Posted on 09/19/2006 8:53:59 AM PDT by Kaslin
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA mission controllers are tracking a mystery object hovering between the space shuttle Atlantis and Earth, and traveling at roughly the same speed as the orbiter, agency officials said Tuesday.
“Right now they’re just tying to figure out exactly what it is, how far away it is,” NASA spokesperson Kimberly Harle told SPACE.com. “It’s pretty much assessing the whole situation.”
arle said that at 2:45 a.m. EDT (0645 GMT), just after Atlantis completed a check of its reaction control thrusters, the instrumentation and communications officer at NASA’s shuttle Mission Control room at Johnson Space Center noted an object between the orbiter and Earth, and traveling at about the same speed of the spacecraft.
Flight controllers are now using video cameras mounted along Atlantis’ robotic arm and payload bay to survey visible areas of the orbiter, including its wing leading edges and other vital heat shield areas, Harle said.
“Everything is still under assessment,” Harle said.
For now, Atlantis’ STS-115 shuttle crew will not stow their Ku-band antenna – the primary video and data link to Earth – to allow flight controllers to continue to study the object.
NASA is broadcasting Atlantis’ STS-115 mission to the ISS live via NASA TV. You are invited to follow the shuttle's progress using SPACE.com's NASA TV feed, which is available by clicking here or using the button at the left.
Can moonbats fly in space?
Its the Mothership and we are all in trouble (women and minorities to be hit hardest)!!!
abc top of the hour news,,
Atlantis did take 'some kind of hit' this morning, landing will be delayed until situation is further assessed
SPECTRE
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SOROS :-}
Thailand
They are showing it on NASA TV now, during the briefing.
Bill Hemmer on FOX is talking about it right now. Showed it on video.
it is a hologram coming from Karl Rove's secret moon base.
Someone said on "Coast to Coast with George Noory" that on the 1969 moon walk with Armstrong & Aldrin, the astronauts were surrounded by hovering crafts.
The spaceship has arrived. Are you ready to board?
Could someone post a picture of it?
Black thing going along parallel to the shuttle.
NASA just said something shook loose off the shuttle, and they need to find out what it was, whether it was important or not. Jeez, where are the new space vehicles?
Klingons circling Uranus?
They know what it is...
It just takes a while to corrolate the known tracks of debris in orbit to what that actually is...
I saw a story on the stuff they track and its a pretty amazing list of junk up there...
I think I recall they can track/identify objects effectively down to the size of a garbage can lid...Maybe some smaller stuff too...
Most of it, over time, the orbits begin to degrade enough where it comes back in and burns up...
I have not seen the video Fox has shown yet...If its not demonstrating a dynamic orbital change in altitude or direction, its a piece of debris...Bet you a dollar to a donut hole thats what it is...
Somebody says that on Coast almost every day. Aldrin denied it.
spaceflightnow.com
1544 GMT (11:44 a.m. EDT)
LANDING DELAYED. Atlantis will remain in orbit an extra day while the NASA mission managers analyze footage of a mystery object seen floating near the shuttle this morning and determine whether more inspections of the heat shield will be required before re-entry.
A news conference is coming up at 12 noon EDT.
I haven't seen it, either.
Too bad your question went unanswered by those that have.
I Pray they will be safe and land without problems.
:O)
P
It is a smaller black looking object that is flying along with the shuttle, but is really to far away to make out.
Thx!
If the object I saw in the video came from the shuttle, then the shuttle is missing a huge chunk.
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