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Former NASA astronaut's 'conclusive proof' breakthrough over Space Shuttle UFO Tether case
UPDATED: 00:32, Fri, Sep 27, 2024
Tom Jones, a veteran of four space shuttle missions over 11 years, who pondered the mystery of alien crafts before joining the US space agency, once said he solved the mystery of the so-called "UFO Tether Incident" of 1996.
The story involved a satellite, which was tethered to the space shuttle, breaking off.
When it was later filmed by the astronauts on board, it appeared to be swarmed by hundreds of UFOs appearing like organisms swimming in a sea, according to onlookers.
But conspiracy theorists will be unsatisfied with Mr Jones ‘conclusive proof of’ what the stunning sight was.
In an Ask the Astronaut column for Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine in 2016 he discussed the age-old question of whether he or other astronauts had seen real alien space craft while in orbit.
According to conspiracy theorists there are scores of NASA astronauts and personnel who have seen evidence of UFOs and aliens, some who have blown the whistle, and others who remain tightlipped for fear of what will happen.
Those who have spoken openly include the late Edgar Mitchell, the sixth astronaut to walk on the moon, who went on to say he had evidence alien races were in contact with the US Government.
But Mr Jones was not convinced by the testimonies of Mr Mitchell and other whistleblowers.
He said the explanation for mystery sightings was more simple.
He wrote: "Astronauts have not seen any evidence of alien life.
Reports of unidentified flying objects in images returned from the shuttle or [space] station have turned out to be ice crystals, drifting orbital debris, lightning flashes, or meteors streaking through the dark atmosphere below.
“So far, our search for extraterrestrial life — and other civilisations in space — has turned up no proof of alien civilisations."
Mr Jones spoke out with his conclusion about the 1996 tether Incident, due to the mass reports of his crew seeing UFOs.
He said: "I was on the shuttle Columbia — STS-80 — and even made a blog entry, ‘Did UFOs Visit The Shuttle Columbia?’
Because when we came back from that mission in 1996, NASA got several queries from people who were watching the video — NASA TV back then — and said, ‘Hey, we saw spaceships on the shuttle video.
What’s NASA got to say about that?’”
The former spaceman said NASA’s public affairs team even referred callers to him, because he was one of the crew members.
He added of the tether incident: "I looked at the video and I said, ‘Oh, I know what this is — this is just ice crystals floating along beside the ship for the first couple of days of the flight.’
"What looked to some people like a spaceship streaking across the star field, was — to us, looking out the windows — a complete non-event. And yet, it was very significant to people who were watching."
https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/668515/Former-NASA-astronaut-conclusive-proof-Space-Shuttle-UFO-Tether-case
https://earthsky.org/space/exploring-mars-grand-canyon-valles-marineris-vamex-robotic-drones-uap/
https://sentinelnews.substack.com/p/andreas-muller-prof-hakan-kayal-on
Exploring Mars’ Grand Canyon, plus a UFO camera for Mars
September 26, 2024
The largest canyon in the solar system is on Mars. Valles Marineris is the Grand Canyon of Mars and dwarfs its counterpart on Earth.
Orbiting spacecraft have photographed it in great detail, but no mission has yet visited it on the ground. But that might be about to change.
The German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Bonn, Germany, is developing an ambitious mission concept called Valles Marineris Explorer, or VaMEx.
It involves a swarm of robotic drones that can drive, walk and fly, the researchers said on September 10, 2024. It would explore the sprawling canyon and caves within it.
Interestingly, the mission would also include a UAP camera, named for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.
That term has, in recent years, replaced the acronym UFO in government-speak of several nations. It’s been used to describe any unusual phenomena seen in Earth’s atmosphere, or oceans.
The UAP camera would be stationary. It would watch Mars’ sky continuously. It would keep an eye out for anything unusual. More about it below.
VaMEx consists of a complex swarm of robotic drones that can both move on the ground and fly in the air. The drones would communicate both with each other and a central gateway station on the surface.
In addition, the drones would look for traces of water that could help support life in protected niches. Indeed, orbiting spacecraft have photographed foggy mists in the canyon.
The search for water also includes caves within the canyon. If there is any existing life on Mars today – even if just microbial – the environment deep inside caves would be a good place to look.
