Chinese Spy Balloon
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@George-K said in Chinese Spy Balloon:
"Just going to say that it's a real bad time to be a hot air balloon enthusiast right now."
Not necessarily. Hot air balloon rises to about 3,000 ft. above sea level. A blimp may go up to about 7,000 ft. above sea level.
The “objects” shot down were over 20,000 ft. above sea level.
NORAD should have no problem recognizing civilian hot air balloons and blimps as such. -
The US watched it take off, and tracked it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/02/14/china-spy-balloon-path-tracking-weather/
By the time a Chinese spy balloon crossed into American airspace late last month, U.S. military and intelligence agencies had been tracking it for nearly a week, watching as it lifted off from its home base on Hainan Island near China’s south coast.
U.S. monitors watched as the balloon settled into a flight path that would appear to have taken it over the U.S. territory of Guam. But somewhere along that easterly route, the craft took an unexpected northern turn, according to several U.S. officials, who said that analysts are now examining the possibility that China didn’t intend to penetrate the American heartland with its airborne surveillance device.
The balloon floated over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands thousands of miles away from Guam, then drifted over Canada, where it encountered strong winds that appear to have pushed the balloon south into the continental United States, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive intelligence. A U.S. fighter jet shot the balloon down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, a week after it crossed over Alaska.
U.S. intelligence and military agencies tracked the balloon as it launched from Hainan Island. Intelligence analysts are unsure whether the apparent deviation was intentional or accidental, but are confident it was intended for surveillance, most likely over U.S. military installations in the Pacific. Either way the incursion into U.S. airspace was a major misstep by the PLA, prompting a political and diplomatic furor and deeper scrutiny by the United States and its allies of Beijing’s aerial espionage capabilities.
Its crossing into U.S. airspace was a violation of sovereignty and its hovering over sensitive nuclear sites in Montana was no accident, officials said, raising the possibility that even if the balloon were inadvertently blown over the U.S. mainland, Beijing apparently decided to seize the opportunity to try to gather intelligence.
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I think everyone should just calm down about these balloons. There is really nothing new here that NORAD did not already have on its radar or under control.
A little background that if you take the time and effort to read will put a lot things about this and other past mysteries/alleged conspiracies and extra-terrestrial alien encounters in their proper light and perspective:
“Little by little I am learning the art of being quite content by doing very little slowly” ~ Lionel Hardcastle
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@Renauda said in Chinese Spy Balloon:
I think everyone should just calm down about these balloons.
Well these guys are not happy:
A small, globe-trotting balloon declared “missing in action” by an Illinois-based hobbyist club on Feb. 15 has emerged as a candidate to explain one of the three mystery objects shot down by four heat-seeking missiles launched by U.S. Air Force fighters since Feb. 10.
The club—the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade (NIBBB)—is not pointing fingers yet.
But the circumstantial evidence is at least intriguing. The club’s silver-coated, party-style, “pico balloon” reported its last position on Feb. 10 at 38,910 ft. off the west coast of Alaska, and a popular forecasting tool—the HYSPLIT model provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—projected the cylindrically shaped object would be floating high over the central part of the Yukon Territory on Feb. 11. That is the same day a Lockheed Martin F-22 shot down an unidentified object of a similar description and altitude in the same general area.
There are suspicions among other prominent members of the small, pico-ballooning enthusiasts’ community, which combines ham radio and high-altitude ballooning into a single, relatively affordable hobby.
“I tried contacting our military and the FBI—and just got the runaround—to try to enlighten them on what a lot of these things probably are. And they’re going to look not too intelligent to be shooting them down,” says Ron Meadows, the founder of Scientific Balloon Solutions (SBS), a Silicon Valley company that makes purpose-built pico balloons for hobbyists, educators and scientists.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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"My pronouns are FA/FO." - Mik, 2024
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"My pronouns are FA/FO." - Mik, 2024
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@Mik said in Chinese Spy Balloon:
No doubt, but 38k feet is definitely in commercial space.
Class A
§ 91.135 Operations in Class A airspace.
Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, each person operating an aircraft in Class A airspace must conduct that operation under instrument flight rules (IFR) and in compliance with the following:
(a) Clearance. Operations may be conducted only under an ATC clearance received prior to entering the airspace.
(b) Communications. Unless otherwise authorized by ATC, each aircraft operating in Class A airspace must be equipped with a two-way radio capable of communicating with ATC on a frequency assigned by ATC. Each pilot must maintain two-way radio communications with ATC while operating in Class A airspace.
(c) Equipment requirements. Unless otherwise authorized by ATC, no person may operate an aircraft within Class A airspace unless that aircraft is equipped with the applicable equipment specified in § 91.215, and after January 1, 2020, § 91.225.
(d) ATC authorizations. An operator may deviate from any provision of this section under the provisions of an ATC authorization issued by the ATC facility having jurisdiction of the airspace concerned. In the case of an inoperative transponder, ATC may immediately approve an operation within a Class A airspace area allowing flight to continue, if desired, to the airport of ultimate destination, including any intermediate stops, or to proceed to a place where suitable repairs can be made, or both. Requests for deviation from any provision of this section must be submitted in writing, at least 4 days before the proposed operation. ATC may authorize a deviation on a continuing basis or for an individual flight.
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“These three objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies, of the weather or conducting other scientific research.” Ignoring shouted questions, Biden then turned and went offstage, apparently with a broad grin on his face. After a moment, Biden asks the indelible question, “You think they bought any of that bulls**t?” Someone replies, “Oh, absolutely.” Biden then adds, “Yeah, those guys’ll believe anything. Let’s get outta here.”
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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Ax & Jon's Resident! ️🥰Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
@George-K said in Chinese Spy Balloon:
“These three objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies, of the weather or conducting other scientific research.” Ignoring shouted questions, Biden then turned and went offstage, apparently with a broad grin on his face. After a moment, Biden asks the indelible question, “You think they bought any of that bulls**t?” Someone replies, “Oh, absolutely.” Biden then adds, “Yeah, those guys’ll believe anything. Let’s get outta here.”
Was that real? It sounded fake, and easy to do….
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“Little by little I am learning the art of being quite content by doing very little slowly” ~ Lionel Hardcastle
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@Renauda said in Chinese Spy Balloon:
Proof that he’s not nearly as senile as you and one or two others here want to believe.
I think he's on drugs and high oxygen therapy, along with severely limiting his activities. There have been a lot of 11AM lids here lately.
I think they're wringing out as much as they can get...
Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
@LuFins-Dad said in Chinese Spy Balloon:
Was that real? It sounded fake, and easy to do….
Editor’s Note: PJ Media retracted this article after determining that the video was doctored. We apologize to our readers for the error.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
