NASA: Is Approaching Space Object Artificial?

I apologize if this has been reported elsewhere - I didn't find it in a search.

NASA authorities report that an unknown object approaching the Earth from deep space is almost certainly artificial in origin rather than being an asteroid. Object 2010 KQ was detected by the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona earlier this month, and subsequently tracked by NASA's asteroid-watching service, the Near-Earth Object Program headquartered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Observations by astronomer S J Bus, using the NASA-sponsored Infrared Telescope Facility in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, indicate that 2010 KQ's spectral characteristics do not match any of the known asteroid types, and the object's absolute magnitude (28.9) suggests it is only a few meters in size.

The object has used no propulsion during the time NASA has had it under observation. However the spacewatch experts believe that it must have moved under its own power at some point, given its position and velocity.

I suppose the purpose of this article is to let us all know that NASA can identify and track any artificial craft - therefore there are no UFOs because the article ends with this:

The experts believe that the object must be a spacecraft, or part of one - likely to be a booster stage from an interplanetary mission of the past, now drifting back in to Earth and out again.

Source

you make me curious........

Excellent find!
I was a bit dubious at first, so in case anyone else is here is a page on NASA'a site backing this up:

neo.jpl.nasa.gov...

Plenty more if you Google it too! (Google: 2010 KQ)

Originally posted by Iwasas
Excellent find!

I was a bit dubious at first, so in case anyone else is, here is a page on NASA'a site backing this up:

neo.jpl.nasa.gov...

Thanks Iwasas, I think another good question is - since this came close to the Earth in the past couple of weeks would it match up to any of the unexplained UFO photos posted since then? I mean the "What is this moving across the star field? -- It has to be Venus!" threads.

here's a look at the NASA site for 2010kq

neo.jpl.nasa.gov...

if someone could explain to me how this is an "ORBITAL PATH"?....i would really appreciate it, because it doesn't look like one to me

The JPL article suggests that it is likely to be "a rocket stage that escaped years ago from the Earth-Moon system." I know many of us want disclosure but let's not get carried away and ignore the truth. More importantly, let's not mislead others when the article clearly states that it is likely something that originated on Earth. I also know that we can't always believe what NASA tells us, but in this case, I think they're probably correct.

Originally posted by Visiting ESB
The JPL article suggests that it is likely to be "a rocket stage that escaped years ago from the Earth-Moon system." I know many of us want disclosure but let's not get carried away and ignore the truth. More importantly, let's not mislead others when the article clearly states that it is likely something that originated on Earth. I also know that we can't always believe what NASA tells us, but in this case, I think they're probably correct.

I don't think I mislead anyone considering that quote is at the end of the original post. Thanks for playing anyway.

When I read the title, I assumed it was made by us. Not like TPTB would all of a sudden admit if something of ET origin was coming close to earth...

I'm just surprised nobody could get pictures of it...

reply to post by ararisq


Great find, although my gut instinct tells me that NASA is actually telling the truth this time. The fact that it has already flown by supports their theory as well.

A recently discovered space object which has shown some unusual behavior is a part of a Russian-made Proton carrier rocket, scientific reports say.

Propeller The object was first discovered on May 16 this year during the Catalina Sky Survey – research aimed at discovering new asteroids orbiting the sun. The parameters of the unknown object’s orbit, labeled 2010 KQ, allowed observers to suggest that was an asteroid, but a short time later astronomers said that it was most likely man-made. They believe that 2010 KQ is a stage of the Russian-made carrier rocket Proton that was used to launch the Luna-23 lunar station in October 1974. The object currently sits in an approximately one-year orbit around the Sun.

From PTR Source
Has a nice video to it as well.


[edit on 30-5-2010 by k3rm1t]

Originally posted by k3rm1t
From PTR Source
Has a nice video to it as well.
[edit on 30-5-2010 by k3rm1t]

Thanks k3rm1t. I watched it but unfortunately the video does not really show anything other than a still photo - I couldn't make much out because the player overlays a giant play button over top of it when you pause it.

Originally posted by discl0sur3
reply to post by ararisq

 

Great find, although my gut instinct tells me that NASA is actually telling the truth this time. The fact that it has already flown by supports their theory as well.

I do notice no one wants to go on record saying what it is - every statement has been qualified as "believe it to be". This begs the question - what else would NASA have said it was? I really doubt until the ships are playing on TV that NASA would say its anything other than space debris and probably even then.

