Unidentified Object Recorded By A DMSP Satellite

I came across this image in another thread "UFOs Entering Orbit" Diplomatic cable reported by N.U.F.O.C., unfortunately the story is a hoax, but this image piqued my interest:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/e9c6491ffa84.jpg[/atsimg]

It appears to be an aircraft with 4 contrails photographed by a Defense Meteorological Satellite.

I've found a very comprehensive analysis on the image, which can be found HERE.

A couple of excerpts:

According to information provided with the pictures, they show infra-red views of the earth. Information in the DMSP User's Guide (3) indicates that the original negative is probably a "Mode Infra-red" (MI) picture of the earth in the 8 - 13 micron infra-red band. Furthermore, since the very cloud tops are cold and the land mass is much warmer it is apparent that the MI output was inverted so that cold is white and warm is dark blue. (This is a typical mode of operation.)

The clouds in the photograph have irregular shapes ("fractal" edges). The AI, on the other hand, has two nearly straight edges (see Figure 2). One edge lies along the scan direction and one edge is nearly at 45 degrees to the scan direction. Clouds do not have adjacent straight edges so this is a reason to reject the idea that the AI is a cloud. The outline of the AI is also more angular and more distinct than edges of cloud images and the shape is not striated or "blobby" the way other cloud images are. Hence the following analysis has been carried out under the assumption that the AI was not made by some exceedingly strangely shaped cloud.

It is unfortunate that the DMSP photo was not made available for analysis until many years after it was taken because it should have been possible to determine which satellite, if any, could have been at the exact location indicated by the DMSP. On the other hand, it should still be possible to determine the dimensions of the largest satellites and pieces of space junk that were orbiting in 1978 and which of those satellites might have been in an orbit that would put it close to the DMSP. If there was no such satellite, then this could have truly been classified as an unidentifiable object.

(Note: the meteor hypothesis is rejected because a meteor caught in a temporary arc about the earth would be traveling much faster than a satellite. If there were only on scan line image one might consider a meteor, but then such a small image would have been ignored and the question of identifying it would not have come up.)

Thoughts, comments?

Definitely not a meteor! Cool find and had never heard of this one.

Yeah there is no way it's a meteor or anything of that nature; great find!

reply to post by Chadwickus


I'm confused..
Are you saying the large white thing is the plane with 4 contrails going up??
I thought the plane was in silhouette at the front of that cloud like thing...

reply to post by backinblack


Well I'm not actually saying what it is, because I have no idea.

But I believe the white, square object is what is being discussed.

Originally posted by Chadwickus
reply to post by backinblack

 

Well I'm not actually saying what it is, because I have no idea.

But I believe the white, square object is what is being discussed.

OK, but that sure looks like a silhouette of a fighter jet heading left...

reply to post by backinblack


I guess it does a bit.

Thing is though, the image is taken in infrared and reversed.

White is colder and blue is hotter.

I also doubt it is a meteor. Is the image available at all? i.e. the actual image, in some database or somehting the higher the rez the better?

Its impossible by just looking at it to get an idea of where it was, or the approximate altitude as there are no land masses under it.
Its an odd one though, its too geometric to be a snow covered island / ice burg or somehting the contrails, if that's what they are definitely give the impression that it is moving and that they originate from the object, and yet the object looks puffy like a cloud, but as I said too geometrical.

At first glance I would say UFO, ours (i.e. from earth) or not is the question. it could I suppose be some oddity of nature but it could also be some form of experimental craft ram jet testing maybe? Its mentioned in the link from the OP that the it was near (40KM) from Vladivostock.

Its worth a closer look.

Originally posted by Chadwickus
reply to post by backinblack

 

I guess it does a bit.

Thing is though, the image is taken in infrared and reversed.

White is hotter and blue is cooler.

You sure??

it is apparent that the MI output was inverted so that cold is white and warm is dark blue. (This is a typical mode of operation.)

Blown up, the white object does have a very straight front edge.
The dark thing I call a plane is VERY straight..
I also see 3 contrails..One looks almost perfectly middled..
Very odd...NFI..

