The Black Knight Satellite

Some may be familiar with the “Black Knight” satellite, but for those who aren't, and for those (like me) who want a more factual examination of it (vs. the alien signals and everything else that gets lumped with it), I present the following article.

This is not just some urban legend. You can go to NASA's own site and see the images. They classify it as space junk, and have an official explanation (which we will discuss later on). Basically, this is an UNKNOWN satellite that is obviously artificial. First, some images of the Black Knight satellite so you can see just what we are talking about here:

(Pic taken from Space Shuttle of object commonly alleged as the Black Knight)

(Note, some may claim this is other man-made debris and not the Black Knight, and it may well be, but if so, I've seen nothing else conclusively identifying the rather large object in this pic or the other STS088 pics)
eol.jsc.nasa.gov...

Links to the NASA pages: (for those who like to see the original images for themselves)
eol.jsc.nasa.gov...
eol.jsc.nasa.gov...
eol.jsc.nasa.gov...
eol.jsc.nasa.gov...
eol.jsc.nasa.gov...

This whole story begins in 1954, three years before Russia would launch the Earth's first satellite, Sputnik 1.

On Friday, May 14, 1954, numerous papers carry an interesting statement by retired Marine Corps Major Donald E. Keyhoe, who states the Earth is being circled by one or two artificial satellites. U.S. Government scientists at White Sands, NM, he added, were making an effort to locate and chart them, and determine origin.

(example of two such papers carrying the story, the St. Louis Dispatch and the San Francisco Examiner, showing the national coverage of the story).



(Donald E. Keyhoe)


The story broke out further on August 23, 1954, when Aviation Week magazine stated two satellites had been found at 400 and 600 miles out. They were termed natural satellites, even though this was later deemed a virtual impossibility (and later no such natural satellites were ever claimed).

(the short Aviation Week article)

Pentagon scare over the observance of two previously unobserved satellites orbiting the earth has dissipated with the identification of the objects as natural, not artificial satellites. Dr. Lincoln LaPaz, expert on extraterrestrial bodies from the University of New Mexico, headed the identification project. One satellite is orbiting about 400 miles out, while the other track is 600 miles from the earth. Pentagon thought momentarily the Russians had beaten the U.S. to space explorations.

Clyde Tombaugh (discoverer of Pluto) was tasked by the Defense Department to search for the mystery object.

Dr. Lincoln LaPaz and Clyde Tombaugh

(Tombaugh/LaPaz)

Throughout the next few years, numerous astronomers publish suspicions of a large mystery satellite circling the globe. By February of 1960, the Defense Department even acknowledges it.

A Mystery Polar Satellite, Believed Russian, Spotted; POLAR SATELLITE DETECTED BY D. S.
By JOHN W. FINNEYSpecial to The New York Times;
February 11, 1960,

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 -- An unidentified, silent satellite has been discovered circling the earth in a near-polar orbit by United States tracking stations, the Defense Department said today. The identity and origin of the mystery satellite -- which has been dubbed "the dark satellite" are not known despite nearly two weeks of tracking

(You'd need a subscription to the New York Times to read the whole article, unfortunately).

The first Defense Department report said the satellite was about 19 feet long, and weighed possibly 32,000 pounds! The next report withdrew that claim, and replaced it to “as big as an oil truck”. Yet another report stated they had tracked the object by radar for months (then later amended to weeks). The final, “official” report on February 24, 1960 then states it as part of Discoverer V:

"The mysterious object recently discovered in polar orbit around the earth probably is the capsule of the Discoverer V space vehicle launched by the United States last August 13. On the basis of analysis to date, it is believed this vehicle most probably is the ejected recovery capsule of Discoverer V launched into polar orbit in August. The refined analysis of radar returns, the Defense Department said, now indicates the mystery object is about 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet long, the size of the Discoverer V capsule. The capsule separated from its launcher August 14 according to radio telemetry information (received from the carrier rocket)."

