'UFO streaks through Martian Sky'

[emad]

By Dr David Whitehouse
BBC News Online science editor


The US Spirit rover on Mars has seen a UFO streak across the Red Planet sky. Astronomers say it could be the first meteor seen from the surface of another world, or a redundant orbiting spacecraft sent to Mars 30 years ago. "We may never know, but we are still looking for clues," said Dr Mark Lemmon, from Texas A&M University. Whatever it was, Spirit was lucky to catch sight of the UFO as the rover's main mission is to look downwards to study rocks and soil on the planet.

Only occasionally does it raise its sights towards the sky to study the atmosphere of Mars. But it was on just such an occasion when Spirit was observing the sky with the green filter of its panoramic camera that the roving geologist came across the surprise - a streak across the peach-coloured Martian heavens. Mission controllers say the streak was probably the brightest object in the sky at the time.
If the UFO was not a shooting a star then it could have been one of seven out-of-commission spacecraft that still orbit Mars.

From the object's motion, scientists do not think it was the Russian probes Mars 2, Mars 3, Mars 5, or Phobos 2; or the American probes Mariner 9 or Viking 1. That leaves Viking 2, which has a polar orbit that would fit with the north-south orientation of the streak.
In addition, only Viking 1 and 2 are in orbits that could produce the type of motion as fast as that seen by Spirit.

Edit:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3520636.stm

Maybe it's one of Shrub's prototypes with Paul O'Neil on board, hehe...

[northzax]

1. ok, hold it

exactly how many 'redundant' space craft are orbiting Mars anyway? don't they know?

[Zero Gravitas]

2. Seven

according to the article.

[northzax]

14. exactly. seven

how freaking hard is it for NASA to keep track of seven things orbiting a planet? I could see having trouble with eight or nine, but seven? child's play.

and wouldn't it make sense to have some idea of those orbits? you know so our new craft don't like hit them or something?

[LifeDuringWartime]

15. im sure it would be

if they had the kind of funding the defense department has.

[daleo]

3. This will be good for a few books by Hoagland

Plenty of raw material here for UFO enthusiasts. I admit, I enjoy a good UFO conspiracy myself, although I am basically agnostic on the subject.

[soleft]

4. link isn't working

[madrchsod]

5. aliens have disrupted

the link..they are tapping the Internet looking for intelligent life...

[emad]

7. Having totally discarded Free Republic and the Drudge Report

as being devoid of that senient characteristic...

[emad]

6. Try:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3520636.stm

[DrWeird]

8. I suppose they ruled out Phobos and Deimos.

They're just small asteroid like moons, but they orbit very low and very fast. Must be fun to watch.

[RedCloud]

9. Why do Martians put up with us?

7 satellites still orbiting their planet. I guess the Martians know there is life somewhere else. Why can't we have space debris from some other planet reminding us each day?

Too bad (orbiting extraterrestrial satellites) for national security forces and enthusiasts and their deranged beliefs that they can protect us because they are rabid, but what about other places on our planet that don't even have such national security branches to mislead their people? They don't see our planet being violated either.

Our satellites violate Star trek's mandate on First Contact. We shouldn't scare the Martians who are obviously hiding in the warm core of their planet, selfishly hoarding the water and oil!

[JusticeForAll]

21. Of course the martians are pissed!

Can't you tell from the big asteroid they hurled at us? (They used Metric instead of English measurements in their calculations resulting in their near miss)

:)

[ret5hd]

10. Obviously it was a Martian IGBM...

(intra-galactic ballistic missile)

AND IT'S HEADING OUR WAY!

They're tired of our shit.

[MGKrebs]

11. Tired of our shit for good reason...

We squashed one of them already!

[ret5hd]

12. oh man, we are SO hosed.

[tabasco]

19. They'll be showing off their heat ray soon.

They're getting tired of trespassers.

[northzax]

13. see, that's why we need missile defense

not because North Korea (snort) is gonna launch on us, but for the MARTIANS, see? Right now we have NO defense against a possible invasion from Mars, none. And I think it may be John Kerry's fault, I wrote him a letter years ago warning of the imminent threat from MArtians. And he did nothing. When your children are working in the Xenon mines of Alpha 6, remember that it's all John Kerry's fault.

[yella_dawg]

16. I was looking at the moon through a hobbyist's telescope once

and saw a dark object moving across the field of view. I tripped, thinking I'd glimpsed a satellite or some space junk between me and the moon. Whereupon I realized that the object was in sharp focus, the telescope was focused on the moon's surface, and that we don't have any satellites around the moon. At that point, I truly did trip out.

[belle]

24. Wow. What do you think it could have been?

[ithacan]

17. it's Saddam's WMD!!!!

he didn't send them to Syria, he sent them to Mars! Of course, god of war and all that!!

[GregW]

18. It's a shark! With a friggin' laser!

:eyes:

[SoundWave]

20. ...

funny stuff

[JusticeForAll]

25. Oh my God

I am doubled over with laughter at your post, GregW

[Almost_there]

26. All I want are friggin sharks with friggin lasers attached to their heads!

I think it was Ayman al-Zawahri after his ass just got blown up by a Pakistani morter.

Well... wishful thinking.

I am pretty sure it would have been something logical, like the WMD's that Osama Hussein, I mean Saddam bin Lade... no. Saddamn Hussein! hid in Syria for safe keeping.

[Jackpine Radical]

22. Hey, Urglok.

What is that damn thing down there?

[Qutzupalotl]

23. Maybe the face on Mars

sneezed.
:)