JUST IN - U.S. is tracking an unidentified high-altitude balloon

a reply to: Boomer1947

And the other news is that Biden is the best President that we've ever had!!!!!!!

a reply to: Mantiss2021

LOL , Satellites can see them and Ground Observers can see them . Mountain Out of a Mole Hill Much ?

originally posted by: GENERAL EYES
99 Red Ballons.

High-altitude balloon intercepted by US fighters over Utah a 'likely hobby balloon': NORAD

The balloon has since left U.S. airspace, officials said Saturday.

a reply to: Boomer1947

Case closed i guess…

Amateur balloonist…

Nothing to see here…

originally posted by: ByeByeAmericanPie
a reply to: Boomer1947

"Case closed i guess…

Amateur balloonist…

Nothing to see here…"

And that, whether you are serious or not, is exactly what they want you to believe.

a reply to: pianopraze

JUST IN - U.S. is tracking an unidentified high-altitude balloon over the Western part of the country — CBS

Disclose TV Twitter

Another one?

Who’s asleep at the wheel?

Collecting more sources will update this post with more info. One source said over Colorado spotted by military planes. Will get source and more reliable info

What in the blue f#ck?!?

C'mon man!

First "detected" over Colorado? Are you flocking kidding me?

This was pure BS from the jump. This has been tracked almost from it's point of origin...believe me.

They must think we're all idiots and/or totally uninformed.

I am neither.

I bet you aren't either.

originally posted by: arcticshuffle

originally posted by: watchitburn
It's fine folks.

Lol X 1,000,000

Thread done.

Ah, herro?

Why you no rike my barroom?

originally posted by: WeMustCare
a reply to: pianopraze

How many threats above us are we not told about?

Far, far more than most people realize.

If it was public knowledge there would be hell to pay by many in DC.

And a lot of fear among the general population. Fear makes people irrational at times and never at a good time or in a helpful way. Not like trying to herd cats - more like trying to corral the terrified mice that the cats want to eat.

originally posted by: Mantiss2021
a reply to: putnam6

Weelll, according to my source, an old colleague from decades back who currently heads both a LAV development program and a non-profit educational high-altitude balloon research program;


One of the two balloons you referenced from last year was a Canadian commercial research balloon, and the other was a radio hobbyist balloon. Both had flight plans filed with proper authorities, and both were fully identified before being shot down.



His theory: We're seeing more of these incidents because the public is "looking more" for these incidents. It's a form of "confirmation bias", like how you can start noticing more red cars once you take notice of a red car; it is not that red cars suddenly start multiplying, it's just that your confirmation bias has made you more aware of the red cars that were always there to begin with.

And the government has make a show of responding to the public's increased awareness, expressed as "concern", fear, and paranoid delusion, or be criticized as ineffective, unresponsive, and/or engaging in some sort of malicious cover-up.

And then, if you send up a fighter jet to deal with what turns out to be a "Batman" party balloon....How are you going to justify the thousands of dollars you just wasted to assuage the wild fears of some soccer mom?


Damned if you do, damned if you don't!

Respectfully you refer to your "source" Why didn't the DOD just release pictures or video to help allay the GP's fears as well as increase thier credibility the next time they stumble across one of the 92 daily weather balloons being sent up?

You are making it sound as if the ones last year were easily identified as weather balloons, this may be the case but the DOD didn't frame it that way contemporaneously they were actually vague AF, and it's why they lost street cred.

Not to mention you kind of avoided how they determine this is the balloon they go after. Are you suggesting they only go after the ones the public bitches about?

It sounds as if Im dissing the military, Im not, Im just questioning the protocol of how they determine which balloons are worthy while looking on the radar and going thats a balloon thats a balloon. No more no less.

originally posted by: CosmicFocus
a reply to: putnam6

Not sure what is the reason for the image of a hanging, but your following words are twice vastly mistaken, you have my permission to grant yourself a picture of the hanging also if that was supposed to mean something.

"That said there are several reasons the spreading COVID or any other "virus" from an uncontrollable high-altitude balloon would be incredibly difficult to do."

You know when people say they have to explain the joke... it applies now. This place is so uptight

You assumed I trust what the DoD says as a default. I do not, I do hope they are being evasive because it's in the the best interest of the GP for them to do so.

Ill go with colorado was the first place it was detected by non-dod/NSA people so they had to come up with a story, I guess its better than woops we lost a weather baloon.

So whats the story when we see another one in 3 days?

a reply to: putnam6

My source has his own connections with folks at NASA and in the USAF as the direct result of work we did with them years ago, and work he and his company are still doing. We were, years ago, involved with developing a high-altitude LAV for ISR purposes under contract with the USAF Battlelab. A "grey", rather than a "black" Project.

Hope that helps with any question you might have regarding "bona fides". Not really interested in "doxing" myself (though I've been an ATS member since the 1990's, and have spoken "around" this subject a number of times over the years) but for more information you might want to look up the Rand Corporation's paper on the strategic use of the Near Space domain, specifically regarding a "Near Space Maneuvering Vehicle (NSMV)". Our (now past) efforts figure rather prominently in that report.


All this is prelude to "Why" the DOD might be somewhat hesitant to divulge what, why, and how, objects are identified, evaluated, tracked, and "resolved" in the upper atmosphere. And have been for decades.


And yes, it does come down to the hue and cry of the public....in some cases. That may seem ridiculous, but consider the fear and paranoia that has been expressed over these last six pages. A simple "There, there. It's just a harmless balloon" from the government is less and less reassuring, and even inflammatory, these days.

Just as it makes a disturbingly large section of the public feel good to see excessive military might expended to destroy an otherwise harmless balloon. I suppose it does confirm our capabilities to potential aggressors; rather like kicking a puppy could be seen as proof that one doesn't GAF.

a reply to: CosmicFocus

Pretty serious hobbyist who makes a 50 foot tall balloon, sending it around the Earth at a steady altitude…

There’s this club…

arhab.org...

As Mr Biden would say "C'mon Man"

They know what it is, where it is, and what it's doing.

Me I have no clue what it is.