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> Officials said the object was far smaller than the previous balloon, did not appear to be maneuverable and was traveling at a much lower altitude. "Not maneu
by consumer451 4y ago
> Officials said the object was far smaller than the previous balloon, did not appear to be maneuverable and was traveling at a much lower altitude.
"Not maneuverable" and "previous balloon" so is it fair to assume that it's a balloon as well?
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 4y agoThat's an interesting catch. Still, it's known that the previous object was a balloon, so I'd say it makes more sense to expect those words are shorthand for "previous object (which was a balloon)". This new object may still be a balloon, but those words aren't admission of that.
- dTal 4y agoNot many other types of non-maneuverable flying craft.
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 4y agoFair point; I doubt it's anything like a bottle rocket or whatever else. I guess it doesn't really matter either way since it's likely to be revealed what it was.
- nonethewiser 4y agoWould a smaller balloon fly lower? Seems likely.
- andirk 4y agoI think the main issue of an object being really high up in the air is the lack of air density which, to achieve equilibrium, will get pulled apart (think: the opposite of being smashed). It's also extremely cold. I assume a weather balloon can handle those issues though. [0] [0] https://youtu.be/jaUgTwKu6vs https://youtu.be/jaUgTwKu6vs
- anigbrowl 4y agoNo, it is just as likely to be a reporter's garbled understanding of an explanation. In mysterious matters wait until you have 2 or 3 datapoints before using a heuristic.
- consumer451 4y agoAgreed, but the "previous balloon" part may be unnecessary. User dTal is on the same train of thought as I was regarding the "not maneuverable" part. What other type of object exists which can fly and yet does not have the ability to maneuver?
- singleshot_ 4y agoICBM Airplane on autopilot with dead/sleeping pilot Control surface problem (e.g. 737 elevator jackscrew excursion scenario) (Just thinking out loud/adding ideas, not contradicting).
- le-mark 4y agoHypersonic craft aren’t terribly maneuverable, to add an idea.
- CTDOCodebases 4y agoJeez imagine if a country decided to launch the first nuclear strikes using their national carriers passenger air planes masquerading as civilian aircraft. Multiple cities all at once.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- mulmen 4y agoI wondered about this too. But even balloons are maneuverable in some sense, by changing their altitude. So maybe the meaning is more like "didn't maneuver in response to our presence".
- zardo 4y ago> But even balloons are maneuverable in some sense, by changing their altitude. Most balloons are not equipped to actively change their bouyancy.
- cdot2 4y agoEspecially because the high altitude stuff are generally zero pressure balloons
- sandworm101 4y agoYou can use propellers to move up and down too. The buoyancy of a fixed amount of helium doesn't drop/rise much with altitude changes. It isnt like submarines. The needed vertical thrust to move a few thousand feet is minimal.
- susiecambria 4y agoJohn Kirby called it an object today during the White House press briefing. He also said it was the size of a small car, unlike the balloon from China that was the size of 2-3 buses. Finally, Kirby said that the object could not direct its own propulsion or direction and was at the whim of the wind. Source: https://www.youtube.com/live/rHGWmyyb9nI?feature=share https://www.youtube.com/live/rHGWmyyb9nI?feature=share
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- BbzzbB 4y agoNo propulsion, wind-controlled, motor vehicle-equivalents... Yeah it's a balloon.
- postalrat 4y agoMaybe a weather balloon? No wonder they took it down. Those things are just looking for trouble!
- HarryHirsch 4y agoWeather balloons are disposable, they rise and expand in the process until they burst - the maximum size is somewhere between 5 and 10 meters, between a large car and a white van. The payload tends to have a parachute and a phone number (the ones from the Weather Service do). There was something about fear being the mind-killer. Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam to the Red Telephone please - paging the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam!
- cormacrelf 4y agoThe man does not misspeak.