On 19 May 2000 at 5:11 AM CDT (10:11 GMT), Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Launch Complex 39A, at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. She was on her way to the fledgeling International Space Station, to carry out Station Assembly Flight 2A.2a.

The STS-101 Crew worked very hard to get the, as yet, two module orbiting outpost ready for the arrival of the long awaited Zvezda (Russian Word For "Star") Service Module. Zvezda was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome atop a Russian Proton booster in late July 2000. This absolutely critical life support module would open the way for the First Expeditiion Crew to begin manned flight aboard ISSy, in November 2000.

The men and women of STS-101 performed a number of replacement and upgrade operations during their six days docked to ISSy. These included four new batteries, 10 new smoke detectors and four new cooling fans installed in the Zarya (Russian Word For "Sunrise") Control Module. Over a ton of supplies and equipment were stowed in advance of the First ISS Expedition Crew. In addition, a new onboard computer and three fire extinguishers were delivered. All of this cargo was carried in the SPACEHAB double module, mounted in Atlantis' payload bay.

STS-101 also had a single EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) on its agenda. Executed on Flight Day Four, Astronauts James Voss and Jeff Williams (pictured right) assembled a Russian Strela (Russian Word For "Arrow") crane, replaced a bad communications antenna, and finally installed exterior handrails on the Unity Node to aid future spacewalks. The EVA began on Sunday 21 May at 8:48 PM (1:48 GMT 22 May) with egress from Atlantis' airlock, ending at 3:32 AM CDT 22 May (8:32 GMT) for a total duration of 6 hours 44 minutes.

Atlantis landed safely back at Kennedy Space Center Runway 15, at 1:20 AM CDT ( 6:20 GMT ) on 29 May 2000. Total duration, 9 days 20 hours 9 minutes.

In this case, we have another manifestation of that curious "Second Phenomenon", as it was dubbed by it's Canadian discoverer, Mr. Martyn Stubbs of Vancouver British, Columbia. Something strange happens with ISS, and Shuttle, cameras when passing through that area of the globe known as The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA). This was the last full flight day with STS-101 docked to ISSy.

This phenomenon consists of numerous flashes, streaks, and what look like mini-comets, seen in the "live" television downlink signal from space. It appears to be entirely natural; something generated by the magnetic field of Earth itself. What makes it strange is that in recent years, NASA seems to have taken steps to cover it up! Why is a mystery.

NASA have never openly acknowledged its existence. When challenged by Quest Publications during the production of their movie "The Smoking Gun", several scientists tried to pass it off as "cosmic rays affecting the CCD cameras aboard spacecraft". However, the manufacturer of said cameras has insisted that this is not possible. They claim that their equipment cannot be affected by cosmic rays in this manner. And that doesn't even address the fact that the phenomenon is most pronounced inside the SAA. The only thing we can be certain of is that the phenomenon exists, and there are examples of it in both day and night.

Quest Publications, and UFO Magazine UK, are now defunct. They disbanded in March 2004 following the untimely death of their chief editor Mr. Graham Birdsall at age 49, of Leeds, Yorkshire, England. The film "The Smoking Gun" is still available for purchase.

Let's take a look at some pictures from the STS-101 event, as captured from the original VHS tape recorded from NASA Select TV, at the time.

What causes these flashes remains a mystery. Why NASA tries to keep it a secret is, in some respects, an even greater mystery. If this is a purely natural occurance caused by the Earth's magnetic field, there would seem to be no reason to cover it up. So, what's the big secret?

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At all times during this incident, the camera was under the control of the INCO in Houston Mission Control.

(INCO - INstrument & Communication Officer - The man in Houston Mission Control Center who is responsible for operating the Shuttle payload bay, and robotic arm, cameras. He also remotely operates the helmet cameras in space suits. In the case of ISS, this officer is referred to as the CATO - Communications And Tracking Officer. In both cases, these persons CONTROL everything which is PERMITTED to go out on broadcast to the public. It is a commonly believed falacy that the cameras are operated by Astronauts & Cosmonauts on the Shuttles, and Space Station. Very little camera work is done by the crews. They're way too busy for that.)

For more on this unusual phenomenon, see the following articles available here at Project P.R.O.V.E. The links are presented in chronological order.

Soyuz TMA-5 Anomalies In SAA 10/04

Soyuz TMA-4 & The Strange Phenomenon 10/04

ISS Exp. 11 - Strange Phenomenon, First Time In Daylight! 05/05

STS-114 The Strange Phenomenon Again! 08/05

STS-115 The Strange Phenomenon 09/06

The next list of pages helps to illustrate NASA's reluctance to allow live downlink within the SAA.

ISS EVA 10a - Antics Over Argentina 1/05

ISS EVA 10b - MORE Antics Over Argentina 3/05

At the end of the day, it's up to YOU to draw your own conclusions.

© 2005 Jeff Challender