August 23, 2008 - 4:51 am - Posted by Administrator
PBS’ Nova: Astrospies is a true story of space espionage that most have never heard. Despite my own ravenous consumption of anything space-oriented I confess, I hadn’t heard of it either.
At the dawn of the 1960’s, and as a direct result of the shootdown of Gary Francis Powers, the United States Air Force undertook a Cold War space project known as M.O.L. or Manned Orbiting Laboratory. Despite the scientific-sounding name, the real purpose of the MOL was to spy on the Soviet Union. A group of fourteen Air Force pilots were trained as astronauts and were only informed of their mission when they had passed their examination and selection processes.
In the era of Google Earth, it’s hard to imagine a time when live astronauts were required to take photos of Earth from orbit, but in 1960 the technology did not exist for an operator on the ground to take real-time photos with a camera orbiting on a satellite above. Either the satellite took the photos on it’s own–like Corona, the first US spy satellite, or an astronaut had to travel into orbit to take the photos. When Corona’s images were developed, the photos of strategic installations were sometimes obscured by clouds. Thus the choice was made to send astronauts into orbit to take reconnaisance photos.
In great detail, and featuring great animations taken from Air Force briefing films, Nova: Astrospies tells the story of MOL, and the Soviet Union’s competing program known as Almaz. It was in fact, a secret space race. Both programs were pursued in absolute secrecy, and included not only spying, but space warfare objectives which would be considered scandalous today. For instance a proposed objective of the US program was to test the feasibility of capturing a Soviet satellite and returning it to Earth for examination. The Soviets took it a step further and actually mounted a cannon on the Almaz.
By 1969 the MOL program was in the test-flight stage but years behind schedule. The delays had allowed another classified agency, The National Reconnaissance Office, to launch a competing program that would achieve the same goals without the need for a live astronaut. Six weeks before the Apollo 11 landing, MOL was cancelled unceremoniously without a single manned flight, ending America’s most secret space endeavour. The Soviet Almaz station continued until 1974 and actually launched spies into orbit. However the rapid development of video communications and photography eventually ended the Soviet Program as well.
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March 1, 2008 - 10:04 pm - Posted by Administrator
I first became familiar with John Titor’s story due to the Above Top Secret forums. In 2000-2001 a man appeared on the internet claiming to be a time traveller from the future. At first he used the nickname TimeTravel_0, eventually adopting the name “John Titor”. He weaved an elaborate story through a series of message board postings and then, after announcing that he would be returning to his own time, he vanished. Never to be heard from again.
As a fan of science, fiction, and science fiction, I was captivated. Unfortunately, I think he was a hoaxer. I came to that conclusion based on his many contradictions, as did many others. Perhaps you disagree. Cheers. That’s why I love discussion.
As a matter of fact, if you could somehow prove that John Titor wasn’t a hoaxer, I would truly be overjoyed… because Titor’s story intrigued me endlessly. I would be thrilled if we could say that such a fantastic story is undeniably true. I could not come to that conclusion.
In the process of reading John’s entire library of posts several times over the last several years, I came to arrive at the opinion it was a hoax, but I also began to get the impression that I know this person. The postings of John Titor were reading like a character in a novel by a writer at the top of his game. When I was younger and read Stephen King novels voraciously, I always marveled at how he could write a character that made me think “God, I know somebody just like that”.
I found myself feeling that way as I read and re-read the postings of John Titor, except in this case, I would argue the believablility of his story is due to the fact that what we’re reading is flavored by the opinions and biases of the real person behind the John Titor postings. The complete John Titor collection of posts seems to suggest a highly creative false-premise, filled-out with glimspes of the real person behind the posts. As such, I believe we can create a “profile” of John Titor–the real author of the posts–based on the content of said posts.
Let me add a disclaimer: “I have some minor experience with profiling, I have some family members in Federal law enforcement, and I have other family members in the Federal penal system. None of that makes me an expert on profiling. Just my opinion.”
John Titor is a conservative white male, quite possibly a senior citizen. This conclusion is based on his apparent reverence for all things old-fashioned and his tendency to wax nostalgic about the good old days when he’s supposed to be describing what it’s like in the future. What he’s really describing is his own personal Utopia.
- The people that survived grew closer together. Life is centered around the family and then the community. I can not imagine living even a few hundred miles away from my parents.
- People spend more time talking because life is more centered around the community. I’ve noticed the same type of effect here when the power goes off. People tend to come out of their homes and actually spend time with their neighbors. There is a lot more personal trust and less paranoia.
- People spend much more time reading and talking together face to face. Hats are more common in the future and flashy colors are less common. Dress is much more functional and we “dress up” whenever we get a chance.
- Religion is taken seriously.
Those are but a few examples of dozens.
