If we made contact with aliens, what would happen? UFO defence expert reveals how prepared we really are

Alien contact: Is there a playbook? Or is it time to create one? A real-life alien defence expert reveals the truth

More on alien life

• Barack Obama says aliens are real
• Worlds close to Earth where alien life could exist
• How we'll talk to aliens

Over the past few years in the US, the subject of UFOs (or UAPs – unidentified anomalous phenomena – as they're officially designated) has transitioned from fringe to mainstream.

This resulted from the release of photos and videos of UAP taken from various military platforms, and led to classified briefings and public hearings in Congress.

The Pentagon set up a unit to investigate UAP called the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), and the subject is now being treated as a defence and national security issue.

Are we prepared?

All this brings into focus the question of what would happen if we actually found aliens – or if they found us.

It would be the biggest scientific discovery in history, and would likely have profound – but difficult to predict – effects on every aspect of society, from politics and religion, through to science, technology, the economy and philosophy.

Individuals would probably react in different ways, some with fear and panic; others with awe and wonder.

Surprisingly perhaps, there doesn't seem to be a co-ordinated, overall plan for an eventuality like this.

While the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute authored a document titled the Declaration of Principles Concerning the Conduct of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, these protocols only cover what to do if a radio signal from another civilisation is detected, and the document isn't legally binding on nation states.

However, I got no hint as to the existence of any such document when I handled the UAP issue for the British Ministry of Defence in the 1990s, and neither has such a plan been mentioned in any of the Congressional hearings on UAP.

The nearest Britain came to a plan for making contact with aliens was in 2023, when the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) produced an outline report titled ‘UK readiness for black swan scientific events: Case Study – The discovery of life beyond Earth’.

DSIT's Ideas Lab wrote an eight-page draft before the study was indefinitely paused in 2024.

What do we mean by alien?

A key problem in devising any plan is the wide range of variables when it comes to alien life.

Discovering microbial life in our Solar System, for example, would raise the issue of planetary protection – we don't want to be wiped out by the Venusian flu.

Detecting a radio signal from another civilization would raise very different issues: could we decipher a message from aliens; should we reply; what should we say; and who should reply?

The last question raises the issue of who could truly speak for Planet Earth.

No political or religious leader could speak for everyone, and while a scientist or an academic might be a better choice, what about the billions of people who effectively have no voice? Who speaks for them?

These issues were explored during two meetings at Britain’s Royal Society, held in 2010.

The first was titled, ‘The detection of extra-terrestrial life and the consequences for science and society’ and the second, ‘Towards a scientific and societal agenda on extra-terrestrial life’.

These were multidisciplinary events with participation not only from astronomers and astrophysicists, but also from psychologists, anthropologists and theologians.

It was apparent that the religious implications of finding alien life would be profound and potentially controversial in terms of the possible challenges posed to faith and doctrine.

Some senior theologians are already thinking about how to incorporate alien life into their belief systems.

Father José Gabriel Funes, a Jesuit priest who served as director of the Vatican Observatory, has stated: "How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?

"Just as we consider Earthly creatures as ‘brother’ and ‘sister’, why should we not talk about an ‘extraterrestrial brother’? It would still be part of creation."

But what if aliens don't come in peace? Stephen Hawking once warned: "If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans."

This ties in with the Dark Forest hypothesis, which suggests alien civilizations generally remain silent, for fear of encountering a more advanced hostile civilization.

As Cambridge University palaeontology professor Simon Conway Morris said at the first of the Royal Society meetings: "If the cosmic phone rings, don't answer."

It's a sobering thought that in a Universe nearly 14 billion years old there might be civilizations a billion years ahead of us.

Science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke said that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".

So, we can forget about those Hollywood movies where Earth defeats an alien invasion, because one of the few good assumptions we can make about extraterrestrials is that, if they arrive here, having mastered interstellar travel, their technology will be orders of magnitude above anything we have.

Reagan’s UN address

The idea that we might encounter hostile extraterrestrials was raised by President Ronald Reagan in a 1987 address to the United Nations General Assembly.

Towards the end of his speech, he remarked: "I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world."

And returning to the question of who speaks for Planet Earth, it's the United Nations that many believe should take a lead role in formulating policy on this issue.

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) would be the logical focal point but, speaking at the second of the Royal Society meetings held in 2010, UNOOSA's then director, Dr Mazlan Othman, was lukewarm.

Understandable, perhaps, as this followed light-hearted media speculation that she was to be appointed as an ‘alien ambassador’.

Dangers to avoid

If a plan was drawn up, it would have to cover the different possible scenarios, then identify and address risks and opportunities.

Risks include the danger of contaminating the biosphere with alien germs, or alerting a super-predator civilisation to our existence by sending a targeted radio signal.

Opportunities include discovering what science writer Timothy Ferris calls a ‘galactic internet’ – a repository of knowledge from other civilizations.

This might include information that could solve terrestrial problems such as hunger, disease and energy needs, though there are risks here too, as advanced technologies might be capable of being weaponised.

Contingency planners would probably regard finding alien life as a ‘low probability, high impact’ event, where even if the chances of it occurring are judged to be small, the consequences would be immense – and potentially catastrophic.

So, let's start a conversation about such a plan. After all, it's better to have one and not need it, than need one and not have it.

{ https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/ }

22-02-2026 om 20:03 geschreven door peter  

Wat Zou Er Gebeuren Als We Contact Maken Met Buitenlanders? Een Ufo-Verdedigingsexpert Onthult Hoe Goed We Echt Voorbereid Zijn

Inleiding

Het idee dat wij als mensheid mogelijk in contact kunnen komen met buitenaards intelligent leven, is al langer een onderwerp van intrigue en fantasie. Van sciencefictionfilms tot serieus wetenschappelijk onderzoek, de gedachte eraan roept zowel opwinding als bezorgdheid op. Recentelijke gebeurtenissen en rapportages over onverklaarde fenomenen aan de hemel hebben de discussie over deze mogelijkheid echter naar een nieuw niveau getild, waarbij het niet meer enkel om speculatie gaat, maar om relevante veiligheids- en beleidskwesties.

In dit artikel bekijken we wat er zou gebeuren als we daadwerkelijk contact maken met buitenaards leven, welke voorbereidingen er momenteel bestaan, waar de tekortkomingen liggen, en wat de politieke en veiligheidsuitdagingen zijn. We bespreken ook de aanbevelingen voor een betere voorbereiding en waartoe we ons zouden moeten richten als we niet willen dat dit moment een chaos of ramp wordt.

De Evolutie van de Ufo-discussie en het Bewustzijn

Voor decennia werd het veld van ufo-onderzoek gezien als marginaal en vol mysterie en complottheorieën. Echter, de laatste jaren heeft een hernieuwde interesse geleid tot meer officiële erkenning van onverklaarde luchtverschijnselen. De Amerikaanse overheid heeft bijvoorbeeld in 2020 haar Apex-onderzoek naar UAP’s (Onbekende Anomale Phenomenen) herzien en de bevindingen gedeeld. Het Pentagon richtte een nieuw kantoor op: het All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Ook in het Verenigd Koninkrijk wordt de zaak serieuzer genomen, met bewakingssystemen en een toenemende publieke discussie.

De aanwezigheid van video’s en sensordata die niet meteen kunnen worden verklaard, heeft geleid tot een verschuiving van de publieke perceptie. Wat voorheen werd weggezet als ‘onverklaarbare rookpluimen’ of ‘storm in een glas water’, krijgt nu meer serieuze aandacht omdat het bewijs lijkt te blijven toenemen. Tegelijkertijd wordt de vraag actueel: zijn wij goed voorbereid op een eerste contact?

Wat We Weten Over Onze Huidige Monitoring en Reactie‑strategieën

Momenteel beschikken zowel de Verenigde Staten als het Verenigd Koninkrijk over mechanismen om onverklaarde luchtverschijnselen op te sporen en te analyseren. De Amerikaanse AARO verzamelt gegevens van de luchtmacht, marine en inlichtingendiensten, en rapporteert aan de hoogste defensieleiding. Dit systeem is vooral gericht op het identificeren van potentiële bedreigingen voor de nationale veiligheid.

In het Verenigd Koninkrijk wordt nog steeds zowel civiele als militaire waarnemingen verzameld door het Ministerie van Defensie, alhoewel de publieke communicatie beperkt is door beperkte middelen en middelen voor onderzoek. Deze systemen zijn vooral gericht op het beschermen van de nationale luchtvaart en het voorkomen van gevaarlijke botstingen, niet op wetenschappelijke of diplomatieke doeleinden.

Gaten in Voorbereiding en Beleid

Er bestaat geen universeel en bindend internationaal protocol dat duidelijk regelt hoe te handelen bij het eerste contact met buitenaards leven. Hoewel het SETI-instituut een ‘Declaration of Principles’ heeft opgesteld met richtlijnen voor passieve zoektocht naar buitenaardse intelligentie via radiosignalen, blijft dit een niet-bindend document dat geen concrete procedures bevat voor actieve communicatie of reactie.

In 2023 publiceerde het Verenigd Koninkrijk een ‘readiness’ rapport dat de mogelijke wetenschappelijke en veiligheidsuitdagingen van een onverwachte ontdekking besprak. Dit document werd echter in 2024 stopgezet, waardoor een belangrijke beleidsruimte onbenut blijft. In de Verenigde Staten is er geen openbaar plan dat vergelijkbare richtlijnen biedt, en de hoorzittingen over UAP’s hebben slechts zijdelings uitzicht gegeven op de inhoud van eventuele geheime plannen.

Politieke en Veiligheidsuitdagingen

Indien er een ontmoeting plaatsvindt, zal de reactie waarschijnlijk verdeeld en chaotisch zijn. Mensen kunnen reageren met angst, verwondering, maar ook met paniek of onzekerheid. Overheden weten niet altijd welke instantie de leiding moet nemen: defensie, wetenschap, diplomatie, of een nieuwe inter-agency commissie.

Veiligheid is daarbij een grote zorg. Een onbekende technologie zou als een bedreiging worden gezien en defensieve maatregelen zouden snel worden genomen, mogelijk zonder overleg. Dit kan leiden tot escalatie, militaire conflicten, of het missen van wetenschappelijke kansen. Het ontbreken van een vooraf vastgestelde strategie verhoogt het risico op ongecontroleerde of ongecoördineerde acties, met alle gevolgen van dien.

De Weg Naar Een Betere Paraatheid

Wetenschappers, beleidsmakers en defensieadviseurs benadrukken dat het tijd is om proactiever te worden en structureel te plannen. Het ontwikkelen van internationaal bindende protocollen, vergelijkbaar met het Verdrag inzake het bananenruimtevaart, zou kunnen helpen om een gezamenlijke, overzichtelijke aanpak te formuleren.

Het opzetten van een permanent intergouvernementeel team dat snel kan reageren op eventuele waarnemingen of contactpogingen, is een andere cruciale stap. Dit team zou bestaan uit vertegenwoordigers van defensie, wetenschap, diplomatie en inlichtingendiensten, die onderling goed kunnen samenwerken en communiceren.

