Chinese Spy Balloon Shot Down

The Chinese spy balloon discovered drifting over the USA and shot down as it reached the Atlantic is being recovered by Navy divers and will be analyzed by the authorities. Just below is the best picture I have seen (taken by USAF interceptors) of the balloon intact and and still operating. Such balloons are enormous and start off on the ground as only partially inflated. As they reach higher altitudes, where the air pressure is significantly lower, the gas inside expands into a spherical shape.

The payload hanging beneath the enormous balloon looks just like a small satellite for good reason. Any spy spacecraft in low Earth orbit would have deployed solar arrays to generate power to operate and also deployed antennas to both listen to communications on the ground and to transmit data back to its handlers on the earth.

The grey object at the center could be a sensor package that might include a telescopic camera. If this spy apparatus was shot down earlier, over land, the considerable mass of equipment could inflict heavy damage on the populated ground.

Interesting times.