The Chinese Spy Balloon - An Affirming Experience

The infamous Chinese Spy Balloon

I am compelled to comment on the recent kerfuffle of the ‘Chinese Spy Balloon.” I was not going to say anything because, quite frankly, I was not very concerned. After all, what could the Chinese possibly learn that would be of military value from a balloon that they couldn’t learn from satellites in low Earth orbit? I doubt they would attack the USA using a single, slow moving balloon and I did not perceive a serious threat. Though, of course, I could be wrong – time will tell. To me, it was simply not a significant event worth talking about. 

I changed my mind after I had two random encounters with strangers who brought the topic up in conversation. The first was with a customer service representative who I called to ask about an appliance issue. He asked me how I was doing, I replied and reciprocated. He then told me he was very anxious about the balloon and was hoping the military would shoot it down. We then talked about the balloon, its possible purpose, and our response to it for at least 5 minutes of the ‘customer service ‘ call. 

About 2 hours later, Carol and I walked to the local supermarket to buy some milk (we didn’t want to spend my entire paycheck buying eggs…). I made the purchase and went outside to wait on Carol, who ran into a friend in the store, by sitting on a bench next to the door. One of the younger employees walked up and asked if he could sit down. He was on his break and had hurt his foot playing some sport the day before. (Mental note: This is an affirmation of my lifelong aversion to sports.) After a few moments, he asked me, “What do you think of that Chinese balloon? I think we ought to shoot it down.” Yes, another conversation ensued. We had a good discussion. 

So, you may be wondering, what do I, as a ‘space expert,’ think of the balloon incident and our response to it? 

I found it affirming. The two people who asked me about it may or may not share my political and social views, likely not, given the demographic differences between us, but for a brief few moments, we shared a common experience and what appeared to be a common threat. While left and right might have disagreed on how to deal with it (Shoot it down? Don’t shoot it down?), we came together as a people and talked to each other about the balloon, we shared our concerns, and most importantly – we had serious conversation. Imagine that! 

Maybe, just maybe, this is a sign that the vast majority of Americans, of every political persuasion, can come together to talk about our common problems and bridge that which divides us when it is time-critical to do so. 

I am an optimist. 

(Now that the balloon has been shot down, my opinion about it has not changed. I look forward to learning what we find out from the wreckage. Maybe I should have been worried…)