The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
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Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
23-02-2026
Mystery as UFO vault with 3.8 million files is wiped clean hours after Trump demands alien docs released
Mystery as UFO vault with 3.8 million files is wiped clean hours after Trump demands alien docs released
Greenewald shared the news online, explaining that some server directories had their permissions, the safeguards on who can access or edit them, and the file ownership logs changed without explanation.
Black Vault has become a go-to resource for anyone wanting to see exactly what the government has quietly made public over the last 80 years.
Greenewald has spent three decades organizing information on hidden programs and little-known incidents that suggest the US has been involved in top secret efforts to recover and take advantage of alien technology.
Troves of declassified files the public can freely search through on the Black Vault detail military base reports, witness testimonies, and even CIA directives since the 1940s and 50s which have been unsealed without widespread public knowledge.
The researcher has also publicly revealed every time a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was returned by the CIA, FBI, and other government organizations with little or no response.
The timing of the potential sabotage came just hours after the president's history-making declaration, ordering the Pentagon to disclose anything 'related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).'
Hours after saying Barack Obama acted improperly by allegedly sharing classified information when he said that aliens exist, President Trump ordered the Pentagon to declassify all UFO files
Creator of The Black Vault, John Greenewald Jr, wrote on social media that the website containing 3.8 million declassified files was wiped hours after Trump's UFO order
In a statement released on X, Greenewald said he did not 'fully suspect foul play' but noted that he couldn't rule out the possibility because of the suspicious information he had received from the website hosting provider.
'[They] had no idea what happened, and on their side, they said it was a deletion, not corruption,' the researcher posted on Saturday.
In simpler terms, someone or something intentionally removed every single file from the Black Vault's server, deleting all the records released by the CIA and other groups, without fully shutting down the site so alarms wouldn't go off right away.
Until recently, the US government has flat-out denied that UFOs or extraterrestrial beings existed, maintaining for decades that there has never been any physical evidence recovered that proves something non-human has ever landed on Earth.
Greenewald has previously filed over 11,000 FOIA requests with the US government to obtain these documents, including some declassified reports that date back to the alleged UFO crash landing at Roswell in 1947.
His investigations have also provided legitimate paper trails, detailing how former administrations and the intelligence community created secret task forces of high-ranking military and scientific officials to research UFO incidents.
These groups include the Majestic 12 (MJ-12), which was allegedly formed after the Roswell crash and worked for over two decades investigating sightings of alien spacecraft, working with non-human technology, and contacting extraterrestrials.
The Black Vault contains millions of pages of declassified information from the CIA and other sources on UFOs, secret government projects, and investigations into high-profile assassinations
The Black Vault's records stretch back to early files detailing the US government's actions following the alleged crash of a UFO in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947
Luckily for The Black Vault, Greenewald revealed that all of the more than 3.8 million files were backed up in secure locations and the site was restored soon after the mysterious wiping took place.
'It is a stark reminder to us all, me included. Keep backups. Keep them in multiple places. And never be intimidated by anything that comes our way, no matter what we expect may have happened,' the researcher wrote on X.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Greenewald for comment on the incident, which the researcher called a 'very oddly timed server maintenance.'
'In my honest opinion, I feel it was a very odd-timed server maintenance done by the hosting provider, that went awry,' Greenewald posted Saturday.
'They didn't catch it, and when I did, they didn't take blame, and there was no way to fully prove what happened, and by whom. Could I be wrong? Yes. Could it have been foul play? I can't rule it out.'
Data wipes like this can occur in a few ways, often without it being a malicious attack. However, these file wipes can be done intentionally by bad actors.
The most common problem happens when hosting companies perform routine updates or data cleanups.
If a software glitch, human error, or incompatible changes take place, it could accidentally delete files or alter permissions.
Hardware issues, such as failing hard drives, software bugs, or even power outages, could also corrupt or erase data. However, The Black Vault's host allegedly ruled out corruption, pointing to a deliberate erasing of the declassified files.
That leaves the possibility of hackers breaching the server through vulnerabilities, including weak passwords, outdated software, or phishing attacks.
Once in the system, the attackers might delete files to cause chaos, especially if the site deals with sensitive data that some groups might want suppressed.
Critics of the Trump Administration's promise to release all files tied to UFOs and extraterrestrial contact have claimed the move is merely a stunt to distract the public from other political controversies and nothing about aliens will actually be learned.
Many on social media have pointed to the previous releases of the documents detailing President Kennedy's assassination and the Jeffrey Epstein files both containing heavily redacted information that provided no definitive 'smoking gun.'
In 2016, Secret Service agents caught this man outside the White House. He was throwing papers and a flash drive over the fence because he believed he had to warn the whole country about aliens from Mars.
30‑year‑old former US Marine Kyle Odom, from Idaho, became wanted for the attempted murder of Pastor Tim Remington in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Witnesses and police said Odom ambushed Remington in the church parking lot after Sunday services, shooting him multiple times in the head, back, hand, and side at close range before fleeing, yet the pastor survived, which his congregation viewed as a “miracle.” (Source)
The day before the shooting, Remington had prayed onstage with US presidential candidate Ted Cruz at a campaign event, which initially led some people to suspect a political motive. Police soon identified Odom as the only suspect and launched a two‑day manhunt.
Kyle Andrew Odom
Two days after the shooting, on a Tuesday evening, Odom appeared unexpectedly at the White House in Washington, D.C., where tourists were taking photos. Secret Service agents saw him throwing items—documents and a flash drive—over the White House fence and detained him.
When they checked his name, they discovered the Idaho arrest warrant for attempted murder, and his arrest in Washington suddenly ended the nationwide search. Investigators then learned that he had driven from northern Idaho to Boise, boarded a flight, and traveled across the country to deliver his message to the US president, even though he was already wanted for the shooting.
At the same time, Odom had mailed or sent a 21‑page or 40‑plus‑page “manifesto” to his parents and several Idaho TV stations, and he also posted on Facebook about aliens from Mars, changing his profile picture to an alien image.
In the manifesto, he introduced himself as a bright, successful person: born and raised in North Idaho, raised in a loving family, joined the Marine Corps after high school, developed a strong interest in science, studied biochemistry at the University of Idaho, won scholarships and awards, and graduated magna cum laude before being invited to Baylor College of Medicine to work on genetics. He insisted that he was “100% sane, 0% crazy,” but the rest of the document clearly showed an increasingly paranoid, delusional state of mind.
Odom wrote that his problems began in spring 2014, during his final semester at the University of Idaho, when he was stressed by a heavy course load and turned to daily meditation to cope. As he practiced more, he believed he was achieving “extreme states of consciousness,” and during one meditation session, he described an out‑of‑body experience: complete darkness, loss of physical awareness, and then a blue light approaching that he interpreted as another being. After this, he felt his classes suddenly became very easy, as if he had tapped into some new power, and he said he performed far beyond what he had before.
Later, Odom accepted a PhD offer in human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston but quickly decided to leave, claiming the work had become too easy after his “awakening.”
