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Could be they thought it was a balloon originally hence the immediate press conference, but now they've received conflicting accounts from the pilots (some repo

Could be they thought it was a balloon originally hence the immediate press conference, but now they've received conflicting accounts from the pilots (some reported experiencing sensor interference for example) so they're not sure what they are anymore. Apparently the Alaska object shattered upon impact against the ice. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/02/pentagon-shoots-down-unidentified-flying-object-over-alaska/amp https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/02/pentagon-shoots-down...

bmitc 4y ago
I know this is Hollywood magic thinking, but in the the spirit of no dumb questions, for an object like this, are there no capture devices besides just letting it crash?
- mxkopy 4y ago
  Helicopters are really expensive and that's the only way I can think of getting a delta V low enough so the device, tether or aircraft doesn't shatter/snap on capture. But more importantly, it sends a message - don't fuck with our airspace, we won't even send body bags
- JohnBooty 4y ago
  It's not a dumb question at all. What you're suggesting is not entirely without precedent: https://www.space.com/281-sky-capture-nasa-bring-genesis-earth.html https://www.space.com/281-sky-capture-nasa-bring-genesis-ear... However, that was a known harmless object on a known trajectory versus an unknown and possibly hostile object. Additionally, helicopters can't fly nearly high enough for these. 25,000 feet vs 40,000+ feet.
- crazygringo 4y ago
  I've had the same question, and it seems like there aren't really. It's too high for helicopters or rotor drones so there's no kind of aircraft that can get their quickly and just hover next to it and retrieve it. (And sending an airship would be so slow and hard to control I'm not sure you could ever get it to reliably intercept in a reasonable amount of time.) So since you've necessary got to launch something at speed, the only conceivable capture device would seem to necessarily involve 1) a missile to puncture and deflate the balloon/buoyant part, 2) a giant net to wrap the entire thing, and 3) a parachute attached to the net to let it down gently. But I can't even begin to imagine how you'd get all three elements working together reliably, rather than interfering with each other.

bmitc 4y ago

I know this is Hollywood magic thinking, but in the the spirit of no dumb questions, for an object like this, are there no capture devices besides just letting it crash?

mxkopy 4y ago
Helicopters are really expensive and that's the only way I can think of getting a delta V low enough so the device, tether or aircraft doesn't shatter/snap on capture. But more importantly, it sends a message - don't fuck with our airspace, we won't even send body bags
JohnBooty 4y ago
It's not a dumb question at all. What you're suggesting is not entirely without precedent: https://www.space.com/281-sky-capture-nasa-bring-genesis-earth.html https://www.space.com/281-sky-capture-nasa-bring-genesis-ear... However, that was a known harmless object on a known trajectory versus an unknown and possibly hostile object. Additionally, helicopters can't fly nearly high enough for these. 25,000 feet vs 40,000+ feet.
crazygringo 4y ago
I've had the same question, and it seems like there aren't really. It's too high for helicopters or rotor drones so there's no kind of aircraft that can get their quickly and just hover next to it and retrieve it. (And sending an airship would be so slow and hard to control I'm not sure you could ever get it to reliably intercept in a reasonable amount of time.) So since you've necessary got to launch something at speed, the only conceivable capture device would seem to necessarily involve 1) a missile to puncture and deflate the balloon/buoyant part, 2) a giant net to wrap the entire thing, and 3) a parachute attached to the net to let it down gently. But I can't even begin to imagine how you'd get all three elements working together reliably, rather than interfering with each other.