Chinese Weather Balloons, and Should You Worry About Them?

[Tommie D]

I think I ordered one of these "Chinese Spy Balloons" out of the back of Boy's Life magazine in the early seventies.

 

[stealth6]

Nice try. We are expected to believe that the TDS-afflicted media and leakers in the government just let that slide? If somehow Trump was perceived as asleep at the wheel and colluding with China, it would have been all over the news. Yet, not a peep. BS.

Even if the DoD statement is true, then "Over the US" where exactly? Certainly not as brazen as flying within eyesight over much of the continental US.

Not sure if the US Dept. of Defense official website is part of "the TDS" (which I assume you mean the Deep State, yes?), but that's where I got the information. They didn't say anything about anyone colluding with China though, that was you.

Oh, and they also said there was another one during the early part of the current administration.

s6

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

Nice try. We are expected to believe that the TDS-afflicted media and leakers in the government just let that slide? If somehow Trump was perceived as asleep at the wheel and colluding with China, it would have been all over the news. Yet, not a peep. BS.

Even if the DoD statement is true, then "Over the US" where exactly? Certainly not as brazen as flying within eyesight over much of the continental US.

I believe it. There’s no way this is the first Chinese spy balloon. This is just the first one spotted by a civilian, and what you just described is exactly what happened, only to Biden—media hyped the story, and political hacks jumped on it to score political points. Unfortunately for them, it’s not the first balloon, so now the stink is going to blow back on the previous administration too. Now everyone is going to have Egg Foo Yung on their face.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

The balloon was carrying JFK to America to restore the rightful king, but Biden shot him down. Thanks deep state. You just killed JFK.

 

[Wayco]

If you ever watched any television shows that featured high power rocketry in the 2000s, you would have seen Pat. He’s intelligent, witty, and very well spoken. He absolutely knows the difference between moot and mute. (I’ll deny I ever said anything nice like that next time I see him)
Because he came across so well on camera, he was often the spokesperson for Tripoli Rocketry Association and his work as the insurance chair, while we were struggling through the ATF lawsuit and financial woes, (led by some very good presidents at that time) helped lay the groundwork for our thriving high power rocketry now.

Nice try garnering respect for our venerable friend Steve, but just look at his avatar! How can we respect anyone who would do that to a wiener dog?
I will say he knows how to raise steak on the hoof, and his prowess with a grill is legendary. If you ever do meet Pat, ask him to tell you the story about the ATF agents and the van.... Or maybe not....

 

[Dotini]

I sincerely hope the pieces are picked up and analyzed. If it is proved to be more than a weather balloon, then there is clear cause for worry, to answer the OP question. We all know the US is drifting towards military confrontation with China, particularly over the issues of Taiwan and the South China Sea. And we all know China is in the midst of an alliance with Russia. So the stakes are extreme, and the worry level is penetrated to the average Joe who watches network TV. The situation is ideal for snowballing into something bigger or worse. I suggest watching NASCAR instead!

 

[rcktnut]

..........Sigh...... Now that this over with I'm just wondering with all the amazing video and pictures I've seen of the balloon why all the pictures/videos of UFOs are so distorted, blurry, grainy, and shaky.

 

[DAllen]

 

[KenECoyote]

China:
"We were just testing new Walmart order direct-to-you home delivery."

 

[KenECoyote]

Who's gonna name your next rocket "Balloon Killer"?

 

[DAllen]

How long is a schoolbus?

View attachment 561432

ssixsixsix

The one in the upper left looks A LOT like the one I rode in during my formidable years.

 

[Marc_G]

I'm working under these assumptions:

1. The balloon was able to send whatever information it collected up to a satellite network and receive commands from said network
2. After it collected and reported whatever intel China wanted, any records of what specifically it reported would have been wiped beyond retrieval
3. Quite possibly, the electronics package was commanded to fry itself, or did so via a fail-safe, to stymie our understanding of its capabilities
4. The actual sensors used probably would have survived and we could estimate what sorts of signals/views/etc it could have recorded

I still think this was a stunt and any actual intelligence gathered from the balloon itself is secondary. The odd thing is the timing. This just screwed up a long-planned summit with Blinken. On the other hand, our "aggression" in shooting down the "weather balloon" gives them an excuse to escalate tension a bit. This could serve a longer term purpose.

