Triggering the Lightning

angkor writes "...a group of American engineers plan to fire supersonic jets of salty water towards storm clouds in a bid to trigger lightning. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns999 91860"

I think we can already trigger Lightning

[AnalogBoy]

I remember watching on TLC ( or another one of those wonderful learning channel things ) a scientist who was able to trigger lightning by firing a small rocket with a metal wire attached....

In unrelated news:

[Liquor]

The esteemed fundamentalist leader died today, after being struck by a bolt of lighning.

"It must have been humiliating for him" one of his disciples said after the incident. "After all of these years calling for divine wrath to strike others, it appears that he has been struck down in such a fashion himself."

A large transport aircraft was seen in the vicinity at around the time of the strike, but was apparently undamaged. Some people have also reported that, for some reason, there was a salty taste in the air immediately after the strike.

There have been no official government comments.

Why?

[rychie]

What on Earth do you want to trigger lightening for?