This is one balloon. Imagine has obnoxious it was when the US was flying an SR-71 over North Vietnam every day.
Did we stop?
(checks)
Oh, well, yes, I guess we just overfly them with satellites these days, we’ve retired the SR-71’s. Which is a shame, it was such a freaky technology leap for it’s time and a heck of a wild machine (COUGHaliensCOUGH).
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You gotta admit, the SR-71 is a pretty fucking cool plane.
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Has anyone seen Tibet lately?
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If you are going to shoot down the balloon and not have it land in someone, there are few better states than Montana. They don’t even have to shoot it down, just put a few holes in it to leak the helium or hydrogen.
Maybe what they need to do (I’m not being serious) is dust off the aircraft used to recover film “buckets” dropped from Corona spy satellites, 1959-72, and grab it mid-air.
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Oh no, they’re back.
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I have a bolt that held in the ejector seat from the SR-71!
We moved one of the retired ones onto pylons for display, and then built and enclosure around it at the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS.
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Gotta look closer…
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They want to know the secret to how we are able to grow dental floss.
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The base I was stationed at in the UK was RAF Mildenhall. SR-71 missions were still being conducted when I arrived, but officially ended a few months before I transferred back stateside. (No, I had nothing to do with that! I was a “Communications Systems Computer Operator” which means I spent most of my time in a small, locked room with thick walls and no windows.)
I did get to see it take off or land a few times – it was really cool to watch from inside the fence, although outside was almost as good. Although there was no announcements of take off, the local plane watchers always seemed to know when it was going to happen. Apparently the take off of three KC-135 Stratotankers each about 10 minutes apart was noticeable enough for the crowd to gather at “spy corner,” an official observation parking slot along the A1101. (Looking at the current map, it’s still there, although there’s now a gate.)
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Eric Swalwell was reported to have had an affair with a woman who turned out to be a Chinese spy. this was the reason (given) for McCarthy to remove Swalwell from his committee.
empty gee apparently finds this attempt at humor to be HIGH-larious.
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Just about to post when I saw your response. Only thing I’d add for clarity: her name was Christine Fang.
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right! thanks for the additional info. i had missed that!
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Racists always find Chinese names hilarious.
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Already boinged:
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You’re going to want to adjust your shots considerably if you hope to hit Venus. 
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