Mark Alford (r) [2022 file photo]..

Hobby Club’s Missing Balloon Feared Shot Down By USAF
Steve Trimble February 16, 2023

A small, globe-trotting balloon declared “missing in action” by an Illinois-based hobbyist club on Feb. 15 has emerged as a candidate to explain one of the three mystery objects shot down by four heat-seeking missiles launched by U.S. Air Force fighters since Feb. 10.
[….]
“I’m guessing probably they were pico balloons,” said Tom Medlin, a retired FedEx engineer and co-host of the Amateur Radio Roundtable show. Medlin has three pico balloons in flight in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
[….]
Launching high-altitude, circumnavigational pico balloons has emerged only within the past decade. [….]it was possible to calculate the amount of helium gas necessary to make a common latex balloon neutrally buoyant at altitudes above 43,000 ft. The balloons carry an 11-gram tracker on a tether, along with HF and VHF/UHF antennas to update their positions to ham radio receivers around the world. At any given moment, several dozen such balloons are aloft, with some circling the globe several times before they malfunction or fail for other reasons. The launch teams seldom recover their balloons.
[….]
In fact, the pico balloons weigh less than 6 lb. and therefore are exempt from most FAA airspace restrictions…
[….]

Yesterday, from Mark Alford (r):

[image cropped]

Mark Alford @RepMarkAlford
We need to identify UAPs sooner and act swiftly to remove any UAP that threatens our airspace and sovereignty before it flies over U.S. soil, not after.
[….]
7:11 PM · Feb 17, 2023

Just a few responses:

💤💤💤

Mark Alford @markalfordkc
[….]
You’re right!!! America is asleep alright!!! Wake up…the wolf is at the door!
8:49 PM · Feb 17, 2023

BS Li’l Marky. The big bad wolf [….]?

You are wrong Mark. TFG was the one asleep. They were flying over the US and the orange gut was golfing.

Give it a rest, Mark (r). Your balloon envy is tiresome.

Mark Alford (r) [2022 file photo].

Yesterday evening:

[image cropped]

Mark Alford @RepMarkAlford
The Chinese Communist Party and their invasion of U.S. Airspace is the most critical national security threat facing our nation today.

I went to the house floor to talk about it [….]
5:32 PM · Feb 6, 2023

Dude, it was a balloon. It was brought down. We’re getting all the parts. What did the former guy do?

Some of the responses:

[….] I’d go with the active proxy war being waged with Russia. But yeah the balloon hurt my feelings.

Mark, your judgement is flawed-never served in the military-new to congress-your experience is very limitedas anchor on a early morning TV-be aware that you are not in any way qualified to ID national security threats – listen more – TALK & TWEET LESS

Yeah, nope.

You are an unserious [….] clown who needs to find a new grift

There are words for what you did on the House floor.

Bloviating
Grandstanding

MAGA Domestic Terrorists in Congress is the greatest danger.

Risky and Reckless.

@RepMarkAlford mistakes Chinese Ballon as most critical threat. He fails to recognize that failing to support increasing the debt limit will wipe out American families – wants to raise tft one left a markaxes on the middle class again & destroy Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid.

A balloon is the most critical national security threat? You’re no better at this job than the last one

Vicky Hartzler (r) [2021 file photo].

That last one left a mark.

Previously:

Are you certain it wasn’t Rick Brattin (r)? (February 3, 2023)

Maybe they’re just checking on all of their Missouri farm landholdings (February 3, 2023)

Apparently Jason Smith (r) believes China is unaware of any easily accessible map applications (February 3, 2023)

Marked “Safe” in Virginia from the Balloon (February 4, 2023)

They were searching in vain for any of the locations of your open public town halls in the district (February 4, 2023)

The adult in the room (February 4, 2023)

Anxiously trying to elbow his way to the front row (February 5, 2023)

Engaging in a battle of wits with an unarmed Ohio senator (February 5, 2023)

Eric Schmitt (r)…the Josh Hawley (r) of Missouri (February 5, 2023)

Give it a rest, Mark (r). (February 5, 2023)

Professionals always manage to do their job despite the screeching from the peanut gallery.

Statement From Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III
Feb. 4, 2023

This afternoon, at the direction of President Biden, U.S. fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command successfully brought down the high altitude surveillance balloon launched by and belonging to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) over the water off the coast of South Carolina in U.S. airspace. The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above U.S. territorial waters. On Wednesday, President Biden gave his authorization to take down the surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to American lives under the balloon’s path. After careful analysis, U.S. military commanders had determined downing the balloon while over land posed an undue risk to people across a wide area due to the size and altitude of the balloon and its surveillance payload. In accordance with the President’s direction, the Department of Defense developed options to take down the balloon safely over our territorial waters, while closely monitoring its path and intelligence collection activities. This action was taken in coordination, and with the full support, of the Canadian government. And we thank Canada for its contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon through NORAD as it transited North America. Today’s deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC’s unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.

Mark Alford (r) [August 2022 file photo]..

On the other hand:

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Mark Alford @RepMarkAlford
About time!! This took far too long and we deserve answers.

@JoeBiden must address why he allowed the CCP to invade our airspace and to what extent our national security was placed at risk during the State of the Union on Tuesday.
2:33 PM · Feb 4, 2023 from Washington, DC

“…After careful analysis, U.S. military commanders had determined downing the balloon while over land posed an undue risk to people across a wide area due to the size and altitude of the balloon and its surveillance payload…”

A couple of the responses to Mark Alford (r):

Well one thing you are good at Mark is clutching your pearls [….]

Heh.

About time? What do you know about anything? You are a teleprompter hack. If it was shot down over land, you would be on here whining and crying about how crazy it was for them to shoot it down over land. You are an embarrassment to Missouri

Previously:

Are you certain it wasn’t Rick Brattin (r)? (February 3, 2023)

Maybe they’re just checking on all of their Missouri farm landholdings (February 3, 2023)

Apparently Jason Smith (r) believes China is unaware of any easily accessible map applications (February 3, 2023)

Marked “Safe” in Virginia from the Balloon (February 4, 2023)