balloon

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Trash Balloons Caused 413 Minutes of Airport Shutdowns

South Korea releases numbers

(Newser) - So far, the trash balloons released by North Korea have proved more of a headache than a hazard for the South. But aviation data shows just what a headache they've become. Reuters cites a South Korean lawmaker who said Wednesday that runways at the country's Incheon and Gimpo...

North Korea: We've Made Our Point With Balloon Drop

The 260 large white balloons held bags said to contain excrement

(Newser) - A top defense official said North Korea will "temporarily halt dropping trash over the border" in balloons after South Korea promised "unendurable measures" in retaliation. "We've let the South Koreans experience enough of how dirty it feels and how much joint effort it takes to clean...

Florida Clamps Down on Balloon Releases

Bill, expected to be signed by Gov. DeSantis, would ban the practice to cut down on ocean plastic

(Newser) - The sight of a balloon sailing toward the heavens until it's little more than a speck could soon become a super rare one in Florida, where lawmakers have voted to ban the intentional release of balloons filled with any gas that's lighter than air. Under current Florida law,...

Fighter Jets Scramble Toward Balloon Over Utah

NORAD says object was a small, high-altitude balloon that doesn't pose national security threat

(Newser) - It was spy balloon deja vu on Friday, when fighter jets rushed to intercept a small high-altitude balloon in the skies over Utah, reports the Deseret News . Per a statement later that day from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, the balloon was at between 43,000 feet...

US Opts Not to Shoot New Balloon Out of Sky

But military is watching a new mystery object that drifted over Hawaii, is now headed to Mexico

(Newser) - After a mysterious spate of balloon sightings earlier this year, a new entry has made its way into the mix. NBC News reports that the US military has been tailing a new balloon since late last week that drifted over parts of Hawaii, though officials indicate it didn't fly...

Balloons Are Now Banned in Laguna Beach, California

As of 2024, they can't be used on public property or at city events

(Newser) - Environmental advocates are celebrating in Laguna Beach—but it won't be with balloons. The hilly seaside city known for stunning ocean views and rolling bluffs is banning the sale and public use of balloons to curtail the risk of devastating wildfires and eliminate a major source of trash floating...

Now We May Never Know What Last 3 Objects in Sky Were

US, Canada call off search for debris

(Newser) - The world may never know what the US military shot out of sky in three separate incidents over Alaska , Lake Huron in Michigan, and the Yukon territory in Canada. It's not because the information is top-secret. Instead, the US and Canadian governments have officially given up searching for debris...

One Theory: F-22 Took Out a Hobby Club's Cheap Balloon

Coincidentally, that balloon hasn't been heard from since Feb. 10

(Newser) - President Biden said Thursday that the three objects the US shot down most recently while flying over North America likely had nothing to do with Chinese spying but had perhaps been launched by private companies or research institutions ... or the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade? Aviation Week floats the possibility...

Ukraine Says It Shot Down Several Russian Balloons

Air force suspects they're being used to conserve drones and test air defense systems

(Newser) - Ukraine shot down Russian balloons over Kyiv, military officials in the capital announced Wednesday. Six balloons were identified, they said, and most were brought down by Ukrainian fire. "The purpose of launching the balloons was possibly to detect and exhaust our air defenses," the city's military administration...

Watch Fighter Jet Take Down China's Balloon
Watch Fighter Jet
Take Down
China's Balloon
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Feb 5, 2023 6:00 AM CST

Watch Fighter Jet Take Down China's Balloon

Video shows the strike above South Carolina

(Newser) - “I did not anticipate waking up to be in a Top Gun movie today." That's the assessment of Ashlyn Preaux of South Carolina to the AP after Saturday's dramatic downing of a balloon launched by China. A missile from an F-22 fighter jet brought down the...

Now There's a 2nd Balloon, per Pentagon

This one, also said to be from China, is floating somewhere over Latin America, according to DOD

(Newser) - As a suspected Chinese spy balloon continues to make its way east above the United States, a second balloon has been spotted. On Friday, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder noted that the new balloon, also believed to be a Chinese "surveillance" device, is currently "transiting Latin America,...

Balloon Crosses Kansas, Missouri, Reaching the Arch

Midwest residents track flight with binoculars, telescopes

(Newser) - A spy balloon launched by China floated east from Montana on Friday, spotted by residents in Kansas and Missouri—and reached the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Local members of Congress said the federal government had confirmed the sightings were of a spy balloon. Residents in Kansas; the Kansas City...

China: Let's Stay Calm About This Alleged Spy Balloon

It still hasn't confirmed the United States' allegations of the orb floating over Montana

(Newser) - The giant white object spotted drifting over Montana earlier this week is a spy balloon sent by China, at least according to the United States government. China, however, is urging everyone to take a deep breath and not pass judgment "before we have a clear understanding of the facts....

Man Stuck in Air for 2 Days After Losing Control of Balloon

Chinese man who drifted 200 miles had been using balloon to pick pine nuts

(Newser) - Two men in northeast China using a hydrogen balloon to harvest pine nuts lost control of the balloon Sunday—and while one man was able to jump out of the balloon's gondola to safety, the other ended up nearly 200 miles away. The man was found in a forested...

'Baby Trump' Balloon Ready to Roll a Final Time

The blimp will retire to the Museum of London

(Newser) - The "Baby Trump" blimp is being retired as the US president on which it was modeled prepares to leave office. The nearly 20-foot-tall helium balloon has been acquired by the Museum of London, the BBC reports. The blimp was crowdfunded in the UK and used to protest President Trump'...

Magician Floats Way, Way Above Planet Earth

David Blaine is mesmerized over Arizona: 'Wow, it's so beautiful'

(Newser) - Ah, to float away. David Blaine realized that dream Wednesday by rigging up to balloons and floating nearly 25,000 feet over Arizona—until he cut the cord, USA Today reports. The 47-year-old magician drifted for nearly an hour in a livestreamed broadcast called "Ascension," which began with...

Scientology Opens New Church in a Controversial Way

Officials are apologizing after hundreds of balloons were released

(Newser) - The Church of Scientology apparently wasn't thinking about the environment when it opened a new church in southern California Saturday. Images shared by the church show hundreds of helium balloons being released during the Ventura center's grand opening, KTLA reports. The pictures quickly sparked anger, with groups including...

Mysterious Orbs Appear Over Kansas City

NWS said it has 'no explanation'

(Newser) - The National Weather Service was flummoxed by two mysterious white orbs that appeared in the skies over Kansas City Thursday evening. "We honestly have no explanation for the floating objects over Kansas City," the NWS tweeted , sharing a photo of the two spheres. In hundreds of replies to...

Mayor Who OKed Trump Blimp Gets Own Balloon

Khan OKs 29-foot bikini balloon

(Newser) - Critics of London Mayor Sadiq Khan have been given permission to fly a giant balloon over London that depicts him dressed in a bikini. Organizer Yanny Bruere has raised more than $75,000 through the Crowdfunder website for the 29-foot blimp as part of a campaign to oust Khan from...

KFC Says It Is Sending Sandwich to Space

NASA doesn't quite agree

(Newser) - KFC says it plans to make a space pioneer out of a chicken sandwich next week when it sends it to the edge of the atmosphere with the help of a high-altitude balloon. The promotional stunt for the Zinger sandwich comes two months after the fast food chain unveiled Rob...

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