Page 37 - 20060708 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - July/August 2006

Australian Nessie? 37 37 Australian Nessie? Loch Ness-style reptile Loch Ness-style reptile once swam Australia’s once swam Australia’s inland seas inland seas SOURCE: Gulf Times Newspaper Published: Thursday, 27 July, 2006, 01:13 PM Doha Time SYDNEY: Australian scientists have identified two new species of ancient marine reptile, similar to the mythical Loch Ness monster, that swam in an Australian outback sea 115mn years ago. The reptiles, named Umoonasaurus and Opallionectes, belonged to the Plesiosaurs group that included a “killer whale” type predator of the Jurassic period, palaeontologist Benjamin Kear from the University of Adelaide said yesterday. Kear, whose team studied 30 opalised First Men On Moon fossils mainly from around the outback mining First Men On Moon mishap. town of Coober Pedy in South Australia state, Aldrin, now 76, interviewed by the Who Saw UFO said the long-necked marine reptiles swam in Who Saw UFO documentary makers, narrated how he found to the shallow water of an inland sea that once his dismay that a vital switch got damaged as existed in central Australia. one of the astronauts brushed against it in a Freezing polar water covered large parts bulky spacesuit. of Australia 115mn years ago when the island He said as he looked around some of the continent was located much closer to lunar dust on the floor, he found there was Antarctica. something that did not belong to the Moon a The Umoonasaurus was about 2.4m broken part of a circuit breaker. That was a vital long and had three crest-like ridges on its skull. link for the trio to return to the earth in safety. “Imagine a compact body with four "In the countdown procedure, I used a flippers, a reasonably long neck, small head and pen, one of several that we had on board that short tail, much like a reptilian seal,” Kear said didn't have metal on the end, and we used that in a statement. to push the circuit breaker in." The Opallionectes was much larger at The documentary provides an account 6m, with masses of needle teeth used to trap of the crisis when the landing module was small fish and squid. thrown off course by a computer breakdown as Kear said most of the fossils found were it was about to land. Armstrong managed to of juvenile creatures, leading the scientists to land with just 15 seconds of fuel left. believe they had discovered a seasonal breeding There were problems about escape ground for the ancient reptiles. procedures for the astronauts. Classified “Both these plesiosaurs are new to documents that have been made public indicate science,” he said. Source: MIL/Agencies, Jul 27, 2006 NASA never told the astronauts the escape “These animals are part of an ecosystem procedures could be useless as they would work which is the equivalent of modern Antarctica. New York - A new documentary reveals only if the Saturn V rocket that powered their There is nowhere else in the world where you the US was so eager to show its one-upmanship craft had broken off. have this clear indicator of freezing over Russians during the Cold War that it The US government had ordered ground environments, together with marine reptiles.” launched the mission to Moon without much control to cut links with the astronauts if a Kear said learning about the new species could scientific precision or the required precautions. disaster occurred. They was more concerned help with a response to climate change. The mission came to be launched in about the world watching. “Placing the marine reptile fauna, which Aldrin also revealed that he and other in itself is virtually unknown, together with an hope rather than in expectation. The astronauts had reported seeing a UFO during the documentary, Apollo 11: The Untold Story, environment that is totally unique, you’ve got brings out several lacunae that would have flight, but Nasa had covered it up. He said, the potential to find all sorts of things,” he said. caused a disaster. "There was something out there, close enough “What we’re looking at is fauna change The uncertainty was so strong that the to be observed, and what could it be? in response to climate change, and that’s a very then US president Richard Nixon had even Obviously, we weren't going to blurt out, large problem that we’re experiencing today,” prepared an address to the nation announcing 'Hey Houston, we've got something moving Kear said. “This is giving us clues to understand that the three astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin alongside of us and we don't know what it is,' how ecosystems alter over long periods of time Aldrin and Michael Collins had died in a space you know?" [] in response to the climate.” – Agencies