Personally, I don't think either side wants a war. China is our biggest trading partner, and "the West" is by far China's biggest trading partner. I say "the west" because if a war broke out we would take NATO along with us.

 

[SkyFire]

 

[DAllen]

 

[Marc_G]

NEW THEORY: Carefully timed stunt to get a shout out in the State of the Union address.

 

[Michael L]

..........Sigh...... Now that this over with I'm just wondering with all the amazing video and pictures I've seen of the balloon why all the pictures/videos of UFOs are so distorted, blurry, grainy, and shaky.

Clearly the UFO drivers have a super secret cloaking blurring button that is synchronized to future tense shutter and video record buttons. There is also an add grain button that they can use at their discretion.

 

[KenECoyote]

 

[KenECoyote]

Latest news:
"China threatens U.S. with their Balloon Force army in retaliation"

 

[Cnorm]

The people concerned about a Chinese balloon spying on them are really going to freak out when they discover a large portion of Americans are carrying around Chinese made devises with microphones, cameras and an internet connection.

 

[Steve Shannon]

Dear autocorrect, it’s never a ‘ship ton’.

Or ‘mute.’

 

[Steve Shannon]

Nice try garnering respect for our venerable friend Steve, but just look at his avatar! How can we respect anyone who would do that to a wiener dog?
I will say he knows how to raise steak on the hoof, and his prowess with a grill is legendary. If you ever do meet Pat, ask him to tell you the story about the ATF agents and the van.... Or maybe not....

That dog was flying his solo. Pat sponsored his flying lessons.

 

[rharshberger]

And now we are replaying the thread.....

 

[Matt_The_RocketMan]

 

[MaxQ]

"So... Rather than use a single inert 20mm round from an F-18 to puncture the balloon and recover the payload, our Military scrambled an F-22 and used a $1M air-to-air missile to obliterate it. Not only a ridiculously unnecessary expense, the explosion and shrapnel from the missile most certainly destroyed the payload. Nothing to recover and examine. Hundreds or thousands of pieces now scattered on the sea floor. Something is very, very off with this whole sequence of events."


Reporting this morning said the Sidewinder warhead was inert...so it was more of a kinetic arrow than an explosive missile, for the purpose of preserving the evidence.

 

[Matt_The_RocketMan]

"So... Rather than use a single inert 20mm round from an F-18 to puncture the balloon and recover the payload, our Military scrambled an F-22 and used a $1M air-to-air missile to obliterate it. Not only a ridiculously unnecessary expense, the explosion and shrapnel from the missile most certainly destroyed the payload. Nothing to recover and examine. Hundreds or thousands of pieces now scattered on the sea floor. Something is very, very off with this whole sequence of events."


Reporting this morning said the Sidewinder warhead was inert...so it was more of a kinetic arrow than an explosive missile, for the purpose of preserving the evidence.

Those were not my words I was just relaying a reply from a News Source…again this was said about 2 hours after it was shot down, so not a lot of disclosure on what actually hit it

 

[dr wogz]

saw this in my newsfeed.

not that we are a threat to anyone..

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/weather-balloon-canada-china-1.6737831

 

[MaxQ]

FORWARD.........into the Past!

 

[jderimig]

We learned from the previous 3 Chinese spy/weather balloons incursions from before. Spy balloons are now totally obsolete and useless because all of the US 's most sensitive secrets are now stored in garages next to Corvettes. Spy balloons can't see those. Our secrets are safe.

 

[OverTheTop]

According to my sources, the ceiling for the F22 is 1,625 metric school buses.

Personally, I prefer chains.

 

[Cape Byron]

Personally, I prefer chains.

That’s between you and your wife. No-one else needs to know.