They might have enough traces of water and would offer protection from the harsh radiation that hits Mars’ surface from the sun.
Plus, of course, caves provide a natural doorway to explore geologic formations beneath the surface. What might we find?
There is a sub-project of VaMEx called VaMEx3-MarsSymphony, or just MarsSymphony. It is developing the complex communications system needed for the swarm.
Hakan Kayal at the University of Würzburg is the project leader. He said:
We have given our sub-project the name ‘VaMEx3-MarsSymphony’ because the aim is to make the individual elements of the robot swarm play together harmoniously like an orchestra.
The swarm concept includes the stationary gateway, or command center, to aid communications for the drones.
It would also facilitate communication with each other and with orbiting spacecraft and Earth. But sometimes the drones won’t be able to communicate directly with the gateway.
For example, when they’re inside caves. To work around this, there would also be repeater stations on the ground. They can pass along recorded images and other data from the drone in the cave to the gateway.
Another element of the swarm concept is autorotation bodies. These are small “craft” that are simply dropped from the air and gently glide to the ground.
They kind of look like maple seeds with their elongated bodies. They also spin as they glide downward, with the aid of a wing. And like seeds being dispersed, they can be distributed over a wide area.
They gather data as they fall to the Martian surface.
In addition, they can function as sensors, repeaters and navigation networks. Clemens Riegler is the project manager of MarsSymphony. He said:
It’s great to see that DLR is recognizing this work and that it has now become part of a project to explore Mars!
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There is another unique element to the VaMEx mission, something else never done before. The researchers want to include a UAP camera, or celestial camera, on the stationary gateway.
UAP – Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena – is the term now used by governments and the military for what used to be called UFOs.
It’s for sightings of unusual objects or other phenomena in Earth’s atmosphere (and now including the ocean or space as well).
In the case of VaMEx, the UAP camera would watch the Martian sky continuously. That would be its only function.
While not specifically looking for alien spacecraft, it would monitor clouds, meteors, lightning or any other unusual or short-lived phenomena. No other lander or rover mission has done that before.
They have coincidentally imaged the Martian sky and even the moons Phobos and Deimos, for example. But the sole purpose of this camera would be to stare at the sky. As Kayal said:
All previous Mars missions have focused on the surface of the planet, but we want to look upward for the first time.
You can also read a more detailed interview with Hakan Kayal where he explains how the UAP camera would work. As Kayal told researcher Andreas Müller in Germany:
We still don’t know what UFOs and UAPs are. Mars and Earth are very similar in many ways, from geology to meteorology. If there are UAPs on Earth, they could also be visible in the Martian sky.
Another advantage of such a detection would be that on Mars we could at least rule out known terrestrial triggers of many classic UFO/UAP sightings such as birds, insects, balloons and aeroplanes etc. as explanations for any UAPs detected from the outset.
The number of terrestrial satellites and probes on and around Mars is also still manageable and their flight and orbital paths are known, predictable and easy to check.
However, we are not looking for little green men on Mars, but anomalies that could indicate new events or characteristics.
The chances of this are small, but such a detection on Mars would be a sensation and would provide us with data that often stand in the way of clarifying these phenomena with terrestrial systems.
Bottom line: Researchers in Germany are developing a new mission to explore Mars’ Grand Canyon with a swarm of robotic drones, plus search for UFOs in Martian skies.
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https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/paradigm-changing-ufo-transparency-legislation-fails-in-congress-for-second-consecutive-year
Paradigm-Changing UFO Transparency Legislation Fails In Congress For Second Consecutive Year
20 September 2024
An unprecedented Senate amendment aimed at increasing transparency on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), introduced by U.S. Senators Mike Rounds and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, has been excluded from the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (NDAA FY 2025) Manager’s Package.
It was seen as the final opportunity for the amendment to be considered for inclusion in law within the finalised version of the NDAA.
As a result, the amendment—known as the UAP Disclosure Act (UAPDA) —will not form part of any negotiations with the House of Representatives as they finalise the NDAA FY 2025, which is expected to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
If passed, the UAPDA could have unleashed a process revealing that the U.S. Government and defense contractors possess retrieved crafts, which are, according to the Act, capable of trans-medium travel, instantaneous acceleration, hypersonic speeds, and positive lift.
