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On Monday, a Long March 4B rocket launched from China's Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center carrying a remote-sensing satellite. This 50-year-old spaceport is located in north-central China, about 500km to the southwest of Beijing.
As often happens with the first stages of Chinese rockets launching from the inland Taiyuan facility, the spent Long March 4B booster fell downstream of the spaceport. In this case, it landed near a school, creating a predictably large cloud of toxic gas.
Unlike most of the world's spaceports, several of China's launch sites are located at inland locations rather than near water to avoid such hazards. For security purposes, China built three of its major launch centers away from water during the Cold War, amid tensions with both America and the Soviet Union.
Twitter video of rocket falling and orange cloud: https://twitter.com/i/status/1302933386990891008
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 09 2020, @11:21AM (14 children)
So, how long until the CCP denies there was ever a school there? I seem to recall that happening to a village they hit a while back.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Snotnose on Wednesday September 09 2020, @11:37AM (9 children)
I find it amazing they launch knowing there's a good chance toxic stuff could fall in a populated area. They just flat out don't care about human life.
I came. I saw. I forgot why I came.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 09 2020, @01:16PM
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1179823.shtml [globaltimes.cn]
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday September 09 2020, @02:10PM (3 children)
I thought that was well established long ago(?). Are we still hoping that's not the case?
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday September 09 2020, @03:03PM
Supply and demand? When you've got 1.4B of something, what's a couple dozen more or less?
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/06/24/7408365/
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday September 09 2020, @03:08PM (1 child)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 10 2020, @09:42PM
It's been like that for thousands of years. Look at the scale of famous historical battles in Europe, and compare the scale to contemporaneous events in Asia. The difference is often several orders of magnitude.
(Score: 4, Touché) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday September 09 2020, @03:03PM (3 children)
What ought to give everyone pause is, if China cares so little for their own citizens then how much do they care about the rest of us on Earth?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 10 2020, @12:17AM (1 child)
What's worse is most of their citizens, even ones that have emigrated - whom I come in contact and interact with a lot in my neck of the woods, are utterly conditioned with this warped view that the CCP can do no wrong and that the world would be a better place if the CCP's governance is extended globally. There's really no reasoning with them on this topic at all.
Otherwise, in all other topics/issues they seem like normal intelligent folks capable of critical thinking.
The most common response, when I try to point out the problems of the CCP I've observed is along the lines of what-about-ism followed by fake news claims. As in, "Oh yea? Show me evidence, the west like have done such shit like , so their claims can't really be trusted!". Even if I responded and say they're not mutually exclusive, as in both our claims can be true, the hand-waving/deflection just gets more heated.
Maybe deep down they know its true but are just too scared to say anything fearing retaliation even when they're no longer in China or they really are brainwashed to such a degree.
Both of that scenario is scary in its own right. The world really need to wake up to this fact, but the political correctness of modern society tend to goes against starting any sort of discourse on these kind of topics.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday September 10 2020, @01:53PM
That's exactly why people who cherish the Western tradition must push back hard on the CCP and CCP-funded propaganda in the West, as transmitted by its paid surrogates in the Western media, entertainment, and social media industries.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 10 2020, @12:48PM
Considering how the CCP reacts when Chinese companies are caught exporting poisoning food products? We are worth less than nothing to them.
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Wednesday September 09 2020, @12:47PM
Chinese Long March 3B Booster Crushes Building [soylentnews.org]
https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/12/16882600/china-long-march-3b-rocket-booster-crash-xiangdu-guangxi [theverge.com]
https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/11/china-keeps-dropping-toxic-rocket-parts-on-its-villages/ [arstechnica.com]
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanocallaghan/2020/05/12/parts-of-a-chinese-rocket-may-have-fallen-on-an-african-village/ [forbes.com]
I think they have had 3-4 incidents in the last year. More than what's listed above.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 09 2020, @12:59PM (1 child)
and Europe thinks that the great firewall of China is a is a great idea.
Governments are naturally pathological. When one government sees that another government is even more pathological than it that government begins to drool at the idea of becoming just as pathological. The European government is jealous of China.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 10 2020, @12:22AM
And rightfully so. The amount of leverage China has over their population and economic success that comes with is really quite a marvel from government perspective.
