Saturn's 'Spring Sun' Lights Up Bizarre Polar Hexagon

The Daily Galaxy brings us new pix of Saturn's North Pole and its amazing hexagon!  "Saturn's polar hexagon was originally discovered in images taken by the Voyager spacecraft in the early 1980s. It encircled Saturn at about 77 degrees north latitude and was estimated to have a diameter wider than two Earths. The jet stream is believed to whip along the hexagon at around 100 meters per second (220 miles per hour). The north polar hexagon shown in the Cassini  image ...[left] basks in the Sun's light now that spring has come to the northern hemisphere. Many smaller storms dot the north polar region and Saturn's signature rings, which appear to disappear on account of Saturn's shadow, put in an appearance in the upper-right background," reports article.  The Saturn Spring is reason for new pix as hexagonal shaped pole baths in springtime sunlight that comes around every 30 years:  "The images of the hexagon, whose shape is the path of a jet stream flowing around the north pole, reveal concentric circles, curlicues, walls and streamers not seen in previous images. The last visible-light images of the entire hexagon were captured by NASA's Voyager spacecraft nearly 32 years ago, the last time spring began on Saturn."

Mars And Back In 501 Days

Spaceports breaks news of a possible manned flyby of Mars in 2018!   Inspiration Mars Foundation (IMF) announced intent to send two citizens to within 100 miles of Mars.  The 501 day trip takes advantage of planetary alignment, referred to as a "fast, free-return."  Route to Mars traced (video left), using STK software.

Cell Phones Open Blood Brain Barrier

Leif Salford, a researcher from Lund University in Sweden, presents in 20 min. research findings (video) on microwave energy - cell phones - how at very low power levels opens blood-brain-barrier.  The blood-brain-barrier protects brain, and once opened, allows proteins in to disrupt and damage brain cells. In "Chemtrails, Wireless And You," William Thomas writes, "Just two minutes on a cell phone, or sitting near a wireless computer router or portable phone cradle, shorts-circuits the electrical ion activity powering the blood-brain barrier. This allows proteins and other blood toxins to enter the brain and resume damaging neurons in thinking and memory centers. Dr. Leif Salford is finding “astonishing number of dead neuron cells, actually suffering holes in their brains from the damage” caused by a single cell phone call." Cell phones and microwave energy present substantial threat to human health!

What If The Earth Were Hollow?

What if the Earth were hollow? You can get fast facts from minutephysics in less than four minutes. There are some surprising facts.  Coriolis effect explained.  The Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia addressed as another topic. This video doesn't cover "Hollow Earth" theory, but rather does hypothetical measurements of falling objects through a hole if one were drilled through the Earth.  How fast Earth rotates - in what direction - find out!

STRaND-1 Nanosat = Smartphone In Space

Smartphone Nanosat will be onboard an Indian rocket as part of multiple payload set to launch on Monday, according to Universe Today article. "STRaND-1 [Surrey Training, Research, and Nanosatellite Demonstrator] is a 30cm cubesat weighing 3.5kg.  At the heart of the satellite is a Google Nexus One smartphone with an Android operating system.  Smartphones are highly advanced and incorporate several key features that are integral to a satellite such as cameras, radio links, accelerometers and high performance computer processors - almost everything except solar panels and propulsion.  During the first phase of the mission, STRaND-1 will use a number a number of experimental Apps to collect data while a new high-speed linux-based cubesat computer developed by SSC takes care of the satellite.  During phase two, the STRaND team hope to switch the satellite's in-orbit operations to the smartphone, thereby testing the capabilities of a number of standard smartphone components for a space environment," summarizes mission statement at Surrey Satellite Technology LTD.  It's an interesting mission with unusual goal of to test adage,  whether anyone could actually hear you if you screamed out in space?  Yes, that's correct! There was even a competition for ten best screams!  The nanosat falls into cubesat category and measures about a foot long and weighs less than 8 lbs - if you're wondering?  You can drop below fold for another video that describes individual components.

Spectacular Russian Meteorite Pictures!

Mail Online shares spectacular images (picture) of Russian meteorite, captured on February 15th.  "Marat Akhmetaleyev, 31, had just set up his tripod when the space rock lit up the crisp, morning sky almost where his camera was pointing. Despite trembling with shock, he instinctively started to snap away," reports article. Akhmetaleyev was really lucky - set up and pointed in right direction?  You wonder?  The steadfast photographer remained at his tripod despite fears it was a "nuclear bomb." They are great pictures and attest to unusual brilliance of explosion!  Is it a stony meteorite catching fire and exploding?

