@ tartare in #2634 (resp to WR in #2629)
Thanks for post. Disclaiming, on my part, specific knowledge of satellite orbital parameters. But carrying on the logic chains: .... point earlier was made or asserted that timing of release of imagery by PRC can be understood with background of time it took to review and analyze what their birds saw. Another factor asserted relative to lapse of time was need to adjust resolution of released imagery to protect against disclosure of asset capabilities (though this, as a timing factor, has fallen into a teakettle of pro's and con's). Your post noted high-density array of assets in the subject region. If that is affirmative, and I have no reason to question it (see, disclaimer, above), then here is a further item: to extent satellite and other coverage is so thick and sophisticated, does it not follow that, (i) PRC assets were able to be surveyed immediately upon news of major airliner incident underway, and (ii) PRC had reason to leap forward and find the facts - precisely because it (the region) is one of such interest? So (and no I don't know enough about these assets to have tried to joke about it) if no reason existed for the birds to have to be moved, then does it not follow they had the imagery pretty early on? So on these premises - specifically on this chain of inferences and explicitly disclaiming any speculative purported knowledge - I'm amending my post in #2629: to extent PRC had imagery quite early on, maybe Uncle made a po-lite request to do the data dump thing? Again tartare, thanks for talking this over.