Russia, China to sign agreement on international lunar research station

by Andrew Jones 

An artist conception of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), post-2030.

Credit: CNSA/CLEP

HELSINKI — Russia is preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding with China to cooperate on a vision for an international lunar research station.

“Roscosmos has completed domestic proceedings to harmonize the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of People’s Republic of China on cooperation to create the International Lunar Research Station,” Roscosmos Press Office told SpaceNews in an email.

“The date to sign the above mentioned MoU has not been determined yet and is currently discussed with the Chinese partners,” Roscosmos said. An Order of the Government of the Russian Federation relating to the move was published online Feb. 11.

Roscosmos press office said the official announcement of the plans to create the International Lunar Research Station is planned to coincide with one of the upcoming international events. St. Petersburg is due to host the Global Space Exploration Conference 2021 in June.

Roscosmos did not provide requested further details on the makeup of, nor contributions to the International Lunar Research Station.

The ILRS is understood to be a Chinese-developed vision for a robotic base at the lunar south pole. The first steps will be the upcoming Chang’e-,6, -7 and -8 missions and international missions such as Russia’s Luna 27. In the early 2030s an expanded ILRS will involve long-term robotic and potentially short-term crewed missions. A long-term human presence at the lunar south pole is the goal for 2036-2045. 

The project, at this early stage, would appear to consist of Chinese, Russian and potentially other nations contributing their own, discrete spacecraft. This would be in contrast to a more complex, integrated program such as the International Space Station.

ILRS objectives include “construction and operation of human[ity]’s first sharing platform in the lunar south pole, supporting long-term, large-scale scientific exploration, technical experiments and development and utilization of lunar resources’, according to a 2020 presentation to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) by the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center under the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

From Gateway to China-Russia lunar station

The development follows Russia opting not to join eight nations, including the U.S., in signing on to the Artemis Accords last October. The Accords are a set of principles and norms for those who want to participate in the NASA-led Artemis lunar exploration program.

Bleddyn Bowen, a lecturer in international relations at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, told SpaceNews that the development is not such a surprise, given that Russia has always been lukewarm to the Lunar Gateway, part of the Artemis program, and this will have been factored in. However the project will still suffer from the loss of Russian expertise.

Bowen sees the move from Russia as an ISS partner to working more closely with China in lunar exploration rather than ISS partners is part of wider space-related and geopolitical shifts, particularly since the outbreak of the Ukranian conflict.

“This MoU fits the larger trend, which is Russia moving into a closer orbit with China,” says Bowen, adding that this more formal agreement builds on existing cooperation in material science, data sharing, purchase agreements and lunar exploration.

Bowen cautions however that this is “just a memorandum of understanding, so we’ll have to wait and what, if anything, comes from this”. 

Zhang Ming, a researcher on international security and space issues at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told SpaceNews both China and Russia, who have long cooperated in space, have difficulties in working with the U.S. for different reasons. Zhang notes that Russia had expressed concerns that Artemis was too “U.S.-centric” and she would expect “more and more space and lunar cooperation between Russia and China” if the “United State continues its space policies and practices without any change.”

“The U.S. advances its space agenda aggressively and sometimes unilaterally in recent years despite the concerns of the rest [of the] world, which made China and Russia very worried. The mistrust and skepticism towards U.S. motives will promote China and Russia to further their space cooperation,” Zhang said.

Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin last year told Russian media China and Russia had agreed they will “probably” build a moon research base together, following talks with Director of the China National Space Administration Zhang Kejian.

Brian Weeden of the Secure World Foundation also believes the split has been coming for sometime, citing the Ukraine invasion and 2016 election interference. “I think we’re at a much different US-Russia space relationship than we had for the past few decades.”

“I don’t think it’s going to have a serious impact on Artemis. Russia indeed has some experience in robotic lunar landers but no human spaceflight experience and their space sector has been declining for some time,” says Weeden. “The space partnership with Russia in the ISS was driven more by national security and foreign policy reasons than a need to have Russian expertise. It’s useful, but not critical.”

The European Space Agency has also been involved in discussions, while recently having signed an MoU with NASA on the Gateway. “At ESA we are following the Chinese lunar exploration plans very closely in order to see where our respective programmatic interest could meet, primarily the CE-6, -7 and -8 missions but also the ILRS initiative”, Karl Bergquist, ESA’s international relations administrator, told SpaceNews last year.

From Chang’e to ILRS

The ILRS is an evolutionary, expanded stage of Chinese lunar exploration following the approval of a first set of missions in the early 2000s. China has since launched two lunar orbiters, a pair of lander and rover missions and, in late 2020, the complex Chang’e-5 lunar sample return mission.

Chang’e-6, a polar sample return mission, and the multi-spacecraft Chang’e-7 are scheduled for around 2023-2024. The later Chang’e-8 mission will be designed for in-situ resource utilization and 3D-printing technology tests, as well as life science related to potential long-term stays on the moon. These missions will form the robotic basis of the ILRS before expansion into more long term base.

China is also developing capabilities for deep space human spaceflight. In May 2020 China tested a new generation spacecraft and is also developing a super-heavy-lift launcher for space infrastructure and lunar missions. A new, three-core launcher for potential crewed lunar missions is also in development.

