US shoots down 'high-altitude object' over Alaska, White House says

ABC News via Yahoo ^ | February 10th, 2023 | BEN GITTLESON

[Mariner]

The White House said Friday that a 'high-altitude object' has been shot down over Alaska.

President Joe Biden ordered the shootdown, spokesman John Kirby said, adding that the origin of the object has yet to be determined.

Responding to reporters' shouted questions about the shootdown Friday afternoon outside the White House, Biden called the operation a "success."

It comes just days after the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon last Saturday, following a political firestorm.

Kirby said the object was about the size of a small car and was at flying about 40,000 feet.

He said because it posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight, that out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of the Pentagon, Biden ordered the military to down the object.

ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz first reported that when fighters were scrambled, the pilots did visuals, got images and said there was no sign the object had propulsion.

It was described as "cylindrical and silver-ish gray" and seemed to be floating, a U.S. official said.

Asked if was "balloon-like," the official said, "All I say is that it wasn't 'flying' with any sort of propulsion, so if that is 'balloon-like' well -- we just don't have enough at this point."

[Elsie]

U - Unidentified - ✔
F - Floating - ✔
O - Object - ✔

[Elsie]

A drone surveillance machine could easily slip past radar/eyes if it were solar powered and shaped/moved like a large, soaring bird.

[Elsie]

https://www.logikcull.com/blog/drone-uav-technology-will-exacerbate-data-privacy-issues

[Elsie]

https://www.wired.com/story/a-clever-radio-trick-can-tell-if-a-drone-is-watching-you/

[Elsie]

55,000 to 70,000 feet altitude

https://www.techradar.com/news/this-solar-powered-drone-can-stay-airborne-for-a-year

[Elsie]

Stratobus

Another contender is Thales Alenia Space, which is preparing the lighter-than-air solar-powered Stratobus(opens in new tab), with its first flight expected in 2021. A HAPS autonomous ‘stratospheric airship’, the Stratobus is designed to float 12 miles above the ocean and warn ships below about pirates, shipwrecks and other hazards in congested shipping lanes.

“The Stratobus is the perfect complement to satellites,” says Jean-Philippe Chessel, Stratobus Product Line manager, Thales Alenia Space. “You can add on sensors, captors, and other technologies, making it a kind of ‘Swiss army knife’ of innovation in the sky.” The Stratobus is due to begin test flights in 2022.

Stratobus is a HAPS shaped like an airship. Credit: Thales Alenia Space (Image credit: Thales Alenia Space)

[Elsie]

Note to self:

Buy stock in helium producing companies.

Talk like a duck

https://nahelium.com/

[ronnie raygun]

1st event didn’t go well, send up a balloon we can shoot down over Alaska to satisfy the mis informationists

[Cen-Tejas]

......I had a helper in Alaska who drove my truck and boat trailer from one point to another in Alaska on my Yukon River Trips. He was a USAF Master Sergeant. He was always deployed but one year he was stationed at Eielson. Great guy! We’re still good friends. He just retired in Arizona. I couldn’t make his retirement party so I sent him a bottle of Scotch.

[Mark17]

I was a Master Sergeant too, but I retired in 88. Since I was never satisfied with the way enlisted people were treated, I told my son, not to do any enlisted time at all, he didn’t. He will be a USAF Captain in May.

[Cen-Tejas]

Congratulations on a good job of raising your son!

[Mark17]

Thank you. 👍

[MarMema]

Ha ha, welcome!

[satan]

Biden killed an Angel!

[iontheball]

It wasn’t a balloon.
_________________
Well then will never tell us about the UFO.

[linMcHlp]

UAV, lightweight composite construction including solar cells, body volume sufficient to contain necessary amount of helium gas to sustain altitudes without power, helium gas tank reserve, props within for directional control and thrust, batteries, plus recon, comm.’s, snd weather pkg’s; slow and small enough, has NORAD “experts” ignoring it for years.

[jonrick46]

I think you have nailed it. Our government thinks we are fools and are using language--"Object"--to fool us into believing the "Object" might be an UFO manned with alien beings. Until they tell us, they will treat us like they did the local residents who saw the Kecksburg, Pennsylvania "Object" fall from the sky and see what they found in the woods.

This is a witness depiction of what he and others saw before the U.S. Army and State Police officials cleared them out:

[PTBAA]

I guess I should have included the sarcasm tag. ;o)

[Elsie]

Do NOT run a caption contest on this picture!