Nasa Unsure How To Counter Claims Of Faked Moon Missions – For three decades Nasa has ignored those who claimed the Apollo Moon Landings were faked and part of a colossal government conspiracy. Last year a prime-time Fox TV.Special on the “Moon Hoax” pleaded with Nasa for factual ammunition to fight the conspiracy theorists back. The Space Agency hired a former rocket scientist and author to write a book to set the record straight, but the idea backfired. The Space Agency was embarrassed however, for responding to ignorance and the book was shelved. So it’s back to square one. “Ignore the Hoaxers” Televisions Fox Network was the start of the “Moon-Hoax” when in February 2001 and again a month later the programme entitled “Conspiracy Theory: Did we land on the Moon” The Hoax had been going around a long time but the Fox Show “raised it to a new level, gave it legs and credit it didn't have before. The hoax story going around goes something like this. “America was desperate to beat the Soviet Union in the race to the moon, but lacked the technology to pull it off. So Nasa faked the 6 manned moon missions in a studio somewhere out West." According to Ralph Rene, a retired carpenter in Passaic, New Jersey. In his l992 book “Nasa Mooned America”, the Gemini programme was also faked. More on this and other articles. can be found at www.space.com

Humans On Mars “by 2025” – The European Space Agency (ESA) has stated that it believes the technology will exist by 2025, that will enable us to send humans to Mars. The decision to send humans to Mars could be taken as early as 2015, and it is considering 2 Flagship Missions to find a suitable landing site for astronauts. The plans are part of ESA’s Aurora human space exploration programme. This will define a European Strategy for the exploration of the Solar System over the next 30 years. This could include human expeditions to the Moon, Mars, asteroids and even beyond. The cost is another matter – it is likely to be exorbitant and a global commitment will have to be the only way. Europe is planning an individual programme with an eye to collaborate with the US., Russia, Japan and perhaps China. Politics will be the formidable barrier, for many countries, including Britain. At the present, Britain is firmly against committing resources to human exploration, but within the next year or so, they will have to decide whether to stay in the programme. The BNSC will publish it’s draft Space Plan in Spring 2003, followed by a consultation period. This will allow the public to say whether or not the UK should cooperate with Europe’s plan for human exploration of the Solar System. Let’s all hope we have not blown the planet to bits before then.

UFO’s Warn The World Wf WAR – In Baku this week, a ufo has been seen with different coloured lights brightening around it. Fuad Gasimov, chairman of Cosmic Seismological Dept of Azerbauyan National Aerocosmic Agency, told “olaylar” news agency that the appearance of Ufo’s in the sky is an alarm signal and is symbolic. According to F.Gasimov, they are trying to warn the world not to start a war with Iraq. An expert in ufo’s says the appearance of ufo’s in Azerbayan skies can be taken as a warning against the republic in the use of Azerbayani airport. Scientists claim that ufo’s have been observed before and warned us about natural disasters such as earthquakes. There was also a ufo reported over the twin towers in America before they were destroyed. Throughout history many reports have been written, where ufo’s or objects were seen in the sky before major disasters. Could these stories be true?

Active Flow Of Fluids Found On Mars – Nick Hoffman, a geologist of the University of Melbourne believes he has identified the first ever active flow of fluids on Mars. When examining images taken by the Mars Global Surveyor Spacecraft he noticed recent gully and channel development. He states that the channels were most probably carved by avalanches of frozen carbon dioxide, not WATER. This will be a disappointment to NASA, who are desperate to find water, which is imperative to future missions to the Red Planet. The finding of liquid water on Mars, would suggest that life would be possible on the planet. A lot of interesting pictures were taken on this part of the planet and Dr.Hoffmqn said there were things on them that he did’nt understand, but he stated that what he was seing was flows of carbon dioxide in action on this section of Mars, and not flows of water. – Whilst on the subject of Mars, does everybody realize, that Mars is the nearest to Earth this year than at any other point in the past 73,000 years. It is a pity that we were not ready for a mission to Mars with astronauts, this would have been the ideal time.

