Case File Status: Likely Explainable, See Below

The following photograph was sent to The Black Vault by an anonymous submitter. They are not a “source” but rather wanted The Black Vault to look into the photograph, available publicly for download from NASA/JPL.

First, here is the photograph labeled NLF_0317_0695075595_130ECM_N0090000NCAM00900_02_095J:

Here is a close-up/zoomed/cropped version of the “anomaly” itself:

The official caption of the photo NLF_0317_0695075595_130ECM_N0090000NCAM00900_02_095J by NASA reads:

NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its onboard Left Navigation Camera (Navcam). The camera is located high on the rover’s mast and aids in driving.

This image was acquired on Jan. 10, 2022 (Sol 317) at the local mean solar time of 10:47:11.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The same “anomaly” was also captured in photograph NLF_0317_0695075874_065ECM_N0090000NCAM00901_02_095J approximately 4 1/2 minutes later:A close-up of that “anomaly” is at:

The official NASA/JPL caption reads:

NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its onboard Left Navigation Camera (Navcam). The camera is located high on the rover’s mast and aids in driving.

This image was acquired on Jan. 10, 2022 (Sol 317) at the local mean solar time of 10:51:42.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The Black Vault put both photographs, both from the LEFT navigation camera, on top of each other to create a composite.

It is clear that the angle is completely different from the camera itself, but by doing this, it revealed that the “anomaly” was to the pixel in the exact same spot:

The Black Vault attempted to find the corresponding RIGHT navigation camera, which is usually taken at the same time as the left.

The closest match, would be photograph NRF_0317_0695075595_130ECM_N0090000NCAM00900_02_095J:

As you can see, there appears to be no “anomaly”. The caption indicates that the photo was taken at the same time:

NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its onboard Right Navigation Camera (Navcam). The camera is located high on the rover’s mast and aids in driving.

This image was acquired on Jan. 10, 2022 (Sol 317) at the local mean solar time of 10:47:11.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The problem, however, is that numerous photographs listed on the NASA/JPL page for this day, displays the exact same time down to the second. Here is an array of both RIGHT and LEFT camera captures – all with the same time stamp:

So, the timestamp is problematic when matching photographs, but it appears by the composite, the most likely explanation would be a spec of dust temporarily on the lens. As the likelihood of an anomalous object flying in the air, taken in two different angles, would be in the EXACT same pixel-location.

The conclusion on this one, until further evidence is ever presented, would be dust that temporarily was on the lens of the left navigation camera.

To add one further note, it appears that the same effect also happened to the RIGHT navigation camera. This was discovered when sifting through the images to find corresponding evidence, should any exist.

While doing so, it was discovered that on two separate shots, both NRF_0317_0695075874_065ECM_N0090000NCAM00901_04_095J and NRF_0317_0695075595_130ECM_N0090000NCAM00900_04_095J:

… a spec of dust appears to have landed on the RIGHT navigation camera, as well.

When creating a composite, that “anomaly” as well, was in the exact same pixel-location:

The post “Anomaly” Appears In Multiple Mars Photographs Taken on January 10, 2022 (Sol 317) – Here’s a Breakdown first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post “Anomaly” Appears In Multiple Mars Photographs Taken on January 10, 2022 (Sol 317) – Here’s a Breakdown appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

For twenty-two years, from 1947 – 1969, the United States Air Force ran a trifecta of UFO research programs known as Projects Sign, Grudge and Blue Book. The public is most familiar with the latter of the three, undoubtedly due to the success of a History Channel series by the same name. However, lesser known to non-UFO-aficionados, is why those studies ended. That was due to a near fifteen-hundred page report generated by what was known as the Condon Committee, which convened from 1966-1968 at the University of Colorado, to evaluate whether the further study of UFOs was worth it. Spoiler alert: they concluded UFOs were not worth the time. However, something strange has happened to that report over the years. A chunk of it went missing within the main government agency that disseminates it.

This is the story…

—–
SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL TO MAKE LIVE STREAMS LIKE THIS POSSIBLE: http://www.patreon.com/theblackvault
—–

Additional details (original article) is at: https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/astronaut-ufo-sightings-mysteriously-removed-from-government-ufo-study-here-they-are/

The link above also contained the original Condon report documents, along with a .pdf of only the missing pages.

