it seem it would have been better to use a non-explosive missile and fly it through the upper portion of the balloon ripping it and leading to a slower descent of an intact payload.

In the dribs and drabs of this story, one thing pointed out was that the debris landed about 6 miles off shore, and that the US has a 12 mile 'international boundary' at the ocean edge. For some reason it is harder to collect remains outside that border than within? (Perhaps outside that border anybody can go after it, so we don't want to have to fight off, uh, the Lesser Antilles?)

Anyway, a slower descent would make it less predictable where the thing and/or its pieces would land. But it does seem a waste to have blown the whole thing up, especially since we had days and days as it transited the continental US to decide what to do.

OK, the thing is the size of 3 schoolbusses. Which is big, but not really so big that you couldn't bring it down over North Dakota. Or Iowa. Or pretty much anywhere.

Side question: Since we have agreed that we don't shoot down a satellite going over the country, but we do shoot down balloons at 60,000 feet, which by some measures is 'the edge of space.' So what's the border line that way? Is there an established standard? Will there ever be?