# 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:** 38
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/742 "2023-02-14T13:55:27Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > We do need a cheaper effective way to down these things, though. Why? Fighter pilots need to train. Shooting down balloons is good exercise. ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/743 "2023-02-14T14:54:18Z")
There is a report out that says we had a miss over Lake Huron. It’s from a single source (Fox) so I’m not sure what to make of it: MSN [Mystery Over Missing Sidewinder Missile That Failed to Shoot Down UFO](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/mystery-over-missing-sidewinder-missile-that-failed-to-shoot-down-ufo/ar-AA17t9Ug) Snip: _But the F-16 jet tasked with shooting the object over Lake Huron on Sunday “missed on its first attempt,” according to [Fox News](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/fox-news) correspondent Lucas Tomlinson._ _Citing U.S. officials, Tomlinson wrote on [Twitter](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/twitter) that a second Sidewinder air-to-air missile was required, and it is “not clear where the first missile landed.”_ _A Defense Department spokesperson told Newsweek they were “certainly aware of the reporting on this,” but did not have any other details they could provide at this time._ If true, pilots are getting some valuable training. ---
**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 14, 2023, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/744 "2023-02-14T14:56:37Z")
You reckon it landed in Lake Huron? ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/745 "2023-02-14T15:04:01Z")
I’m reckoning it yes. The best dynamite fishing ever! ---
**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 14, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/746 "2023-02-14T15:06:56Z")
> [@Ssounder](#): > > There is a report out that says we had a miss over Lake Huron. It’s from a single source (Fox) so I’m not sure what to make of it: The article in The Drive (Post #686) had photos of the returning F-16s and they noted that two planes were missing a missile: > [@](#): > > We are getting additional images of the 148th FW F-16s returning to Madison. We see the other F-16 is also missing an AIM-9X, so more evidence of two shots having been taken. ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/747 "2023-02-14T15:09:19Z")
Good catch. Just reported on CNN too. ---
**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 14, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/748 "2023-02-14T15:14:11Z")
So the planes and search parties searching Lake Huron are looking for two things; a smallish, shredded balloon of unknown provenance, and a live missile. Hopefully they find both, but one quest seems a little more urgent. ---
**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 14, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/749 "2023-02-14T15:16:06Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > So the planes and search parties searching Lake Huron are looking for two things; a smallish, shredded balloon of unknown provenance, and a live missile. Hopefully they find both, but one quest seems a little more urgent . Figured the missile would essentially be an inert metal log if it missed its target and went into Lake Huron. ---
**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 14, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/750 "2023-02-14T15:19:38Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Figured the missile would essentially be an inert metal log if it missed its target and went into Lake Huron. Agreed. It won’t float for long and the 3-5lbs of remaining explosive won’t do much sitting at the bottom of a huge lake. It’ll probably just be there forever. But if it detonates some day in 2074, it’ll only upset the few fish within WAG 50 feet of it. Any environmental impacts from the missile will be dwarfed by what else flows into Lake Huron off the land every single second of every single day. ---
**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 14, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/751 "2023-02-14T15:20:45Z")
I’m guessing, but I’d expect that both missiles were detonated, but only one was close enough to damage the balloon. It can’t be easy to hit a small, nearly stationary target from a jet travelling at hundreds of miles an hour. ---
**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 14, 2023, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/752 "2023-02-14T15:22:52Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Agreed. It won’t float for long and the 3-5lbs of remaining explosive won’t do much sitting at the bottom of a huge lake. It’ll probably just be there forever. Nevertheless, the remains of the missile would probably be easier to find than the remains of a balloon. We’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/753 "2023-02-14T15:27:15Z")
Those Sidewinders have a 10+ mile range. A miss would re-enforce the argument of waiting to fire until it was over an area where it’s safe to do so. ---
**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 14, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/754 "2023-02-14T15:36:23Z")
Someone needs to call in author Kenneth Oppel for a debriefing. > **[Airborn (novel)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborn_(novel))** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Airborn is a 2004 young adult novel by Kenneth Oppel. The novel is set in an alternate history where the airplane has not been invented, and instead, airships are the primary form of air transportation. Additionally, the world contains fictional animal species such as flying creatures that live their entire lives in the sky. The book takes place aboard a transoceanic luxury passenger airship, the Aurora, and is told from the perspective of its cabin... ---
**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 14, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/755 "2023-02-14T15:41:55Z")
Audio recordings of the in-cockpit communications from the two F-16 fighter jets involved in the intercept over Lake Huron: > **[Listen To F-16 Pilots Intercept The Octagon Object Over Lake Huron](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/listen-to-f-16-pilots-intercept-the-octagon-object-over-lake-huron)** > > The Viper pilots involved in the incident provide some insightful observations on the mysterious craft that was shot down. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/756 "2023-02-14T15:49:25Z")
From the story linked directly above: > [@](#): > > Until that wreckage is recovered, the U.S. military is saying that it won’t rule out any explanation for what the object actually is. Yep it’s some damn aliens. ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/757 "2023-02-14T15:54:12Z")
Unfortunately, my radar filter was turned up too high. Now that it’s adjusted, my domain awareness gap has closed. Thanks for the assist. ---
**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 14, 2023, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/758 "2023-02-14T16:06:35Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Yep it’s some damn aliens. They all ways speak highly of you. ---
**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 14, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/759 "2023-02-14T16:38:30Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > You reckon it landed in Lake Huron? At this time of year, wouldn’t it be « landed **on** Lake Huron »? ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2023, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/760 "2023-02-14T16:49:16Z")
[NWS -Great Lakes Ice forcast](https://www.weather.gov/cle/GreatLakesIce_text) Southern Lake Huron. Open water except 2 tenths thin lake ice along parts of the shores. 5 tenths medium lake ice in Saginaw Bay. Northern Lake Huron. Open water except 2 tenths thin lake ice along parts of the shores. 3 tenths medium lake ice near the Straits of Mackinac. North Channel. 7 tenths medium lake ice. Consolidated medium lake ice in the eastern and western sections. Georgian Bay. Open water except 3 tenths thin lake ice including 1 tenth medium lake ice along parts of the northern and eastern shores. Consolidated medium lake ice along parts of the shores. ---
**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 14, 2023, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/761 "2023-02-14T16:53:48Z")
The craft shot down over NE Alaska last Friday the 10th … that supposedly came down on top of Arctic Ocean ice. The implication was that it was fairly readily recoverable, all things considered. Haven’t heard a peep about that one since. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=37) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=39)