RELATED VIDEOS AND PHOTOS, selected and posted by peter2011

The lunar research station will provide a long-term base for a robotic presence and eventually humans

Russia are set to sign a memorandum of understanding with China to seal the space deal

Credit: AP:Associated Press

Roscosmos said the announcements could take place during the Global Space Exploration Conference in 2021 which is being held in St. Petersburg

Russia and China both have strong passions for space exploration, similar to their bitter rival the United States

Credit: AP:Associated Press

The expertise of China and Russia's teams combined is expected to be extraordinary

Credit: AP:Associated Press

{ https://spacenews.com/ }

19-02-2021 om 17:14 geschreven door peter  

U.S. Ecologist Proves Aliens Imprisoned Humans On Earth Thousands Of Years Ago

How many of you support the theory of the Panspermia hypothesis, meaning the life on Earth was brought by a bacteria, mixed in cosmic dust, arrived in asteroids or meteor? Well, there is a possibility of everything in this Universe because of its vastness. Dr. Ellis Silver, an author of the book “Humans are not from Earth: a scientific evaluation of the evidence,” has a strong belief that life on earth sparked by aliens thousands of years ago.

Read also:

• Two Aliens Were Seen Sitting In Huge UFO Over Spanish Canary Islands In 1976
• Aliens From Andromeda Told US Army Personnel That Humans Are Composite of 22 different E.T. races
• Charlie Red Star: Alien Spaceship Visited Canadian Nuclear Site Every Night In 1975
• Story Of ‘Star People’ By Indian Elder & Alien Ship Crashed In 1945, Rescued By Mothership After Month

According to him, humans should have become the strongest race in the universe, but the mortal body failed to thrive in the Earth’s environment, it can easily be harmed by sunlight, natural disasters, and diseases.

He said:

“Mankind is supposedly the most highly developed species on the planet, yet is surprisingly unsuited and ill-equipped for Earth’s environment: harmed by sunlight, a strong dislike for naturally occurring foods, ridiculously high rates of chronic disease, and more.”

Proof That Humans Were Not Evolved On Earth

Besides, he stated that during childbirth, the head of the baby is too big for the mother to push out, which sometimes causes fatalities or even death. But no animal on this planet have such problems.

Ellis strongly believes that Earth is some kind of galactic jail made by aliens to teach humans a behavior lesson as said by Matilda O’Donnell McElroy, Senior Master Sergeant Women’s Army Air Force Medical Corp during the Roswell Incident.

According to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, “individuals that are poorly adapted to their environment are less likely to survive and reproduce. Therefore their genes are less likely to be passed on to the next generation.”

It simply says that nature allows only those species which are fit for survival. Then why aren’t people developing now? If mankind evolved from chimpanzees, then why are monkeys not evolving?

Ellis wrote in his book that no civilization can survive on Earth because of all kinds of natural disasters, as a huge number of people die due to these disasters. Earth is far away from the center of the Milkyway, so it is hard to find other life forms or galactic civilizations. He believes that this is the reason why aliens chose Earth as the perfect place.

As compared to other animals, humans lag far behind the physical strength and size. Wild animals like tigers can easily kill a human. Ellis also stated that there is no way that humans could have survived in the wild in the past. All these signs made Ellis say that mankind had been evolved on another planet and then transported to Earth 200,000 years ago.

References:

• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2507377/Humans-NOT-come-Earth–sunburn-bad-backs-pain-labour-prove-expert-claims.html
• https://news.yahoo.com/human-beings-came-from-another-planet–not-earth–new-book-claims-134335110.html
• https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/viral-and-trending/230418/humans-did-not-come-from-earth-claims-scientist.html

RELATED VIDEOS, selected and posted by peter2011

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19-02-2021 om 16:39 geschreven door peter  

Aliens Told Canadian Engineer Secrets Of UFOs & That Light Speed Is Not Constant

It all had started a few years before the “Space Race” began between the two rivalry nations: the USA and Russia. The world was stunned by the daily UFO sightings, and stories of alien contact flushed newspapers. It was the era of two types of people: the first one was groups of like-minded people, for example, engineers, scientists, and inventors who dismissed any alien contact and flying saucers’ stories, while the second ones were the alien contactees who also claimed to had been in the UFOs. These groups never aligned with each other, but Wilbert Brockhouse Smith (1910-1962), a Canadian engineer was the only line of connection between these two groups.

Mr. Smith worked as a senior radio engineer for the Canadian government’s Department of Transport in the late 1940s and 50s. He was the reason behind the radio communication between Canada and the United States at that time. Very few people know that Mr. Smith convinced the Canadian government to establish a program to monitor the UFOs that eventually detect the strange aerial phenomenon which, according to him, was not earthly. While asking Americans about the existence of UFOs, he received a reply from them that the US government had put this subject at their uppermost concern, and it even was the more highly top secret than the atomic bomb.

Besides, according to researcher Grant Cameron, Mr. Smith played a major role in establishing Radio Ottawa used by Canadian spies and also for tracking secret Soviet communications.

Read also:

• Did Alien Civilization From Aldebaran Solar System Help Hitler To Create UFOs?
• Aliens From Andromeda Told US Army Personnel That Humans Are Composite of 22 different E.T. races
• US Army Technician Aboarded UFO Controlled By Mothership Belonged To Martians In 1950
• US Farmer Claimed That He Traveled To Mars, Moon & Venus With Venusians In 1950s

Project Magnet

In 1950, the Canadian UFO study program, Project Magnet was established by Transport Canada under the supervision of Mr. Smith. The government funded the project for four years, but he received informal funding after. In 1952, he set up an observatory at Shirley’s Bay to study the findings of UFO sightings under Project Magnet. He had a personal interest in geo-magnetism, which made him conclude that the UFOs were of extraterrestrial origin, propelled by magnetic forces, and actually from parallel universes.