Originally posted by backinblack

Blown up, the white object does have a very straight front edge.
The dark thing I call a plane is VERY straight..
I also see 3 contrails..One looks almost perfectly middled..
Very odd...NFI..

If the image is in reverse / MI then the plane looking object would be cold and the white cloudy bit would be hot?
Maybe it is a craft of sorts where the plane shape is an intake of sorts?

reply to post by backinblack


Err yeah, that way.

I fixed the post.

reply to post by Chadwickus


I have no idea..
If it is infra red, it's very odd..
Hot to cold is too defined..Usually it fades in..

reply to post by backinblack


Is there any actual proof that this is in infrared / IM
What if what is blue is simply the ocean and what is white are simply clouds.
I wish we had a "confirmed" basis to work on or I have I missed something from the OP's link to the picture analysis

Originally posted by lyndonl

Originally posted by backinblack

Blown up, the white object does have a very straight front edge.
The dark thing I call a plane is VERY straight..
I also see 3 contrails..One looks almost perfectly middled..
Very odd...NFI..

If the image is in reverse / MI then the plane looking object would be cold and the white cloudy bit would be hot?
Maybe it is a craft of sorts where the plane shape is an intake of sorts?

Yes, and up the top right looks like land mass...
OP has posted what they say..
Maybe the link has the wrong info??
Could be a normal colour pic but still doesn't tell us what it is..

reply to post by Chadwickus

Looks a bit like a Star Trek shuttle craft to me!

Interesting though that the craft and it's contrails are cold (white), when i'd have expected the reverse to be so, especially the contrails.

1978 eh...wonder how the development went after all this time...perhaps we're seeing an early stealth prototype being tested?

Wow! This is a nice find. Too bad the image is associated with a story that turned out to be a hoax. I don't even have a clue to what this might be. It would be nice to have a scale to go by or more information to confirm this image. 40km from Vladivostok you say? Just happens to be the site of the largest Soviet Navy yard on the Pacific. Hmm, could this perhaps be a picture of an SR-71? I wouldn't know why it would leave more than 2 contrails though.

Could it be?



X-43 Hypersonic jet.

Altitude and speed is well within such an aircraft's ability.

According to Mr. Smith, the photo had been verified as coming from a defense weather satellite and he had determined that the strange object was at about 45,000 ft and traveling at 4,000 to 5,000 mph

Only problem is the infrared scale of the photograph, if white is cold, then a scramjet engine won't be white...

reply to post by Chadwickus

That is the coolest thing I have ever read...OMG there are user manuals for satellites , I don’t know why I’ve just never thought about it before. I was more excited about the guy getting his hands of a copy of the manual than I was about it being a UFO or not.

It is unfortunate that the DMSP photo was not made available for analysis until many years after it was taken because it should have been possible to determine which satellite, if any, could have been at the exact location indicated by the DMSP. On the other hand, it should still be
possible to determine the dimensions of the largest satellites and Pieces of space junk that were orbiting in 1978 and which of those Satellites might have been in an orbit that would put it close to the DMSP. If there was no such satellite, then this could have truly been classified as an unidentifiable object.

any one out there who knows what was floating around out there at that time

Originally posted by Chadwickus

X-43 Hypersonic jet.

Altitude and speed is well within such an aircraft's ability.

According to Mr. Smith, the photo had been verified as coming from a defense weather satellite and he had determined that the strange object was at about 45,000 ft and traveling at 4,000 to 5,000 mph

Only problem is the infrared scale of the photograph, if white is cold, then a scramjet engine won't be white...

Interesting, but the first flight of the X-43 Hypersonic Jet was in 2001. I thought this photograph was from 1978? Also, it was stated that this photo was close to Vladivostok, which certainly wouldn't be a place we would test experimental aircraft.

I have a problem with the infrared scale as well.

I think SR-71 would be more likely. They were flown out of Kadena AB, Okinawa Japan for many many years.

SR-71 Theaters of Operation

reply to post by tsawyer2


Yeah there's a few things that don't fit, but maybe hypersonic jet tech is a lot older than we think?

Doubtful I know, but yeah if it's a human craft, SR-71 fits, although shape doesn't.