Why didn't they just down it safely harpooning it from a helicopter or something? Didn't they want to investigate the payload in detail rather than mangled remains?

Was it really just a scientific baloon but US found it more useful to accuse Chinese of sending grotesquely large and not stealthy at all spy balloon?

Otherwise why destroy it?

EDIT:

I stand corrected that USA just didn't have the technological capacity to do anything other than firing a missile at it from a fighter jet.