Mr. Smith said:

“It is my opinion that the people from elsewhere choose all sorts of methods to make contact with us, and their technology and understanding being much better than ours, they can use methods which we find quite incomprehensible.”

Interestingly, he believed that the UFOs were controlled through physic powers, and such statements embarrassed the Department of Transport. In 1952, when the great UFO wave hit the media, Mr. Smith claimed that the United States Air Force shot down a UFO near Washington, D.C, recovered its piece and let him borrow it. When asked if he had returned the piece to the USAF, he replied that it went to a much more highly secret group (It was neither FBI nor CIA), which identity he could not disclose.

Smith’s contact with aliens

Surprisingly, Mr. Smith was also a firm believer in aliens. In 1961, he gave a speech at the Vancouver Area UFO Club, where he claimed to had been in contact with aliens, referring to them as “the boys topside.” Furthermore, he said that the aliens had explained to him that the speed of light is not constant, and time works differently in the universe, not like ticking on Earth.

“Their ships, he was told, were supported on the Earth’s gravitational field. The fields surrounding their ships, he added, created areas that reduced areas that weakened the strength of objects that came into contact with them, accounting for the destruction of earthly military craft that flew too close to them. This explained, among other phenomenon, the May 1956 crash of a military jet into the Villa St. Louis convent in Orleans — the jet, Smith said, flew into a “very strong vortex of reduced binding,” causing it to break apart.”

On November 21, 1950, Mr. Smith wrote a memo which was classified as “Top Secret” but later, it was recovered from the Archives of the University of Ottawa. According to the memo, the Canadian government was serious about UFOs and had been building a secret technology using oceanic radiation, atmospheric radio-activity, and geo-magnetism. He further wrote that his work in geomagnetic and the energy on which flying saucers operate was connected.

Before his death from cancer, Mr. Smith asked his wife to hide all his research and sensitive files, as he was afraid that it would get into the wrong hands. He died on December 27, 1962, and soon after that, the Russians, Americans, and Canadians approached his wife.

References:

• https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/u-is-for-ufos-in-ottawa-the-truth-is-still-out-there
• https://www.theufochronicles.com/2013/07/smith-memo-flying-saucers-exist-matter.html
• https://biblio.uottawa.ca/atom/index.php/wilbert-smiths-research-and-writings
• https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/project-magnet-wilbert-smith/1134689412

{ https://www.howandwhys.com/ }

19-02-2021 om 16:11 geschreven door peter  

Ex-CIA Pilot Said NASA Landed On Mars In 1966 & Its Former Employee Saw Humans There In 1979

A woman named Jackie called on Coast to Coast AM, an American radio station, claiming she was the former NASA employee who managed to see humans on Mars in 1979. This statement sparked rumors of a “secret space program” that is kept hidden from the public.

Jackie said she had seen a man in a spacesuit in a live broadcast from Mars, but this information is concealed by the NASA authorities. She claimed to be part of a team of specialists processing information from the Viking, the first Mars rover to send images from the surface of Mars to Earth.

“I wonder if you could solve a 27-year-old mystery for me,’ she asked the presenter. ‘That old Viking rover was running around. Then I saw two men in space suits – not the bulky suits we normally used, but they looked protective. They came over the horizon walking to the Viking Explorer.”

The Vikings 1 and 2 landed in 1975 and 1976 and sent back the first data on the surface of Mars, including the apparent absence of extraterrestrial life.

NASA claimed that no traces of life were seen there, the Vikings found all the elements necessary for life on Earth. Carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus were present on Mars.

Read also:

• US Army Technician Aboarded UFO Controlled By Mothership Belonged To Martians In 1950
• An Astronaut Who Got Lost In Space For 27 Years Returned In 2001
• US Lawyer Time Traveled To Mars With Barack Obama Under Secret Mission
• US Marine Sent To Mars For 17 Years To Protect Human Colonies From Martians

Jackie vowed that 6 other NASA employees witnessed this event with her. When those people tried to tell everyone about what they had seen and tried to leave the room, they found out that the front door was locked and the paper was hung on the door window so that no one else could look into it or enter.

Of course, so far none of those 6 alleged employees have contacted Jackie to confirm her words.

John Lear: Secret Missions To Moon & Mars

Former CIA pilot John Lear and former Lockheed L-1011 Captain also said that NASA astronauts flew to Mars in 1966. Moreover, Lear believes that astronauts had been preparing for this mission especially long. They introduced certain drugs into the body, allowing people to adapt to Martian climatic conditions. Allegedly, those astronauts could breathe rarefied Martian air, so NASA had the opportunity to launch humans on the red planet for a longer time.

For those who do not know, John Lear is the son of Bill Lear, who founded Lear Jet in 1962. So, there is no doubt that he would have sensitive information related to secret technology and extraterrestrial activities.

During his interview with Coast to Coast AM radio program, Lear had given statements that could be hard for anybody to digest. He said that in 1953, a UFO crashed with an extraterrestrial named EBE 3, who helped the US government to build spacecraft with alien technology. Then he said that in 1962, the craft with incredible speed was built that carry passengers and take to Moon in just 60 minutes. In 1966, NASA had a trip to Mars. What’s more, “humans there were adapted to breathe in the thin atmosphere.”