Daarnaast wordt gewezen op het belang van regelmatige scenario-oefeningen. Simulaties van contact-scenario’s kunnen de voorbereiding verbeteren en het vertrouwen vergroten dat de juiste stappen worden gezet. Ook zou openbaar onderwijs en communicatie helpen om paniek en misinformatie te voorkomen, door het publiek te informeren over de mogelijke risico’s en voordelen van contact.

De Toekomst: Waarschijnlijkheid en Implicaties

Hoewel veel wetenschappers en beleidsmakers nog steeds sceptisch zijn over de mogelijkheid van contact met buitenaards leven, geloven de meesten dat het slechts een kwestie van tijd is voordat het gebeurt. De snelheid waarmee onverklaarde fenomenen worden bestudeerd en gedeeld, suggereert dat het moment van echte communicatie misschien dichterbij is dan we denken.

Wanneer dat moment aanbreekt, zal het grote vraag blijven of wij klaar zijn – niet alleen technisch en logistiek, maar ook mentaal en diplomatiek. Een vreedzame en ordentelijke aanpak vereist een goede voorbereiding, transparantie en internationale samenwerking.

Conclusie: Klaar voor de Onzekerheid

De realiteit is dat we momenteel niet volledig voorbereid zijn op een eerste contact met buitenaards leven. Hoewel er verschillende systemen en plannen bestaan, ontbreken er nog universele, bindende protocollen en uitgebreide voorbereidingen. De risico’s van onnadenkend handelen, misverstanden, en escalaties zijn aanzienlijk.

Het is daarom cruciaal dat internationale samenwerkingen worden versterkt, dat er duidelijke en transparante plannen komen, en dat we zowel wetenschappelijk als maatschappelijk klaar zijn voor dat ene onvermijdelijke moment: de dag dat we een antwoord krijgen uit de sterren. Het bieden van een solide fundament voor dit unieke encounter kan bepalen of het een epochale mijlpaal wordt voor de mensheid of een gebeurtenis die onbedoeld chaos en gevaar met zich meebrengt.

Door proactief te plannen, educatie te stimuleren en open te staan voor internationale samenwerking, kunnen wij hopelijk de controle behouden en het beste uit de mogelijke ontmoeting met buitenaardse beschavingen halen. Want als het moment ooit aanbreekt, willen we niet achterblijven, maar voorbereid en stevig in ons schoenen staan.

• NOTA ; Dit artikel is een uitgebreide verkenning van de huidige stand van zaken rondom de voorbereiding op contact met buitenaards leven, en dient als waarschuwings- en actiepunt voor beleidsmakers, onderzoekers en het publiek. De toekomst ligt in onze handen, en het is tijd om de juiste stappen te zetten.

{ PETER2011 }

22-02-2026 om 18:40 geschreven door peter  

Overview

Investigative journalist Steven Greenstreet has released a series of exclusive reports on the New York Post alleging that U.S. government agencies and mainstream media have deliberately concealed information about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) for decades. The pieces, published over the past month, claim that coordinated “psy‑ops” campaigns were used to discredit credible witnesses and shape public perception. The revelations have sparked intense discussion on social‑media platforms, especially within the #ufotwitter community, where users are circulating excerpts and demanding official accountability.

Key Findings

Greenstreet’s investigation draws on dozens of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, leaked internal memos, and interviews with former defense‑department analysts. Among the most striking allegations are:

• Systematic suppression of radar data from Navy and Air Force encounters dating back to the 1990s, with senior officials allegedly ordering the files to be classified under “national security” without clear justification.
• A covert media‑influence program run by a joint task force of the Pentagon and the Department of State, designed to promote skeptical narratives and label UFO reports as “hoaxes” or “misidentifications.”
• Psychological‑operations (psy‑ops) briefings delivered to journalists, encouraging the use of dismissive language such as “flying saucer” or “alien conspiracy” to steer public discourse away from serious inquiry.

Greenstreet cites a 2018 internal briefing titled “Strategic Narrative Management for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” that outlines a “consistent messaging framework” aimed at preserving “operational secrecy” while minimizing public alarm.

Reactions from Officials and Experts

The Department of Defense (DoD) issued a brief statement acknowledging the existence of a “UAP Task Force” but denied any coordinated effort to mislead the public. “The DoD remains committed to transparency while safeguarding legitimate national‑security interests,” the statement read. A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the specific documents cited by Greenstreet.

UFO researchers have expressed mixed views. Dr. Jacques Vallée, a veteran in the field, called the claims “concerning and worth further scrutiny,” emphasizing the need for independent verification. Conversely, astrophysicist Dr. Emily Zhao warned that “without access to the original classified files, it is difficult to assess the veracity of these allegations, and we must guard against speculation that could erode public trust.”

Context and Historical Background

The UAP topic has gradually moved from fringe speculation to congressional attention. In 2021, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a report acknowledging “unexplained aerial objects” and recommending a more systematic approach to data collection. In 2023, the DoD formally declassified several Navy videos showing anomalous flight characteristics, prompting the establishment of the All‑Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Greenstreet’s exposé suggests that these recent steps may be part of a broader strategy to control the narrative rather than a genuine shift toward openness.

The #ufotwitter surge reflects a broader cultural moment where citizens demand transparency about phenomena that intersect national security, scientific inquiry, and public curiosity. Hashtags such as #UFOTruth and #UAPCoverup have amassed millions of impressions, prompting several lawmakers to request additional hearings on the matter.

Next Steps and Outlook

While Greenstreet’s series has ignited public debate, the lack of direct access to the classified documents means that definitive conclusions remain elusive. Advocacy groups have filed new FOIA suits seeking the release of the “Strategic Narrative Management” briefing and the suppressed radar logs. Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee has announced a hearing for later this year to examine potential “information suppression” regarding UAPs.

Whether these developments will lead to substantive policy changes or simply reinforce existing secrecy protocols is uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the conversation about UFOs is now anchored in both investigative journalism and legislative scrutiny, marking a departure from the era when the topic was relegated to late‑night talk shows. As the debate unfolds, stakeholders—from government agencies to scientific institutions—will need to balance national‑security concerns with the public’s right to know.

RELATED VIDEOS

{  https://usubjects.com/  }

22-02-2026 om 17:56 geschreven door peter  

Trump says he's directing the Pentagon to release files related to UFOs and aliens

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was directing agencies to release files pertaining to “alien and extraterrestrial life.”

Trump wrote on Truth Social that “based on the tremendous interest shown,” he would be directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and officials at other relevant agencies “to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.”

President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin announcing that the EPA will no longer regulate greenhouse gases, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Washington.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump’s announcement comes after former President Barack Obama said in a podcast interview that aliens were real, later clarifying that he meant “the odds are good there’s life out there.” Obama added in his clarification that he had seen “no evidence” of alien existence during his time in office.

Obama was answering a series of questions during a "lightning round" of the podcast interview, when he was asked whether aliens were real.

"They're real," Obama said, "but I haven't seen them, and they're not being kept in Area 51. There's no underground facility unless there's this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States."

The podcaster, Brian Tyler Cohen, then asked Obama what was the first question he had wanted answered when he took office.

"Where are the aliens?" Obama responded.

Trump, asked by a reporter about Obama’s remarks Thursday, said Obama had given classified information.

“He’s not supposed to be doing that,” Trump added.

Following a 2024 hearing, the Pentagon said it received hundreds of reports on UAPs and 21 that merited “further analysis” because of “anomalous characteristics and/or behaviors” — but found no evidence of extraterrestrial activity.

Responding to Trump’s directive Thursday night, Hegseth posted a screenshot of Trump’s post with an alien emoji and a saluting emoji.

Some lawmakers reacted to Trump's announcement Thursday. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said in an interview on Fox News, "If he’s going to release all of the X-Files, I think that could be a bipartisan thing," referring to the 1990s television show about FBI agents investigating — among other things — government conspiracies about aliens, which Fetterman said he "grew up watching."

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., thanked Trump, writing: "Looks like we are about to have a ton of hearings on this :)!"

{ https://www.nbcnews.com/ }

22-02-2026 om 17:44 geschreven door peter  

Story by Marcia Dunn

 

NASA's moon rocket sits on a launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday.

((NASA / Associated Press))© (NASA / Associated Press)

In the latest setback to return astronauts to the moon, NASA delayed the highly anticipated flight yet again after a new problem cropped up with the rocket Saturday.

April is now the earliest that the four Artemis II astronauts could fly to the moon.

NASA revealed the latest problem a day after targeting March 6 for Artemis II, the first manned flight to the moon in more than half a century. Overnight, the flow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage was interrupted, officials said. Solid helium flow is essential for purging the engines and pressurizing the fuel tanks.

This helium issue has nothing to do with the hydrogen fuel leaks that marred a countdown dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System rocket earlier this month and forced a repeat test.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said a bad filter, valve or connection plate could be to blame for the stalled helium flow. Regardless of the cause, he noted, the only way to access the area and fix the problem is in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center.

“We will begin preparations for rollback, and this will take the March launch window out of consideration,” Isaacman said via X. NASA's next opportunities would be at the beginning or end of April.

“I understand people are disappointed by this development,” Isaacman said. “That disappointment is felt most by the team at NASA, who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavor.”

• Apollo Program: Tragedy and Triumph (All Parts)

Earlier in the day, NASA said it was preparing to move the 322-foot rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center while raising the possibility of the work being done at the pad.

The situation is dynamic, said spokeswoman Cheryl Warner. Whether the fixes are at the pad or in the hangar, the rollback preparations alone rule out any chance of a March launch, she said.

Hydrogen fuel leaks had already delayed the Artemis II lunar fly-around by a month. A second fueling test on Thursday revealed hardly any leaks, giving managers the confidence to aim for a March liftoff. The four astronauts went into their two-week quarantine Friday night, mandatory for avoiding germs.

The interrupted helium flow is confined to the SLS rocket's interim cryogenic propulsion stage. This upper stage is essential for placing the Orion crew capsule into the proper high-altitude orbit around Earth for checkout, following liftoff. After that, it's supposed to separate from Orion and serve as a target for the astronauts inside the capsule, allowing them to practice docking techniques for future moon missions.

During NASA's Apollo program, 24 astronauts flew to the moon from 1968 through 1972. The Artemis program has completed only one flight so far, a lunar-orbiting mission without a crew in 2022. That first test flight was also plagued by hydrogen fuel leaks before blasting off, as well as a helium issue similar to the one that arose Saturday.

The upcoming mission will not involve landing on or orbiting the moon. The first lunar landing with a crew under Artemis is at least a few years away.

• Dunn writes for the Associated Press.

{ Los Angeles Times. }

22-02-2026 om 17:27 geschreven door peter  

This week's science news was filled with some astonishing — and creepy — displays of technology's accelerating progress.

Top of the bill was a stunning demonstration of Chinese company Unitree Robotics' humanoid robots, which somersaulted, flipped and kicked in a kung fu performance at this year's Lunar New Year festival. The robots' eerily fluid movements were a sight to behold on their own. But compare them with the stiff and cumbersome moves by similar robots just a year earlier, and it's clear how much the tech — has advanced, thanks to better algorithms and cluster control platforms.

