One of 99 red baloons goes by...

[james_s]

Sending compressed air down the train to hold the emergency brakes released seems like a viable and sensible solution though. It makes sense that you'd need greater force to stop a moving train than spring loaded brakes could provide, but springs could hold a stationary train still. A parking brake mechanism on each axle that drops a pin into a mechanism to lock the axle seems feasible too.

[TimFox]

Traditionally, freight cars have a mechanical brake operated by a handwheel near the roof of the car, to complement the air brakes.

[AndyBeez]

It seems the 'payload' is somewhere on the sea floor. Or floating towards Europe on the Gulfstream. Or lost forever inside the Bermuda Triangle. So far the FBI is letting on that it recovered, "some wiring, [and] a tiny amount of electronics". Pehaps a Rasberry Pi hot wired to a cell phone? Certainly no payload the size of an aircraft. Watch this space for more evidence...

  https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/chinese-high-altitude-balloon-recovery

[TimFox]

I'm amused that the FBI spokesman referred to a "hot-air balloon".

[SiliconWizard]

I'm amused that the FBI spokesman referred to a "hot-air balloon".

Well, this whole affair seems full of hot air indeed.

[AndyBeez]

I'm amused that the FBI spokesman referred to a "hot-air balloon".

This is why they put Helium in hot air balloons. And that's what I'm briefing the president. Operation Lead Balloon continues. 

[RJSV]

   Appears to me to be a mix of two separate subjects...at first.  But similar as general topic(s) both shine a light on 'Federal response'.  Crises #1.) Seems to be the 99 Red balloons, while Crises #2.) Seems to be Ohio Train wreck.
   But the common aspect is 'Federal response' and all the various seemingly full-blown WHACKED aspects of the professionals...Nevermind the incompetent (unwashed) little people, these are the 'Delta Force', the 'A Team', (sorry, I stole those, labels, for drama).
 
   Train problems blame....(wait for it..) soon got around to Former President Trump being at fault.  Red balloons subject couldn't be wrestled into some kind of form, that Trump could assume blame for.  (Usually, you can kind of detect, when reporters keep squirming around; twisting tortuously to obtain some, any, kind of blame, for Trump.  That, in itself, seems more of a quirk than one of the regular crashes experienced, periodically.
   Seeing all this, dual whacked out disaster, it's tempting to use to feed any appetite, for sarcasm...often by paralleling the two events,...or three.
Witness:.   "Salvage waste, from crash cleanup gets prohibited by EPA from being transported off-site."
                   "Illegal Migrants request US govt provide Busses, to exit Ohio, and US territory, complaining about groundwater danger."

Witness:.      US Air defence states they "don't know what they are...", then claims "we don't know what many of them really were, but we shotem all down, successfully..."
White House descends into 'confused state', expressing phrases like "You'll have to ask them "(NORAD Defenses), ...

Stopping here.  I couldn't make up anything to compare with this team of leadership...Some reader could expect a COVID related comment, about now, but...it's too much sarcasm for one week of news, sigh, so...

[BravoV]

[xrunner]

I'm amused that the FBI spokesman referred to a "hot-air balloon".

Well, this whole affair seems full of hot air indeed.

Indeed - the whole thing has ballooned out of control. 

[AndyBeez]

@BravoV Thanks for the toon. Yep another $99 million dollar missile flies by... Sounds like a song we all know? It's no wonder Banksy's art piece of Girl with Balloon shredded itself. National security you know.

@RJHayward - The Trumpster made our British News, handing out Trump Water to the residents of East Palestine. As if their drinking water could not be any more contaminated? The British media were keen to emphasise it was East Palesteene, just in case the casual listener was led to believe the Man from MAGA had joined up with Hamas.

Is there no end to these ballooning metaphors?

  Cue Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven.

[TimFox]

The current-issue Sidewinder missile costs about $400k USD as I pointed out above.
No need for an ICBM to take out a balloon.

[coppercone2]

they probobly saved money because on the training exercise that was canceled that day they would shoot more practice missiles then that mission, and you get people joining the air force because of news like that anyway

[BravoV]

The current-issue Sidewinder missile costs about $400k USD as I pointed out above.
No need for an ICBM to take out a balloon.

Well, do not drop the ICBM yet, not for the balloon though, but for the upcoming open war with China, as the current building up narrative toward the use of ICBM.

Just watch what US main stream medias that are pumping out (disinformation, slander, lies) like crazy to Americans, to be .. brainwashed ... err  ... prepared .... well informed of the "urgent need" to strengthen the march to war with China ... and Russia at the same time  , for so called "freedom and democracy" of the world.

Interesting time to live in. 

[james_s]

The current-issue Sidewinder missile costs about $400k USD as I pointed out above.
No need for an ICBM to take out a balloon.

No need for a $400k Sidewinder either. Surely a burst from the 20mm autocannon on the F-22 would have done the job.

[iMo]

Ask Britons how they did in WWI against Zeppelins (Zeppelins full of hydrogen at that time, btw)..
Not easy to shoot down a balloon with a gun..

[james_s]

Ask Britons how they did in WWI against Zeppelins (Zeppelins full of hydrogen at that time, btw)..
Not easy to shoot down a balloon with a gun..

Zeppelins are HUGE and contain multiple gas bags, and they didn't have gatling cannons that could fire 100 rounds per second back then. The big balloon was vastly smaller than a zeppelin and the later balloons were much smaller than that. Tear a big hole in it and it will come down eventually. A gentle landing is ideal anyway.

[RJSV]

BravoV, reading your thoughts about American media (disinformation, slander...) getting to the point where (media), almost, making me physically ill, reactive.  For example today, housemates playing that 'Gotcha' sounding gleeful like young teenagers seeing a 'booger', and endlessly, breathlessly gossipy...well, when you get right down to it; hate speech, as they delight and voices rise up 2 octaves, because NOW, Aam Schiff is, finally, gonna nail his latest 'smear' victim....yeah hate speech, (but don't get me started).

   Actually, just needed to comment that American's guilt gets assuaged by...latest bake sale, to benefit Ukraine.  That means, I guess, we are in it for the long haul.  Bake sales, to the ends of the earth if we have to!
(sarcasm)

[BravoV]

BravoV, reading your thoughts about American media (disinformation, slander...) getting to the point where (media), almost, making me physically ill, reactive.  For example today, housemates playing that 'Gotcha' sounding gleeful like young teenagers seeing a 'booger', and endlessly, breathlessly gossipy...well, when you get right down to it; hate speech, as they delight and voices rise up 2 octaves, because NOW, Aam Schiff is, finally, gonna nail his latest 'smear' victim....yeah hate speech, (but don't get me started).

   Actually, just needed to comment that American's guilt gets assuaged by...latest bake sale, to benefit Ukraine.  That means, I guess, we are in it for the long haul.  Bake sales, to the ends of the earth if we have to!
(sarcasm)

Since you're American, let me tell you, whenever you heard or read the establishments start to spit out words like "freedom, democracy etc", especially at foreign relation matter, something bad is about to happen or already happened. 

Do you know, Americans are the most brain washed and propagandized population in the world ?
Ever heard words like "authoritarian state" .. "surveillance state" ... "corrupted leader" etc , again and again in main stream medias, on countries say like China, Russia. North Korea, Iran and etc ?  The MSM was actually telling the truth, but missed the tiny details. which is, it happened NOT on those countries. 

Watch this ...