He wrote that the day after deciding to leave, his life turned into “a living hell”: he could not sleep, he felt he was being targeted, and he believed people around him—including classmates—were not real humans but aliens trying to provoke him into becoming “the next school shooter.” Feeling persecuted, he left Texas and returned to his hometown of Coeur d’Alene, convinced that unknown forces were manipulating his life.
During flights and everyday situations, Odom began to think that strangers were sending him secret messages and that newspaper headlines carried hidden meanings directed at him. Because he had applied to several government agencies, he initially thought this strange communication might be some covert government contact method.
Once back in Idaho, he received a text message from John Padula, an outreach pastor from the Altar Church, inviting him to attend services. When he went, he immediately felt that something was terribly wrong, as if his life was in danger inside the church, so he left.
Odom then began receiving text messages from Pastor Tim Remington, which in reality were Bible verses and spiritual encouragement, but he interpreted them as threatening communications from a hidden group. He believed the verses referred to “their power,” that Remington was sending coded warnings, and that the word “angels” in one message was somehow linked to helicopters flying over his house, which he saw as a sign that powerful beings were after him.
Around this time, he began experiencing intense involuntary physical sensations, which he described as feeling as though external forces were affecting his body. He also reported hearing music and later voices in his head.
As his symptoms intensified, the inner voice, which he believed came from aliens, told him he would be “sacrificed like Jesus and beheaded.” When a stranger with a religious pamphlet knocked on his door, he became delirious and convinced that his death was imminent.
He fled on a one‑way flight to visit family in Albuquerque but believed that the man sitting next to him was reading his mind and that, at the baggage claim, he was “surrounded” by aliens identified by their constant sniffing, which he thought was a dominance behavior. He came to believe that these beings were everywhere, disguised as humans but truly giant green frog‑like creatures with a snout‑like proboscis on their heads.
Odom wrote that the aliens kept pressuring him to go outside alone, and when he refused out of fear they would kill him, they allegedly threatened his family. To protect his family, he claimed he agreed to do whatever they wanted, and he believed they responded telepathically by telling him to “Go to church,” which he took as a command to return to the Altar Church.
At the church, he noticed a smell like “reptile and vinegar” and concluded that whoever he was dealing with was an extraterrestrial species. He admitted that he was hearing voices more often and seeing hallucinations that he intellectually knew were not real, yet he still insisted these were caused by telepathic aliens, not by any mental illness.
A strong adult-themed element ran through his delusions. He described these alleged Martian beings as “hypersexual” and claimed that both male and female entities acted out inappropriate fantasies within his mind.
In one episode, he described being in a grocery store bakery surrounded by older men whom he believed were aliens who mentally stimulated him and instructed him to imagine inappropriate acts. These experiences, along with persistent voices and visions, severely affected his mental health and led him to attempt to take his own life twice.
In one incident, he described trying to harm himself inside his car but later said the perceived entities intervened before he could follow through. Afterward, he admitted himself to a local Veterans Affairs hospital for help. The article notes that it was not immediately confirmed what treatment he received.
After being discharged from the hospital, Odom returned to the Altar Church, where he later said he had a face-to-face meeting with Pastor Remington around August of the year before the shooting. According to Odom’s account, he believed the pastor revealed what he described as a “true” alien form during their conversation. He wrote that the pastor’s appearance seemed to change, with his facial features looking different and his eyes appearing unusual.
Odom later claimed he became convinced that members of the church were involved in a plot against him. He left the church and did not return for some time. In his writings, he described ongoing fears that he was being followed or harassed, including when he attempted to resume his studies.
Odom tried to rebuild his life by studying pharmacology at North Idaho College and said he began to feel some recovery. However, he believed that the aliens followed him into every class, interfered with his ability to study, and harassed him during tests, making it impossible to succeed.
In his view, they targeted him specifically because of his intelligence and his knowledge of genetics, fearing he might spark a “scientific revolution” that would expose them. He wrote that they had trouble controlling his mind because he was “too smart,” so they decided to remove him from society altogether.
After the repeated suicide attempts and ongoing torment, Odom concluded that the only remaining option was to “take action” against the beings he believed were ruining his life. He wrote that his life had been destroyed by “an intelligent species of amphibian‑humanoid from Mars” and said Remington and Pastor Padula were either these aliens themselves or their puppets.
The manifesto did not clearly explain why he chose that specific Sunday to attack, but he openly admitted that he had plotted to shoot Remington. On the day of the attack, he later boasted on Facebook that he had shot the pastor 12 times and claimed no normal human could survive, using this to support his belief that Remington was not human.
In the same manifesto and social‑media posts, Odom expanded his theory into a global conspiracy. He said the world was secretly ruled by an ancient Martian civilization that had infiltrated all levels of human society, and that Pastor Remington was one of them and the reason his life was ruined.
He claimed these Martians are “ubiquitous,” living as both blue‑collar workers and powerful leaders, controlling governments, militaries, and corporations while monitoring every “wild” human like animals in a zoo; he said our freedom is only a carefully crafted illusion. He put together a list of “noteworthy Martians” that included about 50 members of the US Congress from both parties and dozens of Israeli leaders, “every prime minister since 1948,” and he said this list was far from complete.
Part of the manifesto was addressed directly to US President Barack Obama. Odom began by thanking him for his sacrifice to the country, then claimed that aliens were controlling and humiliating the president, boasting to Odom about what they supposedly did to him. He urged Obama to stop letting them humiliate him and framed himself as someone taking a stand to end this nonsense, asking if there could be a better legacy than exposing the Martians. He said his “last resort” was to act to bring all of this to the public’s attention, insisted he was a good and innocent person, and added that the “people” he killed were not what others thought.
After sending his manifesto to family and media and posting online that the world is ruled by an ancient civilization from Mars, Odom traveled to Washington, D.C., to get his information into the president’s hands. When he was arrested at the White House fence, authorities found he had been throwing documents and a flash drive—likely containing the same manifesto—over the fence, and police in Idaho said this document heightened their concern about him during the manhunt.
Not long before his arrest, he had written on Facebook that he was being chased, was sending his story to major news organizations, and had no time left. His capture ended any immediate threat he might pose to the many people he had identified as “Martians” in Congress and elsewhere.
In November 2017, the legal outcome of his actions was decided. In the Idaho state court, then‑32‑year‑old Kyle Odom pleaded guilty to an enhanced aggravated battery charge for shooting Pastor Tim Remington and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with a requirement that he serve at least 10 years before being eligible for parole.
Remington testified that being shot in the head, hand, and side left him with memory lapses and ongoing health problems that affected every part of his life, yet in court, he publicly forgave Odom, called him the real victim, and said he wished him no harm and would remain his friend despite the attack. (Source)
At sentencing, Odom told the court he was deeply remorseful and explained that, at the time of the shooting, he believed his delusions were real, including the idea that Martians were interfering in his life and controlling people around him. He said he felt like he was dreaming and could not wake up, and that he still sometimes felt that way, emphasizing how lost in his own hallucinations he had been. The judge ordered him to pay more than $216,000 in restitution to cover Remington’s medical expenses, with the possibility of more as new bills came in, reflecting the serious long‑term damage caused by the attack.
