• FlowVoid
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    1 year ago

    There have been multiple incidents of Chinese balloons that “flew off course” and ended up over sovereign airspace.

    If China doesn’t want its balloons destroyed, it will have to do a better job controlling its “research instruments”.

    • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
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      1 year ago

      Balloons that follow air currents have blown of course more than once, wow that’s sinister. The fact that US reacted in an absolutely deranged fashion to a weather balloon being blown off course is the real story here. It shows the whole world that US is run by a dangerous and unstable regime. The fact that such unhinged lunatics have the second largest nuclear arsenal in the world should worry everyone.

      • FlowVoid
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        1 year ago

        But real weather balloons do not follow air currents. They ascend and descend over the same point, so that they can be easily recovered by real scientists. Real weather balloons are also far smaller. Various scientists, not just Americans, said that the Chinese balloons did not resemble the instruments they use.

          • FlowVoid
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            1 year ago

            I’m afraid you are the one making things up. The article doesn’t say anything about balloons following air currents, quite the opposite:

            That’s because balloons still offer unique advantages: They don’t disturb their surrounding environment, they’re very gentle on scientific instruments, they can hover in one place for extended periods of time

            Normal weather balloons are far smaller and incapable of crossing an ocean. The Chinese balloon was not a normal weather balloon.

            • zephyreks@lemmy.ca
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              1 year ago

              I’m not sure what you think your point is. There are a lot of types of weather-monitoring balloon systems and China has been dumping a ton of money into improving their forecasting ever since they got slammed by a bunch of flooding.

              • FlowVoid
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                1 year ago

                My point is that balloons are not allowed to enter sovereign airspace without permission. And if they do, they can expect to be intercepted or destroyed.

            • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
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              1 year ago

              This is going to blow your mind, but there are different kinds of balloons for different purposes. Also, the word can has a different meaning from the world must. Perhaps work on your reading comprehension?

              • FlowVoid
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                1 year ago

                Sure, it’s possible that China deployed a completely novel type of weather balloon. But if so, it should not be surprised by the interception of its unusual balloon when it entered US airspace.

                For that matter, if you designed a brand new weather instrument that was carried in the back of a Cessna, and then you flew that Cessna into Chinese airspace to carry out your measurements, then you should expect to be intercepted and probably arrested. After all, Mathias Rust was sentenced to four years for violating Soviet airspace.

        • zephyreks@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          You mean, when you’ve been denied access to Western technologies, your technology looks different? No way!

          If you copy Western designs, people say you’re building knockoffs. If you don’t, people say you’re building spy craft. Can’t win with these people fr fr

          • FlowVoid
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            1 year ago

            No, I mean that when you build something that looks like a spy balloon, other people will think it’s a spy balloon. They might even shoot it down.

    • zephyreks@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      You do realize that control systems aren’t flawless, right? It’s pretty common for balloons to be blown into other countries’ sovereign airspace… It’s just usually not talked about because it’s a non-issue.