WTF Is That Floating Near The ISS?

The photo was taken from the Shuttle Endeavour, and there are various copies of it floating around on the net.

There are also other images taken in the same sequence from Endeavour that don't show this object, but do show other things that are obviously reflections in the shuttle window.

eg www.flickr.com...

So, we have the complex answer: it is an alien spacecraft, or we have the simple one: it is a reflection in the window of the shuttle.

Occam's razor....

reply to post by OrionHunterX


I would have to say that it is a lens flare caused by the 2nd to left plate on the solar reflector wing. You can see it's facing the camera in relation to the light source as it's as it's lit up.

If it were a module, spacecraft, or some other physical object, it would be brightly lit by the Sun just like the ISS is. So the most logical answer for me is that it's a reflection from inside the Shuttle.

Original image: archive.org...

Skada
yes, that does look interesting. What about the plume at the bottom of the iss pict.

That's the Earth's curvature!

onebigmonkey
So, we have the complex answer: it is an alien spacecraft, or we have the simple one: it is a reflection in the window of the shuttle.

Occam's razor....

Huh? Does this look like a reflection on the window of the Space Shuttle.....and of what?


Courtesy: mikesingh

I didn't know the Space Shuttle carried a trash can too! Or some real funny stuff they carry on board, never mind if it costs $18,000 per kilogram to get it into space!

I'm going to guess some sort of glare/relection.

Ok, now check out this second pic which is the same but has been enlarged and enhanced by adding contrast and brightness.

Also, I'd say there was something much more creative than contrast and brightness used to create the "enhanced" rendition of the photo to make it look more interesting.



Here is what it looks like with contrast and brightness to bring it out more...



...not nearly as interesting as the embellished version.

reply to post by Zarniwoop


You must've used low-res image, mate. Here's my adjustment of the original image at ia700502.us.archive.org...

Pixel resizing:


Bicubic resampling:


So some detail can be seen. But I still think it's an internal reflection.

BTW, that's not not the Earth's curvature, it's the outline of one of the Shuttle's windows. I'd say it's one of the Shuttle's top windows:

reply to post by wildespace

You must've used low-res image, mate.

Yeah... you're right. I used the image in the OP. Thanks for the link.

There is definitely more detail in that image. I'm still going with reflection as well.

n00bUK
Mikesingh? Guy was an ATS legend, one of a handful of members that made me join this website!

Great pic, thanks for sharing

Get. mike. back

So where did mike go.......

The Bot

reply to post by dlbott


Story I heard was he got fed-up with the place and left. Very sad day for ATS if that was the case.

reply to post by wildespace


Thank you for the pictures. Look at the bottom picture taken from inside the shuttle. Look at all the reflections in the shuttle window. This proves to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there is nothing by the ISS and it's just a case of poor photography.

I love the way they give these guys and gals millions of dollars worth of astronaut training and a small amount of photography training is just too much to ask. Look at the Apollo photos. I would have though that by now (or even 2001) they would have got all that sorted out. What they need is a remote controlled point-and-shoot digital camera available outside the shuttle once it is in space. That would mean that they dont have to take pics through 2 layers of window.