Some examples of "geraisites," named after the state of Minas Gerais where they were found, in their different forms. Credit: Álvaro Penteado Crósta/IG-UNICAMP
For the first time in Brazil, researchers have identified a field of tektites. These are natural glasses formed by the high-energy impact of extraterrestrial bodies against Earth's surface. These structures, named geraisites in honor of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, where they were first discovered, constitute a new strewn field. This expands the incomplete record of impacts in South America.
The discovery was described in an article published in the journal Geology by a team led by Álvaro Penteado Crósta, a geologist and senior professor at the Institute of Geosciences at the State University of Campinas (IG-UNICAMP). Crósta collaborated with researchers from Brazil, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.
Until now, only five large tektite fields had been recognized on the planet: in Australasia, Central Europe, the Ivory Coast, North America, and Belize. The Brazilian field now joins this select group.
Where geraisites are found in Brazil
The geraisites were initially located in three municipalities in northern Minas Gerais—Taiobeiras, Curral de Dentro, and São João do Paraíso—in a strip about 90 kilometers long. Since the article was submitted, new occurrences have been recorded in the Brazilian states of Bahia and, more recently, Piauí. According to Crósta, this expands the known area to more than 900 kilometers in length.
"This growth in the area of occurrence is entirely consistent with what is observed in other tektite fields around the world. The size of the field depends directly on the energy of the impact, among other factors," the researcher explains.
By July 2025, the authors had collected approximately 500 specimens, a number that has since grown to over 600 with the most recent findings. The fragments range in size from less than 1 gram to 85.4 grams and reach about 5 centimeters on the longest axis. Their shapes are typical of aerodynamic tektites: spherical, ellipsoidal, drop-shaped, discoid, dumbbell-shaped, or twisted.
Although they appear black and opaque at first, they become translucent under intense light and display a grayish-green color. This color is distinct from that of European moldavites, which have been used in jewelry since the Middle Ages due to their characteristic intense green color. Their dark surfaces are marked by many small cavities.
"These small cavities are traces of gas bubbles that escaped during the rapid cooling of the molten material as it traveled through the atmosphere, a process also observed in volcanic lava but especially characteristic of tektites," says Crósta.
Geochemical fingerprint of geraisites
Geochemical analyses show that geraisites have a high silica (SiO₂) content ranging from 70.3% to 73.7%. The combined content of sodium (Na₂O) and potassium (K₂O) oxides ranges from 5.86% to 8.01%, which is slightly higher than in other tektite fields. Small variations in trace elements, such as chromium (10–48 parts per million) and nickel (9–63 ppm), were identified, indicating that the original material was neither pure nor homogeneous. The presence of rare inclusions of lechatelierite, a form of glassy silica produced at extreme temperatures, further supports an impact origin.
"One of the decisive criteria for classifying the material as a tektite was its very low water content, as measured by infrared spectroscopy: between 71 and 107 ppm. For comparison, volcanic glasses, such as obsidian, usually contain from 700 ppm to 2% water, whereas tektites are notoriously much drier," Crósta points out.
Dating based on the ratio of argon isotopes (⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar) indicates that the event occurred approximately 6.3 million years ago, at the end of the Miocene epoch. Three groups of very similar ages were obtained (6.78 ± 0.02 Ma, 6.40 ± 0.02 Ma, and 6.33 ± 0.02 Ma), which is consistent with a single impact event.
"The age of 6.3 million years should be interpreted as a maximum age since some of the argon may have been inherited from the ancient rocks targeted by the impact," the researcher comments.
Hunt for the missing crater
To date, no associated crater has been identified. According to Crósta, this is not unusual; only three of the six large classical tektite fields have known craters. In the case of the largest field, located in Australasia, the crater is believed to be oceanic. In Brazil, isotopic geochemistry indicates that the molten material originated in Archean continental crust between 3.0 and 3.3 billion years old. This directs the search to the São Francisco craton, an ancient and geologically stable portion of the continental crust and one of the oldest regions of the South American continent.
"The isotopic signature indicates a very ancient continental, granitic source rock. This greatly reduces the universe of candidate areas," says Crósta. In the future, aerogeophysical methods such as magnetic and gravimetric surveys may reveal circular anomalies associated with a buried or eroded crater.
Modeling the impact and its scale
While it is not yet possible to accurately estimate the size of the impacting body, researchers consider it unlikely that it was small. The large amount of molten material and the wide area of dispersion indicate a significant impact event, albeit smaller than the event responsible for the Australasia field, which extends for thousands of kilometers.
The team is currently working on a mathematical model of impacts to estimate parameters such as the energy released, the velocity, the angle of entry, and the volume of molten rock. They are doing this as new data on the spatial distribution of geraisites becomes available. The discovery of the geraisites fills an important gap in the record of impacts in South America. Only about nine large impact structures are known there, and almost all of them are much older and located in Brazil. This discovery also reinforces the idea that tektites may be more common than previously thought, but often go unnoticed or are mistaken for ordinary glass.
To combat sensationalist interpretations of cosmic impacts, Crósta manages the @defesaplanetaria Instagram profile with undergraduate students. The profile is dedicated to scientific dissemination and differentiating real risks from irresponsible speculation about meteorites and asteroids. Impacts were frequent during the formation of the solar system when a large amount of debris was scattered and planetary orbits were undefined. Large bodies migrated from one position to another, projecting smaller bodies in various directions. However, today, with the system stabilized, impacts are incomparably less frequent.
"Understanding these processes is essential to separating science from speculation," the researcher concludes.
Publication details
Alvaro P. Crósta et al, Geraisite: The first tektite occurrence in Brazil, Geology (2025). DOI: 10.1130/g53805.1
NASA’s Perseverancerover can now determine its location on the Red Planet independently, using its own “brain” and cameras. This saved it from having to “call” Earth every time to find out where it was. Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have essentially created a local navigation system for it that operates in real time.
Perseverance Mars rover. Photo: NASA/JPL
Imagine you find yourself in the middle of a vast desert with no landmarks or maps, and you are only allowed one phone call per day to ask, “Where am I?” This is how JPL robotics expert Vandi Verma describes the many years of work done by rovers.
Blind navigation
This panorama, taken by Perseverance, consists of five stereo pairs of images from the navigation camera, which the rover matched with orbital images to pinpoint its location on February 2, 2026, using a technology called Mars Global Localization. NASA/JPL-Caltech
Until recently, Perseverance, which has been exploring Jezero Crater for five years, relied on a combination of data: it analyzed images from its own cameras, measured wheel slip in dust, and cross-referenced satellite photos sent from Earth. However, due to the enormous distance of approximately 225 million kilometers, the signal took too long to arrive, so it took an entire Martian day to correct the route. If the rover was unsure of its position, it would simply stop and wait for “permission” from Earth. Over time, navigation errors accumulated and could reach more than 35 meters.
