>>24955465

TYB

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

August 20, 2026

The Elephant's Trunk in Cepheus

Like an illustration in a galactic Just So Story, the Elephant's Trunk Nebula winds through the emission region and young star cluster complex IC 1396, in the high and far off constellation of Cepheus. Also known as vdB 142, this cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20 light-years long. The detailed telescopic view features the bright swept-back ridges and pockets of cool interstellar dust and gas that abound in the region. But the dark, tendril-shaped clouds contain the raw material for star formation and hide protostars within. Nearly 3,000 light-years distant, the relatively faint IC 1396 complex covers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees. Top to bottom this proboscidean-like rendition reaches across an almost 1 degree wide field of view, though. That's a little less than the angular size of 2 full moons.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6zPjhmYZes

People have NEVER seen anything like this! 8 DAYS in a ROW! MrMBBB333 and frens

August 19, 2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZo0PujMTyk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qQgeBjePDw (Max Velocity: A RARE August Storm Is Brewing…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cgYA1cM4MY (Mr Weatherman: Bigger Tropical Waves…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBVgoiVxFu0 (EarthMaster: Multiple large Aftershocks today Flores Indonesia Region. Wednesday Night Earthquake update)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_4-1NirbGg (On the Pulse with Silki: THIS has me Worried - UNUSUAL DESTRUCTION - 11 CATASTROPHIC EARTHQUAKES THIS YEAR - 5 MORE TO COME!)

• solar / lunar

https://gizmodo.com/a-hidden-solar-outburst-just-exposed-a-blind-spot-in-space-weather-forecasting-2000800096

https://spacedaily.com/a-nasa-scientists-found-the-moons-18-6-year-wobble-will-amplify-ordinary-high-tides-on-u-s-coastlines-starting-in-the-mid-2030s-meaning-some-streets-could-start-flooding-on-calm-sunny-days/

• wildfires

https://dailydispatch.com/fire-news/wildland/oregons-world-forestry-center-unveils-film-exploring-growing-mega-wildfires-and-community-driven-fire-management/

https://www.foxnews.com/science/ai-firefighting-drones-take-aim-wildfires

https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/20/theres-no-easy-story-to-tell-about-wildfire-recovery-in-karen-bass-era-los-angeles/

https://www.kcra.com/article/newsom-push-to-limit-utilities-liability-wildfires/73479296

https://bioengineer.org/after-california-coastal-wildfires-human-and-animal-fecal-bacteria-contaminate-coastal-waters/

https://www.2news.com/news/fire/nevada-air-national-guard-c-130-being-deployed-to-help-fight-wildfires-in-oregon/article_51f85e49-5cb7-4b2c-a798-5c200acb6f55.html

https://www.iqair.com/newsroom/wildfire-map-spotlight-big-grass-fire-oregon-and-idaho

https://phys.org/news/2026-08-uk-wetlands-destroyed-wildfires.html

https://www.novinite.com/articles/240204/Serbia+Battles+Wildfires+for+Seventh+Day+as+Russian+Plane+Joins+Effort

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260820-it-is-tough-indonesia-battles-wildfires-bracing-for-worse-to-come

https://www.turkiyetoday.com/region/belgiums-worst-wildfire-in-a-century-tamed-3226484

https://www.fox13now.com/weather/nasa-researchers-study-how-wildfires-create-their-own-thunderstorms

• storms and floods

https://justinweather.com/2026/08/20/august-20-severe-storm-risk-increased-today-and-rain-returns-saturday/

https://secretnyc.co/nyc-flood-watch-heavy-rain-thunderstorms-commute-safety/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/severe-storms-pester-parts-plains-181039424.html

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/water-main-break-floods-homeless-encampment-los-angeles-streets/

https://www.capitalweather.com/tracking-potential-for-scattered-strong-to-severe-storms-thursday/

https://rollingout.com/2026/08/20/flooding-central-ohio-school-delays/

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indiana/over-21000-in-gary-indiana-still-without-power-after-severe-storms/531-3033b796-00b8-4733-b9e7-628832bf1110

https://www.wthr.com/article/weather/indiana-flooding/boil-water-advisory-remains-in-effect-for-cambridge-city-heres-when-it-could-lift-indiana-flooding/531-7bcb12a4-ecbe-4bd6-898d-d30ec692d402

https://www.gbnews.com/weather/uk-weather-britain-set-for-flash-floods-as-heavy-showers-and-thunderstorm-continue

https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/deadly-overnight-storms-batter-germany-084349827.html

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/asean/2026/08/20/flooding-affects-more-than-10000-people-in-southern-laos/

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1282342

https://dailytrust.com/flood-destroys-homes-fish-ponds-farms-in-niger/

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/wrestling-legend-khali-brings-relief-to-sivasagars-flood-hit-community/articleshow/133380840.cms

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>>24955791

• hurricane Lala and frens

https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/back-to-back-tropical-threat-for-hawaii-impacts-to-start-this-weekend/1924340

https://weather.com/2026/08/20/storms/hurricane/hawaii-tropical-storm-moke-forecast

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2026/08/20/hurricane-lala-disrupts-mail-delivery-hawaii-island-usps-says/

https://www.kitv.com/news/u-s-dot-approves-6m-funds-for-hawaii-transportation-infrastructure-repairs-after-hurricane-lala/article_686af5f3-aabe-45d6-8781-3109e3f6f6a6.html

https://www.kuam.com/story/355396440/tropical-storm-watch-now-in-effect-for-saipan-and-tinian-could-intensify-into-typhoon-friday-morning

https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/a-storm-is-brewing-super-el-nino-could-put-korea-right-in-the-crosshairs/12828471

• earthquakes

https://101theeagle.com/illinois-kentucky-earthquake/

https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2026-08-20/more-earthquakes-recorded-in-granada/1072961

https://www.turkiyetoday.com/nation/kandilli-records-117-earthquakes-south-of-istanbuls-princes-islands-in-2-days-3226477

https://www.surinenglish.com/andalucia/earthquake-measuring-richter-20260820122950-nt.html

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529245/90-earthquakes-hit-Iran-in-a-week

https://qazinform.com/news/magnitude-51-earthquake-strikes-china-43aad1

https://www.muslimnetwork.tv/magnitude-5-9-earthquake-strikes-indonesias-flores-region/

https://colombiaone.com/2026/08/20/earthquakes-hit-venezuela-colombia-indonesia-and-spain-has-2026-seen-more/

https://thecitypaperbogota.com/news/shakira-pledges-us1-25-m-to-rebuild-earthquake-damaged-schools-in-choco/

• tornadoes

https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/illinois-hits-203-tornadoes-under-230900227.html

https://www.forth.news/stories/CeDRjHPf2vcwRxUWDAAFx

https://paweatheraction.com/damaging-winds-up-to-75mph-isolated-tornado-possible-in-southeast-pa-today/

https://news.laodong.vn/moi-truong/thu-phu-sau-rieng-da-huoai-thiet-hai-nang-sau-loc-xoay-1753575.ldo

• volcanoes

https://streamlinefeed.co.ke/news/mexico-deploys-advanced-seismograph-to-monitor-restless-chichonal-volcano

• dailys

https://schumannresonance.today/

https://www.weather.gov/

https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Severe-Weather-and-Flooding-Eye-Mid-Atlantic-Upper-Midwest

https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/nfn

https://zoom.earth/

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/

https://www.tornadohq.com/

https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news/327323/Volcano-earthquake-report-for-Thursday-20-Aug-2026.html

https://www.spaceweather.gov/

https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=20&month=08&year=2026

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LIVE VENUS AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT (UAP & SPACE ANOMALIES IN UV)

Aug 18, 2026

We are tracking Venus live, but not as you usually see it! Tonight, we are shifting into the ultraviolet spectrum to reveal the hidden atmosphere of our neighboring planet.

Because Venus is blanketed in a dense, highly reflective atmosphere, it hides its secrets well.

By stripping away visible light and focusing entirely on UV wavelengths, we can actually see the weather patterns, dark streaks, and cloud structures whipping around the planet in real-time.

Grab a seat, watch the live empirical data roll in, and let’s see what anomalies or atmospheric details the 16" Dobsonian, the Excalibur, can resolve tonight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8twei2s2RdM

other space objects

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgSUIlF3Lkw (Chuck's Astro: LIVE: Let's Capture Something in Deep Space)

>>24955826

Critical NASA AIT-GUI Flaw Lets Unauthenticated Attackers Issue Spacecraft Commands

August 20, 2026

A critical security flaw in NASA/JPL’s open-source AMMOS Instrument Toolkit GUI (AIT-GUI) could let an unauthenticated attacker send live commands to spacecraft and scientific instruments, run arbitrary scripts, and execute command sequences without ever logging in.

Security researcher Yuval Elbar of Cycode disclosed an issue rated 9.4 on the CVSS v3.1 scale on August 13, 2026. This issue has been patched in AIT-GUI version 2.5.2, which was released on August 12, 2026.

AIT-GUI is the browser-based operator console for the AMMOS Instrument Toolkit, a widely used open-source framework for building ground data systems that send commands to spacecraft and instruments and process the telemetry that comes back.

In practical terms, it is the panel an operator uses to click a button and have that action translated into a real command sent to hardware, which is precisely why a routine web application bug becomes so consequential here.

Critical NASA AIT-GUI Flaw

According to the advisory, the AIT-GUI web server reads its configured host setting and then silently discards it, hardcoding the listener to bind on 0.0.0.0 across all network interfaces on port 8080 by default.

An operator who deliberately restricts the console to localhost still ends up exposing it to the entire reachable network.

Compounding that exposure, none of the application’s state-changing endpoints enforce authentication, authorization, or cross-site request forgery (CSRF) protection.

The POST /cmd endpoint relays whatever command string it receives directly to the spacecraft command bus, while POST /script/run and POST /seq allow server-side script execution and command-sequence execution, respectively.

The latter two endpoints also build filesystem paths from unvalidated user input, opening the door to path traversal outside their intended script and sequence directories.

Researchers classified the issues under CWE-306 (missing authentication), CWE-352 (CSRF), and CWE-22 (path traversal).

A separately tracked flaw, CVE-2026-60112, describes a related missing-authentication issue in which an attacker can obtain a valid session by calling Sessions.create() without any credential check, then invoke handle_cmd() to forward arbitrary commands straight to the AIT command bus.

That CVE carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 and was published on July 28, 2026, ahead of the fuller GHSA disclosure.

Because the vulnerable endpoints accept standard form-encoded POST requests, they qualify as CORS “simple” requests that browsers deliver cross-origin without a preflight check.

That means even a deployment that is firewalled off from the open internet is not necessarily safe: if an operator with browser access to the console simply visits a malicious webpage, that page can silently submit a form that fires commands at the console in the background.

No credentials, no user interaction beyond opening a page, and no direct network exposure are required for this attack path to succeed.

NASA-AMMOS has fixed the flaw in AIT-GUI 2.5.2, and organizations running the software are strongly urged to upgrade immediately and verify the console port is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Cycode’s disclosure also recommends reviewing command and sequence history for any deployment that may have been exposed prior to patching.