WATCH the Nimitz Encounters film by Dave Beaty. HIGHLY recommended: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e9NoKp8EnE

The post Astronaut UFO Sightings Mysteriously Removed from Government UFO Study; Here They Are first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Astronaut UFO Sightings Mysteriously Removed from Government UFO Study; Here They Are appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Originally Published: April 30, 2015. Updated June 7, 2020

Case File Summary

What are we looking at?: This is a photo taken by the Mercury Redstone 1A Mission launched on December 19, 1960.

Out of the 420 photos archived in ASU’s collection, there are multiple photos that capture, what appears to be, an unknown object, or possibly a craft, that shouldn’t be there.

In 1960, there wasn’t much in space, so what could this mysterious object be?

Photo #MR-1A-9186-266 – This appears to be the first photo of the object, and it appears towards the lower left side of the frame.

Photo #MR-1A-9186-267 – Nothing anomalous appears to be in this frame, but it is included for research.

Photo #MR-1A-9186-268 – Here, what appears to be an object, appears towards the top left. Although not significant, when coupled with the next frame, it seems like the object is flying towards the Mercury-Redstone spacecraft. Illusion?

Photo #MR-1A-9186-269 – Here is the most important, and clearest frame. The object now appears again towards the lower left side of the frame.

The Analysis

After posting this case file, I received a lot of feedback.  Those skeptical on the case proposed that it was a reflection of something inside the craft. So, I did a bit of analysis to see if that theory holds water.

I used 2 photos from the string above. Photo #MR-1A-9186-266 (B&W) and also Photo #MR-1A-9186-269 (Red Tint). I feel that you can discount this theory of a reflection, due to the fact the “reflection” does not appear in 2 of the photos in between these two frames in or near the spot, and also the theory ignores Photo #MR-1A-9186-268 which may show the object much farther in the background.

But, for sake of argument, we will dismiss those photos and deal with the two argued as a reflection. I used, what I believe, is the only constant (non-moving) object in the frame of photos – the reflection of the mission clock. The spacecraft is moving, so therefore, objects on the outside of the spacecraft would be moving their position in the frame as well.  Matching the clock on the photos, would show what was constant inside the craft as it would appear in the same exact position, and what was ‘moving’ outside the craft therefore being in different positions as the spacecraft moved.

Here is the analysis (you can click on the photo for higher resolution):

By matching up the clock on the top left, you can see the “object” in question appears to be in a different position, therefore potentially ruling out it’s a reflection inside the craft of an object. If it was a reflection, once the clocks were lined up, the “reflection” would also be on top of each other.

About the Mission: Mercury-Redstone 1A (MR-1A) was launched on December 19, 1960 from LC-5 at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The mission objectives of this unmanned suborbital flight were to qualify the spacecraft for space flight and qualify the system for an upcoming primate suborbital flight. The spacecraft tested its instrumentation, posigrade rockets, retro rockets and recovery system.

The mission was completely successful. The Mercury capsule reached an altitude of 130 miles (210 km) and a range of 235 miles (378 km).

The launch vehicle reached a slightly higher velocity than expected – 4,909 miles per hour (7,900 km/h).

The Mercury spacecraft was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean by recovery helicopters about 15 minutes after landing. Serial numbers: Mercury Spacecraft # 2 together with the escape tower from Capsule # 8, and the antenna fairing from Capsule # 10 were reflown on MR-1A.

Redstone MRLV-3 was used.

Flight time 15 minutes 45 seconds.

NASA’s Original Source: Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and the archive housed by Arizona State University. A direct link to the photo can be found here: http://tothemoon.ser.asu.edu/gallery/mercury/1#MR-1A-9186-269

STS-75 Comparison

Although not much can be concluded from this, it should be noted. This is not proposed to be an exact match, however, multiple UFOs were seen on Space Shuttle mission STS-75. This is known as the “Tether Incident,” and the objects do have a similarity.

Objects of circular shape were also seen on STS-75, many with a notch of some kind out of the object itself. Again, not an exact match, but the similarity is interesting enough to be noted.

STS-75 and Mercury-Redstone 1A were separated by 36 years on their mission clocks. Keep in mind also with the below, the objects were shot with different camera and technology that was separated by decades.

Possible Explanation?

