Sunday 5 February 2023

Things in the sky


I saw an Instagram clip of an Argentinian jet fighter pilot who had just been told of his country's victory in the World Cup. You could imagine the look on his face behind the black visor as he ripped open his flying jacket and pulled out the AFC logo on his t-shirt to shake it at the onboard camera. The landscape below swapped places with the sky a few times as he executed a fast barrel-roll in sheer jubilation.

I see that the U.S. has shot down the Chinese spy balloon over water. Now they are looking for the wreckage to see what information it may contain. I would have thought that a satellite would be more useful for spying, but an invasion of airspace is probably a much better provocation, even at that altitude. 

Another video I saw recently was the return to earth of a couple of Elon Musk's rockets. I'm trying to put up an amateur video of that now, because the official versions last too long.  They must have really good SatNav system. Mine is often out by a mile.
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15 comments:

  1. Rachel Phillips5 February 2023 at 05:55

    There is almost nothing this balloon could have that a spy satellite doesn't already have. So it is something that needs to be apologised for diplomatically by the Chinese so it doesn't get out of proportion. A kind of apology where nobody actually says sorry. Perhaps it is a test for Biden by the Chinese to see how far they can go with him. If they don't agree on a diplomatic apology then it will not close down as it should do.

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    1. Tom Stephenson7 February 2023 at 11:58

      Yes. Jennifer says that Rednecks are saying that the Chinese were spreading covid with it. Madness.

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  2. Susan5 February 2023 at 06:42

    Spying is common and has been going on for a long time. The Chinese balloon being very visible was definitely an in-your-face move. (Rachel is right.) US has spy maneuvers worldwide - they are not always clearly visible. You've got to give Musk credit for Space X. In many ways, he is one impressive dude.

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    1. Tom Stephenson7 February 2023 at 11:58

      I do admire Musk for certain things. He is disturbingly focussed.

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  3. The Weaver of Grass5 February 2023 at 08:10

    I am a head in sand kind of person. At my age I just can't do with tiffs however serious.

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    1. Tom Stephenson7 February 2023 at 12:00

      Let's hope the tiff doesn't become serious enough to land on us.

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  4. Jennifer5 February 2023 at 10:09

    They shot the balloon down right off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. All the redneck conspiracy theorists around here are convinced it was a ploy to drop more Covid virus on the us!

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    1. Tom Stephenson7 February 2023 at 12:00

      Some Americans are just as mad as the Chinese.

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  5. thelma5 February 2023 at 11:08

    That was spectacular, given it was a pretty obvious large white balloon.
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  6. The bike shed5 February 2023 at 11:19

    My grandfather was a glider pilot and he used to love to aerobatics (?) right into his eighties - I remember one him looping the loop and barrel rolling the glider above the airfield. My gran was quite sanguine about it all. No spying but lots of fun.

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    1. Tom Stephenson7 February 2023 at 12:02

      I have an elderly light aircraft pilot friend. He gave up in his 70s because he could not stand any more medicals.

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  7. Pipistrello6 February 2023 at 14:32

    Look at that! Those rockets landed just like they do in sci-fi films. The future is now!

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    1. Tom Stephenson7 February 2023 at 12:03

      And I used to wonder at the notion of video phones...

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  8. Tom Stephenson7 February 2023 at 12:04

    Sorry for the late response to all your comments. I have been a bit preoccupied and my phone still won't let me sign in to Google.

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