This last weekend, while many Michiganders had their eyes glued to their TVs for the Super Bowl, there was something going on in the sky. The Department of Defense observed and fired upon an object while it was in the skies over Lake Huron. People have been speculating as to what it could be. Flown-away photography equipment? A funny-looking kite? Perhaps even something extraterrestrial?
Brett Dahlberg is watching the story for Michigan Radio, as is Melissa Nann-Burke from the Detroit News.
The Pentagon did not deem the object an active military threat but justified shooting it down because it was within the airspace occupied by civilian aviation, Nann-Burke said. The object moved into Michigan airspace early Sunday and it was eventually shot down over Lake Huron.
As for what the actual object is, the Pentagon has not said. Dahlberg said coming to any solid conclusion as to what the object shot down over Lake Huron, or the previous two shot down off the coast of Alaska and over Canada's Yukon Territory, would be difficult because of the lack of information from the Pentagon.
“We heard from Pentagon officials that they’re not even willing to describe the shape of them,” Dahlberg said. “All they’re willing to say is they're a lot smaller, and they’re very confident that they're a lot different than that suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was brought down.”
Burke also said Representative Elissa Slotkin (D-MI 8) held an event Monday morning at which she dismissed the idea that the object over Lake Huron could be extraterrestrial in origin and said it was more likely to be a "normal, run-of-the-mill thing." Slotkin also noted the recovery of the object has yet to take place because of how rough the waters of Lake Huron are.
GUESTS:
- Melissa Nann Burke, Washington reporter for The Detroit News
- Brett Dahlberg, editor for Michigan Radio
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