STS-131 ascent 'UFOs'

More typical vehicle-generated debris, see here:

STS-131 - External Tank Handheld Video
www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org...


Barry Floyd apr 7at 02:24 PM gmt
Anybody else watch the handheld ET video? Right around the 2:44 - 3:16 mark on the video - what is that? Looks like at the 2:45 mark, he notices something there besides the ET, scrambles to find it again - goes back to the ET, then at the 3:12 mark on the video - something else appears, and looks to be OVER the cloud cover below.

Also, watch the blizzard at orbital insertion:
STS-131 liftoff and ascent
www.youtube.com...
See the ring of fire form (08:10 ff)
Main engine cutoff (08:48)
And then blizzard of white dots, different speeds and directions,
changing course, and all typical vehicle-generated debris…
as well as thruster plumes
The tank-based camera continues for an unusually long period,
as junk continues to drift away. Image goes ratty as vehicle ‘sets’
over horizon as viewed from Cape Canaveral tracking site.

reply to post by JimOberg


When one clicks on your first link:
www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org...

one gets taken to the Joomla! page that gives you the choice of playing or downloading the video. Clicking on Play Video takes one to:
www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org...

There, a black screen is seen that turns green when moves the cursor in it. You can see the bar moving at the bottom but no video is seen, just the green screen. I turned on my PC's speakers and there is audio.

I went back to the first link and there were strange effects happening on the page with the text not scrambled but fuzzy in colors, etc.

reply to post by JimOberg


Please explain the purpose of the thread title. I didn't see any UFOs, just the debris you mentioned. However, are you implying that opinions expressed about other NASA videos can be explained by this video? 'Cause if that's your intent, you missed the boat or, in this instance, the shuttle!

reply to post by The Shrike



Sorry for your trouble using the link I had found (and got to work) on www.nasaspaceflight.com.

If you search Google for STS-131 and UFO you will find a number of posts already that in all seriousness call these dots UFOs. I put the term in quotation marks to call that ID into question, as you surmised.

The appearance here of the clearly shuttle-origin debris mimicks in all significant features the 'traditional' space UFO images -- small dots, some flashing, some appearing 'out of nowhere' (moving out of shadow), moving in different directions and speeds across the camera FOV, some changing direction. How do the dots seriously proposed as 'inexplicable' on a million youtube postings differ in any way from these on the STS-131 launch video?

reply to post by JimOberg

In my eyes there weren't any UFOs to be seen in the STS-131 footage, but even if there were this movie doesn't debunk all the oddities we have seen in previous STS missions. The shiny space debris thrown back by the thrusters is pretty obvious here since it's rather close to the shuttle, the "UFOs" haven't always been this close

Originally posted by AphexTwins
The shiny space debris thrown back by the thrusters is pretty obvious here since it's rather close to the shuttle, the "UFOs" haven't always been this close

Well, that's one of the issues worth raising -- measuring how 'close' something is if all you see is a dot. Perhaps the 'datum' that a dot is NOT close is really a conclusion that needs proving rather than an 'assumption' not to be questioned.

There are indeed ways to estimate range even on a 2 dimensional field of view, but how properly have they been applied to the youtube ice/snow jobs?

Originally posted by JimOberg
reply to post by The Shrike

 

Sorry for your trouble using the link I had found (and got to work) on www.nasaspaceflight.com.

If you search Google for STS-131 and UFO you will find a number of posts already that in all seriousness call these dots UFOs. I put the term in quotation marks to call that ID into question, as you surmised.

The appearance here of the clearly shuttle-origin debris mimicks in all significant features the 'traditional' space UFO images -- small dots, some flashing, some appearing 'out of nowhere' (moving out of shadow), moving in different directions and speeds across the camera FOV, some changing direction. How do the dots seriously proposed as 'inexplicable' on a million youtube postings differ in any way from these on the STS-131 launch video?