For teams maintaining or hardening deployments, the durable fixes include adding authentication, authorization, and CSRF protections to every state-changing route; binding the server to its configured host rather than the hardcoded 0.0.0.0; and confining script and sequence paths using canonicalization checks that mirror a safeguard already present elsewhere in the codebase on the /scripts/load endpoint.

The disclosure underscores a broader lesson for ground systems and operational technology: these platforms inherit the same web application weaknesses seen across ordinary software, but the cost of a successful exploit is measured in real-world hardware actions rather than data breaches.

No CVE had been formally assigned to the GHSA advisory at the time of writing, though a related CVE-2026-60112 has already been logged in the National Vulnerability Database.

https://cybersecuritynews.com/nasa-ait-gui-flaw/

https://cycode.com/blog/ait-gui-unauthenticated-command-execution/

moar

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/artemis-mission-patches/

https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/nasa-selects-university-teams-to-help-advance-aviation-research/

https://www.nasa.gov/history/the-view-from-above-the-gemini-visual-acuity-experiments/

https://science.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/nasa-river-forecasts-snow-drought/

https://science.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/human-related-microbes-may-survive-moons-south-pole-nasa-finds/

moar

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/an-uncommon-drifter-in-the-denmark-strait/

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/voyager-1/voyager-1-what-is-a-light-day/

https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/small-steps-giant-leaps/episode-180-the-x-59-goes-supersonic-whats-next/

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/prizes-challenges-crowdsourcing-program/nasa-techleap-prize-orbital-clarity-challenge/

Human-Related Microbes May Survive Moon’s South Pole, NASA Finds

Aug 19, 2026

Some of Earth’s microbes likely to hitch a ride to space with human explorers could survive in the shaded nooks and crannies of the Moon’s South Pole region, NASA scientists say.

Published on Aug. 19, 2026, in Science Advances, these findings highlight a need to better understand microbial persistence in extreme lunar environments.

As humans build a permanent presence on the Moon, it may become difficult to distinguish ancient lunar chemistry from contamination delivered by visiting astronauts. The concern extends beyond the Moon and on to Mars, scientists say.

“Humans are natural explorers, and with them come their voices, their memories … and their microbes,” said Prabal Saxena, a planetary scientist who led the study from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

“For some scientists, myself included, that reality can be unsettling. But it also creates an opportunity to turn an imperfect situation into a useful experiment.”

Bringing microbes along is unavoidable: Humans have, on average, 1 million bacteria living on each patch of skin the size of a pencil eraser, for example. These bacteria vent from spacesuits and habitats.

Though the paper’s authors worry about contamination interfering with the search for chemical clues to ancient geology or biology, they also argue that the Moon should be used as a natural lab.

In shaded areas around the South Pole, scientists could carefully test the real-life limits of microbial survival in an environment that can’t easily be reproduced on Earth.

Before any surface science can happen, scientists need a baseline measurement of what contaminants humans bring, the authors say.

“We need to understand what was there before us, because when we go to Mars to search for signs of life beyond our planet, we will want to make sure it’s not stuff we brought,” said Andrew Needham, a NASA Goddard-based paper co-author who is an Artemis contamination‑control scientist for lunar samples.

Even with strict sterilization procedures, some organisms are stubbornly resilient. A good example is Aspergillus niger, which is a fungus that thrives in warm, damp places like household bathrooms and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

Astronauts have sampled it inside the International Space Station, and experiments demonstrate that the fungus can survive outside the station as well.

Aspergillus niger was one of five microbes, including bacteria and fungi, selected for this study because of its known toughness in spaceflight environments.

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>>24955882

That microbes survived on the space station’s exterior surprised scientists.

These species are typically not considered “extremophiles” that can withstand harsh conditions, such as the vacuum of space, according to Aaron Regberg, a geomicrobiologist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“I would have expected these microbes to have dried out,” said Regberg, who studies space station bacteria and was a co-author on the paper.

He pointed out that NASA often bakes robotic spacecraft at temperatures above 400 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce the number of living organisms on them.

But that’s not possible with astronauts, so contamination concerns take on new meaning in crewed exploration of the Moon’s south polar environment.

A clearer picture of where microbes might survive comes from understanding how sunlight behaves at the poles. Survival in this study means the microbe can stay alive for at least one Earth day, which does not mean that it can grow and reproduce.

Because the Moon has a very small tilt on its axis, the view from its poles is of a Sun that appears to hover just above the horizon, skimming the surface like a flashlight laying on a table.

As a result, elevated parts of the surface, including crater ridges, mountains, and even small bumps, block light from reaching low-lying terrain.

This produces pockets of shadowed areas that can remain cold and preserve water, as well as shield fragile molecules and possible microorganisms from lethal radiation.

With that scientific context in mind, the team set out to test which Earth microbes could survive extreme polar conditions. They focused on organisms commonly found in spaceflight environments and those common on human skin.

Besides Aspergillus niger, these included Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Deinococcus radiodurans, and several species of Fusarium.

Based on an analysis of previous studies, the scientists noted the maximum amount of heat and ultraviolet (UV) radiation each organism can withstand.

Then, the organisms were tested in simulations of three regions near the lunar South Pole — Nobile Rim, Connecting Ridge, and De Gerlache Rim.

Those simulations used detailed environmental maps built from elevation and temperature data collected by instruments aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, combined with models of how radiation strikes the surface.

The models showed maps of “survivable niches” that range in size from a miles-wide crater floor to an astronaut's boot print.

Aspergillus niger, which was most resistant to UV radiation, was able to survive even in areas with some sunlight exposure. UV radiation is so deadly to most microbes that it’s used for sterilization in hospitals.

“When we think of the Moon, we don’t typically think of biology,” said Heather Graham, a paper co-author at NASA Goddard who helps develop tools and techniques for detecting biology that may look nothing like Earth’s.

“But the Moon is a place where a cell can survive, so our first exploration of these sites should pay extra attention to our microbial hitchhikers and work hard to characterize lunar chemistry before our visits change what we will find.”

The authors note that while some microbes can survive in a dormant state in regions around the South Pole, and thereby confuse some future scientific investigations, there is no evidence the Moon has key ingredients to sustain growth and replication.

Such ingredients include liquid water, which typically requires an atmosphere and moderate temperatures.

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NASA Updates Next Steps for Commercial Swift Boost Mission

Aug 19, 2026

Due to an ongoing commercial spacecraft attitude control issue, NASA and Katalyst Space announced Wednesday the LINK spacecraft will not capture or boost an agency satellite to a higher altitude to extend its science mission as planned.

However, LINK still will attempt to conduct rendezvous and proximity operations with NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to demonstrate key capabilities for the future of space exploration.

“NASA should be willing to move quickly and take smart risks when the potential return is worth it, and that is exactly what we did with this mission,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

“This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting. The team moved with extraordinary speed to give Swift a chance to carry out more science while advancing capabilities America will need for satellite servicing in the future.

We are going to learn everything we can from LINK’s rendezvous attempt and put those lessons to work on the missions that follow.”

NASA and Katalyst are working closely to assess next steps for rendezvous and gather as much data as possible to inform future satellite servicing operations.

“We knew this was a high-risk, high-reward mission – a first-of-its kind attempt, developed on an unprecedented timeline driven by the Sun’s activity,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington.

“We were all hoping for more science from Swift. But we knew the takeaways from this mission would be worthwhile either way, and we have gained so much through the series of accomplishments up to this point.”

Without intervention, NASA anticipates Swift is likely to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere later this year.

As part of the agency’s previous planning for Swift’s end of life, NASA will continue to prioritize finding new options to react rapidly to cosmic events, using current missions to help fill the gap in the meantime.

“Building, testing, and operating this mission has already strengthened America’s space industry pipeline, advancing in-space servicing capabilities in completely new ways,” Domagal-Goldman said.

“NASA is committed to supporting our commercial vendors as they take on difficult tasks with the agency, to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

We’re so proud of this team for: getting to the launch pad in record time, in a record-setting year for NASA astrophysics launches; its innovative problem-solving up to this point; and the dedication to the exciting capabilities this mission will attempt to demonstrate next.”

Swift was launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe, and other cosmic objects and events. It was designed for a two-year prime mission.

After 21 years of science operations, Swift’s low Earth orbit began to rapidly decay because of increased solar activity.

NASA used this opportunity to advance U.S. spacecraft servicing technology, awarding a contract to Katalyst in September 2025 to mount a robotic servicing mission for Swift in less than a year.

The LINK spacecraft launched July 3 on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket from Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific Ocean.

Teams established communications with LINK and conducted in-orbit checkouts over the following weeks, before the spacecraft experienced attitude control issues.

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-updates-next-steps-for-commercial-swift-boost-mission/

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/

moar

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/08/19/expedition-75-cleans-up-after-spacewalk-keeps-up-microgravity-research/

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/science-news/2026/08/19/hidden-arctic-freeze/

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/pyrogenesis-announces-titanium-powder-contract-with-a-dod-and-nasa-supported-u-s-applied-research-facility-1036478251

https://nasawatch.com/2026/08/19/nasa-rethinks-outreach/

Partial lunar eclipse live: Latest news, viewing tips and live updates from Aug. 27-28 eclipse

August 20, 2026

Follow our live coverage as we count down to the deepest partial lunar eclipse until December 2028, with the latest news, viewing tips and live updates.

The countdown is on for the deep partial lunar eclipse of Aug. 27-28. Over the next week, we'll be bringing you the latest eclipse news, viewing tips as well as live updates throughout eclipse night.

Although this isn't quite a total lunar eclipse, it's pretty close! At maximum eclipse, 96.2% of the moon will slip into Earth's dark central shadow known as the umbra, according to Time and Date.

Much of the moon may take on a rusty red hue, while a thin sliver remains brightly illuminated.

It's the deepest partial lunar eclipse visible anywhere on Earth until Dec. 31, 2028, making it a must-see event worth staying up late — or setting an alarm early — for.

We're officially one week away from one of the best skywatching events of the year!

On the evening of Aug. 27 (for North America), or the early hours of Aug. 28 (for western Europe), Earth's shadow will creep across the full moon during a very deep partial lunar eclipse. At maximum eclipse, 96.2% of the moon will be immersed in Earth's dark central shadow.

The eclipse will be visible, at least in some part, from North and South America, Europe, Africa and parts of western Asia, weather permitting.

Observers in the Americas are well-positioned for the best views while skywatchers across Europe will need to look toward the western horizon before sunrise as the eclipse reaches its peak.

https://www.space.com/news/live/partial-lunar-eclipse-2026-live-updates-one-week-to-go

extra space things

https://www.space.com/astronomy/galaxies/james-webb-space-telescope-finds-hidden-stars-among-the-universes-most-ancient-galaxies

https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/scientists-just-found-the-fastest-known-star-in-the-milky-way-it-zooms-around-our-black-hole-at-15-500-miles-per-second

https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/astronomers-discover-a-giant-rocky-mega-earth-23-times-more-massive-than-our-planet

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/scientists-create-laundry-gun-for-astronauts-to-clean-their-clothes-by-shooting-out-plasma

Media, Military Members Held at Gunpoint at Vandenberg SFB Despite Escort, Invitation

August 17, 2026 | 8:55 pm

Five news reporters plus a pair of military members were held at gunpoint Monday afternoon by Vandenberg Space Force Base security police who apparently believed they were gate runners despite having proper escort, identification and an invitation.