Was "Meteor" Shot Down?

From Russia, You Tube video (left) complete with dramatic music to accompany momentous meteorite as it appears to be intercepted on morning of February 15th?  The one minute video, if you haven't seen it already worth certainly a minute out of your busy day!  What happened?

Apple, Facebook, Twitter Hacks Said To Hail From Eastern Europe

Cyber Hacking Likely From Europe, Not China
from cnet.com: While many security experts have been pointing the blame at China for the recent wave of cyberattacks on U.S. companies and newspapers, Bloomberg reports that some of the malware attacks actually may be coming from Eastern Europe.

Investigators familiar with the matter told Bloomberg they believe a cybercriminal group based in either Russia or Eastern Europe is carrying out the high-level attacks to steal company secrets, research, and intellectual property, which could then be sold on the black market.

Evidence that the attacks may be coming from Eastern Europe is the type of malware being used by the hackers, which is more commonly used by cybercriminals than by government spying. Also, investigators have tracked at least one server being used by the hackers to a Ukrainian hosting company.

Roughly 40 companies have been victims of cyberattacks over the past several months. These companies included tech businesses, such as Apple, Facebook, and Twitter, and newspapers, such as The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press.

The Mars Underground

"A very well-crafted documentary with excellent special effects and awesome musical score that outline a basic, affordable and realistically plausible plan for the human exploration of the red planet in the very near future -- as few as just 10 years away (if it can be funded). It shows Dr. Robert Zubrin, aerospace engineer and president of The Mars Society, for the visionary and futurist that he is. Mars, as a destination for our planet's various combined space agencies, is both an amazingly welcoming Earth-like world, as well as a cold, forbidding and distant challenge. Unlike our Moon, Mars will be the stepping stone to the rest of the universe, and will be the first real and sustainable off-world human colony. A great glimpse of our future as a spacefaring species,"  describes You Tube summary of "Mars Underground." Dr Zubrin and fellow engineer David Baker co-authored Mars Direct, a planned mission to the red planet, covered in 2010 post here.  Zubrin seems inspired and wants entire world to feel the same, referring to lost decades since Apollo missions as simply wasted time!  Zubrin, president of the Mars Society, believes all the ingredients necessary for success are there and simply asks, "if not us,” he said, “then who? If not now, then when?...We can make Mars habitable!"

Did God Rods Cause US Space Weapon To Hit Russia And Cuba?

Yoichi Shimatsu, a Hong Kong-based writer, offers kinetic weapon theory in article, "Did God Rods Cause A US Space Weapon, Not Meteors, To Hit Russia And Cuba?" Shimatsu offers plausible explanation about a space-based kinetic weapon discussed since the early 1980s:  

"The Rods from God are depleted uranium rods sheathed in a ceramic foam shell, which prevents friction-caused searing vaporization during re-entry. The DU rods rely on kinetic energy from gravity acceleration reaching supersonic speeds along a close-to vertical trajectory. Upon impact with the Earth's surface, the ceramic shell is shattered into powder, while the DU becomes a red-hot searing liquid fire that burns through rock and concrete. Turning into dust and gas, the depleted uranium will ignite the air inside any bunker or tunnel, creating shock waves that cause the roof to cave in."

Readers require little imagination to see where rods, could be one more DU weapon in a related market for weapons industry. Shimatsu contends there's not great margin for error with heavy weapon in slower orbit assumed to make hitting target more attainable? The present writer found brightness of meteor flash left some doubt about nature of Russian incident? The reasoning offered by Shimatsu merits attention:

"A pair of massive meteorites, each brighter than the Sun, has never been recorded before in the entire history of astral chronologies. Obviously, the bus-size objects that fell from the sky are man-made and not freaks of nature. While it is too early yet for a conclusive determination, one scenario can explain the twin disasters, and that is a free fall of a U.S. Air Force orbital weapons platform loaded with super-heavy 'God Rods'... One problem of near-geostationary orbit...is the massive weight of the God Rod canisters aboard the space bus. With the slightest miscalculation of minimum orbital momentum, the space-based weapons platform tumbles into free fall."