Lear said: “The population of Mars is around 600 million and they are exactly like us.”

He claimed that his father was involved in the anti-gravity technology programs which were highly secret. According to him, everything we know about Moon is a lie. In the 70s, NASA began destroying photographs taken by Apollo 8, 10, and 11, in which it was possible to see the cities, bases, pipes, roads, vegetation, lights, mining, and a nuclear reactor.

Apart from John Lear, there are other US officials who made similar statements. Philip J Corso, a former US Army officer said that Grey aliens, also referred to as Zeta Reticulans were not really aliens, but bio machines specially created to work on other planets. There are dozens of such stories including Project SERPO.

NOTE PETER2011:

• The stories of a NASA hidden space project crop up regularly ... Personally, I don't think the USA had such cutting edge technology in the 1970s, let alone cope with such space travel. Still, I pass on these conspiracy theories, so that the reader has all possible information to be able to make his own judgment ...

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19-02-2021 om 15:41 geschreven door peter  

The USAs Most Secret Plane — TR-3B Patent is Now in the Public Domain

19-02-2021 om 14:49 geschreven door peter  

Researchers rethink life in a cold climate after Antarctic find

Scientists surprised by marine organisms on boulder on sea floor beneath 900 metres of ice shelf

Ian Sample Science editor -  @iansample

Antarctic researchers found life deep under the sea.

Photograph: Huw Griffiths/UKRI BAS

19-02-2021 om 01:09 geschreven door peter  

Parallel Twin Ziggurats: The Tower of Babel and Pyramid of Cholula

From the oasis sands of the biblical cradle of Mesopotamia all the way to the volcanic Valley of Mexico, parallel pyramids and mirroring myths have endured across the ages. Isolated from each other by vast oceans and deserts of time, disperse cultures have incorporated analogous stories into their mythology, building structures, such as the Tower of Babel or the Pyramid of Cholula, that are strikingly similar even though they are located in different corners of the globe.

Stories of ziggurats built by different cultures abound, one could even call them twin towers, challenging conventional narratives of human history. These tales have several components in common: offended deities, the multiplication of languages, a global deluge and vexing ancient structures. These aspects are all intertwined, as if they are all pieces of a grand global puzzle waiting to be deciphered. 

Mythology must not be blindly accepted at face value (thank you very much Dr. Jones), but on the other hand, to instantly dismiss mythology as ancient fiction is equally flawed reasoning. The former results in superstition, the latter produces ignorance. Some of the most renowned scholars on the subject of comparative mythology, such as Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, theorize that widespread mythological parallels amongst separate cultures can be explained away by the formation of base archetypes conjured from the cauldron of the collective human subconscious. While their expertise and the essence of this concept are beyond question, some myths are so specific, so universal, and are then compounded by their entanglement with mysterious structures, they defy this concept.

There are widespread mythological parallels relating a story to that of the Tower of Babel.

( Elena Schweitzer / Adobe Stock)

The Biblical Tower of Babel

The most commonly known of all these accounts is the biblical Tower of Babel narrative found in the Book of Genesis, chapter eleven verses one through nine. This narrative basically states that the generations following a global deluge cataclysm united together under one language. They migrated west into the region of Shinar ( Sumer or modern day Iraq) and they were determined to build a great city, with a tower.

There is a curious indication that somehow, this tower would empower them and prevent any future annihilation. Furthermore, this project is seen as an affront to the supreme deity. To counter this effort, the deity intervenes by confounding the language that united them, thereby undermining the project and causing the people to scatter throughout the planet.

• Ziggurat: A Mesopotamian Manmade Mountain to Reach the Gods
• The Qur’an and Torah on the True Meaning of the Tower of Babel and Multiple Languages
• Once Hidden in Plain Sight and Surprisingly Ignored: The Great Pyramid of Cholula

Scholarly Positions on the Biblical Narrative

Authors and scholars ranging from ancient times up to the present have made a variety of noteworthy observations and interpretations regarding this account. Josephus for example, wrote that a key aspect of the story is the arrogance of the tyrannical ruler who commissioned the construction whom the biblical text names Nimrod. Another interpretation is that this is more of an etiological myth (a myth that explains the origin of something unknown) which provides an explanation for the origin of different languages and cultures.

Perhaps the scholarly observations of the greatest magnitude are the attempts to identify the structure in question by associating it with the mysterious ziggurats of ancient Babylon and Sumer. This is quite logical due to the fact that the cities mentioned in the texts have historical basis in fact, were said to have been founded by this ruler in the texts, and come complete with enigmatic ziggurat structures, or towers, as their focal point. The extremely loose consensus among modern scholars identifies this tower with the Ziggurat of Etemenanki in Babylon which was somewhat restored by Nebuchadnezzar II and then eventually destroyed in a restoration attempt by Alexander the Great .

Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s depiction of the Tower of Babel.

( Public domain )

What Exactly is a Ziggurat?

A ziggurat is an enormous, ancient structure composed of terraced layers of stone which ascended to great heights by stacking raised platforms atop each other and were physically climbed by spiraling ramps. These were built by the Elamites, the Elbaites, the Akkadians, the Sumerians, and the Babylonians, dating as far back as the sixth millennium BC.

