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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nI\u2019m going to ignore the political and international relations ramifications, but the subject of balloons themselves is interesting and deserving of a blog by me\u2026..
Modern-day \u201cspy\u201d balloons consist of a piece of spying equipment, like a camera, suspended beneath a balloon that floats above a given area, usually carried along by wind currents. Balloons in this day and age usually (possibly) carry radar equipment and and are probably solar powered. The balloons usually operate above 70,000 feet \u2014 that\u2019s well above where commercial airlines operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have an inquisitive mind (like me) you probably wonder why balloons are still used today, what with all the advanced technology, like satellites, readily available. Well, there are probably lots of reasons, but balloons are much cheaper than satellites, much cheaper to launch and if you need to retrieve them \u2014 well, that\u2019s easier and cheaper, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember during the Civil War (no, I wasn\u2019t there) the Union sent soldiers, equipped with binoculars, up in hot air balloons to gather information about Confederate activity further away. They relayed their information back via morse code or a piece of paper tied to a rock. I did some extensive research on balloons and found that the first recorded use of reconnaissance balloons was at the Battle of Fleurus against Austrian and Dutch troops during the French revolutionary wars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So again, trying to not be political or contribute to worsening international relations, what\u2019s the deal with the Chinese balloon?
China\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the object is merely a civilian weather observatory blown off course. I guess if you don\u2019t think about that too much, it sounds feasible. But \u2014 from what I\u2019ve read, this particular balloon has the ability to maneuver. How much this balloon can maneuver seems important to me \u2014 most balloons just go up and down and are at the mercy of the winds. If this balloon can be controlled toward specific destinations, that puts it a step or two above any balloon I\u2019m familiar with. Another thing that doesn\u2019t compute with the Chinese Ministry\u2019s explanation is that this balloon has been \u201cup there\u201d for at least days, maybe months. Weather balloons usually only remain aloft for a number of hours. I also read that the Chinese balloon is roughly the size of three buses \u2014 the weather balloons I\u2019ve seen are probably no more than 20 to 30 feet in diameter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though it appears that the Chinese balloon is \u201ccontrollable,\u201d what if it isn\u2019t? Do wind patterns at different altitudes make it possible to send a balloon over a specific location? At those altitudes, the prevailing winds are west to east. So a balloon launched in China can end up in the United States, but if a balloon is launched in the U.S., it wouldn\u2019t be able to go west (to China.) So it\u2019s possible to choose a specific place to launch a balloon and have a reasonable chance it\u2019ll go over the area of interest. But it\u2019s location certainly can\u2019t be controlled with a lot of accuracy. So what will happen to the Chinese balloon? If it\u2019s not controllable, eventually it\u2019ll come down \u2014 somewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no limit to what kind of modern technology you can stick on the bottom of a balloon, whose technology is very old. Just like during the Civil War, the whole point is \u201chigher ground.\u201d Military leaders alway talk about capturing or dominating the higher ground. Higher ground recently has been space, but that\u2019s becoming congested and satellites are vulnerable to attack. So maybe balloons are the high ground of the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyhow, it\u2019ll be interesting to see how the Chinese Spy Satellite Story plays out. The good news is that it\u2019s keeping the mass shootings out of the headlines for a few days\u2026..
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Since I\u2019ve been writing this blog, there are certain subjects that I\u2019ve deliberately avoided. It seems there is enough classified information floating around in public already\u2026.But the news has been full of stories \u2014 and speculation \u2014 about the \u201cChinese … Continue reading