However, Discoverer V (launched as part of the Corona project), launched August 13, 1959, and fell to Earth September 28, 1959. The payload was 450 pounds (far, far less than that stated for the mystery satellite in the Defense Department's own reports). It is a simple task to examine pics of the Black Knight satellite and compare it with pics of the Thor-Agena A rocket that launched and a Corona satellite. Can you see any similarities? (not even accounting for the size and weight of the Black Knight, and keeping in mind that the rocket portion fell to Earth).

(Black Knight satellite)

eol.jsc.nasa.gov...

(Thor-Agena A rocket)


(Corona Satellite)


Even if the pic from the Shuttle turns out not to be the Black Knight, we're still left with the capsule not being large enough to fit the Defense Department reports.

Time magazine then runs with the official explanation in their March 7, 1960 edition:

Monday, Mar. 07, 1960
Time Magazine

Three weeks ago, headlines announced that the U.S. had detected a mysterious "dark" satellite wheeling overhead on a regular orbit. There was nervous speculation that it might be a surveillance satellite launched by the Russians, and it brought the uneasy sensation that the U.S. did not know what was going on over its own head. But last week the Department of Defense proudly announced that the satellite had been identified. It was a space derelict, the remains of an Air Force Discoverer satellite that had gone astray. The dark satellite was the first object to demonstrate the effectiveness of the U.S.'s new watch on space. And the three-week time lag in identification was proof that the system still lacks full coordination and that some bugs still have to be ironed out.

First Sighting. The most important component of the space watch went into operation about six months ago with the construction of "Dark Fence," a kind of radar trip wire stretching across the width of the U.S. Designed by the Naval Research Laboratory to keep track of satellites whose radios are silent, it is a notable improvement on other radars, which have difficulty finding a small satellite unless they know where to look. Big, 50-kw. transmitters were established at Gila River, near Phoenix, Ariz, and Jordan Lake, Ala., spraying radio waves upward in the shape of open fans. Some 250 miles on either side, receiving stations pick up signals that bounce off any object passing through the fans. By a kind of triangulation, the operators can make rough estimates of the object's speed, distance and course.

On Jan. 31 Dark Fence detected two passes of what seemed to be an unknown space object. After detecting several passes during the following days, Captain W. E. Berg, commanding officer of Dark Fence, decided that something was circling overhead on a roughly polar orbit. He raced to the Pentagon and in person reported the menacing stranger to Chief of Naval Operations Arleigh Burke. Within minutes the news was communicated to President Eisenhower and marked top secret.

In the confusion, there was a delay before anyone took the step necessary to positively identify the strange satellite: informing the Air Force's newly established surveillance center in Bedford, Mass. It is the surveillance center's job to take all observations on satellites from all friendly observing centers, both optical and electronic, feed them into computers to produce figures that will identify each satellite, describe its orbit and predict its behavior. Says one top official, explaining the cold facts of the space age: "The only way of knowing that a new satellite has appeared is by keeping track of the old ones."

It took two weeks for Dark Fence's scientists to check back through their taped observations, and to discover that the mysterious satellite had first showed up on Aug. 15. The Air Force surveillance center also checked its records to provide a list of everything else that was circling in the sky, and its computers worked out a detailed description of the new object's behavior. The evidence from both Air Force and Navy pointed to Discoverer V, fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif, on Aug. 13.

Perhaps the most telling detail though, is that the satellite does not behave as normal satellites. Even early on, astronomers would note that they'd see it for a time, then it would be gone...only to return later, and even in a different orbit.

Now, there are a lot of other, stranger reports attached to this case. I haven't gone into them simply because they really don't have any substantiation and I wanted to focus on the satellite itself (and there are some other lengthy threads here on ATS on that matter). For instance, there are claims the satellite broadcast a signal, and that someone decoded it, etc. I have researched this claim substantially, and to put it bluntly, it is off the charts of the BS meter. For some strange reason, many of the accounts tie in astronaut Gordon Cooper's sighting of a green object during a mission. I could not find anything linking that sighting with the Black Knight, so for these reasons, I have not included these “flights of fantasy” here (strictly my own opinion). Frankly, I think the case for the Black Knight can stand on it's own without these unfounded additions to the tale. There seems to be ample evidence that a large satellite (larger than anything we could have put up at the time) was spotted all over the globe, that the Defense Department was interested, and that they covered it up. So if we didn't put it up there, who did, and why?