The 2 don't usually go hand in hand looking back at history - no totalitarian government have come close to what they've achieved today. Any person(s) or entity in power would salivate over such a setup.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Opportunist on Wednesday September 09 2020, @02:17PM
There is no school! You see school? I see no school! There is no school!
That's the beauty about rockets, they create their own denial. Zone of denial, even.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday September 09 2020, @11:52AM (1 child)
was in to NO2 or N2O4?
either way, show-and-tell at school will be blisters and rashes for a while..
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Opportunist on Wednesday September 09 2020, @02:19PM
Doubtful. You show blisters to TV team, you won't live to tell.
(Score: 3, Informative) by RandomFactor on Wednesday September 09 2020, @12:49PM
Reducing risk to civilian population from falling rockets is actually called out as one of the benefits of the floating launch center China is building [soylentnews.org].
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 3, Funny) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday September 09 2020, @01:22PM (7 children)
Nobody even knows when a toxic rocket stage falls near a school of fishes... bunch of chauvinist air breathing monkeys we are.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/06/24/7408365/
(Score: 3, Informative) by richtopia on Wednesday September 09 2020, @02:14PM (6 children)
In our defense, most modern launchers use H2 for fuel. Nasty fuels are typically only used by launchers derived from Cold War weapons. H2 and O2 need to be COLD to stay liquid, so keeping the rocket on the pad and fueled is expensive, but relatively safe (as safe as a bomb is).
The rocket in question was fueled by hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. These are really nasty chemicals but they are shelf-stable for months in a sealed container like a rocket. If you need an ICBM ready to launch 24/7 in under 5 minutes, this is a logical selection for fuel. The rocket today was the Long March 4B, which traces its origins to the 1976 Chinese ICBM DF-4.
As the article points out, the Long March 5 rockets use H2/O2. This rocket has been flying since 2016, and launches from China's southern spaceport on Hainan Island.
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Wednesday September 09 2020, @02:21PM (4 children)
I thought first stages are usually KeroLOX fueled?
(Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday September 09 2020, @02:39PM (3 children)
The first stage generally is. Still much safer than the toxic fuels from old ICBMs. Upper stages are generally H2/LOX.
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Wednesday September 09 2020, @07:13PM (2 children)
Sure, storable hypergolics are not exactly environmental friendly, but I wouldn't want to be around when a few tons of kerosine get sprinkled liberally around the countryside.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday September 09 2020, @07:37PM
Not claiming it's great when a bunch of kerosene gets dumped, but it's a lot more survivable than nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 10 2020, @12:53PM
While unpleasant, contact with kerosene isn't normally fatal if it isn't burning.
(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday September 09 2020, @02:25PM
Fair enough, but not too long ago 270 aluminum powder w/ ammonium perchlorate oxidizer boosters were splashed ~130 nmi off the Florida coast with zero regard to their impact on the residents of that water column...
Getting better all the time, I agree... China is still playing catchup.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/06/24/7408365/
(Score: 5, Touché) by SpockLogic on Wednesday September 09 2020, @02:27PM (3 children)
We've had a "Toxic Orange Cloud" over Washington for the last three and a half years ...
Overreacting is one thing, sticking your head up your ass hoping the problem goes away is another - edIII
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday September 09 2020, @03:09PM (1 child)
Indeed, my thought was, "Why are they trying to put Trump in orbit?"
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 09 2020, @04:25PM
The greater good!
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Wednesday September 09 2020, @07:15PM
Someone vaporized him? Or did he finally create a critical amount of hot air? Or did the Twit explode when it couldn't tweet as he wanted?
Don't bogart the joke, spill it!
(Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday September 09 2020, @02:46PM (2 children)
If China had even the slightest regard for the lives of it's own people, they would at least set off charges to burst the fuel tanks after 2nd stage ignition. That's still a big chunk of junk to allow to crash uncontrolled who knows where but at least it wouldn't ALSO spread a cloud of highly toxic gas around it.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by FatPhil on Wednesday September 09 2020, @03:39PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 10 2020, @12:24AM
For all we know, its planned. As in the kids will have a field trip as part of their physical ed. to go collect space junk for parts.