Summary
For those who choose not to sort through the past sixteen pages of "It's a helicopter" here is a summary of a few of the more relevant posts:
* The original poster did not say it was huge. Somebody else did.
* The original poster did not say it looked like a worm. A couple somebody elses's did.
Here are some screen captures posted by someone. The original poster has confirmed that these are pictures of the same event that he witnessed.
i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/free_spirit_2006/STS-123Ufosequenc
e.jpg
Here is a link to some general flight information for this mission. As of this post, the "STS-123 In-flight Anomlay Log" reads "Nothing at this
time."
www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/currentglance.html
Here are links to videos of the event. One has been zoomed in for clarity. It has been noted that the resolution is extremely poor.
video.google.es...
video.google.es...
When viewing these videos, please note the following:
* Before the object even appears, the dialogue on the video is reasonably proper context for a cutaway. Discovery clearly states "We'll give you a
couple minutes and call you back" before the object appears.
* When the cut occurs, it is not a clean cut, but rather the screen goes to static before going to mission control.
* When the view returns to mission control, there is a large screen visibly showing static as well.
* If you look closely at the zoomed in footage, you will see the object at approximately :04 to :05. It then disappears behind a protrusion of the
shuttle, and reappears on the other side at approximately :09.
* The direction of the rotation of the earth relative to the shuttle implies that the shuttle is traveling
towards the object, and
not
away from it. Consequently, if the object is debris of some kind, it seems unlikely that it came from the shuttle itself.
* Somewhere in the vicinity of :10 to :12, there is an apparent change in the trajectory of the object. With the quality of the video it is not
completely obvious, but if you hold a straightedge up to your screen as you watch, and align one end with the position of the object when it first
appears at :04, and the other with its position at :09, you will see that it's ultimate destination is not in line with this path.
* Given the quality of the video, and given that the path the object takes is obscured by the shuttle for several seconds, it could reasonably be
suggested that what we are seeing is not a single change of trajectory, but rather that the object is traveling along a curved path. For example, like
an orbit. However, if this is the case, the path the object follows is
not what should reasonably be expected from an earth orbit. The earth is
at the top of the video, the trajectory appears to change towards the bottom of the video.
....
Please note that getting your news in soundbite form like this from random people on the internet you do not know (like me) may be dangerous. Yes, I
have attempted to filter through the garbage and give you the useful information from the thread. However, please always remember that people who
filter information for you may not always have your best interests at heart. And even if they do they might not always notice everything. Also, they
could be mistaken. Make your own judgements.
[edit on 17-3-2008 by LordBucket]