Highlights of my trawl of the net over the past few days.

It's circular, but whether that means that we're seeing it end on or not, I don't know.

It's about 5.7m across and finished in UV aged titanium oxide paint.

It's supposed to have done this (gone passed us) in 1975 as well.

It's not one of Nasa's as every rocket stage is accounted for.

If it is Russian it might belong to a clandestine mission that went wrong (i.e. space grave)

Nasa states that it artificial and of unknown origin, but probably an old rocket stage (I think the last bit is to stop massed heart attacks)

reply to post by Visiting ESB


Amen!

The JPL article suggests that it is likely to be "a rocket stage that escaped years ago from the Earth-Moon system." I know many of us want disclosure but let's not get carried away and ignore the truth.

Anyone who is passingly familiar with the Apollo program knows that the S-IV-B booster stages from Apollos 8, 10 and 11 did NOT impact the Moon (as was done subsequently, for seismic studies) but was left to escape the earth-Moon influence into a permanent Solar orbit. Not surprising to learn that eventually we'd encounter it again...IF it's from Apollo.

(I don't know what the Soviets did with THEIR TLI boosters...will see if can research it...)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EDIT: Correction. The S-IV-Bs I remembered included those three mentioned, but a quick search found more:

Serial number -- Use -- Launch date -- Current location:

S-IVB-501 Apollo 4 November 9, 1967
S-IVB-502 Apollo 6 April 4, 1968
S-IVB-503 Destroyed during testing
S-IVB-503N Apollo 8 December 21, 1968 Solar orbit
S-IVB-504 Apollo 9 March 3, 1969 Solar orbit
S-IVB-505 Apollo 10 May 18, 1969 Solar orbit
S-IVB-506 Apollo 11 July 16, 1969 Solar orbit
S-IVB-507 Apollo 12 November 14, 1969 Solar orbit; Believed to have been discovered as an asteroid in 2002 and given the designation J002E3
S-IVB-508 Apollo 13 April 11, 1970 Lunar surface*

]

en.wikipedia.org...



[edit on 30 May 2010 by weedwhacker]

maybe this object was sent into our location from another race of beings trying to contact us without the use of manned craft. too bad it could not be captured or examined, since NASA says that they have no idea what it is...you would think they would have a little more curiosity in this.

Originally posted by jimmyx
maybe this object was sent into our location from another race of beings trying to contact us without the use of manned craft. too bad it could not be captured or examined, since NASA says that they have no idea what it is...you would think they would have a little more curiosity in this.

Well NASA assumes that there is life on other planets because "we cannot be alone" but in the same breath assumes that there are no aliens or UFOs hence it must be of Earth origin. Quite a paradox in thinking if you ask me.

Originally posted by ararisq
NASA authorities report that an unknown object approaching the Earth from deep space is almost certainly artificial in origin rather than being an asteroid.

If it was an alien spacecraft, would NASA have reported it? Nope!

So don't get overly excited. It has already been explained that it's an empty booster in an elliptical orbit.

reply to post by ararisq

Well NASA assumes that there is life on other planets...

Not just NASA.

Heck, when you consider the diversity of life, and where it has been found to exist (some extremely unsuitable locations for human life, for example...bottom of the sea floor, near volcanic vents...) it is foolish NOT to assume that life will spring up on other planets too....

BUT..."life" and intelligent technologically capable life? Two very different things.

[edit on 30 May 2010 by weedwhacker]

Originally posted by weedwhacker
BUT..."life" and intelligent technologically capable life? Two very different things.
[edit on 30 May 2010 by weedwhacker]

I would ask why? Why are we so special that we are intelligent and technologically capable and yet among all the other trillions of stars no other species has done it? Given our constant wars and hold backs it wouldn't be hard to envision a species that would be ahead of us.

reply to post by ararisq


Oh I agree....given the biillions of star systems in our Galaxy alone, calculating the odds tend to favor at least some othr inteligence arising, somewhere and somewhen.

(Look up something called the "Drake Equation"...)

BUT...as mentioned, (and you did too) there is the aspect of time, as in...WHEN they developed (or will develop) compared to our current progress. Even a span of as little as 100 million years can make a huge difference.

And, of course....the sheer size of the Galaxy is daunting, too. That begins to make the chance of coincidence of a nearby civilization less likely --- not impossible of course, but just more unlikely.