The ziggurat was not utilized for communal worship, but instead was believed to be the literal dwelling place of the deity to whom it was dedicated. Human presence at the ziggurat was restricted to an elite priesthood and a small contingent of armed guards. According to Herodotus, at the summit of the ziggurat was a temple that housed a small shrine, and at this shrine, offerings were made exclusively by the high priest who also preformed other secretive occult rituals.

The Ziggurat of Etemenanki

In the 1880s, foundation cylinders were discovered with Neo-Babylonian inscriptions that chronicled the restoration effort by the king. It reads:

At that time my lord Marduk told me in regard to E-temen-anki, the ziggurat of Babylon, which before my day was (already) very weak and badly buckled, to ground its bottom on the breast of the netherworld, to make its top vie with the heavens. I fashioned mattocks, spades and brick-molds from ivory, ebony and musukkannu-wood, and set them in the hands of a vast workforce levied from my land. I had them shape mud bricks without number and mold baked bricks like countless raindrops. I had the River Arahtu bear asphalt and bitumen like a mighty flood. Through the sagacity of Ea, through the intelligence of Marduk, through the wisdom of Nabû and Nissaba, by means of the vast mind that the god who created me let me possess, I deliberated with my great intellect, I commissioned the wisest experts and the surveyor established the dimensions with the twelve-cubit rule. The master-builders drew taut the measuring cords, they determined the limits. I sought confirmation by consulting Samas, Adad and Marduk and, whenever my mind deliberated (and) I pondered (unsure of) the dimensions, the great gods made (the truth) known to me by the procedure of (oracular) confirmation. Through the craft of exorcism, the wisdom of Ea and Marduk, I purified that place and made firm its foundation platform on its ancient base. In its foundations I laid out gold, silver, gemstones from mountain and sea. Under the brickwork I set heaps of shining sapsu, sweet-scented oil, aromatics and red earth. I fashioned representations of my royal likeness bearing a soil-basket, and positioned (them) variously in the foundation platform. For my lord Marduk I made it an object fitting for wonder, just as it was in former times.

Aerial view which shows the remains of the Ziggurat Etemenanki

(Lyaschuchenko / CC BY-SA 4.0 )

Herodotus’s Account of the Same Babylonian Ziggurat

Before the discovery of this royal inscription in the 1880s, the only other description of this particular ziggurat came from Herodotus who described it in his writings from the mid-fifth century BC, he wrote:

The center of each division of the town was occupied by a fortress. In the one stood the palace of the kings, surrounded by a wall of great strength and size: in the other was the sacred precinct of Jupiter [Zeus] Belus, a square enclosure two furlongs [402 m/1319 feet] each way, with gates of solid brass; which was also remaining in my time. In the middle of the precinct there was a tower of solid masonry, a furlong [201 m/659 feet] in length and breadth, upon which was raised a second tower, and on that a third, and so on up to eight. The ascent to the top is on the outside, by a path which winds round all the towers. When one is about half-way up, one finds a resting-place and seats, where persons can sit for some time on their way to the summit. On the topmost tower there is a spacious temple, and inside the temple stands a couch of unusual size, richly adorned, with a golden table by its side. There is no statue of any kind set up in the place, nor is the chamber occupied of nights by any one but a single native woman, who, as the Chaldeans [the Babylonians], the priests of this god, affirm, is chosen for himself by the deity out of all the women of the land .

The White Temple ziggurat in Uruk is an example of a simple ziggurat from ancient Sumer. It’s purpose was to bring the temple closer to the heavens.

(tobeytravels / CC BY-SA 2.0 )

Enmerkar and the Lord of Arratta

There are many, extremely ancient Sumerian myths that predate biblical narratives. They are most certainly their precursors especially since the biblical narrative itself emphasizes the role of the patriarchal figure Abraham whose father was said to have had significant status in one of these very cities. Among these precursor narratives, is one that is undoubtedly the original version of the biblical story of the tower and the confounding of languages.

The story is entitled Enmerkar and the Lord of Arratta . Although some lines of text are missing, the nucleus of the story is that a king called Enmerkar is told by his patron deity to subjugate a neighboring kingdom and demand huge quantities of mineral tribute so as to embark on future constructing of more ziggurat dwellings and sanctuaries for the deities. The rival king refuses to submit, and Enmerkar (aided by the deities) conquers the rival king and the deity Enki/Ea is invoked to confound the united language.

This sets of a chain of events resulting in the dispersal of the population who now speak a variety of languages. The incantation invoking Enki reads:

 “Enki, the lord of abundance and of steadfast decisions, the wise and knowing lord of the land, the expert of the gods, chosen for wisdom, the lord of Eridu, shall change the speech in their mouths, as many as he had placed there, and so the speech of mankind is truly one."

Could it be that the parallel myths throughout the world are actually the story of the same event in history? Here an artist’s version of how the Great Pyramid of Cholula in Mexico looked originally.

( Public domain )

Many Other Parallel Myths Exist Worldwide

Similar parallel myths exist throughout the world. The Native American Cherokee have an oral tradition that contains many elements which are similar to the Sumerian myth.

When we lived beyond the great waters there were twelve clans belonging to the Cherokee tribe. And back in the old country in which we lived the country was subject to great floods. So in the course of time we held a council and decided to build a storehouse reaching to heaven. The Cherokees said that when the house was build and the floods came the tribe would just leave the earth and go to heaven. And we commenced to build a great structure, and when it was towering into one of the highest heavens the great powers destroyed the apex, cutting it down to about half of its height. But as the tribe was fully determined to build to heaven for safety they were not discouraged but commenced to repair the damage done by the gods. Finally, they completed the lofty structure and considered themselves safe from the floods. But after it was completed the gods destroyed the high part, again, and when they determined to repair the damage they found that the language of the tribe was confused or destroyed.