Also in China, the world's first megawatt-class flying wind turbine produced enough power to electrify a house for two weeks. And elsewhere, Microsoft made waves with a laser breakthrough that could see terabytes of data stored on ordinary glassware for up to 10,000 years.

Physicists make a Big Bang soup

• Physicists recreated the first millisecond after the Big Bang — and found it was surprisingly soupy

In the most ambitious instance of experimental home cooking we covered this week, physicists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) recreated the primordial state of the early universe and found it was more like soup than first thought.

The discovery comes from the LHC's Compact Muon Solenoid, which smashed together two heavy atomic nuclei at near light speed to create an extremely short-lived quark-gluon plasma, believed to be the stuff of our universe in the first microseconds following the Big Bang.

The findings could have enormous implications for how our cosmos, and the stuff it's made of, first formed.

• Solar flares may be triggering earthquakes, controversial study claims
• Saturn's largest moon may actually be 2 moons in 1 — and helped birth the planet's iconic rings
• Bungled Boeing Starliner mission was the highest order of mishap that put stranded astronauts at risk, report says

Life's Little Mysteries

• What is rigor mortis, and why does it happen?

Not long after death, a sea change takes hold within the human body — a sequence of natural, cellular-level steps that result in a process called rigor mortis. But what are these steps? And why does rigor mortis happen to nearly all human bodies?

• If you enjoyed this, sign up for our Life's Little Mysteries newsletter

Teenager buried with her father's bones

• 5,500 years ago, a teenage girl was buried with her father's bones on her chest, new DNA study reveals

Archaeologists who performed a DNA analysis of skeletons excavated from a Neolithic cemetery in Sweden have uncovered some surprising family burial practices this week, showing that some of Europe's last hunter-gatherers had detailed knowledge of their family lineages.

The society, called the Pitted Ware culture, was a hunter-gatherer community that lived on the western Swedish island of Gotland 5,500 years ago. Evidence of burials and reburials, with graves shared by up to third-degree relatives, suggests people of this culture paid scrupulous attention to their social connections and honored them long after death.

Discover more archaeology news

• 2,500-year-old 'primitive prosthetic' found on jaw of mummified Scythian woman who survived complex jaw surgery
• 'Absolute surprise': Homo erectus skulls found in China are almost 1.8 million years old — the oldest evidence of the ancient human relatives in East Asia
• Research group claims preeclampsia doomed the Neanderthals, but experts say it's just a 'thought experiment'

Also in science news this week

• The biggest trees in the Peruvian Amazon store the most carbon — and they also face the greatest threat from humans
• Diagnostic dilemma: 83-year-old man's unusual form of syphilis had an 'uncertain' source
• Our adorable, noodle-like ancestor had 4 eyes, half-a-billion-year-old fossils reveal
• Vanishing lakes in Tibet may have triggered earthquakes by awakening faults in Earth's crust
• In a 'race against time,' archaeologists uncovered Roman-era footprints from a Scottish beach before the tide washed them away

Science long read

• 'Proof by intimidation': AI is confidently solving 'impossible' math problems. But can it convince the world's top mathematicians?

At a secret meeting in Berkeley, California, last year, some of the world's leading mathematicians gathered to discuss the fate of their profession. The agenda was clear: Was artificial intelligence (AI) on the precipice of taking their jobs? And would the best math no longer be produced by humans?

Yet during the discussion, an even more troubling question appeared. In the past, confidence and a good argument were signs a proof was right, as only the best would be convincing to the rest of the field. Now, however, AI is spewing out hundreds of proofs that could be flawed but are too complex to verify. In this long read, Live Science investigated mathematicians' fight to figure out if the machines are right.

Something for the weekend

If you're looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best analyses, opinions and crosswords published this week.

• Missing megaflood: How did the Mediterranean transform from a salt-filled bowl to a deep sea if it wasn't a cataclysmic deluge? [Analysis]
• New tech allows parents to 'score' IVF embryos for desirable traits — and it's in desperate need of regulation [Opinion]
• Live Science crossword puzzle #30: Brightest star in the night sky — 5 down [Crossword]

Science news in pictures

• City-size, cold-volcano comet transforms into a glowing 'snail shell' after major explosive outburst

This photo shows Comet29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, an ice ball three times the length of Manhattan, erupting into a cosmic snail shell as it circles the inner solar system.

29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann is an example of a cryovolcanic comet, which explodes after its icy shell soaks up too much solar radiation. This causes the icy gas and dust on its surface to sublimate outward, forming a fuzzy cloud.

{ https://www.livescience.com/technology }

21-02-2026 om 23:48 geschreven door peter  

A blind psychic may have predicted President Trump's decision on Thursday to disclose secret records on aliens and a major encounter with UFOs.

Baba Vanga, who allegedly foretold 9/11 and the Covid pandemic, was a Bulgarian mystic and clairvoyant who became a cult figure among conspiracy theorists after several of her eerie pronouncements came true, including some occurring decades after her death.

In the wake of the president's historic order to release all government files, a prediction by Baba Vanga has resurfaced that claimed humans would make first contact with aliens in November 2026.

The late psychic is said to have foreseen a 'massive spacecraft' entering the planet's atmosphere, providing undeniable proof of extraterrestrial life, but its intentions were never revealed.

Baba Vanga left no written records of her predictions. Most of the accounts have come from her niece, Krasimira Stoyanova, or other followers who heard and wrote down her alleged visions after she died in 1996.

However, her followers have been accused of misinterpreting what she said, and skeptics have noted that many of Baba Vanga's visions have not turned out to be right, including one predicting a UFO appearing over a major sporting event in 2025.

Until recently, the US government and the Pentagon have both claimed there has never been any physical evidence suggesting UFOs or aliens exist.

That changed when former President Barack Obama sparked wild speculation during a February 14 interview, where he declared that aliens were real. Trump quickly slammed the comments, claiming Obama had revealed 'classified information.'

Baba Vanga (Pictured) was a Bulgarian mystic and clairvoyant who became a cult figure among conspiracy theorists after being credited with predicting the 9/11 terror attacks and Covid pandemic

Trump's announcement directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon to disclose anything 'related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).'

Thursday's bombshell followed multiple reports that the president also has a written speech already prepared for a press conference this year, which will focus on what the US government knows about the existence of extraterrestrial beings.

Some interpretations of Baba Vanga's prophecy said the giant alien craft's appearance in November will set off World War III, as the clairvoyant warned of rising tensions between major global powers, including China, Russia and the US.

She also allegedly had visions of the distant future involving Earth's ties to alien life, including claims that human societies would begin building underwater cities with the aid of extraterrestrials in 2130.

Baba Vanga also reportedly predicted humans would make contact with more aliens in 2288, and that the ability to time travel would be invented that same year.

Born in 1911 as Vangeliya Pandeva Dimitrova, she was a famous blind Bulgarian mystic, clairvoyant, and herbalist known as the 'Nostradamus of the Balkans.'

She lost her sight at age 12 after being caught in a tornado, an event that coincided with the emergence of her purported psychic abilities.

Baba Vanga made numerous prophecies, often vague, about natural disasters, political shifts and future technologies, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 230,000, the election of Obama in 2008, and the rise of the Islamic terror group ISIS in 2010.

On February 19, President Trump (Pictured) ordered the Secretary of War and the Pentagon to release all documents related to investigations on the existence of UFOs and alien life

Baba Vanga allegedly predicted that a 'massive spacecraft' would be seen entering Earth's atmosphere in November 2026, marking first contact with aliens

Her track record as a seer of future events rivaled the centuries-old reputation of Nostradamus.

She has also been credited with predicting the destruction of the Russian submarine Kursk, which sank in the Barents Sea in 2000, and seeing the terrorist-controlled planes striking New York's Twin Towers a year later on September 11.

Baba Vanga reportedly said: 'Two metal birds will crash into American brothers, and blood will spill.'

The clairvoyant even foretold her own death correctly, allegedly telling her followers she had dreams she would die on August 11. Baba Vanga did in fact die of cancer on August 11, 1996 at the age of 85.

Despite her reported track record of accurate visions, some predictions of global destruction over the last two decades have failed to materialize. 

Baba Vanga is said to have predicted a nuclear war taking place between 2010 and 2016.

She also allegedly foretold that Europe would be deserted by 2016 after many years of widespread fighting and chemical attacks. The psychic added that several world leaders would be assassinated that same year.

While many believe her prediction of a strange UFO being seen over a televised sporting event in 2025 never came true, conspiracy theorists have claimed it actually did and NASA has withheld the evidence.

Some on social media alleged that the 'new light in the sky' Baba Vanga saw was the passage of the mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, which could be seen from Earth as it made its closest pass on December 19, 2025.

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

21-02-2026 om 23:16 geschreven door peter  

Beautiful Petroglyphs Discovered in Venezuela Give Hints of Ancient Culture

A newly recorded set of rock carvings in Venezuela’s Monagas state is being described as potentially among the country’s oldest known examples of rock art, with an estimated age ranging from 4,000 to 8,000 years. The petroglyph panel - marked by spirals, concentric circles and human-like forms - was located in a highland area of the Quebrada Seca community in Cedeño, and local officials are now pushing for formal certification and protection, reports Heritage Daily. If the early age range holds up under scientific study, the discovery could reshape how researchers think about early symbolic traditions in eastern Venezuela. 

• Giant Petroglyphs in South America May Mark Territorial Borders
• Man and Beast Depicted in Huge 2,000-Year-Old Petroglyphs Revealed in Venezuela

Monagas is not the only Venezuelan region producing major rock-art headlines, and comparison cases can help frame what is plausible. In 2024, archaeologists working in Canaima National Park reported dozens of rock art sites featuring pictograms and petroglyphs, with some discussion around the possibility of an as-yet poorly understood cultural tradition in that landscape, explains Live Science. While that research focuses on a different region of the country, it underlines how much remains undocumented and how quickly a new find can expand the map. 

• Ten Mysterious Rock Art Examples from the Ancient World
• Patagonia Rock Art Reveals Ancient Messages Transmitted Across 3000 Years

Historic photo of petroglyph located in Acequias, town of Barinas state, in Venezuela. (Annel Mejías Guizavia 

/Public Domain)

Protection, Tourism—and the risk of losing the evidence

In the short term, the bigger story may be what happens next: documentation, dating, and whether the site can be safeguarded before weathering or people do damage. That urgency is familiar to anyone who follows petroglyph finds globally, where the moment a location becomes widely known can also be the moment it becomes vulnerable. 

Local authorities say their immediate goal is to geolocate and safeguard the site, explicitly citing vandalism prevention, while also developing an “archaeological route” tied to sustainable tourism. The balance of public access versus conservation is delicate, because even light touching, chalking, or repeated foot traffic can accelerate deterioration. Monteverde has also indicated plans to meet with cultural authorities, including Venezuela’s national cultural heritage bodies, to formalize certification steps reports Últimas Noticias.