Gazrok we must be on the same thought pattern or something as I have been looking up the Black Knight all day today at work, it's definitely something that I wish we had more information on.

I find it odd that there is little mention of this in media and the likes being that it seems to be such a mystery and that it's been around for years.

I agree that there is little evidence to suggest that there was a message being transmitted and that it was decoded, in fact I read earlier today that after that information was printed in TIME Magazine the guy who supposedly decoded the transmission retracted his statement, whether or not that in fact happened why go to all the trouble to "decode" said message only to retract the statement later on, this story however makes me think of the movie Contact with Jodi Foster...

Maybe someone else will come along and add to this, hopefully we can find more information on this supposed "derelict space trash".

Well put together though s&f for you.

Ok that is the first time I have ever seen any photograph purported to be the BKS! I must say it looks like a cross between ALIEN and the Protoss from StarCraft!


You really can't talk about the BKS and not at least mention PKD...Philip K. Dick and VALIS His Exegesis is very compelling about an intelligent satellite from another star system communicating to him through a pink beam of light...



I know it's metaphysical but warrants mentioning IMHO with this bizarre Satellite.

Several questions I have:

1) Is it still up there today?
2) Any research past the 1960s and 1970s?
3) With the space shuttle's ability to intercept satellites in orbit, and several "secret" STS missions....did we go take a closer look?

4) What is the distance from the camera to the interesting picture of this satellite?

Very interesting subject.

This satelite has chewed away at the back of my mind since it was announced.
The limited amount of data is further obfuscated by such tall tales.
The origonal discovery put the Dark Knight in a polar orbit.
This orbit was not used by the space agencies as they launched east west.....
The only conclusion is that it is something from elsewhere, or its very old and a left over from previous technological civilization here on earth.
regardless of origin, its strange disapearances and orbit changes indicate some form of control or programming.
Pity the shuttle couldnt have been utilised to study it, ot the new space plane sent to give it a look see....
Maybe what the space plane was doing for 250 days last year up there....?

The military has always been doing things behind our backs.

Make a list of all the military's deception throughout the past 100 years and then think about it.
Roswell,Gulf of Tonkin etc

Its military.

Thanks for an interesting thread Gazrok. I think these pictures have been discussed before and they are intriguing. As is the story of the Black Knight satellite.

There are some people out there on the web and saying in some publications that these images have been removed by NASA as part of a cover up.

Which is patently not the case. These photos were taken in 1998 according to the NASA database.

One I find interesting is this one

eol.jsc.nasa.gov...

close up of object


The object looks like it has somekind of propulsion although it may just be reflections from the light of the Sun.

Maybe Mr. Oberg will be along to confirm what these photos show?

Originally posted by mirageman
Maybe Mr. Oberg will be along to confirm what these photos show?

Nah, I've had my say on this subject, you're on your own. [grin]

reply to post by Gazrok




I found this YouTube video last year and did a thread on it.

I was told it was just a piece of space junk, and not the Black Knight Satellite. But, who knows! If it isn't, then why no pictures of the Black Knight?

I like orientating the object this way.



Makes for a highly suggestive picture.

I've seen nothing else conclusively identifying the rather large object in this pic or the other STS088 pics)

Then you haven't been paying attention.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

The Black Knight satellite is a fine tale which, as such tales do, has grown in the telling. Somehow making connections between various "mysterious" satellite sightings.

However, Discoverer V (launched as part of the Corona project), launched August 13, 1959, and fell to Earth September 28, 1959.

What does the fact that the Discoverer V satellite deorbited have to do with the fact that much of the vehicle remained in orbit?