The incident occurred while a convoy — led by a government minivan with uniformed public affairs staff as escorts plus private vehicles — was en route to an invited event for a ceremony marking construction for a new training program.

Two of the private vehicles touted television station affiliations.

As is common practice, the media members — including two Noozhawk journalists — followed the public affairs staff vehicle, which had pulled over to wait for all members to get through the main gate before the convoy intended to proceed to the destination.

Apparently, at least one security forces member raised an alert about “gate runners,” prompting multiple members of the 30th Security Forces Squadron to converge after raising metal barricades to block the route along California Boulevard.

One by one, with firearms pointed at the group, base police ordered each vehicle to pull forward. Police then demanded that the drivers and passengers exit individually with hands raised.

The two military members — one enlisted and one a junior officer — were handcuffed and placed in the base vehicles, while the civilians were told to sit on the curb nearby.

As is typical procedure, military members had special passes or their names on an entry list while being escorted by public affairs personnel.

“Vandenberg Space Force Base is experiencing an increased number of unauthorized entry attempts,” a Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs spokeswoman said.

“When media entered the installation, there was a breakdown in communication and movement continued prior to verification.

“Every potential unauthorized presence must be treated as a legitimate threat until proven otherwise. While we recognize this may have been unsettling, the security of the base and its personnel is our priority.”

Those held at gunpoint included two reporters at their first jobs after college and others well familiar with following rules who routinely access Vandenberg as media members escorted by public affairs staff.

The incident lasted more than 30 minutes, meaning the ceremony they had been invited to cover had ended before they arrived.

In addition to Noozhawk, the other media outlets with representatives held at gunpoint included KSBY, News Channel 3, 12 and 11, and the Santa Maria Times/Lompoc Record.

“It appears some members of the Vandenberg security team are seriously in need of additional training,” said Tom Bolton, Noozhawk editor in chief.

“This was a failure on multiple levels, and the base owes apologies to the affected journalists. The military’s response certainly was lacking.”

After releasing members of the media, one security forces member offered an apology for the interaction.

Vandenberg officials had invited media to cover “a golden shovel” groundbreaking ceremony to mark the official construction kickoff of the Air Force Air Education and Training Command’s new Sentinel Formal Training Unit.

Along with Vandenberg’s primary unit, the event included Air Force Global Strike Command’s Sentinel Task Force Detachment 9.

Sentinel is the next-generation, land-based intercontinental ballistic missile that will replace the Minuteman III weapons now on alert. Minuteman weapons have served the nation for decades.

“This is more than a new building,” said Col. James Horne, Space Launch Delta 30 commander. “It is a commitment to our airmen, to our allies and to every American who depends upon a credible and strong deterrent.”

While rocket launches and missile tests steal the spotlight, for decades Vandenberg has been the home for training of the Air Force’s missile combat crew operators and missile maintainers.

“The 160,000-square-foot campus will bring missile operator and maintainer training together in one integrated environment preparing the teams who will operate, sustain and safeguard Sentinel for decades to come,” Horne added.

https://www.noozhawk.com/media-military-members-held-at-gunpoint-at-vandenberg-sfb-despite-escort-invitation/

moar Space Force and frens

https://www.osi.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4578509/afosi-french-air-and-space-gendarmerie-expand-collaboration-across-two-continen/

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/federal-newscast/2026/08/space-force-opens-its-own-recruiting-squadron/

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/572793/nasa-space-systems-command-product-support-managers-meet-discuss-logistics

https://cimsec.org/space-cowboys-and-cyber-pirates-part-i/

https://cimsec.org/space-cowboys-and-cyber-pirates-part-ii/

ESA’s photosynthesis satellite fuelled

20/08/2026

Europe’s newest eye on the health of Earth’s vegetation has taken another crucial step towards orbit – the European Space Agency’s FLEX satellite has been fuelled at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana ahead of its planned launch on 15 September at 03:21 CEST (14 September at 22:21 local time).

Once launched and commissioned, this latest ESA Earth Explorer research satellite, equipped with its Fluorescence Imaging Spectrometer, will provide new insights into the health of the world’s plants by measuring the faint glow of fluorescence emitted as they capture light for photosynthesis.

This signal, invisible to the naked eye, varies with environmental conditions and plant health, enabling scientists to detect vegetation stress before it becomes apparent on the ground.

FLEX will deliver the first global maps of vegetation fluorescence at a spatial resolution of 300 m × 300 m, providing a new way to assess photosynthetic activity.

These data will improve understanding of how carbon moves between plants and the atmosphere, and how photosynthesis drives the carbon and water cycles.

The stakes are high. Photosynthesis is one of the planet’s most important natural processes, underpinning food production and absorbing huge quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Yet scientists still have significant gaps in their understanding of how vegetation responds to drought, heat, changing rainfall and other environmental stresses.

FLEX is intended to help close that gap.

The FLEX satellite arrived in French Guiana in mid-July, together with the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite, after a two-week voyage by sea from Nice, France.

At Europe’s Spaceport, engineers have been carrying out inspections and preparations to ready both satellites for liftoff aboard a Vega-C rocket in the early hours of 15 September.

For FLEX, the latest milestone was the hazardous and delicate process of loading the satellite with 30 kg of highly volatile fuel.

This propellant will allow FLEX to perform manoeuvres after separation from the rocket and throughout its planned minimum 3.5-year mission, during which it will observe at least three seasonal vegetation cycles in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

Fuelling is an extremely hazardous operation and takes place under strict safety procedures, carried out by a highly specialised team.

Frank de Bruin, ESA’s Launch Campaign Manager for FLEX, said, “Preparations to ready our satellite for launch have been going very well here at Europe’s Spaceport and I thank everyone involved.

For fuelling, everyone apart from the fuelling experts left the cleanroom for safety reasons. Everything went according to plan and FLEX is now fully loaded.

The next steps involve installing FLEX on its launcher adapter before encapsulating it into lower position of the Vega-C rocket fairing.”

Although FLEX and Sentinel-3C will be launched together, FLEX will initially fly in tandem with the Sentinel-3A satellite.

This will provide complementary measurements of clouds, aerosols and water vapour, alongside information about the land surface, including surface temperature, land-cover type and additional vegetation parameters.

Together, these near-simultaneous observations will provide an unprecedented view of the function and condition of vegetation across the globe.

After years of design, construction and testing, and with now its fuel tanks now filled, FLEX is almost ready to fly.

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/FLEX/ESA_s_photosynthesis_satellite_fuelled

extra ESA

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo/BepiColombo_arrival_media_kit

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2026/08/Cozy_evening_time

Russia strikes drone and missile plants in Kiev – MOD

20 Aug, 2026 07:05 | Updated 20 Aug, 2026 08:10

Five military-industrial facilities in and around the Ukrainian capital have been hit, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said

Russian forces have carried out a large-scale strike against drone-making plants and other facilities in Kiev linked to the Ukrainian military, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.

The latest overnight raid involved ground-, air-, and sea-launched missiles as well as attack drones, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday morning.

An industrial facility belonging to weapons maker Fire Point was hit during the bombardment, the ministry said, adding that the plant had manufactured components for long- and medium-range drones and had also assembled and stored boosters for Flamingo cruise missiles.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky actively promotes Fire Point and its products internationally, despite the firm being linked to his longtime business associate Timur Mindich, who fled Ukraine after becoming a key figure in a $100 million corruption scandal last year.

Another target was the Antonov aviation plant, where An-196 Liutyi long-range fixed-wing drones and other types of UAVs were designed and produced, the ministry said.

A large warehouse where UAVs were manufactured and stored, an aviation industry assembly plant, and an arms depot hosting vacuum bombs, anti-tank mines, and ammunition for Baba Yaga drones were also struck in the Ukrainian capital, the statement read.

In Kiev Region, Russian missiles and drones struck the Martusovka logistics center, used to store and distribute dual-use goods, including those intended for the production of UAVs and electronic warfare systems, it said.

According to the statement, a fuel and lubricants depot housing up to 8,000 cubic meters of fuel intended for the Ukrainian military was blown up in the town of Brovary, east of the capital.

The Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry said12 people were killed and more than 30 others wounded in the bombardment.

Ukraine has also carried another major drone raid against Russia overnight, with 726 UAVs destroyed by air defenses in 20 regions of the country, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Moscow has condemned Ukrainian drone incursions, which target civilian infrastructure and residential areas inside Russia, as terrorist attacks aimed at compensating for Kiev’s setbacks on the battlefield, where Russian forces continue their steady advance.

According to Russian officials, the intensification of long-range missile and drone strikes against targets in Ukraine is a response to those actions.

Moscow maintains that it does not attack civilians, with its strikes being directed solely at military targets and infrastructure supporting Kiev’s forces.

https://www.rt.com/russia/644428-ukraine-strike-kiev-fire-point/

extra RT

https://www.rt.com/russia/644435-zakharova-warns-retalation-ukraione/

https://www.rt.com/news/644407-croatian-police-arrest-second-nord-stream-suspect/

https://www.rt.com/russia/644408-ukraine-corruption-zelensky-graft/

https://www.rt.com/russia/644450-zelensky-crisis-western-media/

Ukraine hits Russian drone-launch airfields in Primorsko-Akhtarsk, occupied Donetsk, HUR says

August 20, 2026 8:13 pm

Ukrainian forces struck airfields in the southern Russian city of Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Russian-occupied Donetsk overnight on Aug. 20, targeting sites used by Moscow to launch long-range drones, Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR) said on Telegram.

HUR operators struck Russian drone storage and launch sites, as well as two radar systems — the 55Zh6U Nebo-U and 55Zh6UM Niobiy, the statement read.

As a result of the strikes on Donetsk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk airfields, ground components and drone launchers were damaged, and fires broke out at the attack sites, HUR said.

The airfields were attacked as part of Ukraine's deep-strike operations, HUR said. Ukrainian troops have intensified strikes against military and industrial targets in Russia and the Russian-occupied territories, using domestically produced long-range drones to successfully attack oil refineries, weapons facilities, and other military targets.

Primorsko-Akhtarsk, a city in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, lies about 130 kilometers (80 miles) from Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast across the Sea of Azov.

Its airfields have served as launch sites for Russian long-range drone attacks since 2022, owing to their strategic proximity to Ukraine.

Russian forces also widely use drone-launch sites in Ukrainian territories occupied since 2014, including the eastern city of Donetsk, a major industrial center with a pre-war population of about 950,000.

Russian forces have also equipped Donetsk International Airport, one of Ukraine's largest, with drone launchers used to train and launch Shahed, Geran, and Gerbera drones, according to Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces.