The wider Orinoco basin offers a reminder of both the scale of Venezuela’s rock art and the long timelines involved. A major 2024 study of monumental engravings along the Orinoco, discussed by Smithsonian Magazine, documented numerous large figures—snakes, animals, and human forms—and argued that visibility and placement may have mattered as much as the images themselves. Even though those Orinoco carvings are thought to be around 2,000 years old, their prominence shows how rock art could function as communication in a river landscape. 

• Top image: Petroglyphs engraved on boulder in Venezuela’s Monagas state.
• Source: Últimas Noticias

By Gary Manners

References

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-0 }

21-02-2026 om 22:55 geschreven door peter  

This Man Claims There Are Multiple Bases on the Moon – Including a Massive Ancient Ark – and People Living There Who Look Like Indians from Ancient India, Flying Egg-Shaped Crafts

By Vicky Verma

He had previously shared stories anonymously under the name “JP” with ufologist Dr. Michael Salla, who documented them in books.Pabon says he is coming forward now at great personal risk to himself and his family, but he has received a “green light” from certain people connected to Washington to speak about specific topics.

He served as a 91J (quartermaster and chemical equipment repairer), worked with water purification, and was often used as a translator because he speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and some other languages

He was attached to the 7th Special Forces Group (though he makes clear he was not a Green Beret himself; he calls himself a “Red Beret” paratrooper) and reached the rank of E-4.

He says lower-ranking soldiers like him were usually the ones sent on the actual missions, while higher-ranking officers stayed in secure locations.

Before joining the military, Pabon lived in Orlando, Florida, where he cleaned pools, installed security cameras, and made music. He started taking photos of UFOs around 2007–2008, including triangular TR3B craft and cigar-shaped objects.

Mysterious men in tactical gear (sometimes wearing balaclavas) would approach him in white vans or trucks and tell him exactly when and where to look up to photograph the craft.

He calls these men “white hats” who wanted the information to get out. At the same time, other groups of armed men would pick him up, interrogate him, and tell him to stop sharing photos.

After he sent a TR3B photo to Dr. Michael Salla and it got media attention, he lost his job. The “good” men then encouraged him to join the Army so the harassment would stop. He joined at age 34, and the military changed his life for the better.

 Jorge Pabon.

Credit: Redacted/YouTube

Pabon describes secret missions he took part in while in the Army. He was part of multinational teams that included U.S. special forces from different branches, as well as people from other countries.

On these missions, they wore black tactical gear and were transported by helicopters or Ospreys to large Navy ships that could partially submerge to hide.

From there, they went underwater to visit enormous ancient “ark” ships, massive structures the size of three football stadiums or larger, that have been on Earth for hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of years.

He visited one near the Bermuda area off Florida, and says there are others scattered around the world’s oceans, including near Puerto Rico, south of Hawaii near California, south of India, between Venezuela and Puerto Rico, in the Arctic, and in Antarctica.

These arks are alive; they have a consciousness, give off a pleasant smell like hay mixed with algae and vanilla, and feel like they have a heartbeat.

Tall, blonde Nordic extraterrestrials now control them. Inside, there are different departments and rooms, and some areas connect to underground cities where humans and Nordics live and work together. These cities are multi-layered but smaller than major cities like New York, and they function more like bases without children.

Pabon says he was chosen for missions because he seems to have a natural ability to call down or communicate with UFO craft, possibly through prayer or meditation. He has seen UFOs appear at conferences where he speaks, and his wife and children have also witnessed craft.

He describes seeing Nordics training pilots from Artemis Accords countries in Alabama inside a cavern, using flying-saucer-shaped vehicles. He has also seen “ant people” (beings with big eyes and dreadlock-like hair that live underground, similar to stories from Hopi Indians) and, from a distance, one gray alien during a strange mission involving moving large amounts of gold.

He believes the U.S. has very advanced technology—hundreds of years ahead—including anti-gravity propulsion, space-time manipulation, and quantum technology, much of it developed through cooperation with friendly extraterrestrials like the Nordics. He says many UFO sightings today are actually human-made craft using this borrowed technology, though some are still extraterrestrial. Countries work together secretly on these programs despite public rivalries.

He mentions opposition to disclosure. There are “dark forces” (not the regular military or defense contractors) that do not want this information out, possibly because of old unbreakable contracts. He has been threatened at gunpoint and even kicked in the face by aggressive people using advanced craft for bad purposes. Still, he believes disclosure is coming soon, possibly in phases, and that 2026 could be a key year.

Multiple Moon Bases

He speaks openly about his one remembered trip to a moon base, advanced healing technology called medbeds, Stargates and jump rooms for instant travel, and the spiritual side of everything he has witnessed.

Pabon says there are multiple bases on the moon, including at least one large ancient ark similar to the ones he described under Earth’s oceans in part one.

This ark is partly visible on the surface but mostly underground, located somewhere between the near side and the far side (he cannot give the exact spot). Many countries are involved in moon operations.

He reveals that there are people living on the moon who look Indian, with dark skin and traditional Indian features. They are highly spiritual, combine advanced technology with their spiritual traditions, and fly egg-shaped craft.

These craft are connected to ancient Indian culture (he mentions vimanas from old texts). Pabon believes these moon inhabitants sometimes visit Earth and that the U.S. has recovered some of their egg-shaped ships in crash retrievals0

One of these beings, whom he calls “Lovent,” once picked him up in an egg-shaped craft. He says the egg-shaped UFO shown in a recent NewsNation report about a crash retrieval looks almost identical to the ones he has seen.

He remembers being transported to the moon only once, in a group with other military personnel and civilians, aboard a craft similar to triangular TR3B craft. The trip caused him to black out, and when he woke up, they were already there.

The craft flew into an ancient volcanic tunnel lined with beautiful copper-like material. Inside the moon base, the air is thin but breathable and feels refreshing, similar to high altitude on Earth.

There is a lot of crystallized water on the moon, and advanced technology extracts oxygen from it. The base has newer sections built by humans (possibly in cooperation with Nordics) and older parts that look like ancient Roman-style structures built into large caverns.

The moon itself makes a constant humming sound, almost like an engine. Pabon believes the entire moon is alive or is actually a huge ancient craft that has been parked there for a very long time.

He wonders if it could be moved closer to Earth to cause massive waves or resets of civilization, though he stresses he is not trying to spread fear.

While on the moon, his job was mainly to provide security. He says missions often use lower-ranking soldiers who have already had contact experiences because these things become normal to them. He did not see everyday facilities like bathrooms or cafeterias; everyone took special pills beforehand that seemed to handle bodily needs. The visit felt fast-paced, lasting maybe a few hours.

Pabon talks about portal technology for instant travel. He has seen large Stargates big enough for ships to pass through and smaller “jump rooms” that make a person feel dizzy and nauseous before they suddenly appear somewhere else. He believes some are located at major U.S. Air Force bases like Eglin (possibly also linked to the new Space Force headquarters in Alabama). At one Stargate facility, he encountered aggressive “bad people” who act like guards and punish anyone who looks up or steps out of line.

Read also:

• This Man Says NASA Asked for Help After Astronauts Encountered Orbs Containing 125-Foot Winged Angelic Beings That Smiled at Them
• This Man Claimed that in 1994 he Met a Blue, Crocodile-Eyed ‘Alien’ in a Military Uniform
• This Man Behind the Documentary “The Age of Disclosure” Claims Donald Trump Might Be the One to Confirm the Existence of Aliens

A major part of the interview focuses on medbeds, advanced healing devices far beyond current medicine.

Pabon personally used one at Eglin Air Force Base. He lay in a capsule filled with a sticky gel connected to wires, unable to move from the neck down. Blood was taken, and he blacked out for part of the time.

Afterward, he felt dramatically better, almost like he could run two miles in 12 minutes again. He says the technology is borrowed from extraterrestrials but can also be dangerous if misused, which is why it is not released to the public yet.

When the time comes, it will be rolled out slowly through different companies specializing in certain conditions, and people may need preparatory medications or vaccines first. There are medbeds on the moon base as well.

He mentions other advanced technologies, including devices that can transfer consciousness (like in the movie Avatar) and healing “salamander wands” that can regrow missing limbs.

He once tried to build a healing wand at home after receiving instructions from a Nordic being, but unknown people broke into his house and stole everything. The same thing happened to an Air Force friend who builds technology.

Pabon briefly talks about travel beyond the moon. He has memories or dreams of seeing Jupiter and the rings of Saturn up close. He says a multinational company (not just the U.S.) mines materials from Saturn’s rings and other places in the solar system.

He defends the Apollo astronauts, saying they really went to the moon but on missions different from what was publicly shown, focused on making connections rather than just planting flags or driving rovers.

He loves the military, calls joining the best decision of his life, and says he is not a whistleblower but someone given permission to share certain parts of his story. He believes full disclosure will happen in stages and that love and spirituality are the most important messages people should take from all of this.

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://howandwhys.com/ }

21-02-2026 om 22:01 geschreven door peter  

This Man Claimed that in 1994 he Met a Blue, Crocodile-Eyed ‘Alien’ in a Military Uniform

He was born in England to an English mother and a U.S. Army Green Beret father, and later lived in Japan, Massachusetts, Germany, and California because of his father’s military assignments.

At about age 10 in San Jose, Jason says he saw a red light come down from the sky, turn into a silver, mercury-drop-shaped object about the size of a camper, hovering just above his friend’s house, silently and very close. He watched it move under a streetlight, then shoot up, orbit briefly with another light, and then one of them streaked across the sky faster than a shooting star; his mother saw part of this with him, and his friend later reported his TV flickering and a humming sound. This sighting led Jason to read “Chariots of the Gods” and become interested in ancient aliens for a while, but as a child, he mostly returned to normal life, sports, and friends, without making UFOs a central focus.

Jason joined the U.S. Air Force in the mid‑1980s, partly influenced by his father but following his father’s advice not to join the Army or Marines; his father wanted him to learn a trade, so Jason chose the Air Force for its technical skills and later used it to earn a bachelor’s degree. He first worked as an airframe repair specialist on large aircraft like C‑130s and KC‑135s, fixing structural cracks, landing gear tracks, and rivets, before being retrained in signals intelligence due to overmanning in his original field.

As a signals intelligence (SIGINT) specialist, Jason monitored telecommunication signals on U.S. military installations, which required strong privacy training because he was listening to Americans, and he had to report threats like planned violent crimes to investigative agencies. He says his work expanded from radios to satellite communications, cell phones, and computer traffic over time, and during Desert Storm, he and his team intercepted information about Iraqi civil engineers being moved, which led to changing U.S. plans to protect those engineers from ambush while they dealt with oil-filled burn pits.

After Germany and Desert Storm, Jason requested western locations like Nevada, Hawaii, or Colorado, and was assigned to Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, living in North Las Vegas. At Nellis, he trained other SIGINT analysts and also received special prototype training to cross over into electronic intelligence (ELINT), working with radar data—this is how he met his future wife, who was an ELINT “scope dope” assigned to the same unit and trained him.

Jason took part in “Red Flag” exercises at Black Mountain and the wider Nevada Test and Training Range, staying for two‑week rotations in small towns like Beatty and Tonopah rather than commuting daily from Las Vegas. He describes how, while training at Black Mountain, people casually pointed across the desert toward the Groom Lake range and talked about “Dreamland” and UFO rumors, which was his first time really hearing those stories in that context.

