Discovery sights “Flying Saucer”

From the Philadelphia Daily Telegraph

The crew of the NASA space shuttle Discovery sighted a UFO Wednesday night, while on a mission to facilitate repairs to the Hubble Space telescope. The UFO approached the shuttle and then left at an incredibly fast rate. Contact was made first visually by the crew, and then by radar. NASA is still investigating the origin of the UFO.

At approximately 10:15 PM EST, during the crew’s morning exercise routine, Astronaut Michael Sediway spotted the object through the starboard window. He then called to the other crewmembers, Flight Engineer Jeff Davis and Mission Commander Jim Nader, who verified what he saw. The crew then began tracking the UFO by radar. The UFO flew within two nautical miles of the Discovery, flashed a red light toward the ship, changed direction and flew away in a north by northeast direction (relative to the Discovery) for about 12 nautical miles, when it flew outside of the radar’s range. The entire encounter lasted less than a minute.. NORAD, NASA, and other space agencies were contacted, but they could not confirm the sighting.

It isn’t uncommon for NASA to make contact with UFOs (which are usually later identified as satellites or space junk); this is the first time a UFO was close enough to be made out by the naked human eye. According to Sediway, the object was flat and round in shape, resembling a “flying saucer”. Still, no markings or insignias could be made out by the naked eye. The craft, as well as the light, was not seen by any of the shuttle’s onboard cameras. The shuttle’s radar fixed it as 2 times the size of the Space Shuttle Discovery, that’s approximately 1 ½ times the size of a 767. Also, the craft traveled a length of 10 nautical miles in less than one minute, indicating that it was traveling at an incredible rate. Further, this is the first time a NASA astronaut has officially described a UFO as a “flying saucer”.

As to its origin, NASA is investigating. The only thing known is that it is not a NASA spacecraft. All other nations and space agencies capable of space travel were contacted.

The White House issued the following statement: “It is premature, pending a thorough NASA investigation, to comment or speculate about this sighting by the space shuttle Discovery.”

NASA spokesperson Ace Atwood added, “The White House wants to emphasize, as would we, that there is no reason to believe that the crew is in any danger or that we are in danger or in peril from this incident.”

The Discovery mission will go as planned. If seen again, they are ordered to track the object, but not to pursue.

Men...

Patience my dear.

Patience.

The game begins soon. All will be explained.

Feel free to post any questions you may have.

[ooc] Lobotomy History

I don't know where, but I think I'm going to use this as source material.

[ooc] Con X 2.0 Blog

To the readers, added to the links on the sidebar is a new blog created by one of the developers of Conspiracy X 2.0. It's basically a look at conspiracy and paranormal theories, tying it all into the game.

Might be interesting reading.

http://whatisaegisprime.blogspot.com/

Celebrity Profile: Austin Marriot

*This character should appear in everyone's background as a some-time contact:

People Magazine
About Town

When heir apparant Austin Marriot isn't seen with sexy actor boyfriends Evan Jones and Tom Flynn, she's looking for UFOs. No, we're not kidding. The wealthy socialite views the paranormal, UFOlogy, and other New Age-ey things as a hobby, though has yet to join the Church of Hollywood, the infamous Church of Scientology.

"I don't let it distract me," she said in an interview with Cynthia Tewalt. "It's a fun thing to do on the side." She avoided further comment.

Although she's known for her outgoing, charismatic personality, she keeps most of her life shrouded in secrecy. Occasionally she can be seen enjoying the nightlife or raising money for her favored charity of the moment. This has included everything from the People United for the Protection of Peaceful Extra Terrestrials to the Kaballah Movement to Free Tibet. Though when asked by NBC to star in a rival to FOX's "The Simple Life", she flatly refused, despite how much money would be raised for whatever charity she chose.

Though considered one of the most eligible bachelorettes, past relationships and boyfriends have had nothing but negative things to say, describing her as "arrogant" and "stand offish". Strange thing to say from the celebrity crowd, wouldn't you say?

PUPPET UFOlogy Con

PUPPET UFOlogy Convention 2005 to land in Philadelphia.

UFOs, aliens, and people in dreadful costumes will descend upon Philadelphia at the end of the month.

"This is serious science," prominent UFOlogist Dr. Sarah Hine of the People United for Protection of Peaceful Extra Terrestrials, told our reporters. "Despite the reputation that the media has given us, many people believe in the work that we do. It is our intention to discuss methods of proving their existence to the public. This coming convention hope to debut this proof to the world."

"The reputation that Dr. Hine refers to is not badly-deserved. The pseudo-science of UFOlogy, extraterrestrials, and generally everything this convention represents is about the science of not having evidence. The mere fact that the government witholds details of experimental plane crashes is offered up as proof that they are taking technology from an alien race. Whilst it may be an explanation for the evidence at hand, it is an implausible one based on little, if any, fact at all." Professor Harlan Eldridge of Penn State University had to say. "This is not to say that there isn't some legitimate science in this field - but that is the science of possibility, not of fact."

Still, the annual convention has a habit of drawing a loyal audience from all over the state, if not the country. On November 28, Dr. Hine promises "new evidence that will rock the world of UFOlogy forever." This may just be pre-convention hype, but it also may be, as she calls it, the "first step toward legitimating the science."

DAVID HOLLAND for the Philadelphia Inquirer.