Satellite imagery from August 2025 showed runway repairs that could allow Russia to expand drone operations from the occupied territory.

In recent weeks, Russian forces have intensified drone and ballistic missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, amid Ukraine's critical air defense shortage.

Russia launched an attack against Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight on Aug. 20, killing 15 people and injuring nearly 40 others.

https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-hits-russian-drone-launch-airfields-in-primorsko-akhtarsk-occupied-donetsk-hur-says/

other Russia and Ukraine

https://news.az/news/romanian-f-16-downs-maritime-drone-in-black-sea

https://oodaloop.com/briefs/arms-trade/romania-destroys-marine-drone-near-neptun-deep-gas-project-minister-says/

https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/ukraines-fp-1-drones-strike-russias-taneco-refinery-a-day-after-major-ufa-hit-21851

https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/08/ukraine-moscow-airports-ai-drones/688337/

https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/russian-drone-launch-sites-hit-at-two-airfields-as-ukraine-strikes-nebo-u-and-niobium-radars-21862

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/08/20/russian-missile-and-drone-attack-kills-16-in-kyiv-a93536

https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/russian-fpv-drone-strikes-kherson-art-museum-sparking-fire-and-damaging-building-21864

https://united24media.com/world/maia-sandu-calls-for-increased-pressure-on-russia-after-new-drone-incident-21871

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-08-20/live-updates-906053

other Israel

https://vinnews.com/2026/08/20/idf-shin-bet-say-hamas-uses-nasser-hospital-for-torture-and-interrogations/

https://worldisraelnews.com/idf-to-get-massive-budget-boost-after-treasury-eases-resistance-report/

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431985

https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/idf-training-67-gaza-adjacent-communities-under-new-defense-scheme

https://www.firstpost.com/web-show/firstpost-live/us-hammers-israel-after-idf-attack-on-ally-stop-or-face-trump-up-in-arms-firstpost-live-vd2084379/

Live Updates: Gaza mediators condemn Israeli strikes, Iran seeks to strengthen Iraqi ties

August 20, 2026

Katz: Erdogan dragging Turkey into 'dangerous adventures' in Syria • Experts: Israel avoided 'direct clash' with Turkey by striking Syrian airfield • Iran FM mocks Trump's 'Economic D-Day'

August 20, 6:14 PM

Iran condemns new US sanctions, calls them 'economic terrorism'

Iran's foreign ministry condemned newly announced US economic and trade sanctions on Thursday, saying they targeted ordinary Iranians and amounted to "economic terrorism" and crimes against humanity.

US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday of sweeping economic consequences for any country that provided what he called "any type of lifeline to Iran," threatening economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale.

The Iranian foreign ministry said the measures would not weaken Tehran's resolve to defend its independence, national sovereignty and interests.

August 20, 5:45 PM

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf's Iraq visit seeks to reshape ties amid regional unrest

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s visit to Iraq comes as Tehran seeks to “reshuffle relations with Iraq,” Dr. Yaron Schneider, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) specializing in Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

Ghalibaf traveled to Iraq on Wednesday for a three-day visit amid growing tensions over the September 30 deadline for militia disarmament and as Iraq grapples with a severe economic crisis stemming from the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Upon his arrival, he insisted that the two countries needed to strengthen a “new regional order” and denounced “foreign interference.”

August 20, 5:43 PM

Hamas using Nasser Hospital as interrogation, torture center in Gaza, IDF says

An investigation by the Shin Bet and the IDF revealed that masked Hamas terrorists were spotted in the hospital, with its second floor being used to torture Palestinians.

The IDF revealed on Thursday that Hamas is using the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis to carry out interrogations and torture the Palestinians, in a push to retain control of the Gaza Strip through fear.

According to the IDF investigation, conducted in cooperation with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Hamas is using the second floor of the hospital's outpatient clinics as an interrogation facility.

The investigation also revealed that Hamas is torturing and extorting the Palestinians it brings up for interrogation, transforming the site into its center of power in the southern Gaza Strip.

August 20, 5:43 PM

US envoy Huckabee tells Israeli settlers 'Thou shalt not steal,' in response to West Bank violence

"I think the message is bigger than just even the Trump administration. It's a message of basic civility and civilized behavior," Huckabee told Reuters in Jerusalem.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has warned extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank not to steal property owned by Palestinian Americans, describing such behavior as "a violation of God's law."

Huckabee, a Baptist minister and longtime supporter of Israel's settlements, told Reuters in an interview that settlers found to have taken part in a siege of homes in the West Bank village of Kusra, including one belonging to Palestinian American Loui Ridi, could be punished with US sanctions.

Israeli settlers began encircling homes in Kusra on August 9, in what rights groups said was an attempt to seize privately owned Palestinian land. The case has drawn international condemnation.

1/2

>>24956075

August 20, 5:41 PM

Yemen's Houthis say they attacked Najran airport, Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia

Yemen's Houthis said on Thursday that they carried out two drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting what they described as a sensitive target at Najran airport and an Aramco facility in Najran, according to the Iran-aligned group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree.

There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi Arabia.

August 20, 5:41 PM

Turkey denies Israeli claims, says no troops were at Syrian airbase struck by IDF

Turkey's defense ministry: Israel’s military interventions against neighboring countries must not be accepted • Israel insists Ankara, Damascus were 'on verge' of breaking status quo

Turkey's defense ministry denied on Thursday that Turkish troops were present at the Syrian airbase struck by Israel, while warning that Israel’s military interventions against neighboring countries must not be allowed to become "routine" or accepted.

The ministry stressed that it was "essential" for the international community to "take more concrete and effective measures against Israel's actions that threaten regional peace and stability."

Netanyahu: Syria allowed Turkish troops to deploy at airbase

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed late on Wednesday that the Israeli Air Force struck a Syrian airbase in northwestern Syria, arguing that Damascus was "on the verge" of breaching a status quo reached between the two nations.

August 20, 3:50 PM

Turkey, Egypt, Qatar condemn Israeli attacks on Gaza, call on Israel to comply with ceasefire

Turkey, Egypt and Qatar on Thursday strongly condemned recent Israeli strikes in Gaza, saying in a joint statement that Israel must comply with its obligations under a ceasefire agreement and refrain from steps that could escalate tensions.

"The mediating countries underline that the intensification of Israeli attacks undermines regional and international efforts at a critical juncture, as intensive efforts are under way to implement the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, including the meeting between the Board of Peace and Israeli officials, and constructive steps are being taken in the negotiation process," they said.

The international community and the Board of Peace must take the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the ceasefire and prevent further escalation, they added.

August 20, 1:15 PM

Tanker approached by unauthorized vessel off Yemen coast, UKMTO reports

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO)said on Thursday it had received a report of an incident 136 nautical miles east of Yemen's Mukalla, where a tanker traveling west in the Gulf of Aden said it was approached by an unauthorized vessel.

UKMTO provided no further details and did not say whether the vessel or its crew were safe.

August 20, 1:15 PM

Oman foreign minister rejects escalation in Strait of Hormuz during Japan talks

Oman said lasting security in the Strait of Hormuz required permanent peace in the region and rejected further escalation or conflict, its foreign minister told his Japanese counterpart on Thursday.

Iran has said a deal with Oman on new shipping lanes through the strait was in its final stages.

August 20, 11:28 AM

Chinese-made drones used by troops pose severe information security risks, IDF officals warn

The military still permits the widespread and unregulated use of Chinese technology, including drones used by troops at the IDF's frontline operational edge.

IDF officials warned that the widespread use of Chinese-made drones by frontline combat units could expose troop locations and sensitive operational information to hostile monitoring, Walla learned on Wednesday.

At the beginning of the war nearly three years ago, enormous donations poured into the IDF to fund weapons and equipment, including various types of drones.

Some of the drones, among the most advanced in the world, come in different configurations and are intended primarily to assist with intelligence gathering, observation, reconnaissance, and attack missions.

2/2

Yemen Houthis Claim Drone Attacks On Najran Airport, Aramco Facility In Saudi Arabia

Updated Aug 20, 2026, 22:55 IST

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Thursday claimed they carried out drone attacks targeting Najran Airport and an Aramco facility in Saudi Arabia’s southern Najran region, near the Yemeni border.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had launched two drone operations, claiming the first targeted a “sensitive” site at Najran Airport while the second targeted an Aramco facility in the region.

The claims have not been independently verified.

Houthis intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia

The reported attacks come as tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia continue to escalate. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned that Riyadh would be “unable to contain” the Houthi movement as attacks against the kingdom intensify.

The Houthis have increasingly targeted Saudi airports, oil infrastructure and maritime interests amid the widening regional conflict.

Earlier Aramco attack claimed by Houthis

The Houthis also claimed responsibility on August 9 for a drone attack targeting an Aramco facility in Saudi Arabia’s Jazan region.

Saree said at the time that the group had targeted an Aramco refinery with a drone, describing the strike as precise.

Saudi authorities later reported that a fire had broken out at the Aramco facility in Jazan. The blaze was extinguished by industrial security firefighting teams, with no injuries reported.

Houthis threaten Bab al-Mandab

The latest developments come amid concerns over the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

A Yemeni government minister told AFP that the Houthis were planning to seize territory along the strait, potentially giving the group greater ability to threaten shipping.

Three Houthi military sources and a spokesperson for Yemeni government forces operating near the waterway also said the rebels were preparing to advance south from their current positions.

Middle East tensions escalate

The renewed Houthi attacks come as the broader Middle East conflict continues to intensify.

The US military has also increased its naval presence in the region, with a new carrier strike group arriving amid heightened security concerns and ongoing hostilities.

The latest Houthi claims, if confirmed, could further increase pressure on Saudi Arabia and raise fresh concerns over the security of regional energy infrastructure and major shipping routes.

https://www.timesnownews.com/world/middle-east/yemen-houthis-claim-drone-attacks-on-najran-airport-aramco-facility-in-saudi-arabia-article-155908669

Ethiopia : Reported Drone Strikes in Mekelle Heighten Conflict Fears

August 20, 2026

NAIROBI, Kenya — Tensions between the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have intensified following fresh drone strikes targeting urban areas in Mekelle.

According to regional media summaries and independent news outlets including Addis Standard and Meseret Media, airstrikes hit residential and administrative zones across the regional capital early Thursday.

Regional communication outlets and eyewitness reports indicate that the primary strike hit residential zones in Hawelti Sub-City near the Momona station and St. Mary (Edamaryam) Church.

A second strike reportedly targeted the Kuha area near the Northern Command headquarters complex.

TPLF officials, including Vice President Amanuel Assefa, confirmed the military action, stating that strikes hit civilian residential areas and near Mekelle University grounds.

Local news services, including Tigrai Media House, reported heavy structural damage in Daero village and surrounding residential compounds. Residents confirmed a secondary strike near Kuha, though specific casualties or property destruction at that site remain under verification.

Medical personnel at Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Mekelle reported receiving 13 civilian casualties requiring urgent surgical and trauma care following the early morning bombardment.