After posting this case file, The Black Vault received quite a bit of feedback. However, one stuck out as a well thought out, and sourced, explanation for what this could be.  Special thanks to Jon Hunter for taking the time to write in:

Hello,

I just found your site, and I enjoy the extra level of analysis applied to these kind of stories, but I think key points in the story about Mercury photographs were missed.

While there certainly not many objects to be seen in space in November 1960, there were three objects that were right along the capsule’s flight path: the single-stage Redstone rocket that rode all the way up to space, the abort escape tower, and the retro rocket pack.

The reflected mission clock in the pictures gives the information we need to decide if either of these objects could be captured by a camera in the window. According to the Wikipedia article for Mercury 1A, the launch occurred at 16:15 UTC and the capsule landed at 16:30. This fits with the clock: it’s apparently 4:23 when the pictures were taken, or about 8 minutes into the mission. By this point the craft had already rotated 180 degrees away from its forward path, to point the heat shield and retro rockets forward. The nose was angled down 34 degrees. Look at the placement of the window on the sloped surface of the capsule: rotated 34 degrees down, that window would be facing back along the path of the flight, right in the direction the Redstone booster should be.

When the capsule separated from the rocket at T+2:24 minutes, it gained 4.6 m/s of velocity over the rocket, but at T+5:15 minutes the retro rockets provided -168 m/s of total change in velocity, allowing the booster to “catch up,” though on different arcs.

I think the final piece of the puzzle occurred at T+7:15 minutes. The craft detected atmospheric reentry and began a 10 degrees/sec roll for stability. That explains the shifting view of Earth in the window and why the object outside disappears from view between 266 and 268. Then in 269 it is in frame again, flaring. Between 266 and 269 the Redstone booster hit the atmosphere uncontrolled and the visible flare could be hot gases or some other atmospheric effect.

The Redstone booster seems to be the answer that makes the most sense. At 8 minutes into the mission, the window would be facing the area of space the booster would be, right at the time that the booster would be hitting the atmosphere and beginning its uncontrolled and fiery descent. Trying to spot the boosters (like the larger Atlas ones on later missions) was a part of the standard tasks Mercury astronauts tried to complete. It was important for learning about how easily astronauts could orient themselves and targets in space. It was very difficult, but it would have been easier on the short, suborbital flights of Mercury when the capsule rotated 180 degrees just a few minutes into the mission and separation between capsule and booster was relatively small.

I hope this offers a reasonable solution to the mystery, and I’d be interested to know if it makes sense to others.

All the best,
Jon Hunter

The post Unknown Object in 1960 Photographs from Mercury-Redstone 1A first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Unknown Object in 1960 Photographs from Mercury-Redstone 1A appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

The attached photograph was found by Black Vault user “Willease” who submitted it here for dissemination to the public.

Additional details and some analysis are below.

The Photograph

Original Photograph:

(Download a raw .tif file released by NASA. Note: File size is 190MB)

Cropped / Zoomed / Rotated Photograph:

Image Analysis

The following were submitted by “Willease.”

Photograph Data Available

The post Unknown Triangular Object in Apollo 9 Photograph over Chuska Mountains, Arizona – NASA Photo ID: AS09-22-3325 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Unknown Triangular Object in Apollo 9 Photograph over Chuska Mountains, Arizona – NASA Photo ID: AS09-22-3325 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

The following case was submitted to The Black Vault / TBV Investigations on April 22^nd, 2018. It was assigned to TBV Investigations’ researcher Monica Salazar. 

Witness Testimony

The witness submitted the following, short, description of their sighting and video: 

“Distant object, slow moving until the tail end of the video. Started out very bright then became dim as if moving directly away from me.”

The Evidence

The following video was submitted by the witness:

The Analysis

By Monica Salazar, TBV Investigations

I was able to communicate with the witness via email multiple times she was very cooperative when requesting additional info. 

This video was filmed using a cell phone with MP4 1080p capabilities with an average Bitrate of 13.1Mbps and as per the witness; it is at “max zoom” at x10. 

The video was analyzed frame by frame and at slower speeds through windows video editor and Android video shop; however, the video is pretty shaky and grainy making it challenging to examine. 

There were no audible sounds apart from the witness speaking and after speaking with the witness, she did add that the object appeared to be traveling upwards.