The Greco Roman narrative of the Gigantomachy is almost identical to this story. However, it must be objectively conceded that the close contact of these cultures very well could have transmitted this myth from Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean via contagion and conflation much in the same manner as it was transmitted from Mesopotamian to Hebrew cultures. Be that as it may, this mode of transmission cannot explain the parallel myths and enigmatic structures found at far flung corners of the globe. One of the most striking parallels is the proverbial twin tower of the Great Pyramid of Cholula in Mexico.

The Great Pyramid of Cholula, also known as Tlachihualtepetl, is the largest known pyramid on Earth in terms of volume.

( Aleksandar Todorovic / Adobe Stock)

The Great Pyramid of Cholula

The largest known pyramid on Earth, in terms of volume, resides in the Valley of Mexico. Known as the Great Pyramid of Cholula, this enormous pyramid is closely associated with the Mesoamerican deity Quetzalcoatl and the nearby, equally enigmatic, site of Teotihuacan. While this structure and the previously discussed ziggurat are not remotely twin in terms of their design, they are astonishingly twin in terms of their mythological traditions and mysterious functions.

According to Aztec mythology, (note that the Aztecs absolutely did not construct the Cholula Pyramid or Teotihuacan, but regarded them as sacred sites of pilgrimage) the Quinametzin were a race of giants who inhabited the region in the previous “Sun of Rain” era. They stood twelve-feet-tall (3.7 meters) and it was they who were responsible for the construction of both Teotihuacan and the Great Pyramid of Cholula.

In the sixteenth century AD, Dominican friar Diego Duran wrote a report that was relayed to him by an old priest of Cholula. This account stated that when the sun first rose there were giants in the land and they decided to build a tower that would lead them up to the Sun. The creator deity was angered by this and summoned the inhabitants of the sky to destroy the tower and scatter the race of giants. Another variation within Aztec mythology is that of seven giants (principle among them Xelhua), who, having survived a cataclysmic deluge, arrived in the valley and attempted to construct a mountain that would prevent another such catastrophe. The gods were angered by this, and hurled fire down onto the pyramid, killing many of them and ceasing its construction.

The Key to the Mystery is Etymology

It can, and has, been argued that these Mesoamerican myths were subject to the biblical projections of the friars and missionaries who first recorded them, and that this is the explanation for such stark parallels. However, this convenient cop-out does not stand up in the court of reality, and the reason why is the etymology of the names associated with the sites which existed long before these missionaries ever arrived and which parallel the Tower of Babel narrative.

Chapter eleven verse six of the Book of Genesis states: “And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” The word cholula itself originates from the Nahuatl word cholollan which means “place of refuge.” The word Teotihuacan itself means “The Place Where Men Become Gods.”

In the Chimalpopoca Codex is a narrative in which, after a period of just living on Earth, Quetzalcoatl (the deity associated with Teotihuacan and Cholula) becomes intoxicated with his celibate priestess sister, copulates with her, and neglects his sacred obligations. The next day, he and his subjects erect an enormous stone chest. In the story Quetzalcoatl lies down inside the chest, clad entirely with jade, and is set ablaze. His ashes and heart then rise up into the heavens whereupon he became the morning star.

The Greek Gigantomachy narrative states that the giants sought to lay siege to Olympus (literally translated as sky) by stacking mountains atop mountains. The Greek etymology of the word pyramid itself is pyr-fire ra-star mid-heart. These etymological connections were not projected by anyone as they existed for thousands of years before contact of any kind.

What all this means is a mysterious riddle wrapped in an enigma. The reader will have to draw their own conclusions, but it can be objectively stated once again that these links cannot be the result of some kind of cultural contagion. Furthermore, it must be noted that the ziggurat and the pyramids of both Teotihuacan and Cholula were built by unknown peoples for unknown functions using unknown methods in some dark distant recess of prehistory.

• Top image: Is the mythology surrounding the Tower of Babel somehow connected to that of the Great Pyramid of Cholula in Mexico?
• Source: breakermaximus / Adobe Stock

By Mark Andrew Carpenter

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

19-02-2021 om 00:48 geschreven door peter  

Ancient Tanzanian Paintings of Bizarre Humanoids Perplex Experts

Rare, multidimensional art has been discovered in a Tanzanian cave shelter. However, the ritual scenes depicted in the ancient art don’t tally up the traditions of the modern Sandawe people.

Archaeologists exploring in Tanzania have discovered rare examples of cave art made by the ancient ancestors of the Sandawe people. These indigenous descendants of the older “Gogo” group are credited with having the oldest DNA lineage known to science, which can be dated back at least 87,000 years. The recently discovered images show a range of human figures, some speared with horns and some eating other humanoid characters, and other paintings show buffalos, giraffes, and domesticated cattle.

General view of the paintings at Amak'hee 4, in Tanzania.

( M. Grzelczyk, Antiquity, 2021 )

The paintings were discovered in June 2018 hidden beneath a rock overhang in what is known as the Amak'hee 4 rock shelter site, in the Dodoma area of central Tanzania. Researchers from the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland, told Sci News that while many of paintings depict unknown figures, others show animals like domesticated cattle, buffalo, and giraffes. However, none of the rituals depicted in the artworks can be correlated with modern Sandawe people rituals.