Hospital officials confirmed the arrival of injured civilians starting at 5:30 AM, originating from the Daero and Hawelti residential sub-cities. Attending physicians confirmed that the wounded include mothers and young children caught in residential compounds during the attack.

No verified confirmation exists indicating whether high-ranking TPLF political or military leaders sustained injuries during the strikes.

The Tigray Regional Communication Bureau strongly condemned the attacks, warning Mekelle residents to exercise extreme caution and avoid military installations amid risks of follow-up aerial bombardments.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) government and the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) have not issued an official statement or taken public responsibility for the military operation.

Security analysts view the deployment of drone assets against regional administrative centers as a severe threat to the fragile peace established under the November 2022 Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.

The aerial operation follows escalating border skirmishes—including an August 1 military confrontation near the Sudanese border and recent strikes in southern Tigray—raising international fears of a return to full-scale armed conflict.

https://borkena.com/ethiopia-reported-drone-strikes-in-mekelle-heighten-conflict-fears/

Strasbourg hospital A&E disrupted by illicit drone deliveries to nearby prison

20/08/2026 - 13:33 GMT+2

Since early August, the Hautepierre University Hospital heliport has been shut down at night because of drone "deliveries" to Elsau prison.

Neither the SAMU nor the civil protection service: rescue helicopters no longer land at night at Hautepierre hospital, to the west of Strasbourg.

The decision was taken on 28 July because of the night-time presence of civilian drones in the heliport area.

These devices, carrying parcels, are bound for the nearby Elsau remand prison. In recent years this method of "delivery" has been booming in prisons across France, and Strasbourg is no exception.

Since April, the heliport security teams have detected 19 flights over the area.

Two incidents occurred in July. Drones flying over the area prevented helicopters carrying patients from landing.

According to the hospital, there were no serious consequences for the patients involved. However, night-time helicopter arrivals of patients have been suspended and their transport has had to be reorganised.

Every year, Hautepierre hospital receives around forty patients during aeronautical night, accounting for 13 % of air rescue activity. This period starts 30 minutes after sunset and ends 30 minutes before sunrise.

An extra thirty minutes before treatment

The solution found involves travelling by road. Helicopters carrying patients are redirected to a neighbouring facility, the Nouvel Hôpital Civil, before being transferred by ambulance. The protocol does not satisfy hospital staff.

The manoeuvre requires the mobilisation of an additional medical team. Above all, it costs precious time: between 30 and 40 minutes. Patients arriving by helicopter are generally multiple-trauma cases, often from road accidents, or stroke victims.

And every minute can count in their treatment.

"We cannot rule out that among them there will be patients for whom this additional delay of 30 or 40 minutes could pose a risk to life, to functional recovery, lead to a longer recovery, or require heavier or longer treatment," Julien Pottecher, head of the anaesthesia and intensive care department at Hautepierre hospital, told AFP.

The prefecture and the regional health agency are urgently seeking solutions to this situation. One option being considered is landing on a football pitch near the hospital.

Two people convicted

On Tuesday 18 August, two people were convicted of complicity in an attempted delivery of items to an inmate.

The consequences "for everyday life", and particularly for the neighbouring university hospital, were underlined by prosecutor Félix Delaporte during the trial. "The stakes are serious," he said. "There is a real risk to people!"

The two defendants, young men aged 18 and 19, were arrested during a police operation that uncovered parcels ready for delivery: nearly 200 g of cannabis resin, some herbal cannabis, cocaine, cigarettes, SIM cards and even meat were seized.

https://www.euronews.com/health/2026/08/20/strasbourg-hospital-ae-disrupted-by-illicit-drone-deliveries-to-nearby-prison

China Urges U.S. to Repeal Drone Tariffs

August 20, 2026

China Urges U.S. to Repeal Drone Tariffs

China on Thursday urged the United States to immediately repeal Section 232 tariffs on drones and drone parts, saying the measures harm Chinese firms and disrupt global supply chains.

He Yadong, Spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce, made the call at a regular media briefing in Beijing.

He said China had consistently opposed the U.S. Section 232 measures, describing them as unilateral and protectionist actions imposed under the pretext of national security.

According to him, Chinese drones exported to the United States are mainly used for civilian purposes.

He listed agriculture, equipment inspection, and film and television entertainment among their applications.

He said the U.S. measures overstretched the concept of national security while imposing differentiated tariffs on trading partners.

The spokesperson said the tariffs also discriminated against relevant Chinese products and undermined fair market competition.

“China firmly opposes this,” he said.

He also rejected a U.S. allegation of a “shadow transshipment network,” calling it a false narrative and a fabrication.

He said a U.S. report titled “The Great Transshipment Scam: Rise, Scope, and Costs” distorted facts by portraying normal international trade and investment as a scam.

According to him, the report represented unilateralism and protectionism aimed at restricting Chinese products.

“China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this”, he added.

He said excessively high and differentiated U.S. tariffs were the fundamental cause of threats to global industrial and supply chains.

He noted that attributing domestic economic problems to external factors would not resolve the United States’ underlying challenges.

He urged Washington to stop what he described as “irresponsible accusations and actions undermining China-U.S. economic and trade relations.”

He also called on the United States to safeguard the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains.

He said China would continue to conduct economic and trade cooperation with all parties on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

He added that China would work with partners to build mutually beneficial trade networks and contribute to global development and prosperity.#China Urges U.S. to Repeal Drone Tariffs#China’s Imports From Nigeria Rose by $2.3bn in 6 Months — Envoy

https://dmarketforces.com/china-urges-u-s-to-repeal-drone-tariffs/

>>24956089

Are there any other anons bunning their posts like that?

US Army U-turn over futuristic drone and robot unit is slammed as 'deeply dangerous'

01:26 EDT, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 10:26 EDT, 20 August 2026

The US Army is set to phase out its drone assault battalion in a shock 'back to basics' U-turn that critics are branding 'deeply regretful and dangerous.'

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, the Army declared that it would be shifting its focus away from its battalion exploring drones and ground robots.

The move comes after the unit participated in a 'major exercise' in Germany in August and September, the outlet reported.

They are set to report their findings back to the Army for any future experimentation before the idea is shelved and the unit returns to 'core warfighting tasks as an airborne infantry battalion,' an Army official told the Journal.

General Christopher LaNeve, acting chief of staff of the Army, told the outlet that the strategy was part of a 'back to basics' shift.

LaNeve replaced General Randy George who championed the robotic initiative, but was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in April. LaNeve had previously served as Hegseth's senior military assistant in the Pentagon, the New York Times reported.

The drone-assault battalion was brought on amid the war in Ukraine, where tactics using drones have proved a powerful force.

Mykhailo Fedorov, former Minister of Defense in Ukraine, championed their developing defense industry as a 'global epicenter for military technological innovation,' the New Voice of Ukraine reported.

'Ukraine has become the drone capital of the world… We are writing the doctrine of a new global security system based on cheap, autonomous technologies that can protect even a small country from a massive threat,' he said, according to the outlet.

'Today, reaching the first line takes 7 to 12 days because of drone density…We will reach a stage where autonomous drones will fight autonomous drones. Frontline robotization will be total.'

As Ukraine has championed success, Michael O'Hanlon, a defense expert at the Brookings Institution, slammed the Army's decision to scale-back their exploration of drone-warfare.

'Ukraine has essentially revolutionized the close fight,' he told the Journal. 'General George was starting to get that, and any setback in what he was doing would be deeply regretful and dangerous.'

Earlier this year, experts showed concern over Iranian attack drones potentially slipping through US defenses.

Brett Velicovich, a former US Army intelligence and special operations soldier who spent years using drones to hunt ISIS leaders before founding drone company PowerUs, said the threat comes from a new type of warfare that the US is still struggling to defend against.

'These new asymmetric threats, where you've got low-cost, cheap, small drones, in some cases, that are able to be sent in massive waves, don't have the same signature of an intercontinental ballistic missile,' Velicovich explained in March.

Iran has spent years building a massive arsenal of so-called 'kamikaze drones,' which are designed to crash into targets with explosive payloads.

'They got a head start on us in terms of producing and manufacturing low-cost long-range attack drones,' Velicovich said. 'They've been preparing for this for a while.'

Around the same time, a leaked federal alert shared a warning over a potential drone strike from Iran on California.

'This FBI announcement is a wake-up call to shake the tree a bit and help people understand that we do have some gaps in our defenses, and we need to fix those gaps before an American gets killed,' Velicovich added.

However, the Army did not divulge their future plans to explore the modern-warfare tactic once the drone-assault battalion was phased out, the Journal reported.

A spokesperson for the Army told the outlet that it 'is committed to accelerating US military drone dominance to meet the demands of large-scale combat operations.'

'We rigorously test a wide variety of unmanned and counter-unmanned technologies in the field. Ultimately, these aerial systems are enablers that support our soldiers,' they added.

A spokesperson for LaNeve declined the Journal's request for comment.

A memo sent out by LaNeve on Wednesday told the force that the US Army 'must be prepared to overcome the most complex challenges our adversaries can impose and master an operational environment that looks fundamentally different from the battlefields of yesterday."

An attached document, titled Army Azimuth, saw LaNeve vow that the service would continue to develop and implement units dedicated to advancing cyber and electronic warfare as well as artificial intelligence technologies, the outlet reported.

The Daily Mail reached out to the US Army and the Department of War for comment.

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16065827/US-army-dangerous-drone-robot-unit.html

Eric Burlison

@EricBurlison

They hover in place. Then they go from a dead stop to Mach speed instantly.

I'm not going to tell you what they are. I'm telling you the people briefing me say they don't know either.

That is the problem.

6:29 AM · Aug 19, 2026

https://x.com/EricBurlison/status/2090068517290721681

Eric Burlison

@EricBurlison

Our own agencies went back through every past sighting, asked what draws these things in, then recreated those conditions on purpose at a site with prior activity.

ODNI, CIA, FBI and military intelligence were all on site.

Something showed up.

7:13 AM · Aug 19, 2026

https://x.com/EricBurlison/status/2090079590395879739

Eric Burlison

@EricBurlison

I came to this as a complete skeptic. I still am one.

But when military personnel come forward, when our bases get incursions, and when Congress is kept in the dark, you have an obligation to look.

That's why I wrote the disclosure amendment.

8:03 AM · Aug 18, 2026

https://x.com/EricBurlison/status/2089729845064286347

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>>24956123

Anomaly Files

@Only_Ryan02

Dr. Catherine Marsh worked for the CIAs Science and Technology division 2016-2019 as a chief scientist.

Liberation times was told by a credible source that she acts as a main gatekeeper for the Legacy UAP Program.

We need to subpoena her and have her go under oath for questioning @RepEricBurlison

Quote

Christopher Sharp

@ChrisUKSharp

Aug 19

Another source told Liberation Times that the CIA’s chief scientist acts as an operational gatekeeper for programs involving the retrieval and reverse-engineering of vehicles allegedly of non-human origin within the Agency’s Directorate of Science and Technology.