Space Google Maps
To solve this problem, engineers led by Jeremy Nash and Vandy Verma developed the Mars Global Localization system. It’s a kind of “space Google Maps” for the Mars rover.
How does it work? Perseverance is now taking pictures of the surrounding area, and a built-in algorithm compares them with detailed maps obtained from orbital spacecraft such as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in just two minutes. The system automatically finds common features in the landscape — rocks, craters, sand dunes — and determines the rover’s coordinates with an accuracy of 25 cm. Human intervention in this process is no longer necessary.
Breakthrough that has been decades in the making
Development of the technology began in 2023. Archival images from 264 rover stops were used to test the algorithm — the system never made a mistake. In early February 2024, the function was successfully applied in practice for the first time in real conditions on Mars.
“We have given the Mars rover a new ability. This has been an open problem in robotics for decades, and it is incredibly exciting to finally see it solved in space,” said Jeremy Nash.
This update came shortly after Perseverance learned to plan routes using generative artificial intelligence. The AI independently assesses the terrain for hazards — boulders, steep slopes — and plots a safe route.
The future of autonomous missions
Now that the rover knows its exact location online, it can move much faster and cover greater distances every day. As scientists note, it was uncertainty about coordinates, rather than the dangers of the landscape, that was the main limitation on its travels.
This technology opens up a new era in the exploration of the Solar System. According to Vandy Verma, this algorithm is universal: “It can be used by almost any other rover that moves quickly and far.” This means that future missions to Mars and other planets will be able to work more efficiently, spending their time on real scientific discoveries rather than waiting for instructions from Earth.
Astronomers working with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have published a spectacular new image. It shows the galaxy NGC 5134.
Galaxy NGC 5134 (photo by James Webb). Source: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy
NGC 5134 is located 65 million light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Virgo. This is a gigantic figure by human standards — we see the galaxy as it was at the time of the extinction of the dinosaurs. But by cosmological standards, NGC 5134 is quite close to us. And thanks to this relative proximity, JWST was able to see many details of its spiral structure.
JWST conducts observations in the near and mid-infrared range. The main source of “near” infrared waves are stars and star clusters scattered throughout the spiral arms of the galaxy. As for “medium” waves, they are emitted by warm dust, which saturates the gas clouds filling the galaxy. Dust particles consist of complex organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. They form flat ring-shaped structures, very similar to honeycombs in beehives. On Earth, they are found in smoke from fires, car exhaust fumes, or, say, burnt toast.
By combining the data collected by JWST, astronomers were able to obtain a portrait of the life cycle of a galaxy. The gas clouds stretching along the spiral arms of NGC 5134 are sites of star formation. Each star that forms gradually depletes the available gas reserves. They are partially replenished in the process of the death of old stars. The largest stars, whose mass exceeds that of the Sun by more than eight times, do so in spectacular ways, as a result of catastrophic supernova explosions, ejecting their matter hundreds of light years away.
Stars similar to the Sun also return some of their material, although not as spectacularly. They become red giants, after which they shed their atmosphere into space, forming planetary nebulae. In the future, this ejected material may become part of a new generation of stars. The same fate awaits our Sun in the future.
Everyone knows that there are volcanoes on Mars. Everyone knows that there are glaciers on Mars. But now scientists suggest that, at least on some volcanoes on the red planet, glaciers may be hidden under a layer of ash.
Hecates Tholus. Source: Wikipedia
Prevalence of glaciers on Mars
When we think of ice on Mars, we usually mean the poles, where it can be seen with probes and even ground-based telescopes. But the poles are difficult to reach, and even more so because of restrictions on research there due to potential biological contamination. Scientists had long hoped to find water closer to the equator, which would make it more accessible to human explorers. There are parts of Mars’ mid-latitudes that look like glaciers covered with thick layers of dust and rocks.
So, do these formations really conceal large reserves of water near the place where humans may first set foot on the Red Planet? Perhaps, yes, according to a new article by M.A. de Pablo and his co-authors, recently published in the journal Icarus.
The key may be a small volcanic peninsula in Antarctica. Known as Deception Island, this volcano covered part of the surrounding huge glaciers with ash and dust from a series of eruptions in the 1960s and 1970s. The authors believe they have found a volcano with a similar history on Mars, known as Hecates Tholus.
Hecates Tholus. is an ancient shield volcano on Mars that shares many of the same features as the volcano on Deception Island. And since we know that there is ice beneath the debris in Antarctica, this could mean that similar features may be found beneath the debris around Hecates Tholus.
Evidence of a glacier near Hecates Tholus
There is some compelling evidence on Mars that suggests the presence of glacial ice, rather than just loose rock or even rock cemented together with a small amount of ice. First and foremost, there are the crevasses. Any researcher will tell you how absurdly dangerous these features are on Earth, but the key characteristic on Deception Island is their visibility from space, especially near the so-called “headwalls” of the glacier — steep, almost vertical cliffs at the upper end of the glacier.
Such features are visible from space on Hecates Tholus, and such clear, visible fractures would not be noticeable if there were simply rock beneath them. In particular, these fractures mean that the solid ice core is still moving beneath the surface of volcanic debris.
Another direct piece of evidence is the presence of bergschrunds. These are distinct, deep cracks that form at the top of a glacier. Technically, all bergschrunds are a type of crack, although they are significantly larger and are formed by a very specific process compared to ordinary cracks. This process consists of separating movable ice from frozen ice. Some examples of bergschrunds near Hecates Tholus reach lengths of 600 m and are clear evidence that, at least at a certain point in time, there was active ice movement.
The final proof is the bulldozer effect, or, more precisely, the presence of “push moraines” at the bottom of the valleys of both Deception Island and Hecates Tholus. When glaciers move, they act like bulldozers, pushing huge rocks in front of them and leaving hilly terrain behind. Similar formations, such as those seen on Deception Island, are again visible around the volcano, indicating that a glacier once actively existed in this area.
Overview and context of Hecates Tholus, Mars (left) and the terrestrial analog, Deception Island (right).
Credit: Icarus (2026).
DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2026.116966
How to find hidden glaciers?
So if these glaciers really exist, how have they managed to survive for millions of years without evaporating? The authors propose a two-stage process. Initially, when cracks formed, some of the water actually sublimated, but these holes were then covered with dust, protecting the newly exposed water from further sublimation. Ultimately, this led to the formation of shallow “troughs,” which we actually see on Mars instead of real cracks.
One obvious question for people who closely follow Mars exploration is: why didn’t SHARAD see anything there? If there is a subsurface glacier at the equator, then the ground-penetrating radar on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter would undoubtedly be able to detect a signal from it. The physics of SHARAD radar does not work well on the steep slopes of volcanoes, making it difficult to obtain a clear image of what lies beneath the dust and debris. In order to truly understand the situation better, we will need samples from the surface, both from robots and from humans.
