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Ask HN: Was the risk of the recent rocket reentry played up for other reasons?

NOTE: I really do not want to start a flamewar. Nationalistic opinions are uninteresting.

Seeing as:

* China has been doing this for a while, but it was not publicized until now

* China is becoming a geopolitical enemy of the West

* The story seemed to spread like wildfire in many places (which just means it went viral and is circumstantial)

It really seems like there is further reason to this. That, or media knows it could score easy clicks.

It's not exactly the only instance of this happening. I'm just stating the obvious but it does make me think. Who exactly, if anybody, is doing this and how?

( 4 comments | 4 points | on HN )
Re:Ask HN: Was the risk of the recent rocket reentry played ... by h2odragon on Sunday May 09, 2021 @09:17AM (#27095699)
I saw one mention of Skylab in the half dozen stories i skimmed about CZ-5B. I didn't see anyone mention that there have been other uncontrolled re-entries, before, of equipment made by several nations and companies.

Don't recall seeing any attempt to quantify probabilities in any of the news either. "Most likely" vs "N% chance of this area with X range error bars".

Re:Ask HN: Was the risk of the recent rocket reentry played ... by gus_massa on Sunday May 09, 2021 @08:55AM (#27095576)
> media knows it could score easy clicks

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by greed.

Re:Ask HN: Was the risk of the recent rocket reentry played ... by randomopining on Sunday May 09, 2021 @06:39PM (#27100490)
Is there any evidence that the CCP had engineered its re-entry? It sounded like they just let it come down wherever, assuming that it wouldn’t hit a populated area.
Re:Ask HN: Was the risk of the recent rocket reentry played ... by internetslave on Sunday May 09, 2021 @01:39PM (#27097917)
It was a reckless thing for China to do