Did a miscalculation or a mechanical problem cause a bus-sized weapons platform to free ball back to Earth?  It makes sense, unfortunately, as just another venue to deploy seeming ubiquitous depleted uranium stockpiles!

Russian Meteor Shower Linked to DA14 Asteroid?

Paul Joseph Watson relates various sources with plethora of videos in Infowars article to get scientific opinions, whether Russian meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk, early Friday, is related body to Asteroid 2012 DA14?  Scientists are split:

"Simon O’Toole, an astronomer at the Australian Astronomical Observatory, thinks that there is unlikely to be a connection. 'As pointed out elsewhere, DA14 is still half a million kilometres away, travelling at 8km per second, for a start! Could it be part of the asteroid that has broken away and reached earth already? This seems unlikely to me,' he said."

Yet, another Australian scientist drops on other side of fence:

"Curtin University asteroid expert Phil Bland told an Australian website, 'Is it connected to the flyby? A lot offolks would say “no”. Personally, I’ve always kind of liked the idea that there are streams of asteroid debris – so you can have smaller stuff that precede and trail a bigger object. It seems like an awful big coincidence if it’s not connected'.”

Russian meteor still represents unusual occurrence as title of New York Times article reflects, "Size of Blast and Number of Injuries Are Seen as Rare for a Rock From Space." Alex Jones devotes first half of Friday show to Russian incident, expressing belief, due to a stony meteor with trapped gases inside that resulted in explosion.

Nibiru Asteroids? Has It Begun? Russia, Kazakhstan, Australia and Cuba

Are recent meteor over Russia and asteroid 2012 DA unrelated and just coincidence? Are meteors over Russia, Kazakhstan, Australia and Cuba unrelated or indication of larger phenomena:  Nibiru or Planet X? "The meteor -- estimated to be about 10 tons -- entered the Earth's atmosphere at a hypersonic speed of at least 54,000 kph and shattered about 30-50 km above the ground, the Russian Academy of Sciences said in a statement," informs Before It's News  (BIN ) on Russian incident.  BIN blog entry further suggests it could be part of bigger phenomena:  "The Zetas predicted that asteroid swarms would be used as an excuse by the establishment to explain the debris in the tail of Planet X. Since Planet X arrived in the inner solar system in 2003, debris in the tail of Planet X has resulted in numerous fireballs. At first, NASA explained this as space junk, but when pieces of the meteor were located, the approach by those effecting the cover-up over the presence of Planet X was to limit the news reporting of fireball activity. Nevertheless, when fireballs screamed across several states or provinces, their presence was hard to deny. In October, 2009 NASA began to claim these fireballs as 'asteroids', or rogue 'near earth objects' instead, claiming they were unaware of the trajectory until the last minute. This was a radical shift in explaining the debris in the tail of Planet X, but a shift that was anticipated by the Zetas in their 2003 prediction." The rational capacity of most human beings will reject remote possibility Nibiru AKA Planet X - a dark star - a captured satellite in highly elliptical orbit, has made a rare intrusion (every 3,600 years?) into inner solar system!  On the other hand, heightened meteor traffic with spectacular displays not just a dim object passing field of vision with aid of binoculars, makes a mind wonder?  The most recent prior post on Nibiru is available here.

Zhirinovsky: No meteorites, It’s New US Weapons Test

"A meteorite streaked across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, raining fireballs over a vast area and causing a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged buildings and injured 1,200 people," reports Reuters. The vice speaker of State Duma, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, on the other hand, accuses United States of weapons test over Russia in brief coverage at themoscownews.com.  “'There have been no meteorites. It was a new American weapons test,'  Zhirinovsky said."   Universe Today provides late update on meteor: "The Russian Academy of Sciences has estimated that the single 10-ton meteor entered the atmosphere at around 54,000 kph (33,000 mph) and disintegrated 30-50 kilometers (18-32 miles) up." Is it meteor, weapons blast or paranoia of Russian politician? We may never know?

Hoagland: NASA Lies!