According to x.com/LiberationTime…

2:27 PM · Aug 19, 2026

https://x.com/Only_Ryan02/status/2090188976325820669

https://x.com/EricBurlison/status/2090404480625811931

Eric Burlison

@EricBurlison

Many conversations have led to Jay Stratton (@jaystratton). I am glad to see that he is willing to come “Out of the Shadows” and go public with his story.

He has been very cooperative to me during these last few months. I am glad to see that the public will get to hear the story that he has told me.

I am looking forward to reading this. Possible hearing may be coming as I am sure some of our colleagues will have questions.

From harpercollins.com

4:44 AM · Aug 20, 2026

https://x.com/EricBurlison/status/2090404480625811931

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https://thedebrief.org/new-radar-scans-reveal-mysterious-subsurface-anomalies-beneath-controversial-noahs-ark-site/

https://www.globenewswire.com//news-release/2026/08/18/3347179/0/en/not-solid-rock-veteran-u-s-defense-scientist-deploys-advanced-earthradar-technology-at-turkey-s-boat-shaped-noah-s-ark-formation.html

https://www.noahsarkscans.com/

New Radar Scans Reveal Mysterious “Subsurface Anomalies” Beneath Controversial “Noah’s Ark” Site

August 20, 2026

New subsurface scans of Turkey’s controversial Durupınar Formation—a 157-meter (515-foot) geological feature long promoted by some researchers as the possible remains of Noah’s Ark—have reportedly identified subsurface anomalies that may challenge past assessments of the controversial site.

The findings, revealed in a press release and not yet detailed in research that has undergone peer-review, do not conclusively establish that the formation is artificial.

However, according to researchers with Bakhtar Research and Engineering, LLC, and Noah’s Ark Scans, their preliminary data reveal newly identified features that warrant further investigation.

Durupınar Formation Scanned with Radar Developed for the U.S. Air Force

Scientists and religious scholars have long debated the historical basis of biblical narratives.

However, the 1959 identification of the boat-shaped Durupınar Formation near Turkey’s Mount Ararat added a new dimension to the longstanding search for archaeological evidence associated with Noah’s Ark.

Some researchers have argued that the formation’s dimensions and location resemble descriptions associated with the biblical vessel, while skeptics and geologists have generally maintained that the feature is a natural geological formation.

In a press release announcing the new analysis, the researchers said the survey marked the first use of BakhtarRadar at the controversial Durupınar site.

The system was developed by project leader Dr. Khosrow Bakhtar, who, according to the release, has spent four decades developing detection technologies for organizations including the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and NORAD-USNORTHCOM.

The team says the BakhtarRadar system used during the survey originated as a specialized subsurface imaging technology called EarthRadar, developed for the U.S. Air Force.

Joined by Noah’s Ark Scans founder Andrew Jones, Bakhtar conducted scans across the formation that the team says produced high-resolution, three-dimensional volumetric imagery of its subsurface features.

Before conducting the survey, the researchers outlined three primary objectives: determining whether the formation is a “single homogeneous mass of natural stone,” investigating whether it contains internal structures, and identifying the location of the underlying bedrock.

The team also sought to determine whether that bedrock extends continuously beneath the surrounding valley.

“That is precisely the challenge at Durupınar,” the team’s statement explains, “separating layers, structures and discontinuities in difficult conditions and building a 3-D picture of what lies underneath.”

Not a Simple Homogeneous Mass of Rock?

Earlier investigations, including a 2019 ground-penetrating radar survey, reportedly identified several unusual subsurface features within the formation.

These included voids, linear and angular features, and patterns that investigators interpreted as “possible corridors and chamber-like spaces.”

Unlike the equipment used in that earlier survey, the team said BakhtarRadar was deployed to “interrogate those same targets with a fundamentally different radar approach.”

According to the researchers, the system also allowed them to examine the “deeper geological framework beneath the site” and attempt to trace the bedrock surface below and around the formation.

After completing scans across the Durupınar Formation, the team reported several preliminary observations from the data analyzed so far. Most notably, the researchers said the scans “do not show the formation as a simple, homogeneous mass of rock.”

Instead, Bakhtar and Jones reported what they described as “strong subsurface anomalies and layering” beneath the boat-shaped formation. They also said their analysis of the deeper data processed to date revealed “no clear boundary” beneath the formation.

According to the team, this was unexpected because “the radar is looking well below where a shallow rock core would be expected to appear.”

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>>24956146

The researchers also highlighted a subsurface anomaly extending approximately 250 feet through the central portion of the formation, which they have interpreted as resembling a “tunnel or hallway.”

However, the feature has not been physically excavated or otherwise confirmed to represent an artificial structure.

The team cautioned that these observations were preliminary, and “remain subject to full processing and interpretation.”

However, they also claim that their new findings “strike directly at the geological objection that has been raised against the site for years,” which argues that the Durupınar formation “is nothing more than a natural pile of rock or mud draped over shallow bedrock.”

“We are not trying to end this debate with a press release,” Jones said. “We believe this is Noah’s Ark, but the way to demonstrate that is to keep testing it.”

Even Some Creationists Remain Skeptical

For now, though, all the team has presented is the press release Jones mentions—none of the findings have been detailed in a formal study or undergone peer review.

Additionally, critics have previously raised questions about how some of the team’s geophysical findings have been interpreted, particularly given that some members of the project, like Jones, have already publicly expressed their belief that the formation represents Noah’s Ark, and that others include self-ascribed Christian activists, according to the team’s website.

Even some prominent young-Earth creationists have expressed doubts about the team and its findings in the past.

Such critics include Ken Ham, the founder, CEO, and former president of the Christian apologetics organization Answers in Genesis, who took issue with Noah’s Ark Scans’ founder, Andrew Jones, in a blog post last June.

“By his own admission, Andrew Jones of Noah’s Ark Scans, a committed leader of this latest ‘push’ to promote this site as the remains of Noah’s ark, was convinced of what this site likely was before viewing the results of these geophysical surveys,” Ham wrote on his blog last year, noting that geophysical data discussed by Jones had been “couched in terms of scan features being ‘decks’ as well as a claimed ‘corridor’ or ‘tunnel’ down the middle of the structure.”

“None of these reports objectively assess the raw geophysical data by canvassing other interpretations,” Ham argued.

It is worth noting that the Noah’s Ark Scans team concedes their failure to identify a bedrock boundary in the scan data processed so far, although noting that this “does not by itself prove bedrock is absent.”

The group also concedes that radar anomalies alone “do not prove an archaeological origin.” Instead, they said more analysis and research will be needed to settle the argument about the controversial site’s true nature.

“Now we need to finish the processing, choose the best core locations, and put physical samples in the hands of the scientists,” Jones said in the recent press release. “That is where this becomes truly exciting.”

Preliminary Report ‘In the Coming Weeks’

The researchers said that the purpose of the ongoing effort is to find physical evidence that can “withstand scrutiny” and distinguish their interpretation of the site “from a purely natural geological explanation.”

The team says it expects to release a preliminary report “in the coming weeks,” after which its findings “will be integrated with the existing geophysical surveys” to help the team prioritize targeted core-drilling locations and “guide the next phase of the Durupınar investigation.”

Whether the group will produce evidence capable of persuading geologists and archaeologists—let alone critics of the project who themselves believe in the biblical flood—remains to be seen.

Until physical evidence conclusively demonstrates otherwise, however, the Durupınar Formation is best described according to the prevailing geological interpretation: as a naturally formed geological feature rather than the remains of an archaeological structure.

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https://thedebrief.org/scientists-just-analyzed-more-than-100-uap-videos-released-by-the-pentagons-pursue-program-this-is-what-they-learned/

https://arxiv.org/html/2608.12445v1

Scientists Just Analyzed More Than 100 UAP Videos Released by the Pentagon’s ‘PURSUE’ Program—This is What They Learned

August 20, 2026

An analysis of dozens of strange objects captured in official U.S. government videos has revealed new insights—and challenges—involving the study ofunidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).

Since May 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of War has released more than 100 videos that reportedly capture evidence of unknown objects in U.S. airspace and near American military operations around the world.

Now, a preprint paper by researchers Jacob Haqq-Misra of Blue Marble Space and Ravi Kopparapu of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center examined 112 videos released this year under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE).

The researchers, both of whom serve on the UAP Science Advisory Council to the U.S. government, say their study highlights significant limitations on analysis of the purported UAP videos due to missing or redacted sensor data, which prevents civilian researchers from having enough of the tools necessary to determine whether seemingly fast-moving objects in the videos actually display anomalous velocities. Kopparapu and Haqq-Misra’s new study, which has not yet undergone peer review, highlights a fundamental problem that has impeded analytical efforts involving UAP videos collected by U.S. military personnel: that the apparent speed of an object suggested by its movement across a camera’s field of view is not necessarily an accurate indication of its real physical velocity.

In an email to The Debrief, Haqq-Misra explained that while the new study is among the first to explore the limitations on what can be discerned about these objects based on analysis of the current batch of PURSUE releases, the underlying problem is not a new one for researchers tackling the UAP problem. “I think our conclusion will come as no surprise to people in the aviation, aerospace, and intelligence communities who have already been closely following UAP disclosure,” Haqq-Misra told The Debrief, though expressing that the conclusions he and Kopparapu present “may not be fully appreciated in the broader public discussion.”

“I get lots of questions from friends, family, and other scientists about my opinion of the government ‘UAP disclosure’ data,” Haqq-Misra said. “A lot of people haven’t even looked at the data and may assume that there is more available than we really are getting.”

In terms of what data has been made available to the public since May, Haqq-Misra says the limitations are obvious.

“Most of the useful quantities are redacted,” he said. “It is also not immediately obvious that what appears to be a fast-moving object in an infrared sensor video might be a mundane object (like a bird) much closer to the camera.”

Analyzing the DOW’s ‘PURSUE’ UAP Videos

The videos Haqq-Misra and Kopparapu analyzed, all of which are currently available at the U.S. Department of War website, were acquired by targeting pods and other turret-mounted camera systems aboard military aircraft or similar government platforms.

The collection includes infrared and electro-optical imagery, much of it showing unidentified objects either crossing the camera’s field of view or being actively tracked by the sensor.

Haqq-Misra and Kopparapu reviewed all 112 videos to determine what kinematic information could be extracted from them.

At its simplest, analysts can measure how quickly an object moves across a video in pixels per frame. However, the problem arises when it comes to converting that apparent motion into an actual velocity—a process that requires several additional pieces of information.

In an email to The Debrief, Kopparapu, who expressed that his views are based on his own independent analysis and do not reflect those of NASA, said there was one primary form of data that, if it were to accompany future video releases, could make them far more useful to scientists working to understand the performance characteristics of the objects they convey.

“Based on our preliminary mathematical analysis, perhaps the single most important missing quantity is the range; the distance between the object and the observing platform, ideally measured over time,” Kopparapu told The Debrief.

"Without range, something moving rapidly across the image could be a small nearby object moving relatively slowly or a much larger, distant object moving extremely fast.”

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>>24956170

Additional information Kopparapu says would be very useful would include details about the camera’s field of view, as well as “the motion of the observing platform and viewing geometry.”