Fraser talks about the restriction of exploration missions to the Martian South Pole.
Avoid contamination
If there really are huge glaciers on Mars hidden beneath the dome of Hecate, there may be many others hidden beneath other massive volcanoes. Article IX of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty requires that exploration of other bodies in the Solar System be conducted in such a way as to avoid “harmful contamination” of celestial bodies. Many interpreted this article as a requirement for researchers to avoid the Martian poles, where there is evidence of large amounts of water. If it turns out that there is water all over Mars, hidden under volcanic debris, does that mean that these areas are now also off-limits to researchers?
Only time will tell the answer to this question — we may never know if there is water around these volcanoes unless we send researchers there — everything we can do remotely is limited. There are some proposals for missions that could resolve this question, such as FlyRADAR, but we will have to wait for the final word on whether Martian volcanoes are covered by glaciers — and perhaps look at the deceptive volcano on our own planet in the meantime.
The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico at night. Credit: NRAO
More than sixty years ago, Dr. Frank Drake and his colleagues conducted the very first experiment dedicated to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). Since then, astronomers have continued to scan space for signs of alien transmissions, predominantly in the radio spectrum. In more recent years, the search has expanded to include thermal signatures and optical flashes, and additional forms of technological activity ("technosignatures") are already being incorporated. So far, all these experiments have produced null results, prompting SETI researchers to consider what they might be missing.
One possibility that repeatedly comes up is the notion that we are not looking in the right places. This certainly makes sense, since all SETI surveys to date have only covered a limited range of the radio spectrum. Following that logic, could it be that Earth has already received signals, but we didn't realize it because we weren't listening on the right frequency? According to a new study by Claudio Grimaldi, a researcher at the Laboratory of Statistical Biophysics at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne (EPFL), it's unlikely that we have.
The study, "Undetected Past Contacts with Technological Species: Implications for Technosignature Science," recently appeared in *The Astrophysical Journal*. Using Bayesian Analysis, a statistical technique that updates probabilities based on evolving data sets, Grimaldi examined how undetected past signals would have implications for current SETI surveys. In particular, he examined how past signals would increase the odds of detecting one today, and the likely source of those transmissions.
*The Milky Way galaxy, showing the central bulge at its center.
Credit: NASA*
As a starting point, he modeled technosignatures as active emissions or artifacts from an advanced civilization that then spread at the speed of light, lasting for brief periods (a matter of days) or for very long ones (millennia). He also considered how detection would only happen if the transmission is within range for the signal to be strong enough for our instruments to detect. He also considered omnidirectional signals (waste heat from megatructures) and highly focused signals (beacons, laser flashes, etc.). The resulting model addressed three possible elements:
The number of past contacts with Earth
The typical lifetime of technosignatures
The distance range that current or near-future instruments can probe
For "contact optimists," the results were not encouraging, suggesting that a very large number of undetected signals would have had to reach Earth in the past for there to be a high probability of detecting technosignatures closer to our Solar System today. In some cases, the number of signals exceeded the number of potentially habitable planets within a few hundred to a few thousands light-years from Earth, making any past or future signals highly unlikely. However, the results were different when extended to much greater distances.
Assuming technosignatures are long-lived and propagate across the entire Milky Way, detection becomes more likely at distances of several thousand light-years or more. However, the number of detectable signals across the entire galaxy at any given time remains very low. These results indicate that our inability to detect signals in the past does not mean detection will likely occur in the near future. Instead, they suggest that transmissions from advanced civilizations are likely to be rare, distant, and long-lasting, rather than local and frequent.
In other words, the field of SETI appears to be destined for a long wait before any discernible technosignatures (intentional or the result of "spillover") will be detected. Far from discouraging SETI efforts, however, the results suggest that future SETI efforts should focus on deeper, broader surveys that scan large parts of the Milky Way rather than individual stars or star clusters located a short distance away (in cosmic terms).
Not AGAIN! NASA's Artemis II moon mission is delayed for a second time after several last–minute issues are spotted on the SLS rocket – as furious fans call for SpaceX to step in
Not AGAIN! NASA's Artemis II moon mission is delayed for a second time after several last–minute issues are spotted on the SLS rocket – as furious fans call for SpaceX to step in
NASA's Artemis II moon mission has been delayed for a second time after several last–minute issues were spotted on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
Mr Isaacman says that the reason for the delay is an 'interruption in helium flow in the SLS interim cryogenic propulsion stage'.
The system worked during both wet dress rehearsals, but engineers were unable to get helium flow through the vehicle during routine maintenance on Saturday night.
Now, as the long–awaited moon mission is pushed back once again, some frustrated fans have called for Elon Musk's SpaceX to step in with assistance.
Taking to X, one fan vented: 'Time to scrap the 1960s tech and innovate to build next gen space launch vehicles and to stay on par with SpaceX.'
NASA's Artemis II moon mission has been delayed for the second time, as last–minute technical issues are found in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said that the issue had been caused by an 'interruption in helium flow in the SLS interim cryogenic propulsion stage'
Fed–up space enthusiasts have taken to social media to vent their irritation over the persistent delays.
One commenter wrote: 'At this rate, the Chinese will soundly beat us to the Moon.'
Others explicitly suggested that SpaceX should be called on to lend assistance or even replace the SLS rocket altogether.
On X, which is owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, one commenter wrote: '@SpaceX Those guys need a ride to the moon, please help them.'
Another asked: 'When will NASA stop the financial haemorrhaging and turn this program over to SpaceX?'
'Can we get out of this contract and save money with SpaceX,' suggested another.
In particular, a number of space fans suggested that the experimental Starship rocket could make a viable replacement.
Mr Isaacman (left) says that the setback will 'almost assuredly' affect the intended March launch date, ruling out the Artemis II launch until April
Mr Isaacman says the systems performed well during both wet dress rehearsals, but unexpectedly failed during a 'routine operation'
On X, frustrated space fans have called for Elon Musk's SpaceX to provide assistance to the Artemis II programme
Why does NASA use hydrogen fuel?
The SLS rocket uses a mixture of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
Since hydrogen is such a small molecule, it is extremely prone to leaking.
However, hydrogen is also cheap, naturally abundant, and produces a phenomenal amount of energy.
According to NASA, this mix gives the 'highest specific impulse, or efficiency in relation to the amount of propellant consumed, of any known rocket propellant'.
Another important factor is that the SLS rocket inherits a lot of its hardware and systems from the Shuttle era rockets.
These engines were built to run on hydrogen, so NASA can't change fuels without an expensive redesign of the entire rocket and engine system.
'I beginning to think that the SpaceX Starship will be launching astronauts to space before the Artemis program,' one commenter suggested.
While one added: 'Time to replace SLS with Falcon Heavy. Might even actually do it faster with Starship.'
For context, SpaceX has been contracted by NASA to provide a modified version of Starship for the lunar landing during the Artemis III mission.
