Page 54 - March 2019 - v1_june_july_2009.qxd

54 25 Space Conspriacies

25 Space Conspiracies

That Conspiracy Theorists

Do Their Best To Keep

Alive... For Now

Continued from Page 52

Alien spacecraft caused a mysterious
explosion.
Back in 2004, an expedition of Russian
researchers working in Siberia claimed to have
discovered "an extraterrestrial device" close to
where the mysterious Tunguska explosion
occurred. Scientists still aren't sure exactly what
it was that blew up in the sky over Siberia that
day in 1908, but the leading theory is that it was
a large meteorite or an asteroid.
The Tunguska incident flattened
hundreds of square miles of forest, and signs of
the destruction were visible even decades
afterward. At the time, news reports claimed that
evidence of aliens was found at the site, but this
claim was never substantiated. "The Russian to life as we know it; the surface is baked with So they must be in space, right?
team stupidly stated long before they went to radiation, the "air" is mostly carbon dioxide and There's no way a balloon can get into
Siberia that the main intention of their there's not much atmospheric pressure. space, and simple physics explains why. When a
expedition was to find the remnants of an alien balloon rises into the sky, the air inside will
I just saw a bright UFO! expand in response to the dropping atmospheric
spaceship," Benny Peiser, a researcher at
Liverpool John Moores University in the U.K., It's a familiar trope for police stations pressure and eventually pop. Even Felix
told Space.com. "And bingo! A week later, that's and astronomy writers. From time to time, Baumgartner's stunning high-altitude balloon
what they claim to have found." somebody will call (or write) in to say they just jump in 2012 was not actually from space, but
saw a UFO in the sky. They spotted a bright light from the stratosphere, which extends to roughly
UFO was caught "refueling" at the around sunset, or saw a light moving around in 31 miles (50 kilometers) above the Earth's
an unfamiliar way. surface. At that altitude the air is thin enough to
sun.
While every situation is different, one see the blackness of space, but thick enough to
NASA has a fleet of sun-gazing
common explanation for "UFOs" is actually support special high-altitude balloons. The
spacecraft that keep an eye on space weather,
another extraterrestrial object: Venus. Venus can boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer
especially during solar eruptions. In 2012,
be extremely bright when it's at its closest, space is about twice as high as the upper limits
telescopic images appeared to show something
because it's relatively near Earth. The planet is of the stratosphere.
in the shadows. On YouTube, some viewers said
also extremely reflective because the sun's light
this could be a UFO that was refueling by using bounces off the clouds. So before calling to say There are canals on Mars.
the solar plasma.
you've spotted a UFO, check your sky charts! Author Percival Lowell became one of
space's first popularizers when he wrote many
However, NASA pointed out that the feature is books for the general public back in the late
actually something called a "prominence," NASA can travel faster than light. 1800s and early 1900s. In these books and other
which has cooler and denser plasma than the If you've seen the "Star Trek" clips that writings, he said there were canals on Mars built
outer atmosphere of the sun, or the corona. show the Enterprise spaceship warping into
Scientists are still trying to figure out how solar another sector, you might have wondered how by an intelligent civilization, perhaps to move
fast NASA is making progress on being able to water into desert-stricken areas. He claimed to
prominences develop, but they're pretty sure it
move at the speed of light. The EmDrive has have seen the canals in his own telescope, and
has nothing to do with aliens.
created years of speculation, with some produced several sketches that are still available
breathlessly saying NASA must be on the verge on the internet today.
There is a ______ on Mars!
of breaking the famed barrier. There are no artificial canals on Mars.
With NASA's Opportunity and Curiosity
In reality, NASA is downplaying the Several spacecraft have flown by the planet or
rovers regularly taking pictures of the Martian
reports. The engine in question is a prototype orbited it, and not one has caught signs of aliens
surface, viewers have the chance to check out
that is producing some interesting results, such from orbit. What they have seen, however, are
what they're doing in almost real time. NASA
as appearing to create thrust when there was no smaller channels that were created by nature –
puts the raw images online for the public to see.
reason for this to happen – and thereby violating likely from water, ice or other processes that
But over the years, some weird shapes have
Newton's Third Law of Motion. That said, cause erosion. (Continued on Page 56)
cropped up. In 2008, for example, the
NASA has not yet verified the results from these
Opportunity rover appeared to photograph a
tests, and the engine has not been widely
female figure. Other photos have shown things
discussed in peer-reviewed research
shaped like animals, spoons or other items.
You can imagine that, with all of the
We've launched balloons into space!
rocks available on Mars, some of them would
With the advent of high-resolution,
happen to look like familiar objects. In fact, the
miniature cameras, several people have decided
human brain tends to perceive meaningful
to strap these cameras on to high-altitude
images in random patterns — a phenomenon
balloons and take pictures from up high. They've
known as pareidolia.
When evaluating the claims, consider caught glimpses of blackness and, at times,
that the Martian environment is extremely harsh taken interesting tiny passengers along (such as
these Lego pieces and a Canadian flag in 2012).