John Titor also appears to have had an agricultural upbringing. I believe this is corroborated by his multiple fond references to the ag arts and his anti-bioengineering stance.
- you willfully eat poisoned food
- Do not eat or use products from any animal that is fed and eats parts of its own dead
- I suppose an average day in 2036 is like an average day on the farm.
- Water is produced on a community level and we do eat meat..that we raise ourselves.
- One thing we did not do was create more hybrid seeds. What are people thinking???
John Titor is college educated and highly intelligent. He makes multiple references to complex scientific concepts in his posts, seems to harbor a snobbish opinion of the undereducated, and may have a post-college background in engineering or mathematics. Again in describing his “future”, Titor says:
- everyone can multiply and divide in their heads.
It’s quite likely Titor’s own technological glory days were about 1975 or so, and it seems equally likely that he either held a job where he was exposed to early computer technology or was in some other way powerfully influenced by the IBM 5100, causing him to incorporate that particular model of computer into his writings.
- I was sent to 1975 to get a computer system and take it back to 2036.
- On my world line, it is known that the 5100 series is capable of reading all the IBM code written before the widespread use of APL and Basic. Unfortunately, there are none left that anyone can find on my world line.
It has been suggested that this is one of Titor’s blunders. He claimed to be sent to 1975 to obtain a computer which was new at the time, and had a price tag of $20,000. With the pace of computer technology in the seventies and eighties, he could have gone back to 1980, the 5100 would have been nearly as easy to find, and the unit would likely be sitting in an engineer’s closet by that time, making it less likely to be missed if it were to disappear. Even so, there are clever hidden themes, double entendres, and forward-thinking mixed with his blunders and contradictions.
John Titor’s political and social opinions make him a few steps short of the radical localist views of the Posse Comitatus–a movement which enjoys a strong following among those with agricultural backgrounds. His posts make reference to survivalism, strong local, county, and state governments, and a strong disenchantment with the federal government, the public school system, transportation, the American Banking system, and healthcare. At one point he even uses the term “American Federal Empire” which is a term that is known to anti-government types.
- Titor on Decentralized Government - The powers of the national government are more defined and reside more at the county and state level.
- Titor on the Federal Government - The war is a result of faulty politics and desparation from Western leadership during the US civil war
- On the Government in 2036 - I think the new government is good. However, since the concept of nationally subsidized welfare is gone, most people here may not appreciate it.
- Titor on the Constitution - While you sit by and watch your Constitution being torn away from you…
- Titor on the Constitution - The Constitution was changed after the war.
- Public Schools - The education system has been through many changes. School in 2036 is no longer a political indoctrination system.
- Public Schools - I was home schooled.
- Interstate Commerce and Migration - If a family wanted to move from one community to another or if a son or daughter wanted to move to another community, they must apply and be interviewed by the community leadership council. During this process, the family or individual is evaluated as to whether or not the work or skill they have is required or necessary to that individual community.
- The Banking System - Banking is based mostly around the community structure. There are no multinational banking or computerized economic systems. There are also no income taxes.
He also seems to exhibit many of the characteristics of a religious fundamentalist, and shows a distrust of huge organized churches and religions. Taking into account occasional hints of racism and xenophobia which appear in his writings, he may be a subscriber of Christian Identity, although his actual religion is inconclusive.
- Yes there are [social prejudices in 2036]. However, as odd as it may sound, it serves a useful purpose in my time.
- Yes I believe in Jesus Christ and we pray to God in churches. There are some differences you may be interested in. Religion is a major part of peoples life in 2036. Pain and change tend to bring people together andcloser to God. However, religion is far more personal than it is now. There are no huge, centralized religions and people talk openly about their beliefs. It might also interest you to know that the day of worship is Saturday, the day God meant to be the Sabbath and the 10 commandments have been restored to the “10″ that God gave us.
In closing, John Titor seems to paint a portrait of a world where “in the future” all of humanity’s shortcomings have been remedied to more closely resemble Titor’s vision of how the world should be. Reliance on self, strength through manual labor, the near-elimination of an evil federal government, the fortification of local and county governments, and a society which when viewed in totality, to me resembles a “worker’s paradise” that I’d like no part of.
Call me crazy, but I don’t want to have to go before a panel of community leaders to ask permission to move to Jacksonville, Mr. Titor. Although I’m sure those county board members in the place where you live would probably like a governmentally approved council that could legally keep those pesky brown-skinned folk from moving into your town. Your ideal for our “future” will never come to pass. Although you intrigued me with your story “about the future”, I don’t share your pessimistic view of our current world and society.
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December 25, 2007 - 7:12 pm - Posted by Administrator
On October 24th, 1968, a UFO was reported in the vicinity of Minot Air Force Base in northwestern North Dakota. It is one of the most well-documented unexplained UFO sightings. The sighting is unique in that the object was seen by witnesses on the ground and in the air, many of whom were military personnel trained in the art of observation and surveillance.
