posted on Jan, 17 2008 @ 12:38 PM
reply to post by senshido
Thank you for you welcome. The best way to respond to your question I believe is with the following quote from a military paper:
QUOTE: In 1991, Jim Scotti, Director of the University of Arizona's Spacewatch telescope found what he believed to be an asteroid. Designated 1991VG
(-10 meter diameter), subsequent observations by other instruments found that 1991VG has some extraordinary properties and, according to some
astronomers, may not be just another asteroid.
Observations by Richard West and Oliver Hainaut made near the time of 1991 VG's closest Earth approach found that the object had a decidedly
non-asteroidal signature. It exhibited very strong and rapid brightness variations that are normally associated with transient specular reflections
from the surface of a rotating (shiny metallic or painted) spacecraft.
In addition to its unusual optical properties, it is in a rather unique orbit. Essentially, 1991 VG is in a heliocentric orbit, almost precisely
within the Earth's orbit plane and has a very high probability for impacting our planet. In fact, it will pass very close to Earth about every 16.75
years. This means that if the object were natural it could not have been in this orbit very long because the orbit is unstable. It would hit Earth or
be ejected in a relatively short period of time. Given that it must have recently entered this orbit, one could wonder where it came from. Scientists
are debating two equally improbable possibilities: an old booster stage or early space probe, or an extraterrestrial space probe.
Initially, you might think the first option the more likely; however according to Duncan Steel (Anglo-Australian Observatory and The University of
Adelaide) the object does not fit the expected orbits of any known Earth-originating probes or rocket bodies. Since the orbit of 1991VG was accurately
determined by observations from Kitt Peak observatory, Steel has been able to project the last time the object encountered the Earth. In its present
orbit, that would have been in February 1975. Thus, if the object were an Earth spacecraft it would have had to be launched around that time. Steel
has only been able to identify two probes (no rocket bodies) that could possibly fit the scenario: Helios 1 and Venera 9. However, correlation with
either of these would require some non-gravitational influence to put them into the observed orbit of 1991VG (such as leaking fuels). In his opinion,
the object is not either of these probes. With the known man-made objects accounted for, it would seem we are left with, at least a possibility that
the object originated somewhere other than Earth.
The debate over the origins of 1991VG are likely to continue for some time. Short of a rendezvous mission, we won't see it again for several years.
The point of this discussion is that 1991VG was found by the Spacewatch telescope; the only system dedicated to finding asteroids and comets in the
US. If there are extraterrestrial artifacts orbiting in the vicinity or Earth, a deep space surveillance network such as that proposed herein would
greatly increase our probability of finding and recognizing them. END QUOTE
God Bless