• FlowVoid@lemmy.ml
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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.

    • zephyreks
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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@lemmy.ml
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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
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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.

        • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.mlOP
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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@lemmy.ml
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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.