A few months after arriving in Nevada, Jason and several other analysts were quietly approached by colleagues and told they were being considered for a special access program (SAP) located at Groom Lake. They were asked if they would submit to a full‑scope (lifestyle) polygraph, which probes their entire life history for trustworthiness; Jason agreed, saying he had nothing to hide, and took the polygraph alongside a scientist who was also being onboarded.

After passing, Jason got a call on a Friday telling him to pack his bags without being told the destination, and the next day, he was picked up at his dorm, driven to a special secure part of McCarran Airport, and put on an unmarked “Janet” type flight with other personnel. He noticed that boarding and deplaning were unusually orderly, with no crowding or rushing, and upon arrival, he watched a mandatory security video that introduced the program name, rules, and general mission without openly mentioning aliens.

Jason also notes that he had heard of Bob Lazar in the media but did not know or care about Lazar’s claims while he was actually working at Groom Lake; Lazar had nothing to do with his assignment or chain of command.

 1994 Red Flag exercise near Black Mountain

Jason explains that he and his team were driving in a convoy toward Quartz Mountain, with his truck in the lead. He sat in the back seat behind the driver, with another man in the front passenger seat and a young woman sitting to Jason’s right in the back. They always traveled with at least two vehicles behind them so that if one broke down, the others could help.​

As they drove, Jason saw a man in a standard battle  dress  uniform (BDU), just like his own, standing on the left side of the road about a football field away. When the man noticed their vehicle, he started running toward them in a strange way, leaning forward as if he were falling or pushing against a strong wind. At first, Jason thought he was just another soldier in trouble, not.

As they got closer, Jason noticed that the man’s skin had a light blue tint, like someone who is very cold and hypothermic, not a dark or bright blue, but a pale bluish tone under normal skin color. Jason’s first thought was that the man was freezing and needed help, not that he was anything non‑human. When the stranger was only a few feet from the vehicle, and they were slowing down, the man in the front passenger seat suddenly shouted, “He’s got no ears,” meaning there were no ears at all on the sides of his head.​

Read also:

• This Man Says NASA Asked for Help After Astronauts Encountered Orbs Containing 125-Foot Winged Angelic Beings That Smiled at Them
• This Man Behind the Documentary “The Age of Disclosure” Claims Donald Trump Might Be the One to Confirm the Existence of Aliens
• This Russian Woman Claimed to Have Super Psychokinetic Powers, Could Move Objects with Her Mind, Magnetize Items, and Affect Organs.

Jason at first thought this comment was rude because he assumed the man was suffering and needed medical help. He quickly opened his door and started taking off his jacket, intending to wrap it around the stranger to warm him up. As Jason stepped onto the road, shut the door, and looked at the figure from very close range—about three feet—he saw clearly that the being had no ears, eyes roughly twice the normal human size, and that same blue tint to the skin. At that instant, he felt a strong surge of fear, like a jolt of adrenaline, and thought, “Oh crap, this does not look human.”

Jason says that when he and the being locked eyes, it felt like looking into the eyes of a crocodile or suddenly seeing a rattlesnake; his primal fear spiked even though the being was not attacking him. He describes it as meeting a sentient creature he could not explain, similar to the shock of seeing a huge whale underwater the first time you scuba dive, but without knowing what this “whale” actually was. Despite his fear, the situation changed when the being began to communicate with him, which calmed him somewhat because Jason had to focus on the conversation.​

The being spoke out loud in a language that sounded to Jason like Norwegian or some northern European language, not English. Jason did not understand the spoken words themselves, but at the same time, he clearly received the meaning in his mind, as if the being was speaking telepathically in parallel. Jason says he could understand everything: the being telling him that his craft was damaged and that he needed material to repair it. (it is unclear what the material name was, but many interpreted Jason as pronouncing something like “tintillium/trintillium”)

Jason then pointed in the direction of “Dreamland,” meaning the Groom Lake/Area 51 complex, and said those people might have advanced metals and high‑tech material that could help. As soon as he mentioned them, Jason felt a strong telepathic wave of disgust from the being, as if the being considered those people primitive or barbaric and wanted nothing to do with them.​

Jason confirms he was speaking normally in English, not just thinking, and the being seemed to understand him perfectly. He compares the language effect to speaking Spanish out loud to someone while the listener simultaneously hears perfect English in their mind via Duolingo—one channel is foreign sounds, the other is clear meaning. The being continued talking in its unknown spoken language, while Jason kept understanding the content telepathically.​

During the exchange, Jason occasionally glanced back at h is teammates in the vehicle. He says they looked “zonked,” like zombies, sitting motionless and staring blankly, similar to people who have been stunned in the Men in Black movies. Their expression was so odd that Jason almost found it comical, but he also recognized something was very wrong because they were not reacting to what was happening just outside the vehicle.​

Jason notes that the driver might have started to roll the window down at first, but likely rolled it back up when he saw Jason opening his door, wanting to keep the cold air out. Jason is not certain about the exact position of the window, because his attention was on the being and the conversation rather than the small details in the car. He says the entire interaction with the being could not have lasted more than about five minutes, though it felt intense and full of sensory input.​

At some point, Jason clearly realized, “Holy ****, I’m talking to an alien,” especially after he understood that the being was using an unknown language with a telepathic overlay and after noting that the being’s appearance was completely non‑human. He stresses that he has never before or since had someone speak to him in a foreign language while he simultaneously understood them telepathically in his own language. That combination of physical strangeness and telepathic communication convinced him he was dealing with a non‑human intelligence.​

The craft itself was parked off the road in the desert, about 50 yards from where Jason and the being stood. Jason says he looked to his left as he exited the vehicle and saw it clearly in profile. The craft had a bulbous, egg‑shaped cockpit, white in color, roughly comparable in size to the cockpit of a modern fighter jet, and seemingly able to hold about two occupants. Attached to the back of this cockpit was a flat, black, pancake‑like “egg” about a foot to a foot and a half thick, sticking out where the tail of a helicopter would normally be.​

Jason compares the overall shape to certain helicopters that have a large, rounded canopy where the pilots sit, except this craft had that big,ig rounded section plus the black disk at the rear and no wings or propellers visible. He emphasizes that, as part of Red Flag exercises, he and his colleagues were familiar with every type of aircraft in the U.S. inventory and many foreign allied aircraft, including bombers and fighters. He is confident this craft matched none of them and was unlike anything they were trained on or saw during the exercises.​

Jason says he could take people back to the exact location on that road and point out the spot where the craft sat, probably within about ten feet. He remembers the spot very clearly on the route toward Quartz Mountain. As the conversation continued, Jason ran out of helpful ideas; after being reacted with disgust to the Groom Lake suggestion, Jason told him the only other possibility he could think of was a geophysics professor he knew at the community college in downtown Las Vegas, who might have access to metals or specialists.​

When Jason mentioned the professor, the being accepted this as a possible option and said something like “OK” in response. Shortly after that, the conversation ended; Jason did not want to stay any longer and also felt they had reached the limits of what he could do to help. The being then walked back to his craft, entered it, and the craft lifted off.​

Jason describes the takeoff sound as a strange noise, somewhat like a squeaking fan belt in a car, but not very loud. The craft rose straight up from its position, then began moving horizontally while rising in a kind of stair‑step pattern rather than a smooth line, which Jason thinks could be due to the damage the being had mentioned, especially affecting the vertical flight system. The craft flew south‑southeast across the range, in a direction roughly toward Las Vegas, and eventually passed out of sight.​

After the craft left, Jason got back into the vehicle. At that moment, his teammates seemed to “come to”: their faces no longer looked zoned out, and they suddenly acted normal again. No one said, “What the hell was that?” or reacted the way Jason expected after such an extraordinary event. When he asked them directly if they had seen what just happened, they all said no.​

Jason felt this was strange, and he sensed that at least the ranking driver did remember something, because that man firmly said no and added that they should not talk about it. Jason took this as a sign that the senior man had seen enough to be frightened or concerned and wanted the subject shut down. He thinks it is likely that some of the people in the car, maybe all of them except him, experienced “lost time” or had their awareness switched off during the main part of the encounter.​

Jason explains “lost time” as a gap in memory where a section of time disappears, either because of a physical blow to the head or, in many abduction stories, because the beings have a way to turn off a person’s consciousness. He mentions reports where car radios and electronics shut down around craft, and afterwards, witnesses realize more time has passed than they remember, even though it felt like nothing happened. Jason believes something like this may have affected his teammates and may also connect to his own later missing time that day.​

He then continues the story to describe what happened after they reached Black Mountain. The convoy proceeded as scheduled; they had to arrive at a set time to power up their equipment and start their operational work, so outwardly, everyone focused on the mission. Jason, however, drove in shock, silently replaying the encounter in his head and thinking, “Holy crap, what just happened?”​

At Black Mountain, they set up their gear, worked through the mission, and then later returned to their hotel. Jason says that only the ranking man seemed to recall any part of it, because he was the only one willing to acknowledge anything when Jason tried to talk to him later. Around lunchtime that same day at Black Mountain, Jason felt a very strong, strange urge to eat his lunch outside even though it was extremely cold.​

He followed this feeling, took his lunch, and walked down the road from the Black Mountain site about 100 to 150 feet. He remembers walking down the road—and then his memory simply stops. That is where his own missing time begins: he has no recollection of what happened after walking that short distance away from the main site.

Post-Alien Encounter

Years later, in 2022, Jason says he was asked by people associated with the UAP Task Force to contact the other men from the car to corroborate the event. He reached out to one former colleague, who initially replied warmly, but when Jason mentioned “remember that day back in ’94, that UFO,” the man never responded again and effectively ghosted him.​

Jason interprets this as either fear, unwillingness to revisit traumatic or sensitive material, or pressure to remain silent, although he cannot know the exact reason. He states he is willing to take a polygraph specifically about this UFO encounter and his Groom Lake experiences because he considers himself an honest person and believes he is telling the truth as he remembers it.

He mentions that he has spoken privately, in more detail, to a very small number of trusted people and that some of what he told them included references to operations that could be interpreted as involving non‑human intelligences (NHI), but he stresses he is still trying to sort out what is memory, what is nightmare, and how his mind might have protected him by altering or hiding details.​

Jason repeatedly acknowledges that claims about missing time, UFO craft at Black Mountain, and any implication of being ordered to harm an NHI sound unbelievable and can severely damage his credibility. He says his hesitation and emotional reaction are partly because he knows how bad this sounds, even “if it’s true,” and he does not want these aspects to be used to dismiss his documented military career and more conventional intelligence work.​

At the same time, he emphasizes that his life story, service record, positions of trust, and multiple polygraphs show that he has generally been considered reliable and responsible within the system. Jason’s current stance is that he stands by what he has described about his UFO encounter and his involvement in a Groom Lake SAP, but he draws a line on discussing the most extreme alleged incidents until he and his psychiatrist can fully unpack them, out of concern for both truth and his own mental health.

