Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Chinese Government To Control Olympic Weather
Who knew that China spends $100 million per year on weather-modification programs? Chinese weather planners intend to use their expertise to reduce the possibility of rainfall for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
(Beijing downpours on Chinese government 'undesirable' list)
If storms approach the city, Chinese authorities will seed the clouds with silver iodide to force rainfall; Beijing weather patterns make it clear that your chances of getting wet while watching track and field are about fifty percent.
If the statistics are to be believed (and are not just part of some sort of "Five Year Plan" for rain), Chinese weather-controllers (1,500 strong!) know what they are doing. Since 1999, 250 billion tons of rain have been created and 470,000 square kilometers of land have been made hail-free. By 2010, the volume of artificial rain will reach 50 billion tons per year.
In China, weather control is nominally the function of the China Meteorological Administration, but since the effort involves planes, anti-aircraft guns and other military paraphernalia, the Chinese navy is also involved. China plans to set up a national command center for weather modification by 2010 to coordinate the practices of rain making and hail-suppression around the country.
This is exactly what the government does right here in the United States - the fictional U.S. of Robert Heinlein's 1941 novel Methuselah's Children, that is. The government has weather integrators that direct the movement of storms across the country.
At this point in the story, Lazarus Long is trying to land a rather large space freighter (with "worn, obsolescent injection meters," no less) in the middle of a storm that was built to order.
Oklahoma and half of Texas were covered with deep, thick clouds. Lazarus was amazed and somehow pleased; it reminded him of other days, when weather was something experienced rather than controlled. Life had lost some flavor, in his opinion, when the weather engineers had learned how to harness the elements...Then he was down in it and too busy to meditate. In spite of her size the freighter bucked and complained. Whew! Ford must have ordered this little charivari the minute the time was set-and, at that, the integrators must have had a big low-pressure area close at hand to build on.
(Read more about weather integrators)
Here in real-life America, we have very little control over the weather; experts agree that we are behind the Chinese in weather-control technology. However, we are way ahead in weather as art.
From China government weather control and China plans to control weather for Olympics.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 5/23/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 4 )
Related News Stories - (" Engineering ")
Skyline Robotics Instantiates Heinlein's 'Window Willie' Skyscraper Robot
'Do you know what window washing used to cost by the hour?' - Robert Heinlein, 1956.
Melting Permafrost Endangers Infrastructure
'From the tower's huge octagonal base radiate wide silvery strips...' - Robert Silverberg, 1970.
MIT And Rice Create Blade Runner Photo Analysis
Rick Deckard, your photo analysis is ready.
Whisper Aero Ultraquiet Electric Aviation
'A white electric plane approached at great speed...' - Charles Cloukey, 1930.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
ESTHER Tennis Robot V. Fact (1934) And Fiction (1952)
'THE red tennis robot scooted desperately across the court...'
Japan's LignoSat Space Wood Satellite And Dan Simmons' Treeship
'The Consul remembered his first glimpse of the kilometer-long treeship...'
Skyline Robotics Instantiates Heinlein's 'Window Willie' Skyscraper Robot
'Do you know what window washing used to cost by the hour?'
Drone Bombings In Moscow Foreseen 100 Years Ago
'Once the target is confirmed, it uses an IR laser to send a coded signal back to the parent, clearing it to attack.'
I Didn't Know You Can Already Buy Flesh Putty
'I filled your bullet hole with flesh putty and the lattice.'
'A Sign in Space' Gives Practice In Decoding ET Messages
'... it will be easy to form an alphabet which shall enable us to converse with the inhabitants of the moon.'
Melting Permafrost Endangers Infrastructure
'From the tower's huge octagonal base radiate wide silvery strips...'
EELS Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor For Enceladus
'It was about five feet long... a black bullet head and red camera eyes.'
Lazy Lawyer's Trust In ChatGPT Misplaced
'The Law Society has strict rules on the use of pseudo-intelligent software...'
Paradromics Implant FDA 'Breakthrough Device'
'I used my implant to tell MILLIE what we wanted...'
Mice, At Least, Can Sober Up Quickly
'Then draw some aldodote-vitamin pills from the medic.'
Is It Time For Lunar Farside Telescopes?
'Mount Ambarzumian Observatory, on Farside.'
Spaceflight Vertigo Solved By NASA Releasing The Kraken
"I threw up in my helmet."
TM-62 Loitering Ground Landmine
Runaway movie comes to life!
Helpful Robots In Science Fiction
'If you douse me again... I'm donating you to a city college.'
Lunar Pogo Stick - Retro Technovelgy From 1968
'Lucky touched the leap knob...'
