I'm sure we all agree that NASA, being a civilian agency dedicated to scientific research, has no business keeping secrets. I think we would also agree that NASA should never lie to the public. Yet, if one takes a close look at certain patterns of policy and behavior, it becomes plain that our space agency seems to be deliberately misleading and deceiving the very people who are paying for the program.

I propose to demonstrate that NASA is perpetrating a deception on the public in the form of the "ZOE" (Zone Of Exclusion). This is a swath of space beginning in the north of Siberia, passing above Central Asia and the Indian Ocean, extending south to the Antarctic. In this area, it is claimed that normal communication with Space Shuttles and ISS is precluded by a lack of coverage by a combination of the TDRSS (Tracking & Data Relay Satellite System) and various ground stations.

It's NOT true. There are plenty of examples of ordinary, and routine, downlink TV from inside the "ZOE" in RECENT times. Here are several for your examination.

STS-114 "LIVE" TV In The ZOE

STS-114 Night TV In The ZOE

STS-121 A Meteor Moment - ZOE Bolide!

STS-117 "LIVE" TV In The ZOE

So, in SPITE of what they say, downlink TV is not only possible in the "ZOE, but TV during non-critical moments when nothing of importance is in progress. As the old saying goes,

"Ya can't have it both ways!"

The TDRSS is a constellation of satellites, built by TRW and Boeing, which receive and relay Shuttle, ISS, and other space communications to and from Mission Control Centre in Houston Texas. The system is also used by other agencies both American and allied. These satellites are in Geosynchronous orbit.

A Geosynchronous orbit (Also known as a Clark orbit in honour of Sir Arthur C. Clark who originally proposed the idea in the late 1940s) has an altitude roughly equal to the circumference of the Earth (25,000 miles / 40,000 km). At this distance, the satellite moves around the Earth at the same speed as the rotation of Earth, keeping the satellite in the same place in relation to the surface.

These satellites act as relay messengers between orbiting spacecraft like Space Shuttles and ISS, ground stations like Diego Garcia, and command centers in the continental United States.

This map, provided by NASA, shows the globe encircling Tracking & Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). There is actually no place on Earth that isn't well covered by this system. Yet NASA continues year after year, to claim they have no communication facilities of any kind in the area of the Indian Ocean called the "ZOE".

The signals to and from the various TDRS units deployed around the world are eventually relayed to the main terminal complex at White Sands New Mexico. White Sands then relays the signals to Mission Control Houston. We'll get to that part of the story further on in this treatise.

Our focus is now on the satellite known as TDRS-Z, or F-3, or TDRS-3, or even TDRS-C. They have a lot of names for this satellite...perhaps to sow confusion? This unit was launched with, and deployed by, STS-26 in 1988. STS-26 was the first Shuttle flight after the Challenger disaster of 1986. TDRS-Z sits right over the Indian Ocean, above the centre of the "ZOE". Below is a description of the deployment of TDRS-Z provided by NASA.

Here we have a picture showing the TDRS satellite obiting over the so-called "ZOE". It is designated TDRS-3, but is also referred to as TDRS-Z. It was launched aboard STS-26 in September 1988.

Source: J-Track 3D (Click on picture for full size version)

In this picture, we see the 22,500 mile (36,000 km) high geosynchronous orbit of TDRS-3.

Source: J-Track 3D (Click on picture for full size version)

Finally, we have here another picture showing that there is an entire Saturn-like ring of satellites in geosynchronous orbit all round the Earth, and specifically over the "ZOE". ..TDRS-3 satellite has a LOT of company up there.

Source: J-Track 3D (Click on picture for full size version)

Since the location of TDRS-Z (275° W) is on the far side of Earth from White Sands, there is no line of sight for direct communicaton. Therefore, there would need to be one, or more, ground tracking stations in the vicinity.

There is one in the area, on the island of Diego Garcia. On this island, amongst other military bases, is a state of the art US Space Command facility. It's mission statement makes it clear that it supports communications for NASA flights, including, and specifically, the Shuttle.

The island is located just below the equator, southwest of India, near the center of the Indian Ocean. It's a VERY remote location. Diego Garcia is 15 miles (24 km) long, and 37 miles (59 km) from Eclipse Point to Barton Point.

(Click on picture for full size version)

More information on Diego Garcia is here:

Where In The World Is Diego Garcia

Diego Garcia Island & The "ZOE"

(Saved 28 Sept. 2000) The twin flags at the top denote the close cooperation of the US and UK in the use of Diego Garcia. The unit badge to the right is the first mention of the semi-mysterious Air Force Space Command.

(Click on picture for full size version)

(Saved 28 Sept. 2000) Looking at the first page of the Air Force Space Command section, we see that there is a space tracking and data relay facility on Diego Garcia.

But wait a minute!! NASA says there are NO such installations in the entire region, let alone a state of the art US Military tracking and relay base.

(Click on picture for full size version)

(Saved 28 Sept. 2000) The mission statement of this Space Command deteachment leaves no doubt as to their capability, and mandate, to provide support for NASA programs in general, and the Shuttle specifically since at least 1996.