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There is No Animal as Vicious as a Human

The team of Polish researchers said that the Tanzanian cave paintings were “well-preserved and in good condition.” This is because the rock overhang served to protect the pigments from centuries of flowing water and sunlight, which both degrade the vibrance and luminescence of inks and paints. One thing the team of researchers couldn’t do, however, was accurately date when the paintings might have been executed. Dr. Maciej Grzelczyk, from the Institute for the Study of Religions at the Jagiellonian University, explained that the team were only able to summarize that the artworks were “several hundreds of years old.”

Comparison of the Amak'hee 4 (A), Kolo B2 (B) and Kolo B1 (C) trios. 

(M. Grzelczyk, Antiquity, 2021 )

In a Daily Mail article the newly discovered Amak'hee 4 paintings are described as centering around three primary images, consisting mostly of stylized buffalo heads. Dr. Maciej Grzelczyk said that based on “superimposition,” the Tanzanian paintings were probably created from right to left. One disturbing section of the large mural shows what appears to be a collection of small figures that look like they’ve been speared by horns. Another area depicts what the archaeologists have interpreted as someone crushing someone else in their mouth.

Possibly a Deeply-Ancient Tanzanian Scared Site?

The team of Polish scientists were slightly perplexed during the research because “no elements of anthropomorphisation of buffaloes, nor belief in the possibility of transformation of people into these animals,” exists within modern Sandawe people groups. However, Dr. Maciej Grzelczyk pointed out that the present day “simbó ritual,” requires people entering “trance states,” which is a key element in Shamanic transitionary processes.

Comparison of the head of figure 059 (top left) and African buffalo (top right) and close-up of the digitally enhanced photograph (using DStrech) showing finer detail and superimposed layers.

( M. Grzelczyk, Antiquity, 2021 )

Furthering their speculations into the possible ritualistic or ceremonial nature of the Tanzanian cave site, and the artwork, the researchers said the modern Sandawe group believe caves in hills “harbored spirits and would travel to such structures to perform rituals and shout prayers not to disturb the ghosts.”

Moreover, evidence suggests the Tanzanian site was use repeatedly over many generations. When the paintings were analyzed it was discovered that the artists had “intentionally respected” an existing figure by not superimposing the new image onto it.” Rather than simply painting over the older image, the painter incorporated the preexisting image into the new scene.

The study says that a great example of this same sympathetic painting technique, where the work of an older artist is included in a new piece, can be seen in one of the buffalo paintings. The new study shows how the tail of one buffalo was interrupted so that it would not superimpose onto the leg of a human figure.

Digital tracing of the Tanzanian paintings at Amak'hee 4. 

(M. Grzelczyk, Antiquity, 2021 )

What this shows is not only artistic prowess, but a significant degree of foresight, preplanning, and logical thinking. The artist must have first conceived the image, before conceptualizing it within the bounds of the available space. Then, before executing the painting, the painter must have studied all of the preexisting figures and forms, looking for ways that parts of animals could be used to represent human parts.

• Top Image: A trio of anthropomorphic figures from the Tanzanian cave art at the Amak’hee 4 site.
• Source: Maciej Grzelczyk, Jagiellonian University

By Ashley Cowie

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

19-02-2021 om 00:25 geschreven door peter  

Touchdown! NASA's Perseverance rover lands on Mars to begin hunt for signs of ancient life

18-02-2021 om 23:47 geschreven door peter  

Potentially habitable exoplanet candidate spotted around Alpha Centauri A in Earth's backyard

By Mike Wall 

Alpha Centauri A may have its own habitable-zone planet.

This wide-field view of the sky around the bright star system Alpha Centauri was created from photographic images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2.

(Image: © ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2 Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin)

The nearest solar system to our own may actually host two potentially life-supporting planets, a new study reports.

In 2016, scientists discovered a roughly Earth-size world circling Proxima Centauri, part of the three-star Alpha Centauri system, which lies about 4.37 light-years from Earth. The planet, known as Proxima b, orbits in the "habitable zone," the range of distances from a star at which liquid water could exist on a world's surface. (A second planet, Proxima c, was later discovered circling the star as well, but it orbits farther away, beyond the habitable zone's outer limits.)

There's considerable debate about the true habitability of Proxima b, however, given that its parent star is a red dwarf. These stars, the most common in the Milky Way, are small and dim, so their habitable zones lie very close in — so close, in fact, that planets residing there tend to be tidally locked, always showing the same face to their host stars, just as the moon always shows Earth its near side. In addition, red dwarfs are prolific flarers, especially when they're young, so it's unclear if their habitable-zone worlds can hold onto their atmospheres for long.

• Proxima b: Closest Earth-like planet discovery in pictures

The other two stars in the Alpha Centauri trio, however, are sunlike — a pair called Alpha Centauri A and B, which together make up a binary orbiting the same center of mass. And Alpha Centauri A may have its own habitable-zone planet, according to the new research, which was published online today (Feb. 10) in the journal Nature Communications.

The study presents results from Near Earths in the Alpha Cen Region (NEAR), a $3 million project led by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and Breakthrough Watch, a program that hunts for potentially Earth-like worlds around nearby stars.

NEAR has been searching for planets in the habitable zones of Alpha Cen A and B using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. The NEAR team upgraded the VLT with several new technologies, including a thermal coronagraph, an instrument designed to block a star's light and allow the heat signatures of orbiting planets to be spotted. 

