Object shot down in US may be a $12 amateur soccer ball
(Baonghean.vn) - One of the flying objects previously shot down in the US may have been a $12 balloon launched by members of an amateur group from Illinois, according to aviation news publication Aviation Week.
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The US military retrieved a hot air balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Photo: AP |
The NIBBB (Northern Illinois Bottlecamp Balloon Brigade) said its balloon went “missing” on February 15. The balloon, which was last recorded with equipment, including airborne particle monitors, in Alaska around February 10 after more than four months of flying.
On the same day, the US government spoke of an “object” shot down over the state. The small sphere that was flying around the world was declared “missing” by NIBBB Illinois on February 15. It could be one of three mysterious objects shot down by four heat-seeking missiles fired by US Air Force aircraft.
It should be noted that the cost of such amateur balloons with microchips can range from $12 to $180. NIBBB has not blamed the US authorities for the disappearance of the balloon, but experts in this field note that they have tried to contact the US military and the FBI to report the existence of such objects and radio balloons in the air.
On February 10, the US military reportedly shot down a “high-altitude object” that entered US airspace over Alaska. The US military has shot down four airborne targets in recent days, including a Chinese balloon that crossed US skies and was intercepted over the Atlantic.
Washington said the balloon was launched for spying purposes, while Beijing said it was a lost civilian weather balloon. The connection and purpose of the three targets shot down the previous day are still unknown./.
