(CNN) The US Department of Defense released a selfie taken in the cockpit of a U-2 spy plane, as an airman flew over a Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down by the US military earlier this month.
The selfie, taken by the U-2 pilot, shows the shadow of the balloon’s aircraft and a clear image of the balloon’s cargo as it crosses the continental United States. CNN first reported the existence of the selfie.
The balloon was first seen in the US on January 28 and was finally shot down by the US military off the coast of South Carolina after crossing the country.
A senior State Department official said earlier this month that the fly-bys “reveal that high-altitude balloons are capable of conducting signals intelligence-gathering operations.”
Officials said they decided not to shoot the balloon over the US because of its size, fearing that falling debris could harm civilians or property on the ground. Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of the US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), later said that the balloon was 200 feet tall with a payload that weighed two thousand pounds.
Officials also maintained that the balloon was unable to conduct vital intelligence collection, in part because the US took steps to protect it immediately upon detection.
The U-2 is a single-seat, high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft with “glider-like characteristics,” according to the Air Force. Because the planes are often “flown at altitudes above 70,000 feet,” the pilots “must wear full pressure suits similar to those worn by astronauts.”
A photo released Wednesday clearly shows the pilot flying above the balloon, which was flying at 60,000 feet when it was spotted over Montana.
The selfie was taken a week after the balloon entered US airspace near Alaska, and NORAD sent fighter jets to make a positive identification, according to defense officials.
However, the officials tracking the balloon saw little cause for alarm. At that time, according to US officials, the balloon was expected to sail over Alaska and continue on a northern path that could be tracked and studied by intelligence and military officials.
Instead, shortly after the balloon crossed the ground, it alarmed officials by making an unexpected turn to the south.
Once it was over US territory, officials argued that the benefits of gathering more intelligence on the balloon outweighed the risk of shooting it down on the ground.
The US sent U-2 spy planes to track the balloon’s progress, according to US officials.
Recovery efforts began immediately after the balloon was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean on February 4, and ended on February 17. Pieces of the debris were transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory in Virginia for further study.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Wednesday that the balloon’s payload had been recovered.
CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Natasha Bertrand contributed reporting.