33 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
33 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
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Zimbabwe UFO
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Back in 1985, a round object topped with a cone was seen by dozens of people
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over the skies of Zimbabwe. With pilots, air traffic controllers, and
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civilians among the witnesses, that country turned to aeronautical experts
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for an explanation. Now, a year and a half later, Zimbabwe's Air Commodore
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David Thorne sees no explanation in sight. "We have not been able to
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identify the object," he says. "We have had to classify it as a UFO."
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Although he didn't personally witness the object, Thorne reports that "the
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craft was spotted as it streaked over southern Zimbabwe. Then air traffic
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controllers watched it hover and tracked it on radar. 2 Air Force jets went
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after the object, and the pilots described it as incredibly shiny, reflecting
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the colors of the sunset. Our estimates indicate that the UFO was traveling
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at twice the speed of sound. And when it got dark outside, we realized the
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object was emitting its own light. Our pilots are completely reliable,"
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Thorne contends. "This cannot be dismissed as a plane, weather balloon, or
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natural phenomenon."
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But UFO skeptic James Oberg has his doubts. "The evidential value of
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unresearchable sightings in Zimbabwe is zero, however sincere the witnesses,"
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he says. "Besides, pilots are not always calm, dispassionate observers.
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They tend to perceive any visual stimulus in its most dangerous possible
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configuration -- as another craft. That's a good characteristic of a safe
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pilot, but not a good characteristic of a UFO witness." Oberg also points out
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that "Zimbabwe is sort of on the edge of the civilized world in terms of
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tracking things that might cause this kind of UFO report -- like Russian and
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South African reconnaissance planes that, I'm sure, are flying over that
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airspace."
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