{ https://howandwhys.com/ }

21-02-2026 om 21:31 geschreven door peter  

This Man Behind the Documentary “The Age of Disclosure” Claims Donald Trump Might Be the One to Confirm the Existence of Aliens

{ https://howandwhys.com/ }

21-02-2026 om 21:18 geschreven door peter  

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }

21-02-2026 om 20:53 geschreven door peter  

When President Trump posted on his Truth Social website Thursday evening that he was directing the government to release records tied to aliens and UFOs, understandably, the reaction was immediate excitement, speculation, and a fresh wave of “disclosure” chatter across social media.

However, buried in the adrenaline rush of the government revealing its UFO secrets is a quieter—and far more consequential—detail. President Trump’s statement, as written, does not clearly order the declassification of any such records (if they exist).

So, is Trump really set to release all existing alien and UFO files? Not so fast.

A Review and Release Effort?

“Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important matters. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” President Trump wrote.

The President’s statement reads more like a directive to begin a review-and-release effort—an important distinction in a national security system where “release” is often conditional, redacted, delayed, or quietly denied.

Similarly, Trump’s phrasing—to begin the process”—matters. It implies bureaucracy and coordination. It does not explicitly say, “These records are now declassified.”

President Trump’s post, then, may be less a sudden opening of the vault than a signal that the government is being told to look for material it can safely put out—on a timeline and through a process controlled by the same agencies that have long treated UAP information as sensitive.

The gap between the headline-grabbing word “release” and the legal action behind “declassify” is the pivot point in the story, because without an explicit declassification order, any disclosure is likely to arrive slowly, selectively, and heavily shaped by national security concerns.

And the timing only heightens the confusion, given that Trump’s directive follows a recent surge of presidential alien talk—first from former President Barack Obama, then from Trump himself.

Obama’s viral “aliens are real” moment—and Trump’s Air Force One reaction

Former President Obama recently went viral after telling podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them.” The remark, delivered in a speed-round tone, ricocheted online—especially among audiences primed by years of congressional UAP hearings, leaked military videos, and renewed public debate about what the government may be sitting on.

Days later, Obama walked back the remark, clarifying on Instagram, “I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us.”

The viral moment was also amplified by fresh intrigue within Trump’s orbit. On the New York Post’s Pod Force One podcast, Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump suggested she believes the president has a prepared address he’s saving for later, saying: “There is some speech that he has, that I guess at the right time, I don’t know when the right time is, he’s going to break out and talk about and it has to do with maybe some sort of extraterrestrial life.”

​Pressed on Wednesday about Lara Trump’s claim, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said she was unaware of any such plans, calling the idea “very exciting” and of “great interest,” but adding that a speech on aliens was “news to me.”

Yet, rather than brushing off the new wave of alien talk, President Trump appeared to pour fuel on it. During a Q&A with reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, framing Obama’s original quip as if it were an accidental national security leak.

“He gave classified information, he’s not supposed to be doing that,” Trump told Fox News’s Peter Doocy,  before adding that he might “get him out of trouble by declassifying.”

The entire sequence was tailor-made for the modern UFO information ecosystem. A viral soundbite and walk-back by a former President, whispers of a coming “alien speech,” and a sitting President hinting at secrecy.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }

21-02-2026 om 20:39 geschreven door peter  

Ook geen maanmissie in maart voor Artemis II, technische problemen gooien roet in eten

Maanmissie Artemis II zal zeker niet in maart plaatsvinden. Dat heeft NASA-baas Jared Isaacman zaterdag bekendgemaakt. Hij liet weten dat technische problemen met de SLS-raket de oorzaak zijn van het uitstel.

De problemen werden in de nacht van vrijdag op zaterdag door NASA-teams vastgesteld. Het gaat om een storing in de heliumtoevoer in een van de trappen van de raket, specificeerde Isaacman.

"Wat de mogelijke oorzaak van de storing ook is, deze problemen zullen het Amerikaanse ruimtevaartagentschap dwingen de raket terug te sturen naar de assemblagehal, waardoor de geplande lancering in maart niet doorgaat", legde hij uit op X.

Vrijdag nog had NASA aangekondigd dat het streefde naar een lancering op zijn vroegst 6 maart, na een grote test die succesvol leek te zijn verlopen.

Eerder waren er ook al technische problemen opgedoken waardoor de startdatum in februari moest uitgesteld worden.

Het huidige startvenster voor Artemis II loopt tot april. Met deze missie wil NASA voor het eerst sinds 1972 weer mensen richting de maan sturen. Later moeten ook bemande maanlandingen volgen.

De immense wit-oranje raket is bijna 100 meter lang. De bedoeling is dat de raket vier astronauten, drie Amerikanen en een Canadees, in een baan rond de maan zal brengen.

In het kader van de Artemis II-missie moeten de ruimtevaarders voorbereidende werken uitvoeren voor de volgende missie (Artemis III). Die staat gepland voor 2027. De bedoeling van Artemis III is om astronauten opnieuw op het maandoppervlak te doen landen, waar ze een permanente menselijke aanwezigheid moeten uitbouwen.

{ Belga }

21-02-2026 om 20:07 geschreven door peter  

Top-secret Air Force jet spotted near Area 51 hours after Trump demands UFO files

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Just hours after President Donald Trump called for the release of UFO files, a top-secret Air Force jet was spotted near Area 51 on Friday morning.

Flight tracking data shows a Boeing 737-600, known as 'Janet,' departing from Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas's main airport, at 4.06am PT (7.06am ET).

The jet headed toward the Tonopah Test Range, an area closely linked to Area 51 within Nevada’s Nellis Range Complex. Both highly classified sites are testing secret aircraft and advanced weapons.

Area 51 has long been rumored to host crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft and other mysterious technologies, leading some to speculate that Friday's flight may be tied to Trump's announcement. 

The president directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to release government files related to aliens and UFOs after criticizing former President Barack Obama for allegedly confirming their existence on a podcast.

'Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War… to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs),' Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday night. 

He added that the aim is to release 'any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.'

Area 51 has fueled decades of speculation, particularly since the Cold War, when its remote desert location and secret operations made it a natural target for UFO rumors. 

The Janet, designed by Boeing, is a white jet with a single red strip from front to back. The fleet flies contractor employees, Department of Defense staff and military personnel to secure spaces that house classified information

The US government has acknowledged the base exists but says it is used for testing advanced military aircraft. 

Janet jets are the primary mode of transport, designed by Boeing, white with a single red stripe running from nose to tail, and operating from a dedicated terminal since the remote facility cannot be accessed by regular vehicles.

The base has six runways for Janet planes, including a massive 12,000-foot strip, among the longest in the world, capable of handling flights to and from Las Vegas under tight security.

Trump made his announcement just hours after lashing out at Barack Obama for allegedly sharing classified information when he appeared to confirm that aliens exist while speaking on a podcast.

He told reporters on his way to Georgia that Obama was 'not supposed' to share classified information after he appeared on Brian Tyler Cohen's podcast and said aliens were 'real.' 

Obama added, 'They're real, but I haven't seen them,' joking that they are not kept at Area 51 as far as he knows. 

Cohen asked Obama if extraterrestrials were real in an episode that aired January 14.

The jet headed toward the Tonopah Test Range, an area closely linked to Area 51 (PICTURED) within Nevada ’s Nellis Range Complex. Both highly classified sites are testing secret aircraft and advanced weapons

'They're real, but I haven't seen them,' Obama replied. He joked that they are not being kept at Area 51, as far as he knows.

His comments, delivered with a mix of humor and authority, amounted to a clear rejection of claims that the US government is secretly housing alien life forms at the classified base.

The secrecy surrounding Area 51 has fueled widespread conspiracy theories about its true purpose, but a resurfaced interview from an aviation journalist with firsthand sources who have worked there said the truth could be revealed this year.

Jim Goodall gave an interview in the mid-1990s where he discussed top-secret technologies at the site that 'would make George Lucas envious.' 

'One gentleman spent 12 of his 30 years in black programs at Groom Lake [as Area 51 is also known],' Goodall explained in the unearthed documentary interview.

'I asked him, 'Can you really tell me what's happening out there?'' he continued.

'And he said, 'Well, there are a lot of things going on there that I won't be able to tell you until the year 2025.''

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

20-02-2026 om 23:47 geschreven door peter  

Trump says US government will declassify its UFO files. Will we actually learn anything this time, or is this a distraction?

20-02-2026 om 23:29 geschreven door peter  

Antarctica's worst–case climate scenario laid bare: Terrifying study reveals how ice coverage could plummet by 20% by 2100 – sparking catastrophic global sea level rise

• READ MORE: The $80 billion mission to save the Doomsday Glacier

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Antarctica's vast ice sheets and fragile ecosystems are already changing at an alarming rate – and now scientists have revealed just how bad it could get.

A terrifying new study has laid bare the frozen continent's best and worst–case climate change scenarios.

The international team of researchers focused their predictions on the Antarctic Peninsula, a region that is particularly sensitive to human–caused climate change.

In the worst scenario, sea ice coverage around the Peninsula could plummet by 20 per cent by 2100. 

This would be devastating for polar species, such as penguins and whales, but could also cause disastrous consequences around the globe.

Like taking the ice cubes out of a cold drink, massive loss of sea ice will accelerate ocean warming, eroding the glaciers and ice shelves that threaten catastrophic sea level rise.

Lead author Professor Bevan Davies, of Newcastle University, says: 'Changes in the Antarctic do not stay in the Antarctic.

'Though Antarctica is far away, changes here will impact the rest of the world through changes in sea level, oceanic and atmospheric connections and circulation changes.'

These maps show the changes in sea ice coverage under a low (top), medium–high (middle), and very high (bottom) emissions scenario. The dark blue shows areas of more extreme ice loss 

Scientists have laid bare Antarctica's worst–case climate scenario, as scientists predict that sea ice coverage could shrink by 20 per cent. Pictured: An area of the Antarctic Peninsula that had been covered by ice for thousands of years until 2024

Although the entire Antarctic continent is changing, the Antarctic Peninsula is in a unique position.

Unlike most of the continent, the Peninsula has been frequently visited by researchers, tourists, and fishers for much of the last century.

This means scientists have an extremely good picture of how the region has been affected by the warming climate.

Co–author Professor Peter Convey, of the British Antarctic Survey, says: 'For a casual visitor, the first impression is still inevitably that the region is ice–dominated.

'However, to those of us that have the privilege to go back multiple times, there are very clear changes over time.'

This area is also extremely important for ensuring that the global climate remains cool and stable.

The vast stretches of white ice reflect heat out into space and lock up fresh water that would otherwise increase sea levels and weaken vital ocean currents.

To understand how this sensitive region might continue to change in the future, the researchers used computer modelling to predict what would happen in low, medium–high, and very high emissions scenarios.

The researchers focused their predictions on the Antarctic Peninsula (pictured), a region that is particularly sensitive to human–caused climate change, to see how the area would change under different emissions scenarios 

Antarctica's worst–case climate scenario

If emperatures rise by 4.4°C (7.92°F) by 2100:

- Ice coverage will plummet by 20%, sparking 22mm of sea level rise

- Krill will be decimated, limiting food for penguins, seals, and whale

- Heavy rain will wipe out the Adelie penguin population

In the low emissions scenario, global temperatures rise 1.8°C (3.24°F) above the pre–industrial average by 2100.