Rosetta – Imagine racing along at 83,600 mph. and you launch an unmanned craft and try to land it on a tiny speck of ice and dust, which orbits the sun every 5 ½ years. That’s the plan says Samuel Gulkis of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He led the team that has developed one of the instruments aboard the European craft. Upto now we have only managed a fly-by of comet’s or landed on asteroids (which are more stable) but this is new territory. An Ariane-5 rocket will carry the 3-ton craft into space from a base in Kourov, French Guiana. It’s journey to the comet will take 8 years. To give it gravitational boost’s it will swing by planets to propel it along. The craft will, if all goes to plan, pass Mars in 2005, Earth in 2005 and 2007 and visit two asteroids during it’s 3.29 billion mile journey.

The comet has been named WIRTANEN – named by the man who discovered it, Carl Wirtanen. Rosetta will go in orbit around Wirtanen in 2011. It is a ball of ice, matter and dust, 75 miles wide. The craft will then study the comets surface for 6 months, looking for a safe place to drop it’s lander, hopefully in 2012. This is going to be a delicate task as the comet’s gravitational pull is negligable and one error and all will be lost. There is one problem looming on the horizon though – the craft must be launched this month (January) or it might not catch up with the comet in 2011. The newer version of the same Ariane-5 rocket veered off course in December and had to be destroyed. Scientists believe it was because of cracks in engine cooling circuits. Claude Sanchez, Chief of Arianespace’s information service says “We don’t want to take any risks”.

The cost of the mission stands at $788 million. The ESA programme is named after the Rosetta stone, the tablet that helped historians decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphics. The test on the comets composition may last several months and will end in July 2013 when it gets close to the sun. “This will be a high triumph for the European Space Community if they pull it off” said Harold Weaver, a comet researcher at the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, which helped build the NEAR and Contour Spacecraft. NASA launched the Comet Nucleus Tour Spacecraft last July which was to fly by at least 2 comets, but unfortunately the craft broke apart in space in August. The other NASA mission, The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous or NEAR landed a craft on an asteroid last year.

Rosetta Comet - Chaser Mission Cancelled. - Further to my report on the planned Rosetta Mission, it has now transpired that the mission has been cancelled. The Arianespace launch Consortium of Evry, France, announced on the 14th January, that it doesn't have enough confidence in the Ariane-5 rocket. An enhanced version of that rocket failed in December,2002. Chief Executive Jean-Yves Le Gall said "Rosetta would not be launched unless Arianespace was certain that the vehicle was sound. On the 11th December,2002, a board of inquiry concluded that the failure was due to a nozzle on the rocket's Vulcain-2 main engine." By missing the late January launch window David Southwood, science director at the European Space Agency, said "it would likely mean placing Rosetta in storage. When another comet is found, then a new mission would be considered." The cost of the delay could cost between 50 and 100 million euros.

Electromagnets - In an experiment in Rotterdam, ships are to be held in their berths with powerful shoreside electromagnets. This will ease docking and save £3.million a year in labour. This story when I read it, reminded me of the Philadelphia experiment which was supposed to have be carried out years ago. But that experiment was to do with invisibility and moving objects through time and space.

"Project Prometheus" - Nasa's Nuclear Project - President George W. Bush presents his spending plan to Congress in February, and Nasa's 2004 budget request is for increased funding for a revamped nuclear propulsion project. A source for "space.com" says the amount of money requested suggests an expansion of the programme. In the Los Angeles Times 17th January, a story stated that the Bush Administration has given the go-ahead to build a nuclear-powered rocket. This would make human travel to Mars feasible. According to Los Angeles Times reporter, Peter Pae, (based on a exclusive interview with Nasa Chief, Sean O'Keefe) "The project may be announced during President Bush's state of the Union Address set for January 28th 2003." A Nasa spokesman, Glen Mahone has stated that "O'Keefe did talk about the upcoming State of the Union, but did not make a prediction that Bush would make any Nasa-related announcements." So we will just have to wait and see on that one.

