106 lines
5.1 KiB
Plaintext
106 lines
5.1 KiB
Plaintext
SUBJECT: THE INVESTIGATOR'S EDGE SERIES FILE: UFO2475
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PART 2
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THE INVESTIGATOR'S EDGE from Dan Wright's newsletter April 23, 1990
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On a balmy, starlit night in 1986, two men were engaged in fishing
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and conversation in the midst of a northern Michigan lake.
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Suddenly, one called the other's attention to a brilliant light
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approaching from the north. For nearly two minutes, they were
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captivated by the source passing high overhead on a straight-line
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course. Appearing basically white at first, the "sparkling" object
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took on an amber tone before it passed from view on the southern
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horizon.
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Moments later and a hundred miles to the south, several adults and
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teens witnessed the anomaly while lazing outside their cottage.
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They observed orange-ish tones and noticed two or three smaller lights
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"eject" from the main body, thereafter travelling in tight formation
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with the sparkling "mothership".
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As the objects passed to the west of Detroit and into Ohio, still
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heading south, radio and TV stations were besieged with calls. Some
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described the objects as no more than a thousand feet overhead.
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Those in more remote, quiet locales attached a slight hissing sound
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to what were now six or more small glowing objects in irregular
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formation. On and on went the intruders, observed by thousands over
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Kentucky and Tennessee.
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Less than an hour after the initial sighting, a call was placed to
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NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), located on
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Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Without hesitation, the officer
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related the details of a Soviet Soyuz rocket booster reentering the
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atmosphere over American airspace.
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Several points bear mention concerning reentries. First, at any
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given time, NORAD's height-finder radar is tracking several
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_thousand_ objects that are in static or slowly decaying orbits
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around the earth. These range from intact satellites to pieces of
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debris as small as a softball. Excepting those retrieved via space
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shuttle, with increasing frequency each will fall through the
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atmosphere.
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Second, our planet collides with common meteors by the ton on a daily
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basis as well as in the form of annual meteor showers. [The latter are
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ice trails of ancient comets and range in size from a grain of sand to
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small stone.] Comparatively, then, even a softball-sized hunk of metal
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from an earlier exploded launch vehicle can create quite a stir as it
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slowly disintegrates through the atmosphere.
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Third, its burn is far longer than a typical shooting star also because
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the angle of descent is not steep. On a clear night the sighting
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duration is commonly about two minutes from horizon to horizon
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(_usually_ east-to-west, though S-N and N-S also occur).
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Fourth, this display evokes a variety of colors, depending on the
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composition of the metal and especially the altitude (thus internal heat
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generated) at the point it is observed. Initially, observers generally
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see a whit light, followed by amber/orange, and possibly other hues.
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Fifth, very typically in a reentry, witnesses describe a holiday
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"sparkler" (actually disintegration) effect, changing coloration (due to
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the slowing speed and increasing atmospheric density) and, quite often,
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a fragmenting of the main body (thus reports of a "mothership" ejecting
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smaller "crafts").
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Sixth, reentries are nearly always seen over wide expanses, often
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encompassing a few or several states.
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Seventh, the witnesses tend to grossly underestimate the object's
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altitude (total disintegration usually occurs above 15,000 feet) and
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overestimate its actual size.
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Eighth, the anomaly is (logically) always said to be traveling in a
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straight and horizontal path overhead. Even when fragments are observed
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splitting from the main body, they continue along the same course (i.e.
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without an abrupt directional change).
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Whenever these characteristics are present, it is proper (and usually
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worthwhile) to contact Peterson AFB, asking for the public affairs
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office. That person will contact the NORAD facility.
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Being a bureaucrat myself and so suspicious about government agencies, I
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present the inquiry simply: "We had an event this evening in (named
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state(s)). Did NORAD record a reentry?" That is, the time, directional
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course and duration should not be offered; let them do the
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corroborating. If in reality the nocturnal light was a reentry, you
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will probably be given much detail (the particular space launch and
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date, moment the debris first entered the atmosphere, duration of the
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burn, and area where it was presumed to flame out).
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There are two types of events for which you will _not_ likely receive a
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helpful reply. One would entail secret military testing in space (e.g.
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SDI target practice). The other would be a genuine UFO event. Either
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claimed ignorance or a "can neither confirm nor deny" response is likely
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in those situations. Since it could be either, however, reticence to
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answer your questions does not necessarily imply an anomaly.
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**********************************************
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* THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo *
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