rocketfromchina

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[rocketfromchina]

Final Analysis

From looking through various tweets with the hashtag #ChineseRocket I have found that there has been many different responses to the launch of the Long March 5B rocket. Many people condoned the launch, arguing that it was a threat to global safety and to the environment. The rocket launch also brought out an increase in racism and other unfair accusations towards China. The reactions towards China highlight the current political tensions between China and the rest of the world.  

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Chinese rocket Long March 5B has crashed in the Indian Ocean

It was reported on May 9th around 1pm that the Long March 5B rocket had finally landed. It was discovered to have landed in the Indian Ocean near the Maldives. 

There were many comments after it was released about the rockets landing. Many people comment about it in a humorous way, while some had a hard time believing that it had finally landing and that it landed in place where it was deemed a low-risk to people. 

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Fear of threat to America’s safety

@JennaEllisEsq suggests with her tweet that the US is protected thanks to Trump’s Space Force initiative that was put into force during his time in office. BBC News states that the Space Force initiative was created to protect US assets, and that it was also motivated by China and Russia’s advancement in the military final frontier. 

The comments beneath @JennaEllisEsq tweet highlight her ignorance and lack of knowledge on the Space Force initiative. The top comment argues that the Space Force, although appearing new, has previously been part of America’s military force. Therefore suggesting that the initiative was more of a PR stunt by Trump in order to draw away from his many failures. 

Many of the comments also argue that Trump should not be investing millions into a new space force when these millions should be spent on the many issues that are plaguing America currently, such as healthcare, employment and homelessness.   

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Environmental Impact

A few tweets have highlighted the environmental impact of the Long March 5B rocket. After it was discovered where it had landed - near the Maldives - people have come out and angrily argued that the rocket will cause disruption amongst the sea life and most likely destroy habitats and create pollution. The hashtag #Responsibility shows that there needs to be some kind of acknowledgment from China or other space agencies about the consequences of man-made space debris on our environment. 

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Landing Zone

The first picture shows the apparent size of the SpaceX and the Long March 5B rocket landing zones. @PaulC_Online claims that the SpaceX rocket debris will fall back precisely onto this zone, whereas because the Long March 5B is ‘more’ unpredictable, its landing zone could fall anywhere on Earth. However, the comments underneath this post argue differently. 

The second picture is a reply to the first tweet. This person has sent in a link to an article that discusses the landing of the SpaceX debris in Washington. This post contradicts the first tweet as @PaulC_Online claimed that the SpaceX debris would land on the landing zone set out for it. However, this post shows that the information is incorrect and indeed rocket debris is unreliable and could land anywhere. 

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Replies to @CarmineSabia’s tweet

I thought that these were some interesting replies to @CarmineSabia’s tweet. Most of these highlight the racism in @CarmineSabia’s tweet, and some argue that there needs to be an acknowledgment that America has not dealt with the virus sufficiently and therefore the blame that is put on China for the virus and its consequences, is unnecessary. 

The bottom two tweets from @BloodwingBX argue how people should not be claiming that there is a lack of global safety because of China’s rocket landing, when NASA has a history of rocket debris landing in countries including Australia.  He also states that China isn’t perfect, but many countries aren’t either, so people need to stop with racist comments regarding China. 

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Racism towards China.

This tweet highlights how the launch of China’s rocket has led to a rise in racism towards China. People, such as @CarmineSabia have included the racist phrase ‘China Virus’, in their attempt to spike fear surrounding the issue of global safety.

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Comments underneath The New York Times post outlining various reactions/perspectives to the rocket launch. 

Underneath The New York Times post were various different comments focusing on aspects of the rocket launch. The first one highlights how China has consistently used aggression in the political arena in order to gain power, create fear and take control over land, including the South China Sea. The comment suggests that the rocket launch is just another tactic used by China to create fear. 

The third comment has a dark humorous slant to it, claiming that something ‘more colourful and exciting’ needed to happen. I have seen quite a few comments similar to this. I think that it is interesting how people can laugh about it when it could have been deadly, but in a way it seems as though they can laugh about it because we were lucky it landed in the ocean. 

The fourth comment highlights the ignorance of some people towards the rocket launch. This lady claims that China continues to dump their space ‘junk’, however man-made space debri falls all the time according to the National Geographic. The comment shows how while many people have opinions on the rocket launch and on China, many of these comments are unsubstantiated.  

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The New York Times article: A Chinese Rocket is Tumbling Back to Earth. Where Will It Land?

When I searched up #ChineseRocket, this post by The New York Times appeared. The author discusses the details of the landing of the rocket and the reactions from certain people towards China’s decision to launch this rocket. I then decided to look at the comments to see what people had to say about it. 

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Social Media Blog

Rather than choosing to continue with the topic I chose for my annotated bibliography, I decided to focus on an event that occurred recently - the launching of China’s Long March 5B rocket. I have identified various twitter accounts and posts, while focusing on the tag #ChineseRocket .