In one of the frames about 00:01 sec in to the video, you can see the object the clearest seems like circular shape almost doughnut like. Here is a screen shot:

Conclusion

After carefully examining the video and speaking to the witness, I would conclude there is simply not enough tangible evidence to deem this case solved.

The video is not very stable and since it is zoomed all the way, it is a bit difficult to determine what the object really is. Close by to where this video was taken there is a NASA Airport test facility, and even though there were no test flights at the time of the video (that I could find) it could very well be a NASA drone. 

In brief, I determine this to be “Unidentified, Insufficient Evidence” as there is simply not enough evidence plus the fact that the NASA test facility is close by makes it difficult to determine if it indeed is something unidentified. Overall, despite the video being difficult to analyze, the case is quite compelling and definitely worthy of a conversation.

It will remain archived here in hopes another witness may come forward.

The post UFO over NASA Crows Landing, California – April 21, 2018 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post UFO over NASA Crows Landing, California – April 21, 2018 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Background

On social media, this particular photograph has been passed around in various Facebook groups and websites.

It depicts NASA engineers at Dryden, posing with an unidentified craft in the shape of a flying saucer.

The Photograph

The Analysis

The investigation on this, is very simple, and was easy to conduct.

The hoaxer who created the image, did not even bother to change the photograph identification number. On the photograph in question, you will note it says: E49-059 as a Photo Identification number.

A quick search of the NASA Dryden Photo archives, reveals to real photograph with this ID number, and the buildings, engineers, etc. are identical. 

The hoaxer simply did some fancy Photoshop work – and inserted in a flying saucer to the original photograph, after deleting the actual aircraft.

The Original Photograph

SOURCE at NASA Dryden

Conclusion

With the above evidence, this is clearly, a hoax. 

The post NASA Dryden Photo Depicts Personnel Standing with Flying Saucer / UFO first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post NASA Dryden Photo Depicts Personnel Standing with Flying Saucer / UFO appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Updated March 2016 – Scroll Down For New Photos and Video from NASA

Official NASA Caption: A cluster of mysterious bright spots on dwarf planet Ceres can be seen in this image, taken by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers).

The image, with a resolution of 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel, was taken on June 9, 2015.

What are we looking at?: While taking a photo of the dwarf planet Ceres, NASA’s DAWN spacecraft captured these mysterious and unexplained lights on the surface.

Of course, this could easily be a reflection on ice of something rather mundane, but, NASA scientists have yet to explain whatever it is these lights are. Usually, ice reflections could be somewhat easily proven, however it can not in this case.

Official NASA Source: LINK

Official NASA Press Release in June of 2015: 

Ceres Spots Continue to Mystify in Latest Dawn Images

The closer we get to Ceres, the more intriguing the distant dwarf planet becomes. New images of Ceres from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft provide more clues about its mysterious bright spots, and also reveal a pyramid-shaped peak towering over a relatively flat landscape.

“The surface of Ceres has revealed many interesting and unique features. For example, icy moons in the outer solar system have craters with central pits, but on Ceres central pits in large craters are much more common. These and other features will allow us to understand the inner structure of Ceres that we cannot sense directly,” said Carol Raymond, deputy principal investigator for the Dawn mission, based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Dawn has been studying the dwarf planet in detail from its second mapping orbit, which is 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) above Ceres. A new view of its intriguing bright spots, located in a crater about 55 miles (90 kilometers) across, shows even more small spots in the crater than were previously visible.

At least eight spots can be seen next to the largest bright area, which scientists think is approximately 6 miles (9 kilometers) wide. A highly reflective material is responsible for these spots — ice and salt are leading possibilities, but scientists are considering other options, too.

Dawn’s visible and infrared mapping spectrometer allows scientists to identify specific minerals present on Ceres by looking at how light is reflected. Each mineral reflects the range of visible and infrared-light wavelengths in a unique way, and this signature helps scientists determine the components of Ceres. So, as the spacecraft continues to send back more images and data, scientists will learn more about the mystery bright spots.

In addition to the bright spots, the latest images also show a mountain with steep slopes protruding from a relatively smooth area of the dwarf planet’s surface. The structure rises about 3 miles (5 kilometers) above the surface.

Ceres also has numerous craters of varying sizes, many of which have central peaks. There is ample evidence of past activity on the surface, including flows, landslides and collapsed structures. It seems that Ceres shows more remnants of activity than the protoplanet Vesta, which Dawn studied intensively for 14 months in 2011 and 2012.