Nasa has been seeking funds to establish the Nuclear Space Initiative. This programme would develop new types of radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) and also research nuclear propulsion. The NSI is to develop reactor technologies for advanced robotic exploration and also looking at ion propulsion. Nasa is seeking 125.5.million dollars to kick start the NSI, but the Agency's budget, including work on nuclear space power and propulsion, has yet to be settled. Over the next 5 years Nasa has anticipated spending 1 billion dollars on the NSI. An early target for money is a new generation of power generators called multi-mission RTGs. These are not nuclear reactors, they use heat created by the natural decay of plutonium-238 to generate electricity. These devices were used in the Galileo mission to Jupiter and now onboard the Cassini Spacecraft to Saturn. A spacecraft to the Kuiper Belt-Pluto will be launched in 2006-2007 and will also be RTG powered.

Nasa is also reviewing use of the souped-up RTG for use on its Mars Smart Lander stated for launch in 2009. There has been a lot of protests about the use of this technology (No Nukes in Space) and there is already planned a protest at the Kennedy Space Centre for May and June, prior to the launching of Nasa's two Mars rovers. The wheeled Mars Exploration Rovers both carry 8 Radioisotope Heater Units (RHU's) with each RHU containing 2.7 grams of plutonium.

Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the anti-nuclear group, said about Project Prometheus, "They oppose this development as a dangerous step in the expansion of nuclear technology into Space". By using thermal rockets, the payloads delivered from low Earth orbit to the moon or Mars can be doubled and Nuclear power reactors are essential for Mars base surface power. This technology will enable Nasa to save billions of dollars and greatly expand their space capabilities. But the risk of things going wrong on take off etc, is what is worrying a lot of people and also the likely toxic contamination of the Department of Energy Labs as they increase plutonium processing. Another worry is -shall the reactor technologies get adapted for Space based weapon systems. (Long the dream of the Pentagon Star Warriors). The name "Project Prometheus" is well given, Prometheus gave man FIRE, giving us the power to create civilization on Earth. Nasa's Prometheus is hoping to extend human civilization to the Stars and Beyond.

Nasa's 2003 Budget - Nasa is facing a $200 million cut to it's budget. The US Senate had recommended a 2.9 per cent across the board cut to all departments (including NASA). The Senate has trimmed the amount to be given to NASA for 2003 by about 440 million dollars, that is on top of the 76.5. million dollars reduction that NASA sustained in December. If the Senate's recommendations become law, NASA will be looking at a $14.7 billion budget. That is $200 million less than the White House requested and $200 million less then it got for 2002. In the House of Representatives, NASA did better. The spending bill would provide $15.3. billion for the Space agency this year. A source said "The House and the Senate still have to iron out differences between their bills". They don't think that it will be as bleak as it sounds for NASA.

Lightning Weapon - The US Air Force is working on developing a man-made bolt of lightning, which will be powerful enough to FRY computers and electronic components in weapons. They are looking at putting High-powered Microwave (HPM) beams on aircraft and cruise missiles. Experts have stated that an experimental version of the weapon could be used in a war against Iraq. This would be carried on a cruise missile or an unmanned aircraft. The short, intense burst of energy is lethal to electronics, but has no effect on people. The US AirForce on its website states "These weapons are particularly attractive as they could be used against suspected chemical or biological facilities in Iraq, without the danger of releasing dangerous toxins into the air. Apparently the US Air Force is "considerably advanced" in research in HPM. But scientists are conducting "critical experiments still needed to assess the feasibility of the technology for operational systems." The $9 million Lab where this work is being developed is at the High Energy Research and Technology Facility, which is located in a canyon in the Manzano Mountains, part of the Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. The technology on them is based on that used in microwave ovens used in your home. A typical microwave generates less that 1,500 watts of power. The Air Force are working with equipment that can generate millions of watts of power.