The 1968 Minot UFO sighting has also been the subject of numerous investigations and TV shows, including the US Air Force’ Project Blue Book and the special report by the late Peter Jennings entitled “UFOs: Seeing is Believing”.
In the sixties, North Dakota was on the front line of the Cold War standoff between the United States and the former Soviet Union. The state was home to two of the nation’s largest Air Force bases, numerous early warning radar stations, and hundreds of Minuteman missile silos.
About 2:30 am, Airman First Class Mike O’Connor was dispatched to check on a perimeter alarm which had been triggered at a missile silo several miles from his station. As he drove his navy blue Air Force pickup down the empty North Dakota highway, O’Connor noticed a bright light in a field. O’Connor has said he first believed it to be a bright yard or house light from a nearby farm.
Upon realizing that the light was not a house or yard light, O’Connor reported the sighting. The object lifted off the ground and paralleled the truck until it arrived at the silo. O’Connor reported the object “just hovered there”. Staff Sergeant Bill Smith also reported the object.
The Minot control tower then asked an already airborne B-52 bomber to do a flyby and take a look. When co-pilot Captain Brad Runyon asked what they were looking for, the tower responded “You’ll know it if you find it.”
At 3:35, the controller asked, “And JAG 31 on your way out to the WT fix request you look out toward your one o’clock position for the next fifteen miles and see if you see any orange glows out there?
Jag 31: “Roger, roger glows 31.”
Control Tower: “Someone is seeing UFOs again.”
Jag 31: “Roger I see a…….. (Transmission lost)
3:52 am, Control Tower: “Three one, the UFO is being picked up by weather’s radar also. Should be at your one o’clock position three miles now”
The pilot said, “We have nothing on our airborne radar and I’m in some pretty thick haze now and unable to see out that way.”
For several minutes thereafter, the B-52 experienced communication problems and was out of radio communication with the tower.
Captain Patrick McCaslin was the B-52’s navigator that night. He painted the object on radar and got a return from a large object, about three miles off the plane’s right wing. It appeared to be flying in formation with the bomber. McCaslin has said he witnessed the object “backing off” the bomber, allowing the B-52 to “turn inside of it”.
The object disappeared from radar and the bomber turned back in an attempt to re-acquire it. Co-pilot Runyon soon saw it, apparently hovering just above the ground. The bomber circled the object. Captain Runyon reported the object was 200 feet wide and hundreds of feet long. He described it as being a metallic cylinder attached to a large crescent moon shaped section. In the Peter Jennings special report “UFOs: Seeing is Believing”, Captain Runyon said after several minutes of observation he was fairly sure he was looking at “an alien spaceship”. Something not manmade.
The B-52 was eventually able to re-establish communication with the tower.
4:02, Jag 31: “Our UFO was off to our left side when we started penetration.”
Tower: “Roger, understand you did see something on your left side?”
Jag 31: “We had a radar return at about a mile and a quarter, at nine o’clock position for about the time we left 200 to 14…”
Tower: “Affirmative. I was wondering how far out did you see that UFO?”
Jag 31: “He was about one and a half miles off our left wing at 35 miles when we started in and stayed with us ’til about 10.”
Tower: “I wonder if that could have been your radio troubles?”
Jag 31: “I don’t know…. But that’s exactly when they started.”
4:13 am, Tower: “Jag 31 are you observing any more UFOs?”
Jag 31: “Negative on radar. We can’t see anything visually.”
Tower: “JAG 31, request you have someone report to base ops after you land.”
It has been reported that while the B-52 was circling the object as it hovered just above the ground, an alarm was triggered at a nearby missile silo. Both the outer and inner perimeter alarms were triggered, and the security officer who investigated found the outer gate open, and the inner combination lock had been tampered with. Although this incident has been related on numerous UFO websites and in books on the subject, I have been unable to confirm it’s veracity.
The circumstances of this sighting, which would eventually become Project Blue Book case #12548, are fairly unique and contribute to the credibility of the sighting. The object was seen both on the ground and in the air. The object was seen by witnesses (sixteen in addition to the B-52 crew) who were on the ground and in the air. Most of the witnesses were not in contact with each other at the time of the sighting. The witnesses were scattered about the area, and viewed the object from different directions. Some were north of the object, and saw it to the south. Others saw it to their north. The B-52 circled the object and observed it from all angles. The object was picked up by multiple radars.
All of these factors would seem to indicate the witnesses were seeing an actual object, and not experiencing an optical illusion which is more common in cases where an object is observed by witnesses in the same location. Project Blue Book attempted to conclude the airmen simply saw the star “Vega” and mistook it for a UFO. Clearly that cannot be the case since a B-52 bomber isn’t capable of circling Vega and viewing it from the other side.
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