Dawn is the first mission to visit a dwarf planet, and the first to orbit two distinct targets in our solar system. It arrived at Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, on March 6, 2015.

Dawn will remain in its current altitude until June 30, continuing to take images and spectra of Ceres in orbits of about three days each. It then will move into its next orbit at an altitude of 900 miles (1,450 kilometers), arriving in early August.

Dawn’s mission is managed by JPL for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate’s Discovery Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital ATK Inc., in Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian Space Agency and Italian National Astrophysical Institute are international partners on the mission team.

For a complete list of mission participants, visit:

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission

More information about Dawn is available at:

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/

and

http://www.nasa.gov/dawn

Additional Photographs Released March 22, 2016

Bright Spots and Color Differences Revealed on Ceres

Scientists from NASA’s Dawn mission unveiled new images from the spacecraft’s lowest orbit at Ceres, including highly anticipated views of Occator Crater, at the 47th annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas, on Tuesday.

Occator Crater, measuring 57 miles (92 kilometers) across and 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) deep, contains the brightest area on Ceres, the dwarf planet that Dawn has explored since early 2015. The latest images, taken from 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface of Ceres, reveal a dome in a smooth-walled pit in the bright center of the crater. Numerous linear features and fractures crisscross the top and flanks of this dome.  Prominent fractures also surround the dome and run through smaller, bright regions found within the crater.

“Before Dawn began its intensive observations of Ceres last year, Occator Crater looked to be one large bright area. Now, with the latest close views, we can see complex features that provide new mysteries to investigate,” said Ralf Jaumann, planetary scientist and Dawn co-investigator at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Berlin. “The intricate geometry of the crater interior suggests geologic activity in the recent past, but we will need to complete detailed geologic mapping of the crater in order to test hypotheses for its formation.”

Color Differences

The team also released an enhanced color map of the surface of Ceres, highlighting the diversity of surface materials and their relationships to surface morphology. Scientists have been studying the shapes of craters and their distribution with great interest. Ceres does not have as many large impact basins as scientists expected, but the number of smaller craters generally matches their predictions. The blue material highlighted in the color map is related to flows, smooth plains and mountains, which appear to be very young surface features.

“Although impact processes dominate the surface geology on Ceres, we have identified specific color variations on the surface indicating material alterations that are due to a complex interaction of the impact process and the subsurface composition,” Jaumann said. “Additionally, this gives evidence for a subsurface layer enriched in ice and volatiles.”

Counting Neutrons

Data relevant to the possibility of subsurface ice is also emerging from Dawn’s Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND), which began acquiring its primary data set in December. Neutrons and gamma rays produced by cosmic ray interactions with surface materials provide a fingerprint of Ceres’ chemical makeup.  The measurements are sensitive to elemental composition of the topmost yard (meter) of the regolith.

In Dawn’s lowest-altitude orbit, the instrument has detected fewer neutrons near the poles of Ceres than at the equator, which indicates increased hydrogen concentration at high latitudes. As hydrogen is a principal constituent of water, water ice could be present close to the surface in polar regions.

“Our analyses will test a longstanding prediction that water ice can survive just beneath Ceres’ cold, high-latitude surface for billions of years,” said Tom Prettyman, the lead for GRaND and Dawn co-investigator at the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona.

The Mystery of Haulani Crater

But the subsurface does not have the same composition all over Ceres, according to data from the visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR), a device that looks at how various wavelengths of sunlight are reflected by the surface, allowing scientists to identify minerals.

Haulani Crater in particular is an intriguing example of how diverse Ceres is in terms of its surface material composition. This irregularly-shaped crater, with its striking bright streaks of material, shows a different proportion of surface materials than its surroundings when viewed with the VIR instrument. While the surface of Ceres is mostly made of a mixture of materials containing carbonates and phyllosilicates, their relative proportion varies across the surface.

“False-color images of Haulani show that material excavated by an impact is different than the general surface composition of Ceres. The diversity of materials implies either that there is a mixed layer underneath, or that the impact itself changed the properties of the materials,” said Maria Cristina de Sanctis, the VIR instrument lead scientist, based at the National Institute of Astrophysics, Rome.

