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STS-114 U.F.O.s During Docking? DVDs Now Available At Project P.R.O.V.E.!

STS-114 lifted off from Launch Pad 39B, Kennedy Space Center, on 26 July 2005 at 9:39 AM CDT (14:39 GMT). This daylight launch was the most watched in Shuttle history, with the possible exception of STS-1, the initial Shuttle launch on 12 April 1981. The timing and solar angle were chosen to maximise opportunities to film the liftoff, and ascent, from every possible perspective. These even included modified old jet bombers from the 1950s (WB-57 Canberras), carrying special camera turrets in the nose for the purpose of photographing Discovery at high altitude as she was on her way to orbit. The reasoning behind all of this was to make sure that if there were ANY debris strikes on the orbiter's sensitive heat shield, like the one which doomed Columbia in 2003, they would be captured on film for detailed analysis before allowing Discovery to re-enter the atmosphere. The Crew experienced some facets of Shuttle flight that are entirely new. On orbit inspection of the heat shield, manual repairs to that heat shield, and experiments with different methods of on orbit heat shield repair. In addition, Discovery carried over 15 tons of equipment and supplies to the International Space Station ( in the Raphaello MPLM module ), where she was greeted upon arrival by the Expedition 11 Crew. Three EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) were carried out. These involved Space Station repairs, improvements, and attending to heat shield problems. A fourth EVA to repair a flaw in the insulation below Commander Eileen Collins window was cancelled as unnecessary. Space Shuttle Discovery and her crew landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base (NASA's Dryden Research Center) in the California desert at 7:11 AM CDT (12:11 GMT) on 9 August 2005. Total flight duration was 13 days 21 hours 32 minutes. The mission was highly successful, accomplishing every goal set for it. The sad news is that in the wake of continued problems with external tank insulation breaking away during liftoff, the Shuttle fleet has been indefinately grounded until the problem is solved.
	STS-114 Liftoff

	Belly Inspection

	Inside ISSy

	Robinson On EVA

	STS-114 Landing

THE DOCKING OBJECTS

Nearly two days after Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, she was on final approach for rendezvous and docking with ISSy. Docking itself took place on 28 July 2005. Operations preceeding docking to ISSy were stretched out over a period of over five hours. At several points during these operations, "live" downlink of Discovery's approach was made available via NASA Select TV from exterior cameras aboard ISSy. These were NOT taken by the Expedition 11 crew with hand held cameras.

It was while these broadcasts were on, that several anomalous objects manifested themselves. All four of these appeared and disappeared rapidly. Were it not for having recorded similar apparitions from the ground, I would not have deemed these significant. After all, they come and go in the blink of an eye. But, they immediately reminded me of the three objects which turned up in my Project P.R.O.V.E. recordings.

(Project P.R.O.V.E. was founded by myself and Mr. Joseph Held, in May 2001. Our purpose was to capture anomalous objects flying with Shuttles, and ISS, from positions on the ground, such as our own homes. It stood to reason that if the objects seen on NASA Select TV from space were not ice and debris, they should be visible from the surface of Earth, just as ISSy and the Shuttles are. So far, three very intriguing events have been taped. Project P.R.O.V.E. still goes on as a personal program in spite of the fact that the old organization no longer exists.)

So, let's take a look at what was recorded on the tapes of STS-114 which caught my interest, shall we?

EVENT ONE
	This is a still frame taken from the original VHS recording of STS-114 docking operations as they happened. The anomaly is circled in yellow to the lower right. The sky is still quite bright, as this was just before sunset.

	Now we can see that the object appeared suddenly, hung about for a few seconds, and then vanished. Discovery was still many miles from ISSy at this point. ISSy does not shed ice and debris as the Shuttles do on orbit. So it seems highly unlikely that this object is debris close in. Were it from Shuttle, it would HAVE to be huge to be seen at all from this distance.

	This little animation is composed of frames taken by my own home camcorder on 18 June 2001. It was shot in early twilight as ISSy passed over my home in Sacramento. Notice the similarity to the object from STS-114?
EVENT TWO
	This second strange object appeared some three quarters of an hour after the first one (circled in yellow). Note that this object appears similar to the first one. Bear in mind that the sun had long ago set by this time. There was no source of natural light to illuminate anything "out there". So the possibility remains that this object was self-luminous.

	Just as before, the anomaly appeared, stayed in place for a few seconds, and disappeared once again. The Sun was long gone by now, so all illumination MUST be artificial.
EVENT THREE - OBJECT ONE
	This still frame shows the third anomalous appearance. This time, there are TWO anomalies (circled in yellow). Notably, the one directly above Discovery is composed of two lights side by side, rather like the headlamps of an automobile. And just like before, these objects are playing "hide and seek". Sudden appearance, a few seconds in view, and phtttt! Gone...
The objects of the third event were difficult to see due to the extreme darkness of the scene, so they have been brightened about 30 points by me. The Sun played no part in this drama.

	Upon close examination, the most interesting of the four anomalies is this one, zoomed in 250%. The twin lights, side by side, give the impression of a structured object. It's almost inconceivable that we would be seeing ice or debris at this distance, let alone in the darkness of full night. What these objects are is unknown.

	This animation is composed of the same frames as the one above, save that colors are reversed. In this one, we can better see that the object seemed to "rotate" out of view as it disappeared.

	The three frame animation at left shows natural color, reversed color, and embossed. It makes for an interesting comparison.
EVENT THREE - OBJECT TWO
	This is the second object which, in our field of view, was far to the left of Discovery and the twin light object. This also is a 250% zoom. This anomaly bears a strong resemblance to the commonly reported disk or cigar-shaped U.F.O. I'm not saying this is an extraterrestrial spacecraft. I haven't enough information to make that conclusion.

	Last, we have a three frame animation of the second object. Again, natural color, reversed color, and embossed.

Due to the fact that three of the four objects spotted in this sequence cannot have been naturally illuminated, it is safe to say that they were probably self-luminous. Nothing normally encountered in space by Shuttles or ISSy can do this. What these objects were remains unknown.

***

A FOURTH anomaly was seen during the Discovery/ISS rendezvous maneuvers that morning. That one is so impressive, it warranted its own page. See it here:

STS-114 The Dark Object

At all times during these incidents, the camera was under the direct control of the CATO 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.)

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