Does picture at left show a rock?  A Universe Today article, "Scientist Explains the Weird Shiny Thing on Mars," offers mundane explanation for anomalous object spotted last week by Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars (original left, closeup right).  The article explains "... images from the Curiosity rover showed what looked like a piece of shiny metal sticking out from a rock. Some of our readers suggested that it might be a handle or knob of some kind. It’s a knob, yes, says Ronald Sletten from the Mars Science Laboratory team, but a completely natural formation. Sletten, from the University of Washington, explained that, not surprisingly, it is actually a part of the rock that is different — harder and more resistant to erosion — than the rest of the rock it’s embedded in...As far as why it appears shiny, Sletten said, 'The shiny surface suggests that this rock has a fine grain and is relatively hard. Hard, fine grained rocks can be polished by the wind to form very smooth surfaces." 

The greater question is whether you buy explanation, and possibly, a measure of how far gone your ability to engage in critical thinking?  Howard Hughes interviewed Richard C Hoagland recently on The Unexplained (.mp3), who asserts virtually every Mars panorama shows debris from ancient technology! "NASA is lieing," believes Hoagland and offers opinion, people are conditioned to uncritically accept explanations provided them.  People also have a great need to trust, and Hoagland suspects, their world would fall apart if they could no longer trust authority.  Do you see a rock or a piece of shiny metal?  

History Of Sagittarius A AKA The Black Hole

Sagittarius A* believed to be a black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, became subject of recent study.  "'The Awakening' --When Will the Supermassive Engine at the Heart of Our Galaxy Reignite?" - title of recent The Daily Galaxy article, where astronomers wonder why galactic core seems relatively quiet?   A team of astronomers used X-Ray satellites from Japan, the United States and Europeans Union to partially determine history of the black hole.  The picture (left) is an image of the black hole, captured by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.  Perhaps, most interesting, the method used by team to discover something about the black hole's history:

"It turns out that, approximately 300 years ago, Sagittarius A* let loose, expelling a massive energy flare. Data taken from 1994 to 2005 revealed that clouds of gas near the central black hole, known as Sagittarius B2, brightened and faded quickly in X-ray light. The X-rays were emanating from just outside the black hole, created by the buildup of matter piling up outside the black hole, which subsequently heats up and expels X-rays. These pulses of X-ray take 300 years to traverse the distance between Sagittarius A* and Sagittarius B2, so that when we witness something happening in the cloud, it is responding to something that happened 300 years ago. Amazingly for us, in a rare occurrence of perfect cosmic timing, a region in Sagittarius B2, only 10 light-years across varied dramatically in brightness. "By observing how this cloud lit up and faded over 10 years, we could trace back the black hole’s activity 300 years ago," said Katsuji Koyama of Kyoto University. 'The black hole was a million times brighter three centuries ago. It must have unleashed an incredibly powerful flare.'"

San Onofre = Fukushima USA?

Will Americans experience, first hand,  a severe mechanical failure at one of its nuclear power plants?  Arnie Gundersen, nuclear engineer, calls restarting troubled San Onofre plant, "...an experiment."  The new steam generators with an expected lifespan of four years only lasted ten months!  Does this suggest design flaw or computer virus?  Gundersen added he doesn't like being part of a process that continually just catches problems, stating about every 10 years a severe mechanical failure occurs at an American nuclear power plant!  All Americans should be concerned about the state of aging nuclear power plants across the country!

US To Use Drones In Chris Dorner Manhunt

from zerohedge.com: We were hoping to evade coverage of the latest mass distraction du jour, that of the former LAPD officer Chris Dorner who recently went rogue following a three man murder spree and who has vowed to kill again as per his 6,000 word manifesto, but the US government had made it impossible following confirmation that the search for Dorner is now the first official drone-hunt in US history.

The Express reports:

Yesterday, as a task force of 125 officers, some riding Snowcats in the rugged terrain, continued their search, it was revealed that Dorner has become the first human target for remotely-controlled airborne drones on US soil.

A senior police source said: “The thermal imaging cameras the drones use may be our only hope of finding him. On the ground, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
 
Asked directly if drones have already been deployed, Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, who is jointly leading the task force, said: “We are using all the tools at our disposal.”
 
The use of drones was later confirmed by Customs and Border Patrol spokesman Ralph DeSio, who revealed agents have been prepared for Dorner to make a dash for the Mexican border since his rampage began.
 
He said: “This agency has been at the forefront of domestic use of drones by law enforcement. That’s all I can say at the moment.”

And once Dorner is found by remote-control, it will be again up to drones to secure his "elimination." If for no other reason than to perform a ground test of just how the recently enacted drone-facilitated extermination of US citizens sits with various instances of the US judicial system.