For starters: on that video you have a point of reference - the shuttle. Even without a point of reference, the behavior of the debris is unlike the objects labeled as UFOs since the STS-131 debris skitters. On most other NASA videos of white objects you don't have that kind of behavior. Usually, what is claimed to be possible UFOs are seen at what can be estimated as distance and they travel, usually at "slow" speed. They perform maneuvers at "slow" speed. They are videotaped by astronauts as something of interest and while some objects have been tracked at length, at least one has been tracked for the longest time way below (in assumed miles) the shuttle as the object sped over the earth or over the earth's atmosphere. Thousands of miles had to be covered by the object. Can shuttle debris do that? They appear and "disappear" from and into the cloud covers. They form groups and seem to blend.

Mainly, though, the STS-131 white dots look and behave like known and recognizable debris, even without the points of reference. Look at the objects surrounding the tether, they didn't behave like the STS-131 debris. They were "slow" and traveled in straight paths, made gentle turns. Look at the objects at the finale of NASA TRANSMISSIONS, they "arrived" and formed into a circle.

When cameras are seen to zoom into objects at a distance, you know that the astronauts are not videotaping nearby debris. When the shuttle cameras are seen zooming out and the out-of-focus shuttle bay edges come back into focus you know that whatever was being videotaped was at a distance. Why should astronauts videotape ejected debris that possibly cannot be be kept in frame because of the high ejection speed?

Bottom line: NASA space videos show debris and unknown objects earthlings assume to be UFOs. An "experienced" viewer can tell the difference between the two. Tyros can't. Don't put any store on tyros' claims. Stick with us, the experienced.



[edit on 8-4-2010 by The Shrike]

Originally posted by JimOberg
More typical vehicle-generated debris, see here:

STS-131 - External Tank Handheld Video
www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org...
snip

Okay, Jim, I have some news. First, I went to the above link again and got the black/green screen. I waited for a while but the screen stayed green so I left the page. But then, the ol' brain kicked in and I went back to the page and right-clicked on the green screen hoping to get the properties pop-up. Got it and the properties gave this URL:
www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org... and I was able to get my GOM player link and, lo and behold, I got the video.

Before I continue let me jump ahead. I came back to the green screen page a few more times after I was done watching the video and in my last attempt the green screen finally changed to show the video! After about 7 or 8 attempts!

Anyways, as I watched the video I made notes of what what I saw at what time shown on the clock on the bottom left of the screen. I hope you comment on my notes. BTW, it doesn't help the UFO buffs that at the beginning of the video the voiceover says: "(garbled)We're seeing good ET video."(!)

properties of the (green) video screen:
www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org...

at 00:01:25 you can see a white object appear and fly over the "nose end" of the tank.

at 00:01:11 you can see a white dot about to go over the tank's bottom white band (second band from the nose end).

at 00:01:49 you see a venting spray (liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen) and a white dot comes into view from the bottom of the screen and can be seen passing over the end of the tank.

at 00:01:58 2 white objects appear from the bottom of the screen and as they pass the tank the camera performs a modified zoom in.

at 00:02:11 a white object appears way below the tank moving towards 1pm.

at 00:02:23 more venting spray is seen which is longer lasting than the one at :49. No debris is seen as the result of these venting sprays, just vapor.

at 00:03:26 a white large object is seen going over the nose. Obviously some kind of large debris, tumbling and possibly hitting the nose.

at 00:03:48 big chunk of something flies over the end of the tank. What is THAT long, "insect-like" thing, centered at 00:04:16? It's above the clouds! And those "portuberances" at the tip closest to the bottom of the screen! And the cloud "face" on the right side of it!

at 00:05:53 a bunch of white dots on the right side of the screen seen clearly against the blue of the ocean. They have to be cloud wisps 'cause there's too many of them also in other parts of the video.

at 00:07:28 another definite white dot appears to the right of 6 o'clock on the bottom of the screen and this is NOT a cloud wisp.

We're talking some bizarre objects that cannot be classified as debris from the shuttle (at least not the one from which the video is being shot from) because the objects/debris is seen above and below the external tank which has to be at a good distance from the shuttle. Yet, some of the things seen behave like debris and could be dangerous to missions!

Some of the objects have the classic "white orb" generally thought of as UFOs. And that weird-looking HUGE object with "portuberances" is something that needs explaining 'cause it was static.

What is your opinion on what is reported above? And did you see any of them yourself?

reply to post by The Shrike

This is ice which forms on the nozzles of the main engines the gets sluffed off in orbit. It happens very often.

