SUBJECT: THE INVESTIGATOR'S EDGE SERIES FILE: UFO2475 PART 2 THE INVESTIGATOR'S EDGE from Dan Wright's newsletter April 23, 1990 On a balmy, starlit night in 1986, two men were engaged in fishing and conversation in the midst of a northern Michigan lake. Suddenly, one called the other's attention to a brilliant light approaching from the north. For nearly two minutes, they were captivated by the source passing high overhead on a straight-line course. Appearing basically white at first, the "sparkling" object took on an amber tone before it passed from view on the southern horizon. Moments later and a hundred miles to the south, several adults and teens witnessed the anomaly while lazing outside their cottage. They observed orange-ish tones and noticed two or three smaller lights "eject" from the main body, thereafter travelling in tight formation with the sparkling "mothership". As the objects passed to the west of Detroit and into Ohio, still heading south, radio and TV stations were besieged with calls. Some described the objects as no more than a thousand feet overhead. Those in more remote, quiet locales attached a slight hissing sound to what were now six or more small glowing objects in irregular formation. On and on went the intruders, observed by thousands over Kentucky and Tennessee. Less than an hour after the initial sighting, a call was placed to NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), located on Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Without hesitation, the officer related the details of a Soviet Soyuz rocket booster reentering the atmosphere over American airspace. Several points bear mention concerning reentries. First, at any given time, NORAD's height-finder radar is tracking several _thousand_ objects that are in static or slowly decaying orbits around the earth. These range from intact satellites to pieces of debris as small as a softball. Excepting those retrieved via space shuttle, with increasing frequency each will fall through the atmosphere. Second, our planet collides with common meteors by the ton on a daily basis as well as in the form of annual meteor showers. [The latter are ice trails of ancient comets and range in size from a grain of sand to small stone.] Comparatively, then, even a softball-sized hunk of metal from an earlier exploded launch vehicle can create quite a stir as it slowly disintegrates through the atmosphere. Third, its burn is far longer than a typical shooting star also because the angle of descent is not steep. On a clear night the sighting duration is commonly about two minutes from horizon to horizon (_usually_ east-to-west, though S-N and N-S also occur). Fourth, this display evokes a variety of colors, depending on the composition of the metal and especially the altitude (thus internal heat generated) at the point it is observed. Initially, observers generally see a whit light, followed by amber/orange, and possibly other hues. Fifth, very typically in a reentry, witnesses describe a holiday "sparkler" (actually disintegration) effect, changing coloration (due to the slowing speed and increasing atmospheric density) and, quite often, a fragmenting of the main body (thus reports of a "mothership" ejecting smaller "crafts"). Sixth, reentries are nearly always seen over wide expanses, often encompassing a few or several states. Seventh, the witnesses tend to grossly underestimate the object's altitude (total disintegration usually occurs above 15,000 feet) and overestimate its actual size. Eighth, the anomaly is (logically) always said to be traveling in a straight and horizontal path overhead. Even when fragments are observed splitting from the main body, they continue along the same course (i.e. without an abrupt directional change). Whenever these characteristics are present, it is proper (and usually worthwhile) to contact Peterson AFB, asking for the public affairs office. That person will contact the NORAD facility. Being a bureaucrat myself and so suspicious about government agencies, I present the inquiry simply: "We had an event this evening in (named state(s)). Did NORAD record a reentry?" That is, the time, directional course and duration should not be offered; let them do the corroborating. If in reality the nocturnal light was a reentry, you will probably be given much detail (the particular space launch and date, moment the debris first entered the atmosphere, duration of the burn, and area where it was presumed to flame out). There are two types of events for which you will _not_ likely receive a helpful reply. One would entail secret military testing in space (e.g. SDI target practice). The other would be a genuine UFO event. Either claimed ignorance or a "can neither confirm nor deny" response is likely in those situations. Since it could be either, however, reticence to answer your questions does not necessarily imply an anomaly. ********************************************** * THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo * **********************************************