The psychosis of balloons: a 12-dollar object shot down with 400,000 missiles
The United States has halted a search for two of the unidentified flying objects shot down by the military, raising the possibility that the devices will never be collected and analyzed. Aircraft hovering over North America have become a source of intrigue since a US missile shot down a Chinese spy balloon Feb. 4. But US President Joe Biden said this week that the three objects hit next were most likely search balloons, not spy aircraft. US authorities have tried to reach remote areas of Alaska and Lake Huron to recover two of the items, but weather conditions have made it too difficult to locate the remains. Canada is still looking for a third ball down over the Yukon.
Military pilots patrolled an area 20 miles off the coast of northern Alaska, temporarily imposing restrictions on civilian flying. The US Air Force has used aircraft equipped with radar to see through the ice, but he found no trace of the object, which is believed to be the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.
Biden stated that, according to the intelligence assessment, the three objects were most likely balloons linked to private companiesrecreational or research institutions that study the climate or conduct other scientific experiments.
One of the balloons should belong to a group called Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade, an amateur group, and cost $12. But, as the newspapers report, it was shot down by missiles at a cost of about 400,000 dollars.
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