What's this? Current Shuttle mission spacewalk picture..

No one seems to have noticed or is discussing this image posted by Wildone106 showing the "lack of boom"



original url
spaceflight1.nasa.gov...

Four "dots" can also be seen in the background of this image,
this is just a crop of the above image, no enlargements, no enhancements:



This image was posted by free spirit. It is from the same angle of the space station, but from a different mission (different date).



original url
spaceflight1.nasa.gov...

This is the same image cropped, no enlargements, no enhancements:


And this is the cropped version enlarged by 200%


It appears that the four dots that can be found in image s117e06878 are also in image s118e08009, however two of the dots seem to be obscured by part of the space station.

My question is, would "lens flare" be visible next to such a bright, high contrasting object like this? Perhaps Jritzmann would care to comment on this.

It seems to me that these dots are behind that portion of the space station.

This is interesting.

In this image the light is actually on and facing the camera. Very classic lens flare from the light source can be seen here.



original url
spaceflight1.nasa.gov...

It also appears to be about the same distance away from the light source and with the same orientation as the dots in the other images.

Perhaps it is just lens flare after all. Although I do find the s117e08009 image to be interesting. As I understand lens flare, it is a play of light across the camera lens, making the flare effect the closest thing to the film, and therefore the top most layer of the image. Lens flare should cover over everything else in the picture. In the s117e08009 image the flare effect is either lost in the brightness of the space station, or those dots really do go behind the space station.

Someone who knows more about image enhancement than myself should be looking at these.

Originally posted by daystrom

This image was posted by free spirit. It is from the same angle of the space station, but from a different mission (different date).



It seems to me that these dots are behind that portion of the space station.

You are incorrect daystrom. The photo I posted is from the STS-118
mission. Check the photo again and see at the bottom the ID by NASA
as S118E08009 taken in August 15, 2007. Are we clear ?

Also it will be important to refer the photos in discussion as the S-Band
Antenna Sub-Assembly images because that's what they are.
Check again your post and the sources.

Free Spirit,

The image you are attempting to correct me on is indeed s118e08009 originally posted by you on 20-8-2007 @ 07:06 PM. I resized it to not clutter the thread, but included the original url for the NASA photograph.

I'm sorry if this was confusing to you or to anyone else.

I found that image interesting because two of the four dots can also be seen in it (two being obscurred by the space station) and because image s117e06878, also from the same angle, shows four dots in the same pattern and orientation.

Later, I found image s117e07888, which clearly depicts lens flare. The lens flare in this image seems to follow the pattern and orientation of the dots discussed in the other images.

At first I felt that the dots in s118e08009 went behind the space station, ruling out lens flare or reflection effects. After finding s117e07888 I am no longer quite so certain.

Someone with more image manipulation skills than myself needs to look at these.

What is your opinion of the lens flare as seen in s117e07888 compared to the dots seen in the other images?

Originally posted by daystrom

What is your opinion of the lens flare as seen in s117e07888 compared to the dots seen in the other images?

Just to be clear. Photo s117e07888 is from the Atlantis mission STS-117.

The photo s117e07888 shows a different thing known a lens reflection
by the sunlight clearely visible. You have the point where the sunlight
is hitting the lamp and the flares are created, very common effect but
definitelly different from the other photos from the STS-118.

I think photo s117e07888 is an example of what the anomalies in the
STS-118 photos are not: flares. The set of photos taken on August
15 during the spacewalk present four defined round lights on the
background consistent with the position the camera adopted in
every photo. The light reflection is only created when applying
the filter to increase the brightness contrast as I explained.

The set of photos was taken in sequence then the four lights must
have been there at that moment. These are high resolution photos
and I don't see any light source creating a posible flare anywhere
therefore I think these four lights were real captured by the camera
by chance at that lucky moment.

This is a crop of image s118e07997


This is a crop of image s117e07888, rotated 90 degrees to the left


I would suggest that people with more image enhancement skills than myself attempt to align image s117e07888 (lens flare/reflection) with the other images of mystery dots and post their findings here. My less than professional attempts have produced a compelling match.

At this point in time I feel that the dots seen in images s118e07997 and s118e07998 are a result of lens flare/reflection.

I wouldn't mind being wrong, but I would need to read or see equally compelling evidence.

[edit on 24-8-2007 by daystrom]

[edit on 24-8-2007 by daystrom]

it could be lense flare. but it could (and probably is) simply space junk. we've been sending things into space for over 50 years most of it is still up there. literally thousands of miscellaneous objects, everything from satellites, to gloves, to booster rockets. NORAD tracks over 10,000 objects so they don't confuse on with a missile. and there are even more things to small for them to bother tracking. honestly. why does everything have to be sinister and government coverups. is one random piece of debris on a picture that big of a deal?

You people need to get a life. It's swamp gas expelled from the earth that made it into space. It's so simple.

maybe the hubble or a satellite, there's tons of space junk orbiting our planet, tons (now more thanks to China blowing up their old satellite), it's just not enough in the same orbit to be obvious from our prespective and easily avoidable from their prespective but they can see it, next time I waste my time clicking on a thread like this I'd be happy to see a clearer photo or something more interesting like nasa or an experts theory on such an object.