The Chinese do not intend to leave anything to chance in their coming-out party for the world at the 2008 Olympics. The state-run China Daily newspaper reported Tuesday that weathermen in Beijing are moving ahead with plans to fire rockets to disperse rain clouds, an experiment aimed at securing more sunshine during the Olympics.
Zheng Guoguang, head of China’s Meteorological Administration, said practice drills were ready to begin. He hopes the drills simulate what will take place when the Olympics begin Aug. 8, 2008.
Last month, a top-ranking Chinese weather official acknowledged that seeding clouds to produce rain – and dispersing rainmaking clouds – was immature technology.
“Dispersal is more difficult than rainfall enhancement,” said Wang Yubin, assistant chief engineer with the Beijing Meteorological Bureau.
