The unidentified flying object shot down by the U.S. military on Saturday had the appearance of a "small, metallic balloon with a tethered payload below it," according to a recent Pentagon memo sent to lawmakers.
The memo also claimed the "metallic balloon" had flown over "U.S. sensitive sites" before being destroyed.
The memo, which was obtained by CNN, represents the first detailed account of the three "objects" that were recently taken down by U.S. military personnel, while occupying American or Canadian airspace.
Regarding the Sunday takedown of something flying over Lake Huron in Michigan, the Pentagon memo said that the object "subsequently slowly descended" into the water after impact.
And come Wednesday, amid reports of a fourth foreign "object" flying over American airspace, certain U.S. senators will be briefed by the Pentagon, according to Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
The House Intelligence Committee had been seeking a similar high-level briefing.
"My speculative guess as why we're seeing these things happen in quick succession is now we're really attuned to looking for them, right?" Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC's "Meet The Press" program on Sunday.
"The truth is that most of our sensors and most of what we were looking for didn't look like balloons. Now, of course, we're looking for them. So, I think we're probably finding more stuff," added Himes.
According to the Pentagon memo, the first "object" shot down last weekend — reportedly over Alaska, and not parts of Canada — had the "size of a small car."
In other words, it was significantly smaller than the first Chinese spy balloon from two weeks ago.
"We have no further details about the object at this time, including the full scope of its capabilities, its purpose, or its origin," the Pentagon memo reads.
On Monday, John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, denied speculation that the U.S. military has been quickly taking down high-altitude foreign objects over American airspace — to avoid a repeat of two weeks ago, when President Joe Biden was widely panned for allowing a suspected Chinese spy balloon to traverse through Alaska, western Canada, and a large swath of the continental U.S., before being shot down over the Atlantic Ocean.
"These were decisions based purely and simply on what was in the best interest of the American people," said Kirby.
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