Chinese spy balloon flying across the country

Shame, I was waiting for it to light up today.
https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/lantern-festival.htm

It is an interesting development, if not unexpected, and it's maybe a bit concerning.
They make a big point that it was still over US teritory when they shot it down, but just how high up does a nations sovereignty go?

Are the US now going to decide that they have the right to shoot down any satellites that are in orbit above, or simply passing over, US teritory?

There is the Outer Space Treaty of course which is still regularly updated: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html
but that treaty is already ignored when it suits a nations purpose to do so.

I am very surprised that they wasted a missile on it, when strafing it with a machine gun, would probably have been sufficient

Edited by Nukecad, 05 February 2023 - 11:31 AM.

I would have though that precision removal of (whatever agent is used to make it float) would have made for a slower descent and simplified the picking it up, just before it landed and smashed.

I'd want a careful look at whatever they had on board, preferably while still working

I have been hanging out in some right wing chat rooms and the panic and fear the balloon generated in the USA is astounding.

Here's how 1 conversation went.

China is testing Biden, he should have shot the balloon down earlier.

 Its just a balloon

Are you saying we shouldn't have shot it down? what if it was a Chinese jet fighter or a nuclear bomber.

But it wasnt a fighter or bomber it was a balloon.

But what if they had a nuclear bomb on the balloon?

Then radar and other equipment would have shown it.

But what if the bomb was somehow made stealth.

and the what if what if what if continued like that, by the time I logged out, It was a Chinese spy balloon controlled the elites using Jewish space lasers   delivering secret messages to Hillary, Pelosi and Hunter Biden.

Seriously America when did you become so paranoid.

Edited by NickAu, 05 February 2023 - 02:44 PM.

Edited by NickAu, 05 February 2023 - 06:58 PM.

I have been hanging out in some right wing chat rooms

You'll get yourself on a watchlist.

https://www.thesenior.com.au/story/5958364/vic-right-wing-extremists-on-watchlist/

"Victorian right wing" has quite a different meaning here in the UK:
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/victorian/power-and-politics/

Edited by Nukecad, 06 February 2023 - 03:02 AM.

I troll them with the following variation of the star spangled banner.

Oh say can you see,

A Chinese balloon over me

It wasnt there last night

And if we dont shoot it down Americans might die of fright

I see the million dollar rockets red glare

And bang the balloon is not there

Americans come out of hidin

And sing praises to Biden

Its a work in progress LOL

Try this one:

Oh say can you see, a balloon over me
It the commies again, they drive me insane
We'll hide in our basements, shoot it down shoo-oo-t it down now
It'll cost a fortune, just to kill a balloon.

The financials are interesting.

Weather balloons cost about US$400 each.
Each AIM-9X sidewinder costs about US$390,000.

You could send up 975 or so balloons with empty boxes underneath for the coast of one missile to shoot one balloon.
(An agent based anywhere in the US could drive the entire country into a panic quite cheaply, simply by buying and launching a bunch of weather balloons).

Edited by Nukecad, 06 February 2023 - 04:10 AM.

Edited by NickAu, 06 February 2023 - 05:58 AM.

YES it cost a lot in terms of money. But that's cheap compared to keeping America safe from Chinese spying, and now the population are deemed safe and secure, from the political stand point of view of the U.S. politicians.