Retro Sci-Fi Weekend: 'The Time Machine' (1960)

One of the all-time best science fiction movies, "The Time Machine," (1960) stars Rod Taylor in his first leading role with Yvette Mimieux in a - dare we say - timeless classic!  "The Time Machine" "...based on the 1895 novel of the same name by H. G. Wells in which a man from Victorian England constructs a time-travelling machine which he uses to travel to the future," as described by Wikipedia.  In 2008, "CULT MOVIE REVIEW: The Time Machine (1960)," provides additional insights into social commentary of film, and probably, most riveting and enduring aspects of film.  An early scene shows close friends George (Taylor) and Philby (Alan Young) discussing George's fascination with time.  The protagonist clearly states his dissatisfaction with his own era:  "...George and his friend Philby...share a philosophical discussion. 'Why the pre-occupation with time?' asks Philby sincerely. George’s answer is telling. He doesn’t much care for his own time, an epoch when science is called on only to invent new weapons, ones that can more efficiently 'de-populate' the Earth." George travels into future with brief stops in 1917, early 1940s and then the 1960s, by this time, exposed to air raid sirens and "all clear" that become mind control triggers for dumbed down Eloi of the distant future.  A nuclear strike triggers a volcano in the sixties stop, forcing George to throttle into far future to finally escape lava encasing his machine.

The 2008 review shares its admiration for author's keen viewpoint, "when Wells wrote the original novella, he was well-acquainted with Darwin’s work, and it’s fascinating...that Wells pondered not an evolution of the species, but rather the devolution of our kind: a pervasive moral, intellectual and physical degradation" - or was it access Wells may have had to esoteric knowledge?  The 2008 review shares insights into potent and enduring social commentary incorporated into plot:

"Finally, George stops his machine in the far-flung world of 802,701 AD....Another brilliant touch...Specifically, the Morlock 'call' for the Eloi to gather at their city entrance is the same air horn or siren noise that for generations warned humans to seek underground shelter during times of attack. That particular sound was heard so frequently throughout human history that the Eloi response has become quite literally Pavlovian in nature. The horns sound, and the Eloi drop everything and mindlessly go to the Morlocks…their enemies....Although the movie doesn’t specify it, the novel makes clear that the fat, lazy Eloi are the descendants of the leisure class; the industrial Morlocks are 'blue collar' workers. In the movie, they’re also blue skinned, hairy monsters with glowing eyes."

So, Wells portrays a future where working class gets even by farming descendents of the rich - or leisure class? The 2008 review sounds a positive note in conclusion, although its more about human resiliency than a hopeful future:

"Think about it: George, the time traveler of the 1960 version, goes to the future, and sees what we have done to ourselves as a species through our constant divisions (social and military). But he doesn’t give up. He doesn’t cower. Instead, he fights for the human race. Ultimately, he commits himself to the world of 802,701 and sets about the hard work of building a new culture, a new civilization. The message here, right beneath the surface: Yes we can. We might fail, we might even hover on the precipice of total destruction, but we can choose to involve ourselves; to fight. And we will succeed. Otherwise, all the future’s just a…bridge to nowhere."

Could it be Wells spelled out human nature as forever cyclical - a flowing course of social evolution and devolution, shaped mainly by need and circumstance?  "The Time Machine" begins with part one of 11.

Unsealed Conspiracy Files - Stargates

"Unsealed Conspiracy Files," according to website, "...shines a light on dozens of mysterious, previously top secret case files released by the government in April, 2011 as a result of the Freedom of Information Act." "Stargates" revisits in featured episode (video), a theory United States went to war with Iraq to prevent Saddam Hussein from revealing ancient technology.  It's a fascinating prospect, perhaps, a Stargate was motivation for second Iraq War?   Special Operations Task Force 20, Ziggarat at Ur and focus on Iraq National Museum in early days of war, all seem to betray, US searching for ancient tech in Iraq!    A previous blog entry, "Secret War Over Iraq Stargate," covers subject with links to sources for many points made in video.   An Iraq Stargate just piques the imagination!

