Alleged spy balloon over US is weather device – China
An alleged spy balloon spotted over the US is a Chinese “civilian airship” which had deviated from its planned route, China says.
US defence officials said they believe the balloon, seen above sensitive areas in recent days, was in fact a “high-altitude surveillance” device.
But in a statement, China’s foreign ministry said it was used for “mainly meteorological” purposes. China “regrets the unintended entry” of the balloon into US airspace, it added.
The object flew over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and through Canada before appearing over the city of Billings in Montana on Wednesday, US officials said.
Montana is home to some of the US’s nuclear missile silos.
The US decided not to shoot down the balloon because of the danger posed by falling debris, and the limited use of any intelligence the device could gather, the US defence official said.
However, the government prepared fighter jets in case the object had to be shot down. US media earlier reported that the balloon was about the size of three buses, according to another official.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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Howdy
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The emperor is aboard that thing, where’s Luke!?
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Jerry Krause
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Hi PSI Readers,
The USA and other nations have for some time placed satellites in near polar orbits for meteorological. purposes. These satellites obviously must pass over most all nation’s air space. Are these satellites only observing clouds? I doubt it.
Have a good day, Jerry
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Jerry Krause
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Hi PSI Readers,
At the end of the article we read: “US media earlier reported that the balloon was about the size of three buses, according to another official.”
A bit of WWII history is that during one winter Japan launched, from Japan, many hydrogen gas balloons carrying incendiary devices of which more than a 1000 were known to have come down to the ground in western USA as far east as Minnesota. And it is known these balloons were launched into atmospheric jet streams observed to be flowing eastward.
If one goes to (http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/sounding.html) and then to the region of Southeast Asia one can see there seem to no official international weather ballon launch sites in China. Hence, the beginning statement: “An alleged spy balloon spotted over the US is a Chinese “civilian airship” which had deviated from its planned route, China says.”
There is only one reason for the upperair soundings and it is to observe the actual, somewhat localized, atmospheric circulation. The sounding is kept localized by filling in ballon with enough helium (an inert gas) that the balloon will burst at an elevation of 33 km in the stratosphere. The balloon’s is followed (direction and speed) by ground based radar. The stratosphere extends up to about 50, so the size of balloon reported, about size of three buses, suggests some curious atmospheric scientists were trying learn about the atmospheric circulation of the upper stratosphere. For they had no idea. And I speculate that the balloon carried no instrument package to keep down expenses. For direction and speed, both horizontal and vertical, were the variables of interest.
I repeat; I speculate.
Have a good day, Jerry
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Monte
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While watching Flight Radar last summer, 2022, I followed two huge weather balloons at night. I do not have the dates recorded however based on data seen on Flight Radar at that time, one was launched in Western Montana and one from central Idaho. US Air Bases are in those areas. Just Sayin’. They went to 61,000 fee and floated over eastern Washington as well as western Montana and eastern Oregon and northern to central Idaho. Very odd movement considering the wind on Windy at that altitude was moving considerably more rapidly and in an easterly direction differently than the courses painted on the flight radar screen. Now with this new “Chinese thing”. I am sceptical of this whole media narrative. I await the discovery it was ours and we released things into the atmosphere and perhaps Bill Gates will be somehow implicated in funding something about this venture. But then again, I wander……….into postulation. I will stop. Carry on you all.
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Jerry Krause
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Hi PSI Readers,
I cannot believe the number of people who ignore the previous comments I had written and thereby advertise to the world how stupid they are. The caption of Figure 3, pp 30, Weather and Climate (1966), R. C. Sutcliffe, (who at the end of World War II was Chief Meteorological Officer for the British Forces in Europe) is “Illustrating a weather satellite in orbit around the earth. The shaded area indicates the strip of earth which lies within the view of the satellite camera. As the earth twists about 28 degree in the time of one orbiter, the consecutive strips are displaced about 28 degrees towards the west. Only that half of the earth which is sunlit can be photographed by visible light. The use of infrared photography will permit the night time to be covered.”
If you cannot believe what I wrote, maybe you will believe Sutcliffe and W. W. Norton & Company Inc. who published this book..
Have good day, Jerry
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Frank S.
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Hey CCP! If that’s your weather balloon, then my backside’s a kissing booth!
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Mutant Variant
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File this with the reports of a Russian beluga spy whale apprehended off the coast of Norway in April of 2019, as reported (with a straight face) by our intrepid national broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
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Brian L Coss
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Any country that allows these intrusions on a regular basis is open to EMP attack. The decisions, or indecisions of a country’s leader, elected or not, set precedence.
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MC
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According to different articles the balloon is the size of three buses and the weight of two buses, lol. Have the appendages been photoshopped? Reminds me off Roswell.
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aaron
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total distraction, what is being hidden with this story
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Russ D
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“An alleged spy balloon spotted over the US is a Chinese “civilian airship” which had deviated from its planned route, China says.”
If you believe that you are a STUPID Liberal…………PERIOD!!!
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schutzhund
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What sort of electronic signals are around that balloon?
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Lorraine
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The President of the United States is mentally incompetent.
He demonstrates his inability to think rationally and apply good judgement to any situation.
This instance is a clear case of mindless stupidity. According to the resident of the WH It’s not safe to shoot down or even intercept this unauthorized intruder. Would it be safer to allow a hostile regime to gather intelligence and execute an attack?
This man is a Chinese asset from all appearances.
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aaron
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President is a figurehead like the queen, only follows orders from his masters
dem/rep they all take commands from the same entity
ever wonder why things get worse overall after every ‘election’ no matter which of two authoritarian puppets, chosen not by the people but those who they are answerable to
congress makes law, supreme court interprets and is the final say on things
why do we not vote on who is on the supreme court or any other court for that matter, afterall they have the say on what is done to us
pres is for foto ops and ‘official’ functions
presidents are marketed to us just like a dish soap, they make it all look legit by letting the masses believe that they decide which authoritarian ‘leader’ stomps on us and our so called ‘rights’
politics is a fools game, the only winners are those calling the shots, same as any war…..rinse….repeat……
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aaron
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edit:
remove “or any other court”
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aaron
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If satellites exist and are not CGI, then why would china need to use balloons ?
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Lorraine
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This could have been a test of US reaction to the incursion.
That question was answered.
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aaron
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well yes that is ONE answer, but really, should not be jumping to conclusions, all we know is what we are told.
take it all with a huge grain of salt
they lie/deceive about everything
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