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I wondered about this too. But even balloons are maneuverable in some sense, by changing their altitude. So maybe the meaning is more like "didn't maneuver in response to our presence".

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> But even balloons are maneuverable in some sense, by changing their altitude.

Most balloons are not equipped to actively change their bouyancy.

Especially because the high altitude stuff are generally zero pressure balloons

You can use propellers to move up and down too. The buoyancy of a fixed amount of helium doesn't drop/rise much with altitude changes. It isnt like submarines. The needed vertical thrust to move a few thousand feet is minimal.

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