TopNews&utm_campaign=position_03)** > > Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that on his order a U.S. fighter jet has shot down an “unidentified object” flying high over northern Canada. ---
**Author:** ![WellHelloThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@WellHelloThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WellHelloThere)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/623 "2023-02-12T03:23:25Z")
99 red balloons? ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/624 "2023-02-12T03:35:35Z")
I’m not expert, but my concern is: Things are not good on the global stage. International relations with our adversaries is currently very low. The Chinese Minister of Defense would not accept a call from Secretary Austin over the Balloon. They are probing our capabilities all the time. -Looking for any weakness. Then there is the Russia problem. Threatening Nukes like it’s a game. This all collides at a point when our nation (US) is politically divided. This is no time to leave gaps in our continental defense. I think it’s a good time to tighten things up (along with our Canadian friends of course). ---
**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 12, 2023, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/625 "2023-02-12T03:41:39Z")
NORAD have opened the filters, cleansed the doors of perception: > ---
**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 12, 2023, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/626 "2023-02-12T03:53:23Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > So, every solar balloon ever launched is floating around somewhere? Well, no, they’re made of thin plastic, and exposed to constant UV. They break down pretty quickly. > [@Magiver](#): > > the jets in Montana were reacting to radar signatures. Not public reports The thing is, there are weird little glitches in radar data every day. Folks are just reacting more strongly than usual to them, right now. ---
**Author:** ![WellHelloThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@WellHelloThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WellHelloThere)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/627 "2023-02-12T03:54:43Z")
I do agree with you. There is a Cold War currently between the US and China. Lots of weird stuff is happening, but my contention in this thread is that the business of shooting down everything that pops up on radar is kind of silly. Satellites can see everything anyway, maybe not super hi-def, but they know where our silos are. I think the public has been given a lot of anxiety for TV ratings. And our government does listen to the public sometimes. That is why there are F-22s shooting down weather balloons. ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/628 "2023-02-12T03:56:53Z")
Weather balloons? I’m guessing time will tell how this statement ages… ---
**Author:** ![WellHelloThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@WellHelloThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WellHelloThere)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/629 "2023-02-12T03:58:44Z")
Fair enough. If we ever find out what they actually were. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/630 "2023-02-12T04:00:30Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > How could a formation of US and Canadian fighter jets monitor the object over Canada for over two days still not be able to ascertain whether it’s a balloon or not? If you’re talking about the original balloon that started the thread it was monitored from China over Japan and then to Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![WellHelloThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@WellHelloThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WellHelloThere)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/631 "2023-02-12T04:03:09Z")
Not doubting you, but I have not read that. Could you please direct me to the source of that claim? Eta nevermind. I read incorrectly, the original was from China as you said. ---
**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 12, 2023, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/632 "2023-02-12T04:28:42Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > If you’re talking about the original balloon that started the thread it was monitored from China over Japan and then to Alaska. I was referring to the thing shot down over Canada today that Trudeau described as an “unidentified object”. ---
**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 12, 2023, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/633 "2023-02-12T06:19:47Z")
well, it _was_ breaking apart… ---
**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 12, 2023, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/634 "2023-02-12T08:56:47Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > How could a formation of US and Canadian fighter jets monitor the object over Canada for over two days still not be able to ascertain whether it’s a balloon or not? As I have been saying, jet pilots are not particularly accurate observers when faced with a nearly-stationary balloon. The jets race past at hundreds of kilometres per hour and only get to see the object for a fraction of a second. As Magiver said, balloons can also be observed from the ground, using binoculars or telescopes; this can give a better impression of what you are looking at, but what are we to make of a shiny, vertical cylinder suspended in midair? Is it necessarily a balloon, or some unknown type of drone or other UAV? ---
**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 12, 2023, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/635 "2023-02-12T09:21:47Z")
> [@](#): > > “We basically opened the filters” Normally there are filters that remove clutter like rogue balloons from the radar screens. These have now been switched off. As I understand it, small balloons are commonplace objects in our skies - often small weather balloons sent up to monitor the local weather. This latest balloon may have been sent up by a weather station in Alaska to monitor the weather, so could easily be a US balloon. ---
**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 12, 2023, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/636 "2023-02-12T09:36:39Z")
It’s hard to believe this isn’t a result of political pressure being put on the Biden administration to look proactive, even if the objects don’t necessarily need shooting down. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/637 "2023-02-12T12:50:36Z")
Rather than collecting electronic signals, perhaps it was broadcasting them. Some sort of computer virus or somesuch. ---
**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 12, 2023, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/638 "2023-02-12T13:31:35Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > China has ICBMs, you know. If they wanted to start a nuclear war against us (which they don’t), they wouldn’t do it by strapping a single warhead to a balloon and counting on the jet stream to guide it to a strategic target. unless you want it to happen stealthy … from a non-discovered balloon, and blow an american nuke-silo up with a dropped nuke and have 300.000.000 'murikans question the safety of all those stored nukes (and why they exploded for no reason) - while a radioactive cloud is breaking news 24/7 for at least 3 weeks… and then 300mio start rallying against those silos and nukes, and have 'murika spend a trillion dollars for additional safety audits of all sites … -let alone a need to disarm all nukes (to avoid more _unexplicable accidents_ until we really know what happened in a congressional hearing 6 months later and that’s just me, a generic Joe Doe coming up with some reasons in 30 sec. … now imagine a chinese think tank of 100 of those people working 12/5 on finding reasons 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/639 "2023-02-12T13:33:47Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > unless you want it to happen stealthy … from a non-discovered balloon, and blow an american nuke-silo up with a dropped nuke and have 300.000.000 'murikans question the safety of all those stored nukes (and why they exploded for no reason) - while a radioactive cloud is breaking news 24/7 for at least 3 weeks… You speak of weeks and months in a scenario where the US would likely respond in kind within minutes. There’s no possible situation in which China drops a nuke on US soil and everyone just shrugs and says “Well, there’s no way to know what just happened”. ---
**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 12, 2023, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/640 "2023-02-12T13:44:49Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Rather than collecting electronic signals, perhaps it was broadcasting them. Some sort of computer virus or somesuch. Computers don’t work that way. If you wanted to “broadcast a computer virus”, then to start with, your broadcasting platform would have to act like a WiFi hotspot (which would be extremely difficult to do from balloon distances), and then you’d have to convince a bunch of computers to connect to that hotspot that they don’t recognize, and then you’d have to find some exploit in computer networking software that would let you force your malware in (an exploit that would be likely to be fixed in the time between your balloon launching and it drifting into position). If you’ve got the magical haxxing skilz to do that, you can probably do it over the existing Internet infrastructure more easily. ---
**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 12, 2023, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/641 "2023-02-12T13:50:36Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You speak of weeks and months in a scenario where the US would likely respond in kind within minutes. There’s no possible situation in which China drops a nuke on US soil and everyone just shrugs and says “Well, there’s no way to know what just happened”. there is : if nobody knows they came from an **un-seen** balloon (say 2 weeks ago, before balloon hysteria started) … and the only thing known is: a nuke silo blew up - but no reason why (b/c no balloon was detected) again, less likely today than a month ago, but you asked for reasons why the chinese would do this, when they could just send IC across the globe … and I gave you one [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=31) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=33)