Is this the Aurora in a satelite pic?

You have voted BlaznRob for the Way Above Top Secret award

good job

Besides the fact that it is just a retouched copy of the April 2000 satellite image, both F-16XL airframes are in non-flyable storage at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. They have been there since long before this type of satellite image was available to the public.

For starters all satellites are tracked and the staff at Groom Lake make sure that the secret aircraft are concealed while they fly over. Of course an accident could have been made but its pretty unlikely knowing the strict sanctions on US personell at the base Im pretty sure they are extremely cautious about Russian satellites!

Also the aircraft in the satellite is clearly not the F-16XL that a previous poster showed. In the top down image of the F-16XL you can see that it has one engine exhaust while the mystery aircraft has two and the wing extensions on the F-16XL sweep backwards from the rest of the wing whereas those on the mystery craft dont do this.

I think this is probably fake, a reasonable one though. I can see why people would be fooled by it but I agree with a previous poster who said that the explanation of it being "lost" or something by a satellite is inconcievable!

hi all,

I guess this is the nasa crv...just a guess

the two shadows you´r callin exausts may b infact the elevators/flaps
pictures

fred

[edit on 6/10/06 by derfred33]

The NASA X-38 CRV technology demonstrator was painted white on top (unlike the black vehicle in the retouched satellite image). Also the X-38 was only tested at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards. It never went to Groom Lake.

Again, I reiterate that this image is a hoax. It is a retouched version of the April 2000 satellite image. The lighting and shadows on the buildings are absolutely identical, as is the angle from which the image was taken.

Originally posted by chinawhite

You have voted BlaznRob for the Way Above Top Secret award

good job

I never saw a WATS vote given for being completely wrong before, but maybe I'm just not looking hard enough.

Whatever the picture is, and I am interested in the 'fake' angle if anyone can explain how it is a fake or show the original, one thing that it plainly is not is an F-16, XL or otherwise. It may be distant and blurred but it is still obvious, for instance the F-15 nearby is quite patently an F-15 and nothing else. This mystery shape just looks nothing like the F-16XL, and for the sake of being fair minded I have tried really hard to see some F-16 in it, but there's just nothing there to convince me at all.

I agree with Shadowhawk.... seems a bit hoaky. The shadow of the vehicle next to the unidentified jet doesn't seem to match up to the shadows on the hanger itself. It's a bit difficult to tell.

Like gfad pointed out, why would they leave Aurora parked for all satellites to see? A super-spy plane would most likely be launched at night to avoid such things. I would suspect Aurora isn't one craft but a codename for continued research in advanced aerodynamics - aerospace vehicles.

If this unidentified craft is in fact the Aurora (that we all dream about), then we should be disappointed to see that it isn't super duper fast. Notice the shape of the craft looks nothing like the SR-71. The reason the SR-71 has the long nose/neck and the wings located so far to the rear of the craft is for reallly fast air travel. This design curtails the bow shockwave because most of the surface area is located to the rear of the craft. The craft in the pic is not designed this way.

Its probably a liftingbody/re-entry vehicle of some sort. It looks like the X-33 more than the F-16 XL too. It was later publicly associated with the F-15 which tested its TPS- Thermal Protection Systems.

The F-16 XL is too short at 54 feet, less than the F-15's 63 feet but the X-33 is just right at 68 feet.

Another thing which discredits this photo is that the poster claims that it was taken in 1968, yet Hangar 18 at Groom Lake (the one depicted in the photo) wasn't built until the mid-1980s!

Looks a little fake. Compare it to the F-15. The F-15 has a definite 3D appearance with a slight shadow. This looks more like a 2D image that has been added or a shadow.

Originally posted by Shadowhawk
The NASA X-38 CRV technology demonstrator was painted white on top (unlike the black vehicle in the retouched satellite image). Also the X-38 was only tested at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards. It never went to Groom Lake.

Again, I reiterate that this image is a hoax. It is a retouched version of the April 2000 satellite image. The lighting and shadows on the buildings are absolutely identical, as is the angle from which the image was taken.

okay then, the subject master is you

fred

You can study the original image at:

www.fas.org...

Well, the first thing I'll say is that the "other" a/c is a Raptor. I'd insert a picture, but I can't make it work. First, look at the paint, second the shape. This puts it post 2000. I've seen the ac before - I'll find it again.......

Can't be an F-22 cause it's delta configuration. It ain't got no wings sticken' out!

desert Fox, definitely aint no Raptor, look at the tail geometry for a start. Apart from the fact that the wing is the wrong shape for an F-22 but just happens to be exactly right for an F-15 (look at the cut off tips for example, a trademark of the F-15).

Its the black thingy thats the mysterious image, even if they were both added artificially to the image. incidentally, F-15's have carried that scheme for many years.

I don't think this is the plane pictured, but the Vulcan bomber was used in the 60's

en.wikipedia.org...:Vulcan.delta.arp.jpg