A decent astrophysicist (or any billiards player) would know that aiming directly at the center of sphere will send the energy precisely back to the source, rather than ricochet off towards another object. Pointing the satellite transmitter into the middle of the sun would send the message back to Earth rather than on to Jupiter or any other astrological destination.
When Jin Cheng puts the game mask on for the first time, she is allowed to play, although it is not her mask and she did not get invited. All others that try to play uninvited get their head cut off. However, the game obviously knows much about Earth; it may have known that she is a physicist and that she would be worthy of playing it.
The logic offered by the Chinese commander for not using Sun to amplify the signal (that Sun is Red and Red Sun is political symbolism in their country) is senseless and not worthy to be presented by any person related to science and not by a military person.
Correction: This is explanation given verbatim from the source book and very much in line with political climate in the China at this time. Chairman Mao nickname was Red Sun, shooting at the Sun was indeed a big no-no from the standpoint of a political commissar, who is responsible for ideology, not science.
Correction: This is explanation given verbatim from the source book and very much in line with political climate in the China at this time. Chairman Mao nickname was Red Sun, shooting at the Sun was indeed a big no-no from the standpoint of a political commissar, who is responsible for ideology, not science.
When Young Ye Wenjie is aiming the dish at the sun the shadow of the antenna is shown moving away from the dish's center instead of towards it.