Picking up pieces of China spy balloon
U.S. military personnel continued working Tuesday to recover all elements of the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina over the weekend.
Photos from the beginning of the operation on Sunday were shared Tuesday by the Navy.
Officials expect the recovery operation will take several days. Debris from the balloon landed across an area that measures nearly 1 square mile. However, the search will be somewhat easier because the water is only about 50 feet deep across the debris field.
The balloon was an estimated 200 feet tall and carried a sensor package the size of a small jet, according to U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Glen VanHerck.
VanHerck also said troops were taking precautions when dealing with the balloon, assuming it could be rigged with explosives.
The Carter Hall, a large landing craft, is leading the search, The Washington Post reported. The Carter Hall is one of several military vessels involved in the operation.
The balloon, which China has refused to admit was a surveillance device, first entered U.S. airspace over Alaska but only drew widespread attention when it briefly shut down the airport in Billings, Mont., early last week.
President Biden claimed that he asked for the military to shoot it down immediately, but advisers warned against that because it could be dangerous to anyone underneath the balloon at the time.
The balloon continued its course over the U.S. until Saturday morning, when F-22 fighter jets sent it to a watery demise about 10 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach.
The issue turned into a political flashpoint, as Republicans questioned why the balloon was allowed to linger over U.S. airspace for so long. The Pentagon claimed it was blocking the device from conducting effective surveillance.