In the medium–high scenario, temperatures would increase by 3.6°C (6.48°F) by 2100, and the high emissions scenario will see the world get 4.4°C (7.92°F) hotter.

Co–author Professor Martin Siegert, of Exeter University, told the Daily Mail that the hottest scenario would be 'a world very different to today, in ways our human civilisation development has not previously coped with.'

In the worst–case scenario, water temperatures in the Southern Ocean will get hotter much faster.

This will make the Antarctic's ice shelves much more likely to collapse, dumping vast quantities of fresh water into the oceans and sparking massive sea level rise.

According to the researchers' modelling, the Antarctic Peninsula alone could increase sea levels by up to 22 millimetres in 2100 and up to 172 millimetres in 2300.

This level of heating would also lead to a significant loss in Antarctic sea ice, which would have a significant knock–on effect.

Professor Davies told the Daily Mail: 'This would darken the ocean, making it better at absorbing heat, amplifying global warming.'

The Antarctic Peninsula has already undergone rapid changes due to global warming. In the 1990s, the exposed black peak emerging from the glacier in the top right was a tiny rock poking through the ice that was small enough to ski over

The loss of sea ice in the worst–case scenario will lead to widespread knock–on effects, including rapid ocean warming, the collapse of global ice shelves, rapid sea level rise, and greater severity of extreme weather events 

Likewise, warmer water means the oceans can store more energy, leading to more violent weather all around the globe.

Loss of sea ice this dramatic will also have a huge impact on the Antarctic ecosystem, especially on the population of krill, a small crustacean that thrives in the Peninsula.

Krill are the base of the Antarctic food chain, supporting iconic species like penguins, seals, and whales.

However, krill are entirely dependent on sea ice, so their population shrinks along with the ice.

Scientists have found that species like the Adelie penguin, which are highly dependent on sea ice and krill, have started to be replaced by more adaptable species.

As the planet warms, Antarctica will also start to see more rain, which can wipe out entire penguin breeding colonies.

'Adelie penguin chicks cannot tolerate rain as their downy feathers are not waterproof, so if they get wet, they get hypothermia,' Professor Davies explains.

However, the loss of krill also has serious consequences for humans because they are one of the major means by which the southern ocean absorbs and traps carbon dioxide.

Scientists have found that species like the Adelie penguin (pictured), which rely on sea ice and the krill that live there, are already vanishing from parts of the Antarctic Peninsula 

This means that a collapse of the Antarctic ecosystem could accelerate the already devastating process of global warming.

Currently, researchers estimate that the world is on track for a medium or medium–high emissions scenario.

In a medium scenario, carbon dioxide emissions flatline and then begin to fall from 2100, while the medium–high scenario is a world in which emissions double by 2100.

Professor Davies says that we are currently somewhere between these two cases, but that 'resurging nationalism and protectionism' threatens to push the world towards the medium–high case.

In a lower emissions scenario, the ongoing effects of climate change will continue to trigger ice loss and extreme weather, but the effects will be much more muted.

Sea ice will only be a little smaller than it is today, and the sea level rise contributions from the Antarctic Peninsula will be limited to a few millimetres.

However, the hotter the world gets, the more destructive and permanent the effects of climate change will become.

Professor Davies says: 'These changes would be irreversible on any human timescale. It would be very hard to regrow the glaciers and bring back the wildlife that makes Antarctica special. If we don’t make changes now, our great–grandchildren will have to live with the consequences.'

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

20-02-2026 om 22:57 geschreven door peter  

NASA has completed an investigation into the 2024 Starliner fiasco that stranded two astronauts in space for nine months.

The space agency labeled the incident a 'Type A' mishap, the most severe classification of mission failure, it revealed on Thursday. That puts the Starliner test flight in the same category as the Challenger and Columbia disasters, which claimed a total of 14 lives.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in July 2024 for what was intended to be an eight-day stay. However, the capsule malfunctioned, making it unsafe for human travel and forcing NASA to return it to Earth, leaving the astronauts stranded on the ISS until March last year.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said: 'Mistakes occurred from the program's inception and continued throughout execution, including contract management, oversight posture, technical rigor and leadership decision making. 

'Boeing built the spacecraft, and from the onset, NASA approved variances and agreed to fly it. As development progressed, design compromises and inadequate hardware qualification extended beyond NASA's complete understanding.'

The investigation found both technical and organizational issues that affected the mission’s safety and oversight. 

Decisions and pressures before and during the flight contributed to a culture that sometimes prioritized schedule over caution. 

After the mission, concerns about reputation delayed the formal declaration of a mishap, and the program initially conducted its own review. 

The Starliner launched Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station in July 2024 for what was intended to be an eight-day stay

The capsule malfunctioned, making it unsafe for human travel and forcing NASA to return it to Earth, leaving the astronauts stranded on the ISS until March last year

Starliner, developed under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program since 2010 to ensure continuous American access to low Earth orbit, faced a series of technical setbacks before its first crewed mission. 

Early test flights, including Orbital Flight Test (OFT) 1 in 2019 and OFT-2 in 2021 and 2022, suffered guidance errors, thruster failures and oxidizer valve malfunctions, with investigations often addressing only immediate causes rather than underlying issues. 

The crewed test flight in June 2024 encountered multiple propulsion anomalies, thruster failures and a temporary loss of full control during docking operations. 

The launch took place under the Biden Administration. 

Despite these challenges, the astronauts remained safe aboard the ISS, Isaacman said. 

Starliner returned autonomously to Earth in September 2024 without crew, and Wilmore and Williams were later brought home safely by SpaceX Crew-9.

The report noted that engineering variances are common across major aerospace programs, but NASA found that Starliner’s qualification deficiencies made it less reliable for crew survival. 

The agency acknowledged that it managed the contract, accepted the spacecraft, launched the crew and made critical decisions from docking through post-mission operations, placing a significant portion of responsibility on itself.

The investigation identified both organizational and technical factors contributing to the mishap, though the precise causes of the service and crew module thruster anomalies remain under review. 

The American space agency labeled the incident a 'Type A' mishap, the most severe classification of mission failure, and the same as the Challenger disaster

NASA’s limited oversight, according to Issacman's report, left the agency without full insight into spacecraft systems, while Boeing’s propulsion design operated beyond safety qualifications. 

Additionally, NASA’s desire to maintain two competing crew transportation systems influenced risk and operational decisions throughout the mission.

Pre-launch, more than 30 scheduled attempts created schedule pressure and decision fatigue, and prior thruster risks were inadequately addressed. 

On-orbit disagreements over crew return options led to unprofessional conduct, while advocacy for the Starliner program often overshadowed safety priorities, the report said.

Post-mission, despite a severe loss of control and costs far exceeding Type A thresholds, a mishap was not initially declared due to concern for program reputation, and the Commercial Crew Program first investigated itself.

The independent investigation concluded that these decisions were inconsistent with NASA’s safety culture. 

The agency has now formally designated the flight a Type A mishap to ensure lessons are captured for future missions. 

Officials emphasized that program advocacy had exceeded reasonable bounds, placing the mission, crew and America’s space program at risk, and pledged leadership accountability to prevent such a culture of mistrust from recurring.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

20-02-2026 om 22:34 geschreven door peter  

See Uranus like NEVER before! Scientists capture incredible 3D view of the planet – revealing details in the upper atmosphere for the first time

• READ MORE: Photo captures every planet in the solar system at the same time 

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

A new 3D map of Uranus is shedding light on one of the solar system's most mysterious planets.

Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, scientists observed the ice giant for nearly a full rotation, revealing the inner workings of its upper atmosphere for the first time.

The team, led by Paola Tiranti from Northumbria University, mapped out the temperature and density of ions in the electrically–charged layer that sits 3,100 miles (5,000km) above the cloud tops.

This has provided the most detailed picture yet of where the planet's stunning auroras form, releasing energy that creates a signature glow.

Their observations detected two bright auroral bands near Uranus's magnetic poles, which are lopsided and tilted by nearly 60 degrees.

As a result, its auroras sweep across the surface in complex patterns.

'This is the first time we've been able to see Uranus's upper atmosphere in three dimensions,' Ms Tiranti said.

'With Webb's sensitivity, we can trace how energy moves upward through the planet's atmosphere and even see the influence of its lopsided magnetic field.'

A collage showing Uranus's auroras captured during a full rotation. Observations detected two bright auroral bands near Uranus's magnetic poles, which are lopsided and tilted by nearly 60 degrees

The JWST data revealed two bright auroral bands near the magnetic poles and a zone of low emission and ion density between them.

According to researchers, this feature may be tied to the way Uranus's magnetic field directs charged particles, similar to observations made at Jupiter.

The measurements revealed that temperatures peak between 1,864 miles (3,000km) and 2,485 miles (4,000km) above the cloud tops, whilst ion densities reach their maximum around 621 miles (1,000km).

Analysis also confirmed that Uranus's upper atmosphere is still cooling, extending a trend that began in the early 1990s.

The team measured an average temperature of around 426 kelvins – about 150°C – lower than values recorded by ground–based telescopes or previous spacecraft observations.

Understanding why Uranus is cooling could provide crucial insights into how ice giant planets regulate their atmospheric temperature.

'By revealing Uranus's vertical structure in such detail, Webb is helping us understand the energy balance of the ice giants,' Ms Tiranti said.

'This is a crucial step towards characterising giant planets beyond our Solar System.'

The map has provided the most detailed picture yet of where the planet's stunning auroras form, releasing energy that creates a signature glow

More than one billion miles away from Earth, Uranus is one of the least explored planets in our solar system . So it comes as no surprise that scientists still regularly make new discoveries about the gas giant planet

At more than one billion miles away from Earth, Uranus is one of the least explored planets in our solar system.

Last year, scientists uncovered a secret moon hiding in its orbit, which is believed to be around six miles wide.

The discovery expands the total known number of moons orbiting Uranus to 29.

'No other planet has as many small inner moons as Uranus, and their complex inter–relationships with the rings hint at a chaotic history that blurs the boundary between a ring system and a system of moons,' said Matthew Tiscareno of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, a member of the research team.

The new findings, published in the Geophysical Research Letters, are part of an international collaboration that also involved the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

HOW DOES URANUS'S MAGNETIC FIELD COMPARE TO EARTH'S?

A study analysing data collected more than 30 years ago by the Voyager 2 spacecraft has found that the Uranus's global magnetosphere is nothing like Earth’s, which is known to be aligned nearly with our planet’s spin axis.

A false-color view of Uranus captured by Hubble is pictured 

According to the researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology, this alignment would give rise to behaviour that is vastly different from what’s seen around Earth.

Uranus lies and rotates on its side, leaving its magnetic field tilted 60 degrees from its axis.

As a result, the magnetic field ‘tumbles’ asymmetrically relative to the solar wind.

As a result, the magnetic field ‘tumbles’ asymmetrically relative to the solar wind.

When the magnetosphere is open, it allows solar wind to flow in.

But, when it closes off, it creates a shield against these particles. 