It is described by Mike Fossum in this video:
tinyurl.com/ydx37vz
You have to paste it to the address bar...sorry.
Here's the un-narrated version. The ice shows up toward the end.


Here it is written about;
spaceflightnow.com...


[edit on 4/8/2010 by Phage]

Originally posted by The Shrike
Bottom line: NASA space videos show debris and unknown objects earthlings assume to be UFOs. An "experienced" viewer can tell the difference between the two. Tyros can't. Don't put any store on tyros' claims. Stick with us, the experienced.

This is a constructive, detailed response that deserves a long reply from me -- thanks, and please be patient a few days.

JimO

Originally posted by JimOberg

Originally posted by The Shrike
Bottom line: NASA space videos show debris and unknown objects earthlings assume to be UFOs. An "experienced" viewer can tell the difference between the two. Tyros can't. Don't put any store on tyros' claims. Stick with us, the experienced.

This is a constructive, detailed response that deserves a long reply from me -- thanks, and please be patient a few days.

JimO

Looking forward to your "long reply". I've viewed the video a couple of more times and found additional objects. Possibly, with additional viewings and looking at different areas of my 19" ViewSonic LCD computer screen I might see more. But I just finished taking 23 photos of frozen frames and I'm including them below. I don't know if I can download 23 low-resolution photos in one reply so I'll break them up into single groups and consecutive groups.

00:01:11 White object under center edge of tank. [atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/eba6000b9102.jpg[/atsimg]

00:01:25 White object in front of white band closest to nose.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/02ada98dc5a5.jpg[/atsimg]

00:01:49 Venting liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1d60a48d14bb.jpg[/atsimg]


[edit on 10-4-2010 by The Shrike]

reply to post by JimOberg


00:01:51a White object to the left and below bottom end of tank which is pointing up.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1486bedf87bf.jpg[/atsimg]

00:01:51b White object at top edge of bottom end of the tank.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/253ae9a939cb.jpg[/atsimg]

00:01:58a 2 white objects enter frame.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1e317c1a4418.jpg[/atsimg]

00:01:58b Left object is seen over top end of tank.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/fc7106b9b6c4.jpg[/atsimg]

00:2:11 White object on right side of bottom end of the tank.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/3d393f27226b.jpg[/atsimg]



[edit on 10-4-2010 by The Shrike]

reply to post by JimOberg


00:03:05a Curved white object at bottom of left corner.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1a0a3d4641e2.jpg[/atsimg]

00:03:05b Same object.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/3634a4bcf00f.jpg[/atsimg]

00:03:05c Same object, now a semi-circle shape.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/5cb0be1aabe2.jpg[/atsimg]

00:03:26a White object approaching tank nose.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/7bd93c241fc7.jpg[/atsimg]

00:03:26b Same object over tank nose.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/db4d44045011.jpg[/atsimg]

[edit on 10-4-2010 by The Shrike]

reply to post by JimOberg


00:03:48a Obviously large object approaching the bottom end of the tank.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/acc54b7e3a15.jpg[/atsimg]

00:03:48b Same object, seemingly "unfurling"!
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d5091518ace8.jpg[/atsimg]

00:03:48c Ditto.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/19f2ce118ae7.jpg[/atsimg]

00:03:48d Over and away.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ccbad6d59315.jpg[/atsimg]

00:03:48e See you next orbit!
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/b599e358ffa1.jpg[/atsimg]

[edit on 10-4-2010 by The Shrike]

reply to post by JimOberg


00:04:16a A most strange, extremely long 2-part object, seemingly over the cloud cover with the right bottom ending in protuberances that in the last frame can be seen to have dark areas. Definitely not islands and definitely NOT debris!
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/a809a91b0375.jpg[/atsimg]

00:04:16b Ditto.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f51ec7333697.jpg[/atsimg]

00:04:16c Ditto.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/a499dd6418cd.jpg[/atsimg]

00:04:16d Ditto.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/89bb33e88ff9.jpg[/atsimg]

00:07:28 White object to the right of the tank.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/439cf6845584.jpg[/atsimg]

I'm "reviving" this thread to point out that I made another thread that sort-of connects to this one because of the strange images in both.