Asteroid 2012 DA14 Close Approach Feb 15

Don Yeomans, NASA manager of Near Earth Object Office, reassures in two minute video that asteroid DA 14 will not hit earth or even a satellite. 2012 DA 14 will pass Earth at a distance of  17,200 miles, 5,000 miles inside the satellite belt.  The asteroid half the size of a football field,  is compared, to meteor that caused 1908 Tunguska Blast.  You may be able to spot the asteroid with binoculars if you live in Australia or Southeast Asia! There's nothing to worry about so no need to kiss good-bye on February 14th!

Tonight's Sky: February 2013

"Tonight's Sky" provides monthly guide to the northern hemisphere's skywatching events. "In February, look for the brilliant stars of Orion and for dazzling Jupiter blazing overhead," advises You Tube summary.   Here's a link to Tonight's Sky homepage at Hubblesite. Another interesting link at Stardate.org provides stargazing info for upcoming week.

Sci-Fi Short Weekend: 'R'ha'

David Hill writes in article, "The Democratization Of Filmmaking — Riveting Sci-Fi Short Film R’ha Created By A Single Person," "Digital filmmaking is transforming Hollywood, no doubt, but for independent filmmakers, it is nothing short of a revolution. Case in point: 22-year-old German student Kaleb Lechowski. After seven months of writing, designing, and editing as well as reporting his progress on his blog, Kaleb recently posted his short sci-fi film R’ha on Vimeo. The six-minute film, which does not include a single human being, was completed as part of his first-year studies in digital film design in Berlin." Please enjoy a digital transformation that's nothing less than a revolution in filmmaking!  Will we see "R'ha" on the Big Screen?

Sci-Fi Short Weekend: 'Prism' Action/SciFi Film!

"The basic synopsis of Prism is that two people (one of whom is played by Jimmy Wong, rising YouTube actor and songwriter) sneak into a science/technology convention and come across an amazing new device that could revolutionize the world. When they're discovered by the obligatory sinister corporate executive, they escape and find themselves chased by tactical hit squads who sport awesome masks and (eventually)laser rifles. For something created by a group of amateurs, Prism is pretty incredible. It's certainly a simple premise, but it's executed with a ton of style and does a really nice job with the various action sequences," according to excerpt of review at "The Escapist Magazine". "Prism" is an amazing eight minutes of action/scifi!

Sci-Fi Short Weekend: 'Tears Of Steel'

"'Tears of Steel'" was realized with crowd-funding by users of the open source 3D creation tool Blender. Target was to improve and test a complete open and free pipeline for visual effects in film - and to make a compelling sci-fi film in Amsterdam, the Nether- lands. The film itself, and all raw material used for mak- ing it, have been released under the Creatieve Commons 3.0 Attribution license. Visit the tearsofsteel.org website to find out more about this, or to purchase the 4-DVD box with a lot of extras," informs You Tube summary.  It's a very impressive short sci-fi production, yet purpouts twisted transhumanist view of the world.  It's an Illuminati viewpoint, human gets equated with feebleness - to be replaced by something harder:  steel!

Sci-Fi Short Weekend: 'UNEARTHED'

"UNEARTHED," a 22 minute short Sci-Fi production with plot twist reminiscent of those used in Twilight Zone episodes. "On the edge of space, a mining ship, The Ezekiel, finds an uncharted planet that reveals signs of a possible fuel resource. Two crew members undertake a mission to the desolate rock to take samples for later analysis. The mission goes well until they unearth a dark and terrifying truth," reads You Tube summary. The best part of this sci-fi short besides excellent production values, admission is free!

2003 Columbia Disaster Revisited

On February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia broke up upon reentry just after 9am (bottom picture) over much of central and eastern Texas. The official story reports that insulating foam damaged heat-resistant tiles on left wing of Columbia just after launch is the suspected cause. In an entry at the Living Moon website, "Columbia Taken Out by Lightning," provides image taken by amateur, who watched reentry in the hills above San Francisco (top picture). "In the photograph a purplish corkscrew streamer merges with the plasma trail of the shuttle, which then brightens significantly," entry describes a compelling alternative account. Space Lightning may be a sufficient and more adequate cause - but that has largely gone ignored. There is also a HAARP rumor where the storyline goes: North Korea timed a missile launch, so US defenses left little choice but to activate missile shield (HAARP umbrella) to neutralize the incoming missile. It seems fantastic until reports of a North Korean missile found in Alaska just a month later came out with varied accounts here and here. Space Lightning or HAARP may sound far out but aren't they better explanations, when compared to a few missing heat-resistant tiles?