China's Top Airship Scientist Said He Sent One Over North America in 2019 (NYT)

[dalton99a]

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/13/world/asia/china-spy-balloon.html
https://archive.ph/YQ45d

China’s Top Airship Scientist Said He Sent One Over North America in 2019
Corporate records and media reports reveal an airship scientist at the center of China’s high-altitude balloon program. Companies he has founded were among those targeted by Washington.
By Chris Buckley
Feb. 13, 2023, 5:11 a.m. ET

In 2019, years before a hulking high-altitude Chinese balloon floated across the United States and caused widespread alarm, one of China’s top aeronautics scientists made a proud announcement that received little attention back then: his team had launched an airship more than 60,000 feet into the air and sent it sailing around most of the globe, including across North America.

The scientist, Wu Zhe, told a state-run news outlet at the time that the “Cloud Chaser” airship was a milestone in his vision of populating the upper reaches of the earth’s atmosphere with steerable balloons that could be used to provide early warnings of natural disasters, monitor pollution or carry out airborne surveillance.

“Look, there’s America,” Professor Wu said in an accompanying video, pointing on a computer screen to a red line that appeared to trace the airship’s path across Asia, northern Africa, and near the southern edge of the United States. By the time of the report, it was over the Pacific Ocean.

Professor Wu’s announcement is part of a body of evidence revealing in new detail the scope of the Chinese government’s ambitions to use high-altitude airships to track earthbound activities, with an eye on both domestic and military needs. Chinese media reports, academic studies and officials’ speeches suggest that Professor Wu has been central to China’s balloon development efforts.

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[Emile]

1. Who was the president in 2019?

[dalton99a]

2. +1

[EYESORE 9001]

3. Yeah! Why didn't Joe Biden do anything about it then?

Not to put too fine a point on it, those people are idiots. Some still question why Barack Obama didn’t do more to prevent the 9/11 attack.

[GreenWave]

4. He obviously needed Hunter Biden's laptop to bring it down.

It all connects and 5 star general Big George Santos was too busy flattering Cinema and her lovely dress to shoot it down.

[Emile]

5. It all connects to 5 star general Big George Santos 😂