NASA Tracks Mystery Object Near Atlantis Shuttle

Space,com ^ | September 19, 2006

[Kaslin]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA mission controllers are tracking a mystery object hovering between the space shuttle Atlantis and Earth, and traveling at roughly the same speed as the orbiter, agency officials said Tuesday.

“Right now they’re just tying to figure out exactly what it is, how far away it is,” NASA spokesperson Kimberly Harle told SPACE.com. “It’s pretty much assessing the whole situation.”

arle said that at 2:45 a.m. EDT (0645 GMT), just after Atlantis completed a check of its reaction control thrusters, the instrumentation and communications officer at NASA’s shuttle Mission Control room at Johnson Space Center noted an object between the orbiter and Earth, and traveling at about the same speed of the spacecraft.

Flight controllers are now using video cameras mounted along Atlantis’ robotic arm and payload bay to survey visible areas of the orbiter, including its wing leading edges and other vital heat shield areas, Harle said.

“Everything is still under assessment,” Harle said.

For now, Atlantis’ STS-115 shuttle crew will not stow their Ku-band antenna – the primary video and data link to Earth – to allow flight controllers to continue to study the object.

NASA is broadcasting Atlantis’ STS-115 mission to the ISS live via NASA TV. You are invited to follow the shuttle's progress using SPACE.com's NASA TV feed, which is available by clicking here or using the button at the left.

[NavyCanDo]

The photo FOX is showing looks allot like that golf ball I shanked and never found.

[Lando Lincoln]

[BenLurkin]

Thank you.

[stuartcr]

To quote a line in a famous movie...'we mock what we don't understand'...

[freedomson]

You mean the "Satellite of Love"?

[upchuck]

Damn! Now look what you've done. I told you many times: DO NOT FLUSH THE TOILET NOW!!

Geesh!!!

[xcamel]

rtsp://a1747.l1856745839.c18567.g.lr.akamaistream.net/live/D/1747/18567/v0001/reflector:45839

NASA TV link

[SlowBoat407]

Nasa to rerun object footage at top of hour (1 minute to go)

[mewzilla]

Is it one of those floating bolts?

[fanfan]

Ping.

[halfright]

You guys are funny...It is obvious the object pictured is Santas new ride......Rumor has it that Santa had to ditch the Reindeer and go Nuclear powered Scramsleigh.....he's out for a joy ride...

[ichabod1]

He was a professor at the college across the street from the Church I attend.

[r9etb]

have not seen the video Fox has shown yet...If its not demonstrating a dynamic orbital change in altitude or direction, its a piece of debris...Bet you a dollar to a donut hole thats what it is...

Sounds like the thing is co-orbital with the Shuttle, though -- meaning that it had to have come from the Shuttle, rather than being just a random piece of debris from other source. Large chunks of dark stuff are not the sort of thing one wants to have floating around up there...

[Cold Heat]

No.....

Too big...

they have the robotic arm working now and are surveying the shuttle bay.

Nothing new to report yet.

[GottaLuvAkitas1]

"Is it one of those floating bolts?"

Fox said it was bigger than a satellite

[ichabod1]

You'll never get the wisenheimers to pipe down. Just be glad they're keeping the thread bumped, clam down, and try to enjoy the day.

[khnyny]

Didn't lightening strike this Shuttle's launch pad originally? They had to postpone for bad weather too, IIRC.

[SlowBoat407]

Without some kind of remote sensing, it's hard to tell how big or how far away it is.

[Rio]

RADAR?

[ichabod1]

How big is a satellite? Bigger than a breadbasket?