It's official. What the conspiracy theorists have been saying for years is true: There are UFOs out there in space -- operated by the US military, and manufactured by Boeing in El Segundo, California at a cost of over $1.9 billion. (And you thought it was Lockheed?)

Check it out for yourself. But be warned: UFOs are rarely what they seem...

"The U.S. Navy began replacing and upgrading its ultra-high frequency (UHF) satellite communications network during the 1990s with a constellation of customized satellites built by Hughes Space and Communications Company, which is now Boeing. Known as the UHF Follow-On (UFO) series, these 601 model satellites support the Navy's global communications network, serving ships at sea and a variety of other U.S. military fixed and mobile terminals."

It's not clear who decided on the name. But lines like "the UFO spacecraft has proven to be a very flexible platform for the evolution of critical advanced DOD [Department of Defense] communications services" are certainly eye-catching. Maybe the idea was give a little zing to an otherwise-ordinary project. Kind of like the product-tracking company that calls itself Alien Technology; the latest headline on their website is about a deal with "The Largest Sock Manufacturer In Europe."

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the House of Lords here in London due to give their decision on an extradition case involving Gary McKinnon. He's the British hacker whose online spree allegedly involved breaking into 73,000 US government computers, including the Army, Navy and NASA -- all in search of flying saucers.

McKinnon's approach could have been more rigorous, as he explained to British journalist Jon Ronson:

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