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US Air Force pilot takes eerily close photo of Chinese spy balloon from cockpit of U-2 spy plane

The selfie, taken by the pilot of the U-2, shows the shadow of the aircraft on the balloon and a clear image of the balloon’s payload

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA: The US Defense Department has released a selfie taken in the cockpit of the U-2 spy plane as a pilot flew over the Chinese spy balloon that the US military shot down on Saturday, February 4. The balloon was shot down by the US Navy off the coast of South Carolina after traveling the entire country since it was first spotted on Saturday, January 28.

The U-2 pilot's shot shows the aircraft's shadow on the spy balloon, as well as a clear view of the cargo as it flies over the continental United States. In the image released Wednesday, February 22, the pilot can be seen flying above the balloon. The balloon was at an altitude of 60,000 feet when it was spotted over Montana. The image was taken a week after the balloon entered US airspace near Alaska, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) sent fighter jets to make a confirmed identification, reports CNN. However, officials keeping an eye on the balloon saw no cause for concern. US officials said the balloon was then expected to fly over Alaska before continuing its northerly course, which intelligence and military agencies could monitor and investigate, according to CNN.

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'The usual cat/mouse game'

The US Defense Department's release of the U-2 photo prompted a lot of responses on Twitter with one person writing, "Either he's eerily close or that's one seriously huge balloon." Another person wrote, "Nothing unusual to see here. The usual cat/mouse game..." This other person who found the snaps "Pretty cool" wrote, "You can see the solar panels pointing to the sun, and the plane's shadow is directly on the balloon. Pretty cool." 

A third person wrote, "Is that the shadow of the plane on the balloon? That’s awesome!" Another person wrote, "Wait..... 70 years later, and we are still using U2? Has air flight become so stagnant?" This other individual questioned, "Surveilling the suvveilling, yet they let them keep going. Mission accomplished?"

When did officials decide to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon?

Of concern was that the balloon suddenly turned south after crossing the country. Officials felt that the risk of shooting the balloon down over land would be greater if more was known about it after it was over US soil. Officials said, that the United States had sent U-2 spy planes to observe the balloon's journey.

A senior State Department official claimed that fly-bys "revealed that the high-altitude balloon was capable of conducting signals intelligence collection operations." Authorities stated that they decided against shooting the balloon down over the United States because of the size of the balloon and concerns that the falling debris could injure people or damage property on the ground. In addition, authorities claimed that the balloon was not capable of gathering a significant amount of information, in part because the US took preemptive action against it immediately after its discovery.

The balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on February 4; recovery operations began immediately and ended on February 17. The Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory in Virginia received some of the debris for further study. Sabrina Singh, the military's deputy press secretary, reported Wednesday that the balloon's payload had been found.