(Click on picture for full size version)

Another from STS-107. The "ZOE" is outlined in red. Diego Garcia is labeled DGI, and you can just make out a grey circle on the NASA map which indicates the tracking range of the base there. Also pointed out here, and including its range circle, is the Guam Remote Ground Terminal (GRGT). The GRGT is the current relay point for the TDRS satellite covering the so-called ZOE.

There is more too. I found a Q & A session with some school students which was held on the internet 10 December 1997.

The questions were fielded by Stuart Engelhardt, who develops software for NASA. He was taking random questions from the children, and giving his answers off the cuff. Questions about the "ZOE" came up, and Mr. Engelhardt's responses are interesting, in the context of what we have seen NASA to say about the "ZOE" in the years previous to 1997. He refers to Diego Garcia Island facilities as a relay station for Shuttles in the "ZOE". This conversation can be seen in its entirety at the URL here:

Space Team Online Web Chat

Date: December 10, 1997

Featuring: Stuart Engelhardt - Software Developer
NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Stuart Engelhardt/JSC-34-10:24:08

RE:[Hank-Massey/The White Lake School]

Q. Do you use a satellite to get messages to the Shuttle?

A. Yes, the typical path to the Shuttle is from JSC to White Sands, then to either TDRS East or West, depending on where the orbiter is. We have a ZOE (Zone of Exclusion) over the Indian Ocean, but have a naval station on the ground that can sometimes provide a connection.

Stuart Engelhardt/JSC-65-10:53:01

RE:[Ravi/Amber-Massey/The White Lake School]

Q. Can you send or receive messages in the ZOE? We like to talk on the computer.

A. In the ZOE, the Shuttle cannot "see" either of the TDRS satellites (east or west). Only if we are over the naval station on an island in the Indian Ocean can we get messages up and down. But the ZOE usually only lasts 5-20 minutes. I think the name is something like Diego Garcia, the island where the naval station is, but not certain. Ravi, check with your science or geography teacher and see if you can find that island. It is an interesting place.

END NASA QUOTE

An interesting place indeed! It's now obvious that Diego Garcia has been carrying Shuttle communications traffic in the ZOE for years, yet the area continues to be officially labeled a "Zone Of Exclusion".

The Canberra ground station (At Tidbinbilla Australia) was available to NASA from March 1994 to July 1998. Although this facility was first tasked to service the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO), it was quite capable of handling ANY traffic from the "ZOE". The quote below was taken from the web page here:

NASA's GRO Remote Terminal System (GRTS)

Italics mine. (JC)

"On March 14 1994, NASA announced the opening of a new, remote ground station in Tidbinbilla, Australia, called the GRO Remote Terminal System, to receive scientific data from the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (GRO) via a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) that was moved into position over the Indian Ocean.

The TDRS system was deigned to operate with all the TDRS spacecraft in view of a single ground station. As a result, coverage could not be provided in a small region on Earth -- the so-called Zone of Exclusion over the Indian Ocean. "With activation of this facility, the TDRS system can, for the first time, provide global coverage." said Charles Force, Associate Administrator, Office of Space Communications, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C."

END QUOTE

So, by NASA's own admission, the ZOE was closed once and for all on 14 March 1994. Or was it?? They still cling to it. I have yet to see a Shuttle flight where the ZOE isn't considered alive and well. The Expedition Crews of the International Space Station also have to "live with" the so-called "ZOE".

We will now examine the next on the list of ground stations that serve, or have served, to close the ZOE.

This is the Guam Remote Ground Terminal (GRGT). It is the relay station for TDRS-Z, forwarding its signal to the White Sands Complex.

The quote below is from the NASA website linked below:

Guam Remote Ground Terminal

Italics mine. (JC)

"The Guam Remote Ground Terminal (GRGT) is the replacement for the GRO Remote Ternimal System (GRTS). GRTS, located and operated from near Canberra Australia closed the TDRSS Zone of Exclusion for the Compton Camma Ray Observatory and the Space Shuttle. Implemantation of the GRGT has extended that capability to ALL TDRSS customers thus making TDRSS capable of providing 100% coverage to ALL our customers. GRTS was taken out of operation when GRGT became fully operational in July 1998."

Here is another quote from yet another NASA web page. The original can be viewed here:

TDR Spacecraft FAQ

What is the Zone Of Exclusion?"

"Prior to the implementation of the Guam Remote Ground Terminal (GRGT) The zone of exclusion (ZOE) was that portion of the customer's orbit from which visibility of a TDRS was not possible. (What happened to GRTS in Australia? Did it get wiped from history?? JEFF) The zone was caused by the on orbit location of the TDR spacecraft. The TDRSs were located such that they were visible only from the White Sands Complex. By locating a TDRS over the Indian Ocean and building the GRGT to support that spacecraft the ZOE has been ELIMINATED."

END QUOTE

(The above quote found on 17 September 2001. JC)

WHY does NASA doggedly persist in the "ZOE" myth? What is the motivation for such blatant lying to the taxpayers who PAID millions of dollars to build, staff, and operate the three ground stations which closed the "ZOE" as long ago as 14 March 1994??