In April 2021, NASA awarded Elon Musk's company a $2.9 billion contract to provide the first crewed lunar lander, but SpaceX is widely expected to miss the 2027 target date.
Last year, acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy threatened to open up the contract to other countries due to persistent delays, saying at the time: 'The problem is, they're behind.'
However, NASA's immediate problems are the ongoing delays afflicting the problem–plagued SLS rocket.
Mr Isaacman says that the source of the problem could be located in one of the filers or quick–disconnect 'umbilicals' that pass gases between the ground and the rocket.
Alternatively, he says that the issue could have been caused by a 'failed check valve onboard the vehicle, which would be consistent with Artemis I'
Angry commenters lamented the costs of the SLS rocket and its persistent delays, arguing that the mission should be turned over to SpaceX
One commenter asked why America could 'get out of this contract' in order to save money with SpaceX
The SLS rocket will now need to roll back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Launch Centre for repairs, meaning that another wet dress rehearsal is almost certain
After problems with the helium system were discovered overnight, NASA has now made the disappointing decision to roll SLS back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Centre.
While the agency has a limited capacity to fix issues at the launch tower, more serious problems need to be addressed in the VAB, which gives engineers better access to the vehicle.
The vibrations caused by rolling the rocket in or out of the VAB risk loosening or disturbing seals and valves, meaning that one or two more wet dress rehearsals are almost certain.
After the success of the second wet dress rehearsal, the Artemis II crew entered quarantine in Houston, Texas, on Friday night.
During quarantine, the crew limit their exposure to other people so that they can stay in good health for the flight.
This procedure usually starts 14 days out from the launch date, but NASA has not said whether the crew will be able to leave quarantine before the April launch date.
Writing on X, Mr Isaacman added: 'I understand people are disappointed by this development. That disappointment is felt most by the team at NASA, who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavor.'
Launch date: NASA initially identified three possible launch windows for Artemis II: From February 6 to February 11, from March 6 to March 11, and from April 1 to April 6. The space agency is now targeting the April window.
Mission objective: To complete a lunar flyby, passing the 'dark side' of the moon and test systems for a future lunar landing.
Total distance to travel: 620,000 miles (one million km)
Mission duration:10 days
Estimated total cost: $44 billion (£32.5 billion)
- NASA Space Launch System rocket: $23.8 billion (£17.6 billion)
An exceptionally hungry black hole from the dawn of the universe is growing at 13 times the cosmic 'speed limit', experts say.
Astronomers have used high–tech telescopes to 'look back in time' to around 12 billion years ago, not long after the universe was born.
There, they spotted something unexpected – a supermassive black hole that already weighed 440 million solar masses.
This means it was growing at an unimaginably fast rate, they said, absorbing gas and dust quicker than it was believed possible.
According to theory, there should be a limit on how fast black holes can grow because the act of 'ingesting' matter creates an opposing force which prevents more matter from being absorbed.
But this cosmic giant, known as ID830, is defying expectations – and could mark the discovery of the fastest–growing supermassive black hole of a similar mass found to date.
Researchers suggest the black hole may have 'collided' with a star or clump of gas, giving it enough energy for this remarkable growth spurt.
'This discovery may bring us closer to understanding how supermassive black holes formed so quickly in the early universe,' lead author Sakiko Obuchi said.
A graph displaying ID830's uniquely brilliant luminosity, compared to previously observed objects. The solid line shows the upper 'limit' of how it should be growing
An artist's impression of a supermassive black hole. Gas accretes onto the central black hole, forming an accretion disk and jets
The team, from Waseda University and Tohoku University in Japan, used the Subaru Telescope to analyse the black hole.
What makes this one even more striking is its multiwavelength behaviour, the researchers, who published their findings in The Astrophysical Journal, said.
When black holes undergo growth spurts, most models predict that their structure changes in ways that can reduce X–ray emissions and that their plasma and radiation jets may be less obvious.
However, this particular black hole shines brightly in both X–rays and radio wavelength.
This unexpected combination suggests scientists still have more to learn about the mechanisms of early black hole growth, the team said.
'Going forward, we hope to explore the mechanisms of X–ray and radio wave emission from this quasar and determine whether there are any similar objects yet to be discovered,' Dr Obuchi said.
They suggest they may have observed the black hole during a short transitional period, possibly following a sudden influx of gas.
This could prompt both the X–ray–emitting corona and the radio jet to become highly energised before the system gradually settles into a more typical mode of growth.
In a press release from the universities, the researchers said: 'Data from the Subaru Telescope show a surprising mix of traits.
'The quasar is pulling in matter at an exceptionally high rate while also emitting intense X–rays and launching a strong radio jet.
Black holes are so dense and their gravitational pull is so strong that no form of radiation can escape them - not even light.
They act as intense sources of gravity which hoover up dust and gas around them. Their intense gravitational pull is thought to be what stars in galaxies orbit around.
How they are formed is still poorly understood. Astronomers believe they may form when a large cloud of gas up to 100,000 times bigger than the sun, collapses into a black hole.
Many of these black hole seeds then merge to form much larger supermassive black holes, which are found at the centre of every known massive galaxy.
Alternatively, a supermassive black hole seed could come from a giant star, about 100 times the sun's mass, that ultimately forms into a black hole after it runs out of fuel and collapses.
When these giant stars die, they also go 'supernova', a huge explosion that expels the matter from the outer layers of the star into deep space.
A series of encounters between US Navy fighter jets and strange, unknown aerial phenomenon (UAP) in 2004 and 2015, together with more recent incursions into American military exercise areas, has stirred up both interest and debate in the UFO subject since the now-infamous FLIR videos were released into the public domain in 2017. Of course, these were not the first instances of pilots seeing strange flying objects at close quarters, as numerous accounts of American and British military pilots being sent aloft to investigate sightings of UFOs have been recorded since the late 1940s and early 1950s.
What is not generally appreciated by those engaged with the subject is that even these encounters were not the first time that military aircrew had witnessed odd lights and even stranger-looking craft in the skies at close range. In some cases, pilots even fired at these mysterious aerial intruders. To properly examine these cases, we have to go back to World War Two and the stories of what had been known at the time as Foo Fighters (that’s right, Dave Grohl didn’t come up with his band’s name on his own).
Background: What You Know About The Foo Fighters May Well Be Wrong
Ask most UFO enthusiasts about the Foo Fighters and you will probably hear vague stories about US Army Air Force night-fighter crews who saw balls of light following their aircraft over Germany during the last months of World War Two. They may cite the Smokey Stover cartoon, popular among aircrew at the time, as the origin of the name “Foo Fighter”. Some may even throw in cases from the Pacific Theatre of Operations, again dating from the final year of the war, when crews watched “balls of fire” pacing their B-29 Superfortresses on missions over Japan.