In their recent paper, Kopparapu and Haqq-Misra detail the specific measurements that would be required to determine an object’s velocity.

However, Kopparapu expressed to The Debrief that “Some apparent anomalies could even arise from sensor or imaging effects,” adding that without the additional data outlined above, “there is simply not much more that can be concluded scientifically.”

Haqq-Misra told The Debrief that one of the goals of the UAP Science Advisory Council is to make recommendations about what kinds of data future PURSUE releases might be able to include that would enable independent scientists to conduct more accurate and meaningful kinematic analyses.

“We are hopeful that our recommendations based on analyses of sensor videos like these will lead to additional release of data that may even help us resolve some cases,” Haqq-Misra told The Debrief, echoing Kopparapu’s sentiments about the importance of having access to information about the object’s range from the camera system at the time the video was captured.

“Knowing the distance from the camera to the object is essential,” Haqq-Misra said. “This information might be under the redacted black boxes of some of the videos, so unredacted videos would be best.”

UAP Transparency vs National Security

The question of whether information currently redacted from government UAP videos can be safely released to scientists without compromising U.S. national security—as well as how much of that data should be released—remains a sticking point between Pentagon officials and the broader scientific community. For researchers like Haqq-Misra, one solution might involve having some form of verifiable U.S. government record that certifies certain portions of the redacted information, without necessarily conveying that in the videos themselves in ways that could compromise sensitive information about the systems used to obtain the footage.

“Even just telling us the distance on an official government document would help!” Haqq-Misra told The Debrief. “The flight trajectory of the aircraft with the observing camera is another important piece of data,” Haqq-Misra added. “In some cases, this data may simply be lost, but if flight logs exist for any of these cases, that would also help.

Although Haqq-Misra adds that technical information about the specific cameras used to capture a given video would “make the data even more useful,” the U.S. Department of War regulates much of this technical data under strict security classification, export control, and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) policies.

Such restrictions are imposed to protect critical capabilities like sensor resolution, focal lengths, tracking algorithms, and other capabilities or technical properties that might potentially be exploited by foreign adversaries if they were revealed publicly.

While U.S. military concerns over the release of such information is often warranted, without access to it, the nature of how some military systems operate can make it difficult—if not impossible—to make meaningful determinations about the objects detected.

One example includes objects that are being actively tracked while they are filmed. By its design, a targeting system can move its camera to keep an object near the center of the frame, making the subject’s apparent movement approach zero, even if it is traveling rapidly through the environment. The resulting imagery can create the illusion of a stationary object and becomes unhelpful without access to additional information about the object’s movement.

GOFAST: A Case Study in Transparency?

Another example where the appearance of an object’s movement on video can differ significantly from its actual speed appears in the well-known Navy “GOFAST” video. Haqq-Misra and Kopparapu note that this footage was once widely interpreted as evidence of an object moving at extraordinary speed near the ocean surface. However, subsequent analysis using available telemetry showed that much of its apparent motion resulted from parallax generated by the observing aircraft, with its calculated motion ultimately being consistent with wind-borne drift—in other words, the object was most likely a balloon.

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>>24956171

The important difference between the GOFAST video and those included in recent PURSUE releases, the researchers note, comes down to the amount of additional information that was available.

“In the GOFAST case, sufficient information was available to constrain the object’s motion relative to the observer and assess it in relation to reported wind conditions,” Haqq-Misra and Kopparapu write in their recent study.

Notably, following its initial unauthorized release in 2017 along with two other historical U.S. Navy videos of alleged UAP, the Pentagon eventually determined that GOFAST did not reveal any sensitive information that compromised U.S. national security.

“After a thorough review, the department has determined that the authorized release of these unclassified videos does not reveal any sensitive capabilities or systems, and does not impinge on any subsequent investigations of military air space incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena,” an April 2020 Pentagon statement read.

Seemingly, this case would appear to demonstrate that in at least some cases, enough additional information could remain unredacted in future UAP video releases to allow similar technical determinations to be made.

DOW-UAP-PR113: Anomalous Appearance, but Limited Information

Another example Kopparapu and Haqq-Misra look at in their paper involves a video in the recent PURSUE releases designated DOW-UAP-PR113, which features an infrared video reportedly recorded over the western United States in 1996.

The footage depicts what appears to be a compact dark object (or possibly two moving in very close proximity) rapidly crossing the camera’s field of view.

Based on Kopparapu and Haqq-Misra’s measurements, the object travels approximately 142 pixels per frame, equivalent to roughly 2.2 frame widths per second, and remains directly visible for only about one-tenth of a second.

One thing that makes the video unique among the PURSUE releases is the presence of markings in the imagery, which the researchers say allows them at least a limited ability to reconstruct an approximate angular scale and horizontal field of view.

However, like in other cases, too little information is present to be able to make a complete determination about the object’s motion and capabilities.

For Kopparapu, circumstances like these demonstrate why he advises against drawing conclusions based on what can often appear to be remarkable speed or other capabilities in the PURSUE videos, yet without ruling them out necessarily as being mundane.

“With such limited data, I would urge people to avoid both extraordinary conclusions and outright dismissal,” Kopparapu told The Debrief. “Something can look extremely anomalous when we are seeing only a small part of the information needed to understand it.”

What the PURSUE Videos Can—and Cannot—Tell Scientists

Fundamentally, Haqq-Misra and Kopparapu believe that the videos currently made available under the PURSUE initiative cannot demonstrate—nor can they necessarily be used to exclude—the presence of anomalous kinematics displayed by the alleged UAP they contain.

This issue extends beyond just the PURSUE releases, however, since similar limitations can arise even with imagery captured by conventional cameras, whose technical capabilities are easily discernible.

For instance, a single camera primarily measures angles, meaning some aspects of an object’s three-dimensional motion simply cannot be reconstructed based on that imagery alone.

To overcome such problems, Haqq-Misra and Kopparapu point to the use of multi-sensor approaches by independent research efforts.

In terms of what kinds of scientific observations might constitute a “genuine” UAP in future detections, Haqq-Misra says he and his colleagues with the UAP Science Advisory Council are already providing recommendations for the kinds of sensor platforms that could be leveraged to capture better UAP imagery and other data in the future.

“We have already provided recommendations for sensors that could be deployed to collect better quality data for understanding these objects,” Haqq-Misra told The Debrief.

“An ideal observatory would be a multi-modal and multi-site observatory, leveraging video observations from infrared to visible and including other modalities such as radio, radar, and audio data collection.”

“The Galileo Project at Harvard is an example of a privately funded effort following this experimental design,” he adds.

Overall, the researchers say that while based on their analysis “the PURSUE sensor videos in their present form cannot fully resolve unidentified cases or conclusively indicate anomalous velocities,” the new research presents a meaningful early step toward identifying future strategies that may help researchers obtain better, more useful data.

“Reality takes time,” Kopparapu told The Debrief, “but fallacy does not.”

Former Green Beret Warns an ‘Emerging UFO Religion’ Is Deceiving Millions

Aug 19, 2026

Former Green Beret Paul Bock is warning Christians that the greatest danger surrounding UFO and UAP disclosure is not what may be flying through the sky. It is the counterfeit religion developing around alleged encounters with non-human intelligence.

“My concern honestly isn’t the phenomenon,” Bock told Bishop Alan DiDio. “My concern is the religion that’s forming.”

Bock, who served in U.S. Army Special Forces and worked in intelligence-heavy operations, helped organize a private UAP briefing for pastors.

He said the meeting contained no classified information. Instead, organizers showed ministers publicly available government discussions and outlined the spiritual beliefs spreading throughout the UFO community.

According to Bock, this emerging religion already has its own theology, practices, sacred locations and influential messengers. Millions are hearing claims that non-human entities can deliver supernatural knowledge, emotional healing and spiritual advancement.

“This religion isn’t forming. It’s here,” Bock said. “It’s reaching millions of people.”

‘You Have No Control Over What It Is’

Bock warned that prominent UAP personalities are teaching people to initiate contact through meditation, altered states of consciousness and other spiritual practices.

“You have people being taught how to pop their head in the spirit world and say, ‘Contact me,’” he said. “Things will answer you back, and you have no control over what it is.”

The deception comes in different forms. Some describe the entities as highly evolved beings. Others call them angels, manifestations of God or expressions of a “divine feminine.” The experiences can appear peaceful and even produce apparent healings or supernatural knowledge.

“It may come across as very good, very seductive,” Bock said. “It could give you knowledge. It could give you power. It could give you healing.”

Bock spent time with UFO disclosure figure Steven Greer, who teaches a practice known as CE-5, or close encounters of the fifth kind. Greer describes it as human-initiated contact with non-human intelligence.

While staying at Greer’s home, Bock said he experienced what he understood to be a demonic attack. He described awakening under intense pressure and struggling to speak before finally commanding the presence to leave in Jesus’ name.

Bock believes such encounters must be tested against Scripture, regardless of how benevolent, enlightening or spiritual they appear.

“We have to know this so that no matter what I say, no matter what Alan says, no matter what anybody says, take everything that you are hearing and test it against this,” he said, referring to the Bible. “That’s the only thing that matters.”

His warning presents a direct challenge to the church. We cannot dismiss people who believe they have experienced something real, but neither can we accept spiritual encounters that contradict God’s Word.

We must know Scripture, expose counterfeit spirituality and lead those caught in this deception to the true Jesus Christ.

https://mycharisma.com/news/former-green-beret-warns-an-emerging-ufo-religion-is-deceiving-millions/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRKTB2SCth0 (Revival Nation: BREAKING: Man Behind Pastors’ UFO Meeting Breaks Silence)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrXSo5AVB2s (Cristina Gomez: Special Forces Insider Breaks Silence On What Pastors Were Really Told)

https://usaherald.com/whistleblower-david-grusch-asks-trump-for-immunity-not-an-nda-release-to-reveal-the-files-and-footage-he-has-seen/

https://x.com/ProfAviLoeb/status/2090078078529650816

Whistleblower David Grusch Asks Trump for Immunity — Not an NDA Release — To Reveal the Files and Footage He Has Seen

August 20, 2026

INSIDE THIS REPORT

Filmmaker James Fox says David Grusch personally reviewed classified images of recovered UAP and nonhuman occupants.

Grusch is pressing President Trump to release the evidence and protect insiders with immunity.

Immunity, an NDA waiver, and declassification are legally different—and disclosure may require all three.

The most consequential evidence in the UAP controversy may not be another distant light in the sky. Former intelligence officer David Grusch says it is already inside classified systems: photographs and videos of recovered craft and their alleged nonhuman occupants.

Filmmaker James Fox amplified that extraordinary claim this week, reporting that Grusch reviewed classified imagery connected to crashed UFOs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena.

It follows Grusch’s August 13 appearance on The Dr. Phil Podcast, where he made some of his most specific allegations yet.

Grusch claimed that the United States recovered more than 25—but fewer than 100—vehicles over eight or nine decades.

Some, he said, were empty; others contained dead or living “pilots.” With presidential authorization, he asserted, he could direct investigators to facilities where evidence may remain.