Water at Oxo

Dawn scientists also reported in an LPSC scientific session that the VIR instrument has detected water at Oxo Crater, a young, 6-mile-wide (9-kilometer-wide) feature in Ceres’ northern hemisphere. This water could be bound up in minerals or, alternatively, it could take the form of ice.

Jean-Philippe Combe of the Bear Fight Institute, Winthrop, Washington, said that this water-bearing material could have been exposed during a landslide or an impact — perhaps even a combination of the two events.

Oxo is the only place on Ceres where water has been detected at the surface so far. Dawn will continue to observe this area.

The Big Picture

Dawn made history last year as the first mission to reach a dwarf planet, and the first to orbit two distinct extraterrestrial targets — both of them in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The mission conducted extensive observations of Vesta during its 14-month orbit there in 2011-2012.

“We’re excited to unveil these beautiful new images, especially Occator, which illustrate the complexity of the processes shaping Ceres’ surface. Now that we can see Ceres’ enigmatic bright spots, surface minerals and morphology in high resolution, we’re busy working to figure out what processes shaped this unique dwarf planet. By comparing Ceres with Vesta, we’ll glean new insights about the early solar system,” said Carol Raymond, deputy principal investigator for the Dawn mission, based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

Dawn’s mission is managed by JPL for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate’s Discovery Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital ATK Inc., in Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian Space Agency and Italian National Astrophysical Institute are international partners on the mission team.

How was this photo taken?: This photo was taken by the DAWN Spacecraft.

According to NASA:

Dawn delves into the unknown and achieves what’s never been attempted before. A mission in NASA’s Discovery Program, Dawn orbited and explored the giant protoplanet Vesta in 2011-2012, and now it is in orbit and exploring a second new world, dwarf planet Ceres.

Dawn’s goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of its earliest history by investigating in detail two of the largest protoplanets remaining intact since their formation. Ceres and Vesta reside in the main asteroid belt, the extensive region between Mars and Jupiter, along with many other smaller bodies. Each followed a very different evolutionary path, constrained by the diversity of processes that operated during the first few million years of solar system evolution. When Dawn visits Ceres and Vesta, the spacecraft steps us back in solar system time.

The post A Cluster of Mysterious Bright Spots on Dwarf Planet Ceres first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post A Cluster of Mysterious Bright Spots on Dwarf Planet Ceres appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

What are we looking at? Outside the window during a photograph taken by the crew of STS-88, is a mysterious unidentified object.  Could this be space junk?  The famed Black Knight Satellite?

Download the high resolution photo below for analysis.

The post Black Knight Satellite? Mysterious craft looking object in NASA photo first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Black Knight Satellite? Mysterious craft looking object in NASA photo appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Official NASA Caption: There is no caption given for this photo by NASA.

What are we looking at? Outside the window during a photograph taken by the crew of STS-88, is a mysterious unidentified object.  Could this be space junk?  The famed Black Knight Satellite?

The high resolution photo is available below for download.

High Resolution Photo:

The post Black Knight Satellite? Mysterious craft looking object in NASA photo first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Black Knight Satellite? Mysterious craft looking object in NASA photo appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

What are we looking at? What appears to be multiple cylindrical shaped objects were photographed by the Apollo 9 astronauts while photographing the moon.  Plain and simple, if these are actual “objects” they are HUGE by the looks of it.  What could they be? They do not appear to be artifacts on the film/photo itself.  Add your feedback below.

Original Source at NASA for this photo.

The post Giant Cylindrical Objects Photographed on Apollo 9 Mission first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Giant Cylindrical Objects Photographed on Apollo 9 Mission appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

The following is an archived article first written by Scott McMan in 2013. It was submitted to UFO Casebook, and archived here, with permission.

Brigadier General, James McDivitt, USAF Retired, was the commander on the Gemini IV mission among others. However, it was on that particular space flight in June of 1965 that McDivitt saw what he described in these words:

It had a very definite shape – a cylindrical object – it was white – it had a long arm that stuck out on the side. like a beer can or a pop can, and with a little thing like maybe like a pencil or something sticking out of it.

The video is below.

McDivitt suspected that it was probably very close to the spacecraft, but he was also somewhat confused:

I don’t know whether it was a very small object up close or a very large object a long ways away. There was nothing to judge by. I really don’t know how big it was.

