A fighter jet flies near a large balloon drifting above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of South Carolina near Myrtle Beach, Feb. 4. Minutes later, the balloon was struck by a missile from an F-22 fighter jet, ending its weeklong traverse over the United States. China said the balloon was a weather research vessel blown off course, a claim rejected by U.S. officials. Chad Fish/AP hide caption
For years, North American Aerospace Command — or NORAD — had its headquarters inside Cheyenne Mountain, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. In this archival photo, a bus enters a tunnel for a half-mile trip to a command center inside the Cheyenne complex. The headquarters is now in nearby Colorado Springs. Kevin Moloney/Getty Images hide caption
A U.S. Air Force member releases a weather balloon from the deck of the U.S.S. Portland off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, in December 2022. Caroline Brehman/AP hide caption
Sailors prepare material recovered in the Atlantic Ocean from a high-altitude balloon Friday for transport. The U.S. military says it has succeeded in recovering "significant debris" from a Chinese balloon that was shot down off of the South Carolina coast. Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Seelbach/U.S. Navy photo hide caption
This image provided by the U.S. Navy shows sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2, recovering a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Sunday. U.S. Navy via AP hide caption
The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, S.C., on Saturday. Randall Hill/Reuters hide caption
The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, S.C., on Saturday. Randall Hill/Reuters hide caption