Quote (Surfpunk @ Sep 3 2019 12:12am)

Let's take what Goom said earlier:



....and apply it to this:

https://www.npr.org/2019/09/02/756673481/amateurs-identify-u-s-spy-satellite-behind-president-trumps-tweet

Quote

"It's his decision as the president."

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Sep 2 2019 10:53pm)

To be fair, he did have a meeting with the FEMA head scheduled for later that day.
In general, a day where he visits one of his golf courses doesnt necessarily mean that he spent the entire day golfing. Trump really likes to hold meetings on his golf courses.


But yeah, it's quite the bad look how he first pulled out of visiting the big ww2 memorial in Poland, citing the approaching hurricane as the reason, and then just went golfing. :rofl:

Quote (Skinned @ 3 Sep 2019 13:08)

He is dodging all the state visits. At least he didn't as Poland if he could buy Crimea and cancel and call them nasty when they say no.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Sep 3 2019 07:15am)

which other state visits did he dodge?

btw: crimea is currently occupied by russia against international law, and formerly belonged to ukraine, not poland.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Sep 2 2019 11:27pm)

This is not an ethical issue whatsoever. It's a purely strategic question whether it was wise by Trump to show imagery from a classified satellite. An ill-concealed warning "we can see everything you're up to" could have some strategic benefit, but on the other hand, there is some information about the United States' spying technology that other countries can learn from this image.

But to be honest, I dont think that this image is giving too much info away. Every serious power must have been aware for some time that the US possess hyper-modern spy satellites which can record crystal clear imagery of any point on the planet. I'm no expert on the matter, but it also seems kinda far-fetched to me that one can infer the inner workings/technology of this satellite from this one image. Also, it's apparently a satellite from 2011 - who says that this is even the most modern technology the US have at their disposal? Perhaps the next generation of spy satellites is already being developed and will be shot into orbit in 2021 or so...

Quote (Ghot @ Sep 3 2019 12:35am)

I got bad news for ya bro. The US has zillions of satellites, and a lot of them are really accurate. The US also has zillions of reconnaissance planes and drones etc., that are ALSO on the line of sight these amateur idiots claim... at any given time.

But even the idiots know.....



Now here's the most amazing thing... we can "move" our satellites. So for other than the cheap thrill that NPR got from bashing the orange man... again... this info means absolutely nothing.

P.S. All the top level scientists in the US thank you for your belief that THEY know more about their own spy satellite's ability to be located, than NPR's amateur satellite trackers do. :/

Quote (Surfpunk @ Sep 3 2019 10:33am)

No shit he can legally do it. I never disputed that. But with the relative ease in which satellites can be tracked, and the fact that USA-224 has been ID'd as a KH-11(note: the issue isn't that people have the ability to track them - that capability has been around for a long time - it's that this generically-named USA-224 has now been ID'd for what it is), all people (including our enemies) have to do is follow any course changes that satellite makes. He effectively turned a $2 billion satellite into a selfie stick.

Quote (Ghot @ Sep 3 2019 10:03am)

It's all supposition on the part of the amateurs. And in reality, everyone probably knows anyways. It's not like they are far away or anything.

Quote (Surfpunk @ Sep 3 2019 11:14am)

Would you feel the same way had Barack Obama done the same thing?

I would.

Quote (Ghot @ Sep 3 2019 10:25am)

Dude...it was a photograph... one photograph. I'd say the message that sent to Iran is worth far more than the "supposition" that anyone gleaned any information from it.