The researchers suspect solar wind reconnection takes place upstream of Uranus’s magnetosphere at different latitudes, causing magnetic flux to close in various parts.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

20-02-2026 om 22:09 geschreven door peter  

Eeuwenoude mysteries die onderzoekers nog steeds niet kunnen verklaren

©Getty Images

Eeuwenoude mysteries die onderzoekers nog steeds niet kunnen verklaren
De oudheid spreekt al eeuwenlang tot de verbeelding van het publiek. Van verloren begraafplaatsen tot verzonken steden, er zijn nog steeds veel dingen die een mysterie blijven voor historici en archeologen. En hoewel wetenschap en technologie grote vooruitgang hebben geboekt, maken deze onopgeloste mysteries onze wereld ontzettend fascinerend.

Van mysterieuze geogliefen in de Nazca-woestijn tot honderden perfect ronde bollen in de jungle van Costa Rica, klik verder om een paar van de meest hardnekkige mysteries van de oude wereld te ontdekken.

©Getty Images

Antikythera-mechanisme
Een 2000 jaar oude mechanisme van Antikythera, dat ook wel de ‘eerste computer’ wordt genoemd, werd gevonden in een oud Grieks scheepswrak. Het maakte gebruik van een opwindbaar wijzerplaatensysteem om de hemelse tijden van de zon, de maan en vijf planeten bij te houden, samen met een kalender, de fasen van de maan en het moment van eclipsen. Onderzoekers begrijpen nog steeds niet hoe de Grieken toen al zo'n geavanceerd instrument konden maken.

©Getty Images

Voynich-manuscript
Het Voynich-manuscript werd in het begin van de 15de eeuw in Midden-Europa geschreven. Maar wetenschappers weten nog steeds niet wat er op de pagina's staat, of in welke taal het is geschreven.

©Getty Images

Vlakte der Kruiken
In de bergen van Laos ligt een vallei met duizenden stenen kruiken, wat bekend staat als de Vlakte der Kruiken. De enorme stenen kruiken zijn 2500 jaar oud en niemand weet waarom ze daar liggen.

©Getty Images

Lijnen van Nazca
Tussen 1 en 700 na Christus hakten de Nazca-bewoners van Peru in roestkleurige rotsen, waardoor de lichtere steen in diepere lagen blootgesteld werd. Enorme figuren van dieren, planten, mensen en geometrische vormen waren het resultaat, maar tot nu toe weet niemand waarom ze deze figuren hebben uitgehouwen.

©Getty Images

Romeinse twaalfvlakken
Deze mysterieuze voorwerpen, gemaakt van brons of steen tussen 100 en 300 na Christus, danken hun naam aan hun 12 zijden. Maar hun vorm is zo ongeveer het enige waar experts het over eens zijn.

©Getty Images

Lineair A
Op oude Minoïsche relikwieën zijn twee verschillende maar vergelijkbare schrijfstijlen aangetroffen, namelijk Lineair A en Lineair B. Terwijl Lineair B in 1952 werd ontcijferd, breken onderzoekers zich nog steeds het hoofd over Lineair A.

©Getty Images

Paracas Candelabra
De Paracas Candelabra, uitgehouwen in een Peruaanse heuvel van versteend zand, lijkt op de Nazca-lijnen. Het is rond 200 voor Christus gemaakt, maar niemand weet precies wat het voorstelt.

©Getty Images

Dogū
De dogū, die dateren uit de Japanse neolithische Jōmon-periode, zijn kleifiguren die een kruising zijn tussen mens en dier. Archeologen hebben er ongeveer 18.000 gevonden, variërend in leeftijd van 2300 tot 10.000 jaar oud, maar ze weten nog steeds niet waarvoor ze werden gebruikt.

©Getty Images

Sacsayhuamán
Er zijn veel vragen rond de stenen structuur van de Inca's in Cusco, Peru. Sommigen beweren dat het een fort was, anderen zeggen dat het werd gebruikt voor ceremonies. Maar hoe dan ook, het is zeker indrukwekkend!

©Getty Images

De Lijkwade van Turijn
De lijkwade is een stuk linnen waarop een vervaagde afbeelding te zien is van een man die veel op Jezus lijkt. Hoewel uit onderzoek is gebleken dat het doek uit de middeleeuwen stamt, geloven velen dat het de echte lijkwade van Jezus Christus

©Shutterstock

Yonaguni Monument
Voor de kust van het Japanse eiland Yonaguni ligt een onderwaterrotsformatie die lijkt op een door mensen gemaakte trappenpiramide. Deze formatie werd in de jaren 80 ontdekt en wordt door sommige onderzoekers beschouwd als de ruïnes van een oude beschaving.

©Getty Images

De Grote Sfinx van Gizeh
De sfinx, een van de meest raadselachtige monumenten uit het oude Egypte, zou zijn gebouwd tijdens het bewind van farao Khafre in het derde millennium voor Christus. Sommige historici suggereren echter dat het monument wel eens 9000 jaar oud zou kunnen zijn.

©Getty Images

Skara Brae
Het oude stenen dorp Skara Brae, dat ongeveer 5000 jaar geleden werd gesticht, ligt op de Orkney-eilanden in Schotland. Het bestaat uit een aantal stenen huizen en het oudst bekende toilet van Schotland. Het dorp werd rond 2500 voor Christus op mysterieuze wijze verlaten. Omdat er geen menselijke resten of andere aanwijzingen zijn gevonden, vragen onderzoekers zich af: waarom zijn de bewoners vertrokken?

©Getty Images

Angkor
De heilige stad Angkor, gelegen in het hart van de Cambodjaanse jungle, was van de negende tot de 15de eeuw de hoofdstad van het Khmer-rijk. Hoewel er geen duidelijke verklaring is voor de ondergang van deze stad, wijzen recente onderzoeken erop dat klimaatverandering hiervoor verantwoordelijk zou kunnen zijn.

©Getty Images

De dood van Farao Toetanchamon
Archeologen denken dat de jonge koning onverwacht is overleden. Zijn lichaam lijkt echter in brand te zijn gevlogen nadat hij was gemummificeerd en zijn graf werd verzegeld. Dit, in combinatie met de overhaaste begrafenis, heeft experts doen twijfelen of zijn graf oorspronkelijk voor iemand anders was gebouwd en of er misschien nog andere mummies in hetzelfde graf begraven liggen.

©Getty Images

Paaseiland
Een van 's werelds grootste mysteries is het afgelegen Paaseiland in Chili, dat ooit de thuisbasis was van een welvarende Polynesische gemeenschap. Maar waarom en wanneer de eerste kolonisten arriveerden, blijft onbekend. Over de ondergang van deze beschaving wordt dan ook nog steeds gediscussieerd.

©Getty Images

Tempels van Ġgantija
Deze enorme megalieten, gelegen op het Maltese eiland Gozo, zijn naar schatting zo'n 5500 jaar oud. Archeologen vermoeden dat de tempels mogelijk toegewijd waren aan een oude vruchtbaarheidscultus, maar dat is tot vandaag nog niet vastgesteld.

©Getty Images

Göbekli Tepe
Göbekli Tepe ligt in een landelijk gebied in Turkije en dateert uit 8000 voor Christus. Het bestaat uit meerdere ringen van enorme stenen pilaren met daarop afbeeldingen van dieren en wordt beschouwd als een van de oudste plaatsen van aanbidding. Maar de vraag blijft wie de bewoners daadwerkelijk waren.

©Getty Images

Stonehenge
Stonehenge, een van de meest iconische prehistorische monumenten ter wereld, zou rond 3000 tot 2000 voor Christus zijn gebouwd. Na eeuwenlang onderzoek zijn de meeste onderzoekers het erover eens dat het als begraafplaats heeft gefungeerd. Maar er blijven nog andere geheimen bestaan, zoals de mogelijke religieuze en ceremoniële betekenis ervan.

©Getty Images

Terracotta Leger
In het mausoleum van Qin Shi Huang Di, de eerste keizer van China, staat een leger van 8000 levensgrote beelden op wacht. De tombe van Qin is echter nog niet opgegraven, waardoor men zich afvraagt welke andere verrassingen er nog te vinden zijn.

©Shutterstock

De Grote Piramide van Gizeh
Archeologen zijn van mening dat het ongeveer 20 jaar heeft geduurd om de Grote Piramide van Gizeh te bouwen, een van de zeven wereldwonderen uit de oudheid. Het precieze doel van deze piramide is tot de dag van vandaag nog steeds een mysterie.

©Getty Images

Schijf van Phaistos
De schijf van Phaistos, gevonden op Kreta in 1908, is gemaakt van brons en is aan allebei de zijden bedekt met een spiraal van gedrukte symbolen. De oorsprong en betekenis ervan blijven veelbesproken.

©Shutterstock

Hobbits
In 2003 werd op het afgelegen Indonesische eiland Flores een skelet van een 30-jarige volwassen vrouw gevonden met een lengte van slechts 1,06 meter. Aanvankelijk dachten onderzoekers dat de kleine botten mogelijk afkomstig waren van een mens met microcefalie, een aandoening die wordt gekenmerkt door een klein hoofd en een kleine lichaam. Maar latere vondsten van skeletten van vergelijkbare grootte suggereerden dat deze "hobbit" een aparte soort was, de Homo floresiensis. Deze soort dateert van 50.000 jaar geleden, maar de exacte plaats in de stamboom van de menselijke voorouders is nog steeds een raadsel.

©Shutterstock

Chichén Itzá
Chichén Itzá, gelegen op het schiereiland Yucatán in Mexico, werd rond de zesde eeuw na Christus gesticht door de Maya's. Ooit was dit een bloeiende metropool met 50.000 inwoners, maar we weten nog steeds niet wat de oorzaak van haar ondergang was.

©Getty Images

Tikal
Tikal, gelegen in het regenwoud van Guatemala, herbergt de ruïnes van een machtige Maya-stad uit de periode tussen 300 en 800 na Christus. Tot op de dag van vandaag hebben archeologen nog steeds geen aanwijzingen over de oorzaak van de ondergang van Tikal.

©Public Domain

Koperen Rol
De koperen rol, die dateert van 2000 jaar geleden, werd in 1952 ontdekt op de locatie van Qumran. Onderzoekers denken dat de rol een beschrijving bevat van een verborgen schat, maar niemand weet waar deze zich bevindt, of dat deze schat daadwerkelijk bestaat.

©Getty Images

Tiwanaku
Deze Inca locatie in Bolivia blijft de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap verbazen. De locatie dateert uit ongeveer 536 na Christus, maar het is onduidelijk hoe de stenen blokken ooit werden vervoerd en gevormd.

©Getty Images

Stenen ballen van Costa Rica
De stenen bollen van Costa Rica zijn een verzameling van meer dan 300 petrosferen in de jungle van Costa Rica. Ze werden ontdekt in de jaren '30 en sommige dateren zelfs uit 600 na Christus. Tot op de dag van vandaag is er weinig bekend over de oorsprong van de stenen of hoe ze gebruikt werden.

Bronnen:

• (National Geographic)
• (History)
• (Live Science)

GERELATEERDE VIDEO'S

{ Stars Insider }

20-02-2026 om 21:41 geschreven door peter