Liberation Times has learned that the CIA —currently facing mounting criticism over alleged dishonesty regarding anomalous health incidents—along with the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, has consistently bypassed democratic oversight in retrieving advanced objects of unknown origin.
According to Liberation Times sources, these materials are subsequently sent to National Labs and select defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin.
Multiple programs are understood to be orchestrated by the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology and its Directorate of Operations alongside Department of Defense components.
Liberation Times has uncovered details of an alleged program focused on retrieving advanced crafts from beneath the sea, some reportedly of non-human or unknown origin.
This alleged program draws on multiple agencies and departments' specialised assets and expertise to carry out these missions.
Among those involved are the Maritime Branch of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, the U.S. Navy, the National Underwater Reconnaissance Office (jointly operated by the Navy and CIA), and United States Special Operations Command.
It is further understood that the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has provided deep submergence vehicles to support these retrieval efforts.
Once recovered, these crafts are allegedly transferred to the Office of Naval Research, which subsequently hands them over to defense contractors for detailed analysis.
If the Act had passed, the President would have appointed nine impartial citizens, to a newly established UAP Records Review Board, overseen by the Senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
This board would oversee the collection, review, and public disclosure of UAP records and has the authority to examine materials, solicit testimonies, and gather additional witnesses and whistleblowers.
The establishment of the Review Board would prevent government agencies and individuals accused of involvement with illegal UAP programs from investigating and exonerating themselves.
This board would eliminate their direct influence over the government's current UAP office, the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), a practice multiple sources have reported to Liberation Times.
Liberation Times understands the UAPDA was backed by the Senate’s Intelligence and Armed Services Committee.
The UAPDA’s inclusion within the Manager’s Package hinged upon support from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs - due to its potential oversight role and involvement in a controlled UAP disclosure campaign, should it have been passed.
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However, sources state that the UAPDA failed to be included within the Manager’s Package, due to resistance from that Committee’s Republican ranking member, Senator Rand Paul.
Liberation Times has requested comment from Senator Paul’s office.
25 September 2024 Update: After initially declining to comment on the record via email, a staffer from Senator Rand Paul’s office has now told Liberation Times through phone call that the Senator cleared the UAPDA to be included within the Manager’s Package.
In a separate phone transcript obtained by Liberation Times, a staff member states:
“Senator Paul cleared that amendment, so any delay was not due to his actions.”
Notably, in 2021 Senator Paul implied that $22 million secured by the late Senator Harry Reid for a UAP program was a bad use of government money.
It marks the second successive failure for the UAPDA, which was gutted by NDAA FY 2024, due to opposition from multiple fronts, most notably Representative Mike Turner and other leaders within the House.
Of note, following its gutting from NDAA FY 2024, Senator Schumer, stated that multiple credible sources notified him and Senator Rounds that information on UAP has been withheld from Congress:
"We've also been notified by multiple credible sources that information on UAPs has also been withheld from Congress, which if true is a violation of laws requiring full notification to the legislative branch, especially as it relates to the four congressional leaders, the defence committees, and the intelligence committees."
Speaking with Liberation Times about the UAPDA’s second consecutive failure, Lester Nare, the founder of the UAP Caucus - a group dedicated to raising UAP awareness and advocating for action among congressional members - commented:
“The failure of the UAP Disclosure Act (UAPDA) in 2024 is disappointing but not entirely unexpected, given the complexities of the current election cycle, the political dynamics within the 118th Congress, and persistent pushback from institutional gatekeepers.
While this setback is significant, it does not mark the end of our efforts towards greater transparency in UAP-related matters.
“We look forward to the forthcoming releases mandated by UAPDA provisions that did pass in the NDAA FY24, including intelligence assessments on the nature and origins of UAP.
Looking ahead, we have been proactively developing legislative alternatives tailored for introduction in the 119th Congress.
“These new initiatives will be presented publicly, offering a fresh approach to achieving our goals of increased disclosure and accountability.
It's important to note that this likely represents the final iteration of the UAPDA in its current form.
Our future legislative efforts will build upon the lessons learned from this experience, adapting to the evolving political landscape and addressing the concerns that hindered the Act's passage.”
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Yuan Fung of the UAP Disclosure Fund told Liberation Times:
“On behalf of the UAP Disclosure Fund, we express our deep disappointment that the UAP Disclosure Act (UAPDA) has not been included in the Senate’s FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act package.