The spacecraft was successfully put into a near-polar 193 x 353 km orbit by the Thor-Agena A booster. A day after launch, on 14 August 1959, the reentry vehicle was separated from the main body and the capsule released over the Pacific Ocean for descent to Earth.

nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov...

The payload was 450 pounds (far, far less than that stated for the mystery satellite in the Defense Department's own reports).

No. The payload was quite a bit more than that but the DoD wasn't talking about the payload anyway.

In January 1956 the Air Force would begin study of a scientific version of the Corona reconnaissance satellite, boosted by an Atlas Agena two-stage booster. This could provide a US capability for launching a 1600 kg scientific satellite into orbit, as a follow-on to Vanguard. It also would provide cover for launches under the secret Corona program. This was shelved at the time but would become reality as the "Discoverer" program, a cover for early the Corona satellites.

www.astronautix.com...

it is a simple task to examine pics of the Black Knight satellite and compare it with pics of the Thor-Agena A rocket that launched and a Corona satellite

Can you provide a picture of the Black Knight, please.

Even if the pic from the Shuttle turns out not to be the Black Knight, we're still left with the capsule not being large enough to fit the Defense Department reports.

What do you mean? Public statements (and the interpreation of those statements by the press) about a highly classified spy satellite program. I wouldn't put too much stock in that.
www.airforcemag.com...

Here's a lot about Corona:
www.cia.gov...

Originally posted by JimOberg

Originally posted by mirageman
Maybe Mr. Oberg will be along to confirm what these photos show?

Nah, I've had my say on this subject, you're on your own. [grin]

I can't be bothered looking it up so I am guessing you said this:

"...It was an alien cruiser containing tourists from Beta Rediculas. They were finally returning home after partying hard during the Roswell 50th anniversary celebrations down on Earth and not realising they'd been drunk for a whole year before anyone realised it. ....Yeh in space no one can hear you scream 'They can't book you for drink driving out here'."

But somehow I don't think you did

It's a Decepticon! Where is optimus prime


Kidding.

I find this object so fascinating since i first read about it a few years ago. In my opinion its a top secret military hardware done before the moon missions. It's odd that no one has attempted to go & investigate it close by, maybe park close to it or something!

One of the most fascinating unexplained true stories out there in my opinion. Thanks so much for bringing it up again. I always devour these threads

Originally posted by mirageman
Thanks for an interesting thread Gazrok. I think these pictures have been discussed before and they are intriguing. As is the story of the Black Knight satellite.

There are some people out there on the web and saying in some publications that these images have been removed by NASA as part of a cover up.

Which is patently not the case. These photos were taken in 1998 according to the NASA database.

One I find interesting is this one

eol.jsc.nasa.gov...

close up of object


The object looks like it has somekind of propulsion although it may just be reflections from the light of the Sun.

Maybe Mr. Oberg will be along to confirm what these photos show?

edit on 31/5/13 by mirageman because: corrections

That "space debris"looks awfully symmetricaly formed to me.Debris my ass!

reply to post by Gazrok


Thanks Gazrok i love anything to do with the Knight i read somewhere that it was supposed to have been around and seen since 1920's or earlier, i think the code bit is also BS though it would be nice if it was true ah well.

Thanks again and maybe someday we'll all find out what it's about and be glued to a screen reading about it saying i told ya so

s/f

Most likely US military stuff!

But, What if....

It is some sort craft made by future humans that at time intervals appears over earth´s atmosphere and contains inside instructions on how to operate the craft (and travel through time) along with a presentation of future events in order to avoid some sort of doomsday scenario on a certain ocasion?

IIRC, the Black Knight seems to appear from time to time.

Perhaps i´m killing this thread (most likely). Sorry, OP, you meant well.

reply to post by TDawg61


Space debris constitutes just about anything we leave up there. It doesn't have to be actual debris. External fuel tanks, stages of rockets, satellites that are out of fuel, are all considered space debris.