None of the alleged craft, bodies, images, or underlying records was produced publicly. The claims therefore remain unverified.

That distinction matters. Testimony is evidence that a statement was made; it is not scientific confirmation that the underlying event occurred.

The account builds upon Grusch’s July 2023 testimony before Congress.

Under oath, he described an alleged multi-decade crash-retrieval program and said people with direct knowledge assessed biological material recovered with some craft as “nonhuman.” He now emphasizes evidence he says he personally reviewed.

Fox reports that Grusch is appealing to President Donald Trump to release the files and provide immunity. That raises a legal question: Why immunity rather than merely release from a nondisclosure agreement?

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>>24956213

The terms are not interchangeable.

An NDA imposes secrecy. Immunity limits prosecution or the use of compelled testimony. Declassification changes information’s protected status. One does not automatically accomplish the others.

Federal law already creates a secure pathway for UAP insiders. Under 50 U.S.C. § 3373b, an “authorized disclosure”through the designated mechanism is not barred by an NDA and is protected from certain disclosure laws.

But the statute guards against unauthorized public release. It opens a door to investigators and Congress—not necessarily a microphone to the world.

Congressional immunity under 18 U.S.C. §§ 6002 and 6005 generally protects compelled testimony from use against a witness. It does not make classified photographs lawful to publish. Disclosure may require defined immunity, an NDA waiver, and authorized declassification.

Trump has directed a rolling declassification effort through PURSUE. Yet will his administration release the specific files Grusch identifies, redacting legitimate sources, weapons capabilities, and intelligence methods where necessary?

Official skepticism remains substantial. The Pentagon’s UAP office says it found no verifiable evidence of government or industry access to extraterrestrial technology.

NASA says there are no data establishing UAP as alien technology. Those conclusions do not resolve every allegation, but they establish the evidentiary standard Grusch’s claims must meet.

The public should be part of that process—not treated as a passive audience awaiting permission to understand reality.

The 2025 passage of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS offered a lesson. The shutdown overlapped its October perihelion and delayed some NASA releases, although its closest Earth approach came December 19.

Independent astronomers kept observing; NASA later featured a small-telescope image recorded from Earth.

Citizen science cannot replace authenticated records, metadata, chain of custody, or multi-sensor data. But a public working with universities, observatories, laboratories, and government datasets can test claims at a scale no sealed office can match.

Grusch is no more entitled than any other person to privately carry knowledge that would redefine humanity’s place in the universe. If officials can live with the truth, Americans can examine it.

National security may justify redacting how a sensor works or where a platform operates. It should not place a permanent classification stamp over reality itself.

Trump can leave the nation trapped between extraordinary allegations and official denials—or order a lawful review of the evidence Grusch identifies.

Release what can be authenticated. Protect sources and methods. Give independent scientists meaningful data. If the evidence does not exist, show how that conclusion was reached.

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Uri Geller

@theurigeller

🚨 PEOPLE ARE NOW BORED & FED-UP WITH UFO “DISCLOSURE” … SO PLEASE, PLEASE - STOP SERVING US BLURRY “FOREPLAY-FOOTAGE” & JUST SHOW US THE RECOVERED BODIES!!!👽

Friends… the Pentagon recently released its 5th batch of UFO/UAP files – showing yet more blurry, black & white videos of mysterious ORBS & unidentified craft.

But unfortunately….

NO ONE seems to CARE anymore!

Outside of the UFO community, the 'average Joe or Jane' on the street is no longer interested!

And the mainstream media are barely bothering to cover it too!

Why?

Because we seem to have reached UFO FATIGUE!

Each new UAP files release just seems like 'more of the same'.

Yet another fuzzy orb flying across a military screen is now NOT enough to move the dial of Disclosure in any meaningful way.

People now see the videos, say ‘So what?’, and scroll right past them.

Because we keep being given variations of essentially the SAME evidence.

So, where is the evidence that will actually make people put down their coffees & say:

“MY GOD… WE ARE NOT ALONE!”

I know such proof exists…because I have SEEN it.

I’ve told you for YEARS that I was shown refrigerated NON-HUMAN bodies at a NASA facility in the 1970s.

I KNOW the US government (and most probably other governments across the world too) have recovered UFO materials, craft & BODIES too!

So, STOP messing around & wasting our time with all these DEJA-VU videos of blurry UAPs/UFOs.

Just show everyone CLOSE-UP, COLOURED photos & videos of the BODIES!!

Not another DOT!

Not another ORB!

Not another infrared BLOB!!

Just organise a LIVE international broadcast & invite a panel of independent scientists and respected journalists!

Broadcast it LIVE across the WORLD.

Because - in this age of AI and disinformation- THAT is the ONLY way you will ever be able to finally convince the average person sitting at home that this is all REAL!

That would be REAL Disclosure.

Everything else is foreplay.

JUST SHOW US THE BODIES!

No more crumbs.

No more teasing.

No more endless ‘starters’.

JUST put the IRREFUTABLE evidence on the table!

Because after 5 batches of files, I believe the public is MORE than ready for the MAIN COURSE.

10:52 AM · Aug 20, 2026

https://x.com/theurigeller/status/2090497213013066208

extra

https://x.com/jamescfox/status/2090432923312742473

https://x.com/Ice_Alchemist11/status/2090458869533122612

https://x.com/MattBeallPod/status/2090453804575576140

https://x.com/AlienLeaks9/status/2089774326610534479

https://en.sedaily.com/international/2026/08/20/us-ufo-files-expose-real-secret-its-own-surveillance-reach

US UFO Files Expose Real Secret: Its Own Surveillance Reach

2026.08.20. 06:23:05

The more the US government releases material on unidentified flying objects (UFOs), the deeper it sinks into a security dilemma.

The government's official term is Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), and the five sets of records disclosed so far have produced none of the evidence of alien life or alien technology that the public is curious about.

The real aim is not extraterrestrials but detecting drones operated by hostile states — objects that are hard to identify properly, and whose disclosure risks exposing military secrets along with them.

According to foreign media reports on the 18th, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), under the US Defense Department (the Department of War), recently released a fifth set of UAP records at the direction of President Donald Trump.

The government says it will continue to review and disclose unresolved UAP records in its possession. The records cover cases captured by various US military sensors and cameras whose nature has yet to be clearly identified.

UAP does not mean alien spacecraft. It is a term covering objects or phenomena whose identity could not be confirmed at the time of observation.

The Defense Department's investigation office believes a large share of the UAP examined so far had ordinary causes, such as balloons, birds, drones, conventional aircraft or natural phenomena.

The investigations the government has conducted so far have turned up no verifiable evidence proving the existence of alien life or alien technology. In the end, "unresolved UAP exist" and "spacecraft from other worlds exist" are entirely different propositions.

Even so, experts see security as the main reason the United States devotes substantial administrative and intelligence resources to tracking UAP.

The possibility cannot be ruled out that an unidentified object is not an alien craft but a new reconnaissance or surveillance asset, or a drone, operated by an adversary such as China or Russia.

The 2023 incident in which a Chinese surveillance balloon crossed US airspace before being shot down was a particular shock to the country.

1/2

>>24956289

Drone technology, which has advanced rapidly in recent years, has increased the strain on US air defenses.

In the war between Russia and Ukraine, long-range suicide drones costing around tens of thousands of dollars (tens of millions of won), along with far cheaper small drones, have been deployed in large numbers.

Russia is mass-producing improved versions of Iranian-developed Shahed drones, while Ukraine is developing cheap interceptor drones on a large scale to shoot them down.

These changes seen in the Ukraine war and Middle East conflicts have turned the ability to quickly find and identify "small flying objects of unknown identity" into a significant military capability in itself.

Small flying objects that might once have been dismissed as UFO sightings now belong to an era in which they must be considered possible reconnaissance or attack drones.

But the more the government tries to release UAP material, the more another problem arises. Much of the UAP footage was captured not by ordinary cameras but by infrared and electro-optical sensors mounted on US military fighter jets and reconnaissance assets.

In an explanatory document on declassification released last year, the investigation office said UAP footage is often classified not because the footage itself is remarkable but to protect the platform that captured it, its location and the methods used to collect intelligence.

Even if the object filmed is a bird or a balloon, the original material becomes classified if it was obtained from a sensitive military sensor.

In the UAP material the government released most recently, some information was redacted to protect military operations, military platforms, sensor capabilities, the identities of witnesses and the locations of military facilities.

Releasing UAP footage in full could allow China or Russia to analyze it in reverse and estimate US intelligence-gathering capabilities, such as the distance at which US military sensors can detect objects of a given size.

In the end, the US government has no way out of the dilemma.

Withholding the information fuels conspiracy theories that "the government is hiding the truth about aliens or UFOs," but releasing the raw data as it is could expose another secret — the detection and surveillance capabilities of the US military — to rival powers.

The investigation office itself says that in declassifying UAP-related information, it must "strike a balance between our commitment to transparency and the national security mission of preventing strategic surprise."

Ultimately, the question the United States must answer around UAP is shifting as well.

More realistic than "Has intelligent alien life come to Earth?" is the question, "Why can the United States, with the world's most advanced surveillance and reconnaissance network, fail to identify some flying objects?"

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Inside the UAP Science Advisory Council with Members Garry Nolan, Anita Goel, and chair Avi Loeb

Aug 20, 2026

The Sol Foundation’s 2027 Symposium will take place in the spring of next year on the East Coast. Please visit the link below to sign up for information as it becomes available. https://thesolfoundation.org/2027-sol-symposium/

In a new episode of The Sol Forum, members of the UAP Science Advisory Council and Sol Foundation co-founders Garry Nolan and Peter Skafish are joined by Council Chair Avi Loeb and fellow Council member Dr. Anita Goel for an in-depth discussion of the Council’s work with the U.S. government, the UAP data it is seeking, plans for new field research and sensor deployments, and what it will take to scientifically determine the nature of UAP.

The conversation also examines the challenges of accessing government data, the importance of collecting new scientific evidence, potential approaches to field investigations, and how greater scientific engagement with UAP could lead to discoveries in physics, biology, technology, and national security.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpcyg9W1tlk

https://x.com/_SolFoundation

https://thesolfoundation.org/

extra disclosure dejour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGvaRC-Ofvo (Kerry Cassidy: CHIEF OF POLICE: PLEIADIAN SOUL, CRYSTAL CITIES, TRUTH ABOUT TRIBUNALS AND MORE)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSIGPUrZ-sI (That UFOI Podcast: Danny Sheehan: “They Have At Least 9 Recovered UFOs” | Golden Dome & ET Contact)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qWwyAaV0nw (Safe Aerospace Podcast: Intel Officers Saw a Massive Craft Over Cheyenne Mountain Complex | Caison Best)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnQWzNh8tnA (Jeremy Weeks' ongoing contact with the Greys & decoding binary 'Alien' messages - Psicoactivo #1125)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fddF7pRu9Fs (Joe Rogan Experience #2543 - MrBallen)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlOPdCq5igI (Truthstream Media: How Much More Toxic Crap Can They Put on Our Food?)

>>24956238

ok that looks nice, tyvm