“The UAPDA had garnered robust, bipartisan support and would have ushered in an unprecedented level of transparency and oversight over UAP records held by the Executive Branch.
We commend Senators Mike Rounds, Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Martin Heinrich for championing this legislation for two consecutive years, and we are grateful to all those who worked behind the scenes to advocate for this critical cause.
“We remain hopeful that these senators and others will persist in their efforts to establish proper Congressional oversight of UAP matters, which raise serious concerns regarding the use of taxpayer funds and national security.
“While this setback is disappointing, it does not diminish our resolve. Our mission to advance UAP transparency and disclosure continues. In the months ahead, we will explore every available avenue to maintain pressure on the government to be truthful with the American people and the global community.
“Our work will focus on building political momentum for UAP disclosure and demanding the truth—because the public deserves nothing less.”
Despite repeated failures to pass the UAPDA, new UAP hearings expected in the coming months within both the Senate and House.
Furthermore, there is a potentially brighter future for AARO under the leadership of its new director, Dr. Jon T. Kosloski.
The new move potentially provides the AARO with another opportunity to rigorously investigate allegations of retrieval and reverse engineering programs relating to materials and biologics of potential non-human intelligence.
Therefore, the fight for transparency from within the U.S. Government continues.
Furthermore, there are three other UAP provisions included within the NDAA FY 2025 Manager’s Package, including a Comptroller General review of the AARO, following the departure of its much-criticised former director, Dr Sean Kirkpatrick.
For now, news of the UAPDA’s apparent failure will be greeted positively by elements within the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community, who continue to resist public and congressional transparency and accountability.
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Sen. Mike Rounds: "Negotiations continue" on Schumer's UAPDA in NDAA
Sep 25, 2024
Sen. Mike Rounds* (R-SD) — Select Intelligence & Armed Services Committees
*Rounds is the original Republican sponsor of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s UAPDA — or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act
Ask a Pol asks:
What happened to your amendment with Schumer in the NDAA or National Defense Authorization Act?
Key Rounds:
“NDAA’s not out yet,” Sen. Mike Rounds exclusively tells Ask a Pol.
We're hearing it’s being gutted again.
“Well, we’ll see,” Rounds says.
Caught our ear:
“Let me put it this way, it's not out yet,” Rounds tells us of this year’s NDAA. “Negotiations continue.”
https://www.askapol.com/p/rounds-says-negotiations-continue-on-uapda-in-ndaa
https://www.congress.gov/amendment/118th-congress/senate-amendment/2610/text
Chair Nancy Mace previews fall UAP hearing: "I need people who’ve maybe seen some sh*t and can tell us some stuff"
Sep 26, 2024
Rep. Nancy Mace* (R-SC) — Chairwoman of Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on CyberSecurity, IT and Government Innovation
ICYMI — Mace is chairing Nov. 13th UFO hearing in the House
Ask a Pol asks:
Any public update on who the witnesses are going to be at the public Nov. 13th UAP hearing you’re chairing?
Key Mace:
“I wanted to have a military vet. I think it's important to have more than just academics. I need people who’ve maybe seen some sh*t and can tell us some stuff,” Rep. Nancy Mace exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “I want people who've actually seen and heard and read. Like, it's just important. So, I moved the dates back…”
“I met with [Rep. Tim] Burchett and with Luna to get them on why they wanted this guy — I think he’s an admiral that does USOs [Underwater Submerged Objects] stuff — more than happy [to have him testify],” Mace tells us. “But the witnesses will be different, and they'll bring different information to the table.”
*Easter come early: ”It's actually a guy that will talk about USOs, because we haven't talked about USOs,” Mace exclusively hints to the Ask a Pol UAP family (READ: Full Mace interview transcript below).
Caught our ear:
“We're working through who the other witnesses are going to be,” Mace tells Ask a Pol. “We’ll talk about that later.”
So you guys are still working through it? So, we don't have a direction of the hearing?
“It will be a variety,” Mace says. “It will be a grab bag.”
https://www.askapol.com/p/mace-i-need-people-who-saw-some-shit-at-ufo-hearing
https://oversight.house.gov/subcommittee/cybersecurity-information-technology-government-innovation/