We had two cameras that were just floating in the spacecraft at the time, so I grabbed one and took a picture of (the object) and grabbed the other and took a picture. Then I turned on the rocket control systems because I was afraid we might hit it.

At the time we were drifting – without checking I have no idea which way we were going – but as we drifted up a little farther the sun shone on the window of the spacecraft.

The windshield was dirty – just like in an automobile, you can’t see through it. So I had the rocket control engines going again and moved the spacecraft so that the window was in darkness again – the object was gone.

At the end of the day, it’s all in what you want to believe. There are those who will accept a more conventional explanation and others who are going to claim this is proof of ET.

Whatever you believe, I’m sure McDivitt often wishes he never saw what he saw…

Original Photograph

The original source is taken from (active as of 9/28/21) – http://tothemoon.ser.asu.edu/data_g/G04/Unidentified/full/GT4-37149-039_G04-U_f.png 

Source & References

http://www.ghosttheory.com/2013/10/04/mcdivitt-gemini-ufo-finally-viewable?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GhostTheory+(Ghost+Theory)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb7Gtufrc1E#t=80

The post James McDivitt Gemini UFO Photograph – June 1965 first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post James McDivitt Gemini UFO Photograph – June 1965 appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Official NASA Captions:

Photograph NRB_444283128EDR_F0260000NCAM00251M_.JPG – This image was taken by Navcam: Right B (NAV_RIGHT_B) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 527 (2014-01-29 16:08:16 UTC).

Photograph NLB_444283159EDR_F0260000NCAM00251M_.JPG – This image was taken by Navcam: Left B (NAV_LEFT_B) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 527 (2014-01-29 16:08:48 UTC).

What are we looking at? In two seperate photographs, captured by the Mars rover, there is an object, presumably a rock, that appears to be floating above the ground.  In the second photograph, as the rover’s camera continues to pan to the right, a large circular formation of rocks appears in the frame as well.

It’s interesting to note that a) the alleged “floating rock” appears in multiple photos, from different angles and the illusion is still the same… and b) in the same frame there appears to be a circular formation of rocks not too far away – a second off “anomaly” in the same general area.

What do you think it is? Post your comments below.

Original NASA Sources:

NRB_444283128EDR_F0260000NCAM00251M_.JPG

NLB_444283159EDR_F0260000NCAM00251M_.JPG

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The post Levitating Rock on the Surface of Mars? Captured in 2 Angles first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Levitating Rock on the Surface of Mars? Captured in 2 Angles appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.

Currently, there is no caption available for this photo from NASA.  The cropped and rotated image above was slightly enhanced to bring out clarity, but is untouched and unmanipulated otherwise.

The following, is all known information on this photo:

Electronic Image Data

Camera files only apply to electronic still cameras.

No sound file available.

Identification

Mission: STS088 Roll: 724 Frame: 65 Mission ID on the Film or image: STS88

Country or Geographic Name: OCEAN

Features: PAN-SNGLNT., SPACE DEBRIS

Center Point Latitude: Center Point Longitude: (Negative numbers indicate south for latitude and west for longitude)

Stereo: No (Yes indicates there is an adjacent picture of the same area)

ONC Map ID: M-05 JNC Map ID: 51

Camera

Camera Tilt: High Oblique

Camera Focal Length: 250mm

Camera: HB: Hasselblad

Film: 5069 : Kodak Elite 100S, E6 Reversal, Replaces Lumiere, Warmer in tone vs. Lumiere.

Quality

Film Exposure: Over Exposed

Percentage of Cloud Cover: 90 (76-100)

Nadir

Date: 19981211 (YYYYMMDD)GMT Time: 201641 (HHMMSS)

Nadir Point Latitude: -29.3, Longitude: 8.3 (Negative numbers indicate south for latitude and west for longitude)

Nadir to Photo Center Direction: North

Sun Azimuth: 225 (Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point)

Spacecraft Altitude: 213 nautical miles (394 km)

Sun Elevation Angle: -22 (Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point)

Orbit Number: 118

Original Source: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=STS088&roll=724&frame=65

The post Black Knight Satellite? Mysterious craft looking object in NASA photo first appeared on The Black Vault Case Files.

The post Black Knight Satellite? Mysterious craft looking object in NASA photo appeared first on The Black Vault Case Files.