Posted on 01/19/2007 6:05:32 AM PST by Rb ver. 2.0
Britain has joined the US, Japan and Australia's condemnation of China after the communist country destroyed a satellite in space using a ballistic missile.
The British embassy in Beijing said it had raised the test, the first of its kind for 20 years, with the Chinese foreign ministry noting that the Government believed it was “inconsistent” with China’s opposition to the development of space weapons.
A spokesman refused to elaborate on the form the protest took or on the Chinese government’s response.
Later, a Downing Street spokesman said: "We are concerned about the impact of debris in space and we expressed that concern.
"We don't believe that this does contravene international law
"What we are concerned about however is lack of consultation and we believe that this development of this technology and the manner in which this test was conducted is inconsistent with the spirit of China's statements to the UN and other bodies on the military use of space."
The Chinese authorities have not confirmed a US report that it blew up one of its own aged weather satellites last Thursday with a ballistic missile fired from the Xichang space centre in Sichuan province.
There is stony silence on the subject in the Chinese media today as concern grows in the US and in the region about the prospect of an arms race in space.
If the test is confirmed, China will become the third country after the United States and the former Soviet Union to shoot down an object in space, indicating the Asian power could target satellites operated by other nations.
The United States, Japan, Australia and a host of other countries voiced concern on Friday .
Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yasuhisa Shiozaki, said his government had asked China for confirmation, and for an explanation of what its intentions were.
“We are concerned about it firstly from the point of view of peaceful use of space, and secondly from the safety perspective,” Mr Shiozaki said.
Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the American National Security Council, said the US “believes China’s development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of co-operation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area”.
Alexander Downer, Australia's foreign minister, said his country did not want to see “some sort of spread, if you like, of an arms race into outer space”.
Taro Aso, the Japanese foreign minister, said the Chinese had sought to reassure Japan its intentions in space were of no threat to anyone.
“China consistently uses space only for peaceful purposes,” Mr Aso quoted the Chinese foreign ministry as saying.
The comments fit with the ruling Communist Party’s mantra in recent years that the nation’s rise as a world superpower should not be feared.
China joined the exclusive club of top space nations in 2003 when it sent up its first manned mission, joining the United States and Russia.
China spends 500 million dollars a year on its space programmes, according to official figures, while NASA’s proposed budget for 2007 is nearly 17 billion dollars.
But the United States has consistently deflected Chinese advances for closer cooperation on the two nations’ space programmes because of concerns about the involvement of China’s military.
A Chinese government defence paper released last month said that its defence expenditure had grown by more than 15 percent every year since 1990.
Bye!
Sigh...
That is a fine monkey face.
After we departed from there, it filled in to become Lake Fate, a curiously circular lake.
We landed in Loch Ness, where we did a little touring and made a beer run.
Then we decided to do some real sight-seeing, in Outer Space!
So we started our modifications, including picking up a Thrust Ring, and travelling to Kauai to "recharge our batteries", and then we finished up the changes at Eniwetok Atoll.
We tested our system on a small scale by going to the Moon.
After everyuthing checked out for that, we took off from the Pacific with our Flying Castle, Thrust Ring, and Habitats A and B.
We took the Flying Castle down to Mars, and now, we're heading out to the asteroids for some peace and quiet.
Couldn't ask for a more appropriate thread to hijack, Chinese missiles and satellites and stuff....
A spa would feel good about now.
Math and alcohol don't mix. Don't drink and derive...
We've got a bunch of mylar sheeting that we can crank out easily enough. Wicker baskets can be woven together from reeds along the moat and the pond in the forest. Even some of the vines should be able to help hold things together.
WE could do the old "bon fire" heating for the ballons, or rig a methane or hydrogen burner for them. Or, I guess I could whip up a way to fill the balloons with something "lighter" than air like helium and just put a fairly tight sealing valve on them. Maybe even rig up an electromagnet for the bottom of the basket that would have enough pull to provide meaningful "ballast" to allow you to go all the way to the canopy, or bring you back to ground.
As for air currents, we get some interesting currents going in here due to temp variants, the O2 recirculation, and the vegetation. Gotta be more careful out towards the edges than right over the castle environs. Get's an almost Coriolis effect going where the canopy slopes towards the ground.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. To do enough damgae, they'd have to launch thousands of missiles.
I can't help but think we'd tend to interpret that in a negative fashion.
Oh ok, I won't worry bout it then. Anyway, I'm sposed to be on the net to buy a snore pillow so my wife don't kick me out of bed no more. I agree with you on them damgaes, Can't do enough of them. Gnight.
True. I think standard burners would be the right course. There's a certain mystique about a hot air balloon.
I'm suggesting a requirement that each balloon going up should have at least one certified dome technician, in case the balloon rises too high and gets tangled in superstructure or something.
It would be best if all pilots or fliers were trained in the dome maintenance safety procedures, but I won't insist on it.
The real challenge will be accuracy in navigation. We'll have to set up landing targets, and figure out some prizes to give.
References
IRS website -
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=106194,00.html
"Prizes and Awards
"Prizes and awards are amounts received primarily in recognition of religious, charitable, scientific, educational, artistic, literary, or civic achievement, or are received as the result of entering a contest. A prize or award is taxable to the recipient unless all of the following conditions are met:
1. The recipient was selected without any action on his or her part to enter the contest or proceeding,
2. The recipient is not required to render substantial future services as a condition to receive the prize or award, and
3. The prize or award is transferred by the payer to a governmental unit or tax-exempt charitable organization as designated by the recipient."
IRS Publication 525, p. 31 - http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p525.pdf
Yeah, I did the bread/milk thing this afternoon. The store was packed, I felt like an idiot for being there will all the rest of 'em.
And now, for the truth.
The Red Chinese sent up a staged ballistic missile to destroy an aging satellite that was going to re-enter Earth's atmosphere, and what ever was left of it would not be landing in China.
They did not want to chance anyone else finding any remnants of the satellite or it's contents.
So, they had to blow it up. Everything else you heard is a lie to cover for having to tell the truth.
Thank-you Thank-you!
Ask and you shall receive.
Of course, now the question is how much is a ride on the Flying Castle worth? What do you charge these days, Bob?
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