While this is a good start, the established narrative regarding the Foo Fighters has been largely incorrect for as long as I can remember, especially when it comes to identifying when the phenomenon began. Pick up a UFO book that covers the subject and you will likely be told that sightings of Foo Fighters started at the end of November 1944 when the term was invented by a member of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron serving in France. We have an article printed in the December 1945 edition of American Legion Magazine to thank for this. It listed the 415th NFS mystery light reports beginning in November 1944, stating “this is the way they began”. Authors in the 1950s and 1960s seemed to take this statement at face value, and so the legend of the Foo Fighters began on a false premise.
What is less well known is that Royal Air Force bomber crews had been reporting strange lights, luminous objects, and large “aeroforms” in the skies over Germany since March 1942. The small number of UFO researchers who have looked at the subject in depth have discovered a huge number of sightings spanning the globe from 1942 onwards, although if you look hard enough, there are also reports of strange lights dating back to the time of the German invasion of Belgium in May 1940. Although the American night-fighter crews used the term Foo Fighters, the phenomenon had been known by many other names prior to that phrase being coined. Terms such as “meteors” and “rockets” were often used in official reports, but many RAF pilots simply referred to the phenomenon as “The Light” or “The Thing”. What is also not widely known is that lights were not the only items aircrews reported seeing. Huge cylindrical objects with portholes, inverted “bathtubs” and huge “blankets” were also sighted.
“You guys must be nuts! Nobody up there but your own plane. Aint seeing things, are you?” – Ground radar station reply to American night-fighter pilot after report of strange lights, November 1944
Over the last twelve months, I have been revisiting and re-evaluating the known Foo Fighter cases, and in the course of my research, have also found some new encounters in preparation for a book I am writing on the subject. Much of the information is buried in Air Intelligence files and squadron war diaries, most of which is barely legible due to the ravages of time on the flimsy wartime grade of paper used. However, many cases never saw official recognition, and researchers have to rely upon aircrew logbooks and personal interviews, in many cases conducted decades after the events being recalled. The vast majority of wartime witnesses are now deceased, and a large proportion took the details of their sightings to their graves, electing to keep quiet about their encounters.
There are well over one hundred known Foo Fighter sightings from the three main battlefronts during World War Two (Western Europe, Mediterranean, and Pacific), but strange lights and unidentifiable craft were also witnessed over both North Africa and the Eastern Front. To give an idea of the encounters that transpired during the war, here are three of those cases, all of which occurred long before the traditionally accepted start of the Foo Fighter phenomenon in November 1944.
“Several projectiles seemed to enter the luminous disc, but without result, although the object was well within range, approximately 150 metres.” – March 1942 encounter over the Ruhr Valley, Germany
A Polish-crewed Vickers Wellington bomber was returning from a raid on Essen just before midnight on 25th March 1942 when the aircraft’s rear gunner spotted a bright light approaching their aircraft. However, instead of a Luftwaffe night-fighter, it resembled a large fuzzy copper-colored ball, about the size of the Moon. Approaching within 200 yards of the bomber, the gunner opened fire, watching helplessly as his tracer rounds entered the ball of light to no visible effect. They did not come out the other side, nor did they inflict any appreciable damage. The strange light then shot forward and took up position off the Wellington’s port wingtip.
Now the aircraft’s nose turret guns could be brought to bear on the strange light, and both gunners blazed away at what was still thought to be a Luftwaffe night-fighter. The pilot executed a series of evasive maneuvers but could not shake the ball of light. It remained at the same fixed distance, seemingly undamaged, for several minutes until it finally flew around to a point ahead of the Wellington, remaining in place for a few seconds before shooting off into the distance and disappearing. Another crew flying behind the bomber also had their own encounter with the object but refused to report the incident for fear of ridicule.
“By turning suddenly and steeply, I was able to chase the light around in a circle until I could aim my four 20mm cannons at it. This I did several times until my ammunition was exhausted, but each time I observed, no apparent change in the behaviour of the light.” – RAF fighter pilot’s 1943 sighting
In the spring of 1943 over North Africa, a New Zealand fighter pilot was followed by an orange-red glow, a light that then moved to sit off his wingtip, matching his every turn, including a series of violent evasive maneuvers designed to throw off potential attackers. Taking advantage of an apparent time lag before the object matched his actions, he managed to fire his Hawker Hurricane’s guns at the light on a few occasions, but to no effect. The pilot could not distinguish what kind of aircraft or object was generating the light, as it was so bright. It grew dimmer as they crossed the front line but once beyond the firing it glowed with its original intensity. The RAF pilot’s mysterious companion vanished as he returned to base. He knew of numerous colleagues who also had run-ins with “The Light”. This encounter, similar in many respects to Commander David Fravor’s now-infamous dogfight with the “Tic Tac”, predated that event by more than sixty years.
“He was terrified, as white as a ghost. Something up there sure scared the hell of out him, he was nearly frantic when he got out of his aircraft.” – The effect on an American night-fighter crewman, October 1944
The US Army Air Force’s 422nd Night-Fighter Squadron had its fair share of sightings in late 1944 and early 1945, including a notable event over western Germany during the first week of October 1944 when an extremely rapid object latched onto the tail of one of the unit’s Northrop P-61 Black Widows. The mysterious ball of light followed the crew’s machine as the pilot threw it into a violent set of evasive maneuvers. Despite his best efforts, he could not shake off his pursuer, and in desperation finally dove into a bank of cloud. The ball of light did not follow. Colleagues in the squadron stated that the pilot’s radar observer was badly shaken by the experience and was “still sucking wind 24 hours later”. The mysterious ball of light was officially logged as a Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet rocket-propelled interceptor. There would be many more bizarre encounters with strange lights before the year was out.
Analysis: Were the Foo Fighters Enemy Secret Weapons?
The night skies over the industrial cities of Germany were filled with lights when a raid was in progress. Multi-colored flares were dropped to mark targets and were replaced during attacks as they burned out. The Germans employed decoy flares to distract RAF bomber crews, and Luftwaffe night-fighter crews used “fighter flares” to silhouette enemy aircraft against the clouds, rendering them more visible to their colleagues. Sudden explosive balls of light, accompanied by sparkling lights, were often seen falling slowly towards the ground. RAF crews believed they were German attempts to simulate bombers being shot down in an attempt to lower morale. Nicknamed “Scarecrows”, they featured prominently in intelligence bulletins, and crews were encouraged to believe they were indeed German scare tactics. In reality, they were aircraft being blown out of the sky by flak and night-fighters. However, Allied aircrew had been very familiar with all of these flares and lights. They did not resemble the Foo Fighters in any way, shape, or form.
Because of wartime secrecy and censorship, most reports of strange lights and unconventional flying craft were never publicized due to the possibility that they may have been German secret weapons. Also, individual unit intelligence officers decided whether such reports were officially recorded and then sent up the chain of command for analysis. They frequently dismissed crew testimony and instead asked them whether they had been drinking. If official reports were filed, ribald comments and ribbing from colleagues followed, at least until they too saw something weird and unsettling. The Foo Fighter reports that do exist are a fraction of a much larger number of sightings.