"Star Chart" found! - The star pattern of the constellation of Orion has been recognised on an ivory tablet some 32,500 years old, and is the oldest image of a star pattern found. The carvings on a tiny sliver of a mammoth tusk contains a carving of a man-like figure with arms and legs outstretched in the same pose as the stars of Orion. Dr.Michael Rappenglueck, formerly of the University of Munich is renowned for his pioneering work locating star charts painted on the walls of prehistoric caves, makes the claim. Mysterious notches are carved on it's sides and on its back. These could be a primitive "pregnancy calendar" to tell a pregnant woman when she will give birth. The tablet was found in 1979 in the Ach Valley in the Alb-Danube region of Germany, in a cave. The carbon dating of bone and ash deposits found next to the tablet suggests it is between 32,500 and 38,000 years old.

This is one of the oldest representations of man ever found. It was left behind by the Aurignacian people who moved into Europe from the East supplanting the indigenous Neanderthals. The tablet measures 38X14X4 millimetres. On one side is a man-like being with a narrow waist and his legs apart and arms raised. Hanging between his legs is what could be a sword. His left leg is shorter than his right. Orion was also called the Hunter. The proportions of the man correspond to the pattern of the stars that comprise Orion, it's slim waist -corresponds to it's famous belt of 3 stars and the left "leg" of the constellation being shorter. The "sword" corresponds to a famous and well known feature that can be seen in Orion. On the tablet are 86 notches. This could have two meanings. 1st. It is the number of days that subtracted from a year equal the overall number of days of human gestation. 2nd. It is also the number of days that one of Orion's two prominent stars "Betelguese" is visible. The ancient Egyptians identified Orion with their God Osiris, and it has many special significances in history for many cultures throughout the world.

UFO's Seen Over Loch Ness - A mysterious light has been seen above nearby Drumnadrochit in Scotland. Liz Gresham's husband Ian first saw it. "It looked as though there were two black things, 1 at the top and 1 at the bottom and colours in the middle," he states. The UFO apparently was seen in England at the same time. Ian first noticed it when he looked out of his window at about 1.30.am. (He taped it with his camcorder) He stated it spun and rotated into shapes. When viewed on video it looked green, but he said it was bright blue. When it slowed down, he stated that it was not round, but oblong. The nearby Royal Airforce unit, said they had no record of it,the radar is not manned after 11pm. An astronomer Maarlen de Vries has studied the video and thinks it is man-made. In the Forest of Dean in the UK, a Steven Taylor thinks he saw the same light at 12.30.am. He states it was like a bright search light, no sound. The light woke a neighbour Elizabeth Fletcher who said "It was a flashing light, quite strong." She wondered if it was the Police Helicopter, but a Police Spokeswoman Kate Nelmes said "There helicopters were not in use at that time. Gloucestershire Airport said they had no late movements on that night and closed at 7.30.pm." So here is another strange sighting with no explanation. Mind you if the Royal Airforce close and the Police close early, if there are any aliens out there, they will sure know when to come. Nobody will be on guard.

Argentina UFO Wave - At 8.30.pm. on Sat.11th Jan.2003 a large group of "Flying Fireballs" were reported to have been seen over Buenos Aires, Argentina. UFO researcher Ricardo E.D'Angelo states "Buenos Aires is experiencing a massive wave of UFO's at this minute, possibly the most intense of the past few years." Thousands of residents of Buenos Aires observed Balls of Fire crossing the sky at high and low altitudes, and in all directions, between 8.30.pm and 10pm, 23 were counted in the sky.

Video recordings were made of this spectacular. D'Angelo said "The Balls of fire were 3 to 4 times more luminous than Venus".Many of the fireballs had small pulsating lights on their outer edge, blue at the tips but also red and green. Their speed varied from hovering to high velocity, sometimes appearing and disappearing at will. A Mr. Richard Dolan said "How come we don't hear about this on our nightly news". This I have always remarked on, when reading these stories. If the UFO's or what ever they are, are appearing in such large numbers and are being seen by thousand of people in some cases. Why is there no news of this on TV or Radio or in the press. Is this been kept from us on purpose. Richard Dolan explains why - in this Book. "UFO's and the National Security State" - This might be worth reading, to see his views on this subject.