At left is the White Sands Complex located in the high desert of New Mexico. This is where all the data and signals from the various TDRS's, and ground stations around the world, comes together.

This facility is reputed to be in two very separate parts. One is said to be a giant underground complex operated by the US Air Force. The above ground portion is run by NASA.

(Saved 28 Sept. 2000) This web page illustrates how the Space Command installation accomplishes it's mission of tracking the Shuttle, and various satellites. It also demonstrates how they can relay communications to the NASA Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas by way of the White Sands Complex.

(Click on picture for full size version)

So, we are left to deal with a lot of conflicting information concerning the "ZOE".

On the one hand, we have the fact that NASA continues to claim there is no communication over the Indian Ocean.

On the other hand we have all of this information, from NASA and Military sources, which indicate that the "ZOE" is a sham and hasn't existed in reality since March 1994.

Some of the more cynical and outspoken employees of NASA have stated in forums on the internet that ALL of the quotes and information I have obtained (From PUBLIC Sources) come from people who don't know what they're talking about. This even includes the administrators. These persons would have us discount ALL of the facts and statements made over many years from multiple sources as totally erroneous! Now, in my humble opinion, THAT'S CHEEK!

In conclusion, the evidence presented here shows that there are questions regarding the ZOE which, to date, have no satisfactory answers. We are told, by official sources, that on 14 March 1994 the "ZOE" had been closed once and for all.

Then we are told by a NASA computer engineer in December 1997 that the ZOE is not really so excluded, because there is the Space Command tracking station on Diego Garcia Island to handle the connection back to White Sands. The Space Command Detachment which operates the Diego Garcia station tells us, in its own mission statement, that it has been taking care of NASA, and Shuttle, communications since at least 1996. So THESE sources tell us that the "ZOE" was closed in 1996 once and for all.

Additionally, we are told that the opening of the Guam Remote Ground Terminal in July 1998, closed the ZOE once and for all, once again.

Yet, on every Shuttle flight since 1994, we are told again and again, that the "ZOE" makes communication between the ground, and the Astronauts on orbit impossible, since there is no TDRS, nor a suitable ground station in the area.

This state of affairs stiil held true for the Ill fated Shuttle flight of STS-107 in January 2003. NASA was still clinging tenaciously to the "ZOE" myth during the flight of STS-118 in summer 2007, the most recent as of this writing. The ongoing International Space Station program also hangs tightly to the ZOE myth on a daily basis.

Which is true? Why the conflict? Do they think no one is watching??

Why would NASA perpetuate the myth of the "ZOE"? And why in the Indian Ocean, on the far side of the Earth from Houston? Well (The huff and puff of NASA's public relations people aside) let's suppose for the sake of argument that NASA has need to pass secret orders and information, both up and down, to and from space crews on orbit. Granted, Shuttles and ISSy have private radio channels for routine communications of a personal nature. But suppose that there are data, orders, or film and video which are not even to be seen by the rank and file civilian NASA employees in Houston, and other locations in the United States.

In order to preserve secrecy, it is needful that this communication be kept from the public. It mustn't even be seen or heard by those civilian workers in the space program who don't have "need to know". And they would also want to be sure that there be no chance of interception by some zealous and well equipped ham radio operator. Where would YOU put such a place?

The Indian Ocean has a lot going for it in this regard. Look at a map, or common globe. What is out there? Lots of open sea, and lots of so-called third world countries. Some of the poorest nations on Earth are in the the region. At the same time, the industrialized nations of North America, Europe, New Zealand, and Japan are all out of range. Someone in Australia might be able to intercept, but how many Australians have the equipment? Russia is also out of range from most of the ZOE, but can access some of its northern reaches.

What's more, we have established beyond doubt that there is a state of the art tracking station on Diego Garcia Island. This station belonging to the military: specifically the semi-mysterious US Space Command. This facility is bristling with high tech equipment for all sorts of secretive electronic surveillance and communication. It is also "handling" the reconnaissance satellites of not only the US Military, but our allies like the UK, as well.

So IF. NASA wanted to have an area of the globe reserved for communications intended to be hidden from the world, this area would seem to fit the reqirements VERY well. Isolation....high tech facilities...no prying "ears".

Just what the Doctor ordered.

The point is not necessarily that there is something nefarious going on inside the ZOE. There may very well be, but we don't know that for sure. If not, then someone is trying very hard to create that impression.

The point is that NASA is LYING!!! And lying on the part of a public agency, supported 100% by tax monies, is a NO NO!!!

***

Other Articles On The Subject of The "ZOE" - Here At Project P.R.O.V.E.

Diego Garcia Island & The ZOE

STS-107 Diego Garcia Island Finally Acknowledged!

STS-114 "LIVE" TV In The ZOE

STS-114 Night TV In The ZOE

ISS EVA 11a Communications INSIDE The ZOE

Another Deception From NASA Is

STS-105 "Snow Games"

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

© 2007 Jeff Challender