“[The enemy] have several land service rocket weapons, and the introduction of anti-aircraft rockets seems a likely and logical development.” – 1943 Air Intelligence briefing
Both the British and American Air Intelligence staff were completely flummoxed by the reports of strange flying objects and the balls of fire that followed aircraft without committing hostile acts. The early reports of 1942 and 1943, including “rockets” that altered course when pursuing RAF bombers, plus a 200-foot long object with red lights spaced at regular intervals along its length, were thought to be examples of new German secret weapons. Extra-terrestrials and so-called “flying saucers” were still several years off into the future, and they were never considered as a possible explanation. Most reports of mysterious lights were believed to be sightings of decoy flares, airborne searchlights, or rudimentary surface-to-air missiles, items which the enemy were believed to be developing at that time. With the available information to hand, these were rational and sensible suggestions, but with the benefit of hindsight, and a working knowledge of German wartime weapons research and deployment, these suggestions were actually way off the mark.
The RAF had experimented with fitting searchlights into night-fighters but found that they blinded their pilots, rendering the scheme useless, and the Germans refused to devote resources to the subject, instead relying on ground-based installations. Several surface-to-air missile projects were being developed in late 1943 and throughout 1944, however frequent engine and guidance problems, together with political interference, prevented any achieving operational status. Most test launches were failures. Air-to-air rocket mortars were fired at B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators on daylight raids over Germany by defending fighters by mid-1943 onwards, although again these weapons were never used at night. The Luftwaffe almost deployed a wire-guided air-to-air missile in early 1945 but the factory producing the rocket motors was destroyed in a bombing raid.
Once the Luftwaffe started to fly their early jet and rocket-powered interceptors in the autumn of 1944, the strange nocturnal lights were frequently referred to as “jets” in both American and British official records. This, despite the fact that the crews were actually witnessing balls of light, not aircraft, and in any case, the Germans did not operate their jet or rocket types at night at that time. A small number of Messerschmitt Me 262s jet fighters, converted to the night-fighter role, operated in the defense of Berlin from mid-December 1944 but they never flew in areas where Foo Fighters were encountered. The rocket-propelled Me 163 Komet appears in numerous combat reports by RAF night bomber crews, but it was never flown in the dark, as it was almost too dangerous to fly even by day. However, none of these German secret weapons matched the witness reports describing the Foo Fighters’ maneuvers and capabilities.
“Intelligence reports seem to indicate it is radio-controlled from the ground and can keep pace with planes flying 300 miles per hour.” – US newspaper report, 1945
Labeled as new Nazi secret weapons, reports of Foo Fighters started appearing in American newspapers during December 1944, but the armchair experts called upon by editors to comment on the stories were just as clueless as the Air Intelligence staff. As Allied ground forces pushed into Germany during the spring of 1945, the number of sightings dropped almost to zero. When the war finally ended in May 1945, the Foo Fighters seemed to disappear from Western Europe, suggesting that they were indeed German secret weapons. However, scrutiny of captured aircraft factories and testing facilities found nothing that resembled the Foo Fighters. None of the aircraft or missile designs that were discovered, or design plans that were found, matched the tremendous capabilities displayed by the balls of light. Captured scientists and technicians were interviewed but could not shed any light on the matter either. It turned out that the Germans were as much in the dark about the phenomenon as the Allies were.
The focus of the war changed to the Pacific, where similar sightings of strange balls of light, impervious to machine-gun fire, had been witnessed since August 1944, although sporadic reports of odd-looking objects had been filed since the end of 1942. Crews from Major William (“Butch”) Blanchard’s 40th Bomb Group saw mysterious “balloons” over Japan in October 1944, and Blanchard himself would be at the center of the Roswell UFO crash controversy almost three years later. Air Intelligence believed that some sightings in the Pacific were of German technology supplied to the Japanese. Plans for various weapons were indeed donated by Germany towards the end of the war, however, it was too late to put them into production. Once hostilities in the Pacific ended with the dropping of the two atomic bombs, the number of reports dwindled too. Interest in the Foo Fighters waned, and the wartime reports were filed away and forgotten. No one ever managed to put forward an explanation that stood the test of time. The Foo Fighters are as much a mystery to today’s researchers as they were to the intelligence officials of 1944.
Outlook: The More UFOs Change, The More They Stay The Same
Looking back to incidents that occurred nearly eighty years ago may seem like a waste of time to people caught up in the current heady rush of US Navy encounters, UAP photos, and future government briefings. What appears to be forgotten is that the accounts of November 1944 and November 2004 are not too dissimilar when you boil them down to their basics. Drop a P-61 Black Widow pilot into the front seat of a F/A-18F Super Hornet and he might gaze in awe at the new technology on display in front of him. Put him in David Fravor’s position and the P-61 pilot would realize that the “Tic Tac” demonstrates a much higher level of sophistication than the machine he was now flying. Military aircraft may have vastly improved over the intervening sixty years, but whatever our pilots are continuing to come up against during training flights, the mysterious lights and objects are still running rings around them. To this observer at least, it also appears as if those who are supposed to be “in the know” still don’t have a clue what is going on, something else which hasn’t changed since 1944.
“We have encountered a phenomenon which we cannot explain.” – Secret 1945 memo sent from XII Tactical Air Command intelligence staff to the First Tactical Air Force
Trying to ascertain the origin and motives of the Foo Fighters is akin to figuring out what is going on with the current UAP phenomenon. Stories suggest that German pilots also encountered the Foo Fighters during World War Two, but I have not been able to find any reports that stand up to even the briefest scrutiny. Without trying to sound like a debunker, the photographic “evidence” that exists is probably faked, is a film defect, or another mundane occurrence. Pictures that pass these tests subsequently fail in terms of a lack of supporting information. None of the photos I have found in the course of my research have accompanying notes about locations, dates, or names of the aircrew involved, and are therefore treated with a healthy dose of skepticism. Without context, they are practically meaningless. I like to think that if annotated photos exist in a military archive somewhere, they presumably sit on a shelf next to pictures of the crashed Roswell craft and the Kecksburg “Acorn”.
Despite a lack of photographic evidence, the Foo Fighter phenomenon is redeemed in terms of the sheer number of witness statements, logbooks, and intelligence reports that confirm the existence of strange lights and other odd flying objects during World War Two, if not their nature. Reports of Foo Fighter encounters are compelling but leave plenty of scope for argument and debate over their veracity, origin, and purpose. Fast forward to April 2021 and a quick read through postings on UFO Twitter tells me that nothing has changed in this respect. UAPs remain unidentified, and people continue to argue over what they represent.
If and when the current spate of UAP sightings is explained to the satisfaction of most commentators and onlookers, perhaps the information we receive will help us understand historical encounters such as the Foo Fighters, Roswell, and Socorro. One could argue that the Foo Fighters are still with us. They might have changed their shape and name, but they are still the same elusive phenomenon that has baffled military personnel who have confronted them in the skies for almost eighty years.
Follow and connect with author Graeme Rendall on Twitter:@Borders750
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Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 75 jaar jong.
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