comment: >
  
  I would bet awacs and other electronics aircraft have been circling it since it go near US soil.
context: This story has been updated.
  A U.S. military aircraft on Saturday downed the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had been floating over the United States for several days, according to eyewitness video circulating on social media.
  The balloon was brought down just off the Atlantic Coast, shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration, citing an unspecified security situation, announced ground stops for all flights in and out of Wilmington, N.C., Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Charleston, S.C.
  In a statement, the agency said the ground stop was to “support the Department of Defense in a national security effort.”
  The balloon was disclosed to the public on Thursday after appearing over Montana the day before, prompting a temporary stoppage of all flights out of the airport in Billings. On Friday a second Chinese spy balloon was spotted over Latin America, the Pentagon said. U.S. officials say there is likely a third such balloon conducting surveillance in another part of the world. >
  
  What was China thinking?  Of course, the balloon would be seen, and the US would respond.  Was this meant to embarrass Biden or to embarrass Xi?  It just does not make sense to me >
  
  I've see the theory floated that this is more about judging the US response to the situation than anything else. I think that's something I could buy. >
  
  Taking a page out of NK's book. >
  
  Anyone have any good speculation on what kind of data this could be gathering that isn’t already available by other means? >
  
  I am by no means an expert but… I imagine they were looking for some signals over sensitive areas. Maybe tried to get in between ground station and satellites? Either way, this isn’t the first time it’s apparently happened, and I have to imagine we have means to saturate their instrumentation making them useless. >
  
  I would bet awacs and other electronics aircraft have been circling it since it go near US soil. >
  
  Do AWACS jam signals? >
  
  Not sure, that’s why I added the ‘others’;) >
  
  Where’s Larry Walters when you need him? >
  
  Take
  It
  The
  Fuck
  Out >
  
  Wait, so they're going to wait to shoot it down until it's safe to do so? What kind of commie bullshit is this? >
  
  Can't tell if this is sarcasm or not...
  Why is everything you hate "commie bullshit"? >
  
  It was totally sarcasm! >
  
  I'm sad I couldn't tell. What a timeline. >
  
  I feel your pain. >
  
  How do they know it doesn't contain some kind of virus? >
  
  What if it's full of radioactive bees >
  
  One day we’re gonna land on the moon. >
  
  Do it already !! >
  
  Makes more sense to capture it.
  Only reason not to capture it would be if it really is an errant weather balloon and all the Pentagon yellow peril hoopla is a fabrication.
  And why didn't the $1.2T per year US military detect it long before it got to Montana? >
  
  They've been tracking it since it left Beijing.  They've just been watching it and see what china would say. >
  
  
  They've been tracking it since it left Beijing.
  
  It wasn't launched from Beijing.  
  If US Air Force was aware of it they would have had all the yellow peril hullabaloo as it approached US not after it was over US. >
  
  Kind of like saying moon rockets are launched from DC. >
  
  This story has been updated.
  A U.S. military aircraft on Saturday downed the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had been floating over the United States for several days, according to eyewitness video circulating on social media.
  The balloon was brought down just off the Atlantic Coast, shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration, citing an unspecified security situation, announced ground stops for all flights in and out of Wilmington, N.C., Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Charleston, S.C.
  In a statement, the agency said the ground stop was to “support the Department of Defense in a national security effort.”
  The balloon was disclosed to the public on Thursday after appearing over Montana the day before, prompting a temporary stoppage of all flights out of the airport in Billings. On Friday a second Chinese spy balloon was spotted over Latin America, the Pentagon said. U.S. officials say there is likely a third such balloon conducting surveillance in another part of the world. >
  
  What was China thinking?  Of course, the balloon would be seen, and the US would respond.  Was this meant to embarrass Biden or to embarrass Xi?  It just does not make sense to me >
  
  I've see the theory floated that this is more about judging the US response to the situation than anything else. I think that's something I could buy. >
  
  Taking a page out of NK's book. >
  
  Anyone have any good speculation on what kind of data this could be gathering that isn’t already available by other means? >
  
  I am by no means an expert but… I imagine they were looking for some signals over sensitive areas. Maybe tried to get in between ground station and satellites? Either way, this isn’t the first time it’s apparently happened, and I have to imagine we have means to saturate their instrumentation making them useless.