After analyzing 100 hours of data gathered by NEAR in May and June of 2019, the scientists detected a thermal fingerprint in the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri A. The signal potentially corresponds to a roughly Neptune-size world orbiting between 1 and 2 astronomical units (AU) from the star, study team members said. (One AU, the average Earth-sun distance, is about 93 million miles, or 150 million kilometers.)

But that planet has not yet been confirmed, so it remains a candidate for now.

"We were amazed to find a signal in our data. While the detection meets every criteria for what a planet would look like, alternative explanations — such as dust orbiting within in the habitable zone or simply an instrumental artifact of unknown origin — have to be ruled out," study lead author Kevin Wagner, a Sagan Fellow in NASA's Hubble Fellowship Program at the University of Arizona, said in a statement. 

"Verification might take some time and will require the involvement and ingenuity of the larger scientific community," Wagner added.

Study co-author Pete Klupar said he hopes the new results will inspire astronomers to study the Alpha Centauri system in greater detail, both via new observing programs and closer scrutiny of archived data, which may hold as-yet unrecognized evidence of the exoplanet candidate. 

"It's like getting a hint in [the board game] Clue," Klupar, a researcher with Breakthrough Watch's parent organization, Breakthrough Initiatives, told Space.com. "Now that we've got the hint, maybe they can find something."

And, if the Alpha Centauri A world does indeed exist, it may not be alone.

"In my mind, the most exciting thing about this is, once we find one planet, we tend to find others," Klupar said.

Even if the Alpha Cen A planet turns out to be a mirage, however, NEAR's work will not have been in vain, team members said.

"The new capability that we demonstrated with NEAR to directly image nearby habitable-zone planets is inspiring to further developments of exoplanet science and astrobiology," Wagner said in the same statement.

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook. 

{ https://www.space.com/ }

18-02-2021 om 23:10 geschreven door peter  

 Ariel Cohen - Contributor

When Dr. Salvatore Cezar Pais, an aerospace engineer at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), filed a patent for a “Plasma Compression Fusion Device” in 2019, it was either a giant breakthrough – or mad science. According to the patent application, the miniature device could contain and sustain fusion reactions capable of generating power in the gigawatt (1 billion watts) to terawatt (1 trillion watts) range or more. A large coal plant or mid-size nuclear powered reactor by comparison produces energy in the 1–2 gigawatt range. The revolutionary invention by Dr. Pais, if real, would produce near unlimited clean energy from something no larger than a sports utility vehicle.

Dr. Pais’ fusion device is among a handful of outlandish technologies dubbed “The UFO patents” that have, in some shape or form, been pursued by the U.S. Navy.

I’ve written before with some skepticism on the implications of Dr. Pais’ purported compact fusion reactor for U.S. energy independence. The physicist appears to have bona fide credentials including a Ph.D. from Case Western, and published some of his work, while much is presumably classified.

He has been employed by the Pentagon for decades. And this isn’t the first patent filed in his name, and all of them appear centered around what he calls the Pais Effect. Dr. Pais posits that by controlling the accelerated spin or vibration of electrically charged matter, high energy electromagnetic fields can be produced.

One proposed use for such fields is an “electromagnetic field generator” device which could be applied to alter the trajectory of earthbound asteroids over a period of time. While the patent makes clear that such a device would work only on “small” asteroids of under roughly 100 meters length or less, it isn’t hard to grasp the interest of any defense agency in providing contingencies for such a scenario.

Dr. Pais’ “inertial mass reduction device” is one of his most extraordinary patents. This technology suggests manipulation of quantum field fluctuations which could reduce a vehicle’s inertial and gravitational mass, allowing it to travel at hitherto unseen speeds. The reason the speed of light is something of a universal speed limit is that mass increases to infinite as one reaches it, demanding infinite energy to continue moving. The ability to reduce mass could have incredible implications for the future of space travel. Only faster than light speeds of travel would allow the humanity to venture outside of the solar system.

His High Temperature Superconductor patent would, like a fusion device, revolutionize global energy systems. Superconductors have no electrical resistance, meaning electricity can be transferred without loss of energy to unlimited distances. That could mean quite a drop in energy costs, but getting any superconductor to operate even as warm as room temperature is a longstanding problem.

Last but not least is what Pais calls a high frequency gravitational wave generator. The patent purports that the electromagnetic fields created by the Pais Effect could be intersected, generating waves of gravity upon which a spaceship could propel itself to its destination. Such waves could also be used to deflect asteroids more efficiently or communicate through solid objects.

Any one of these “UFO” patents would transform modern science and society. It might be too early to break out the champagne, though. While Dr. Pais has spoken confidently about his work in the past, the Navy recently threw cold water on hopes of a breakthrough.

Queries about his experiments were met with confirmation that a three-year $508,000 assessment had found no proof of the Pais Effect. For now at least, the odds are good that the Navy may not lead the energy revolution, while President Joe Biden expends political capital squaring off against fossil fuel companies.

That brings us back to his fusion device. Even if Dr. Pais is wrong, it doesn’t mean fusion is going to stay the stuff of science fiction forever, though. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, an initiative with roots stretching back to a November 1985 summit between Reagan and Gorbachev, is currently scheduled to generate its first “small star” in November 2025. Various projects are racing them there, all with that shared goal of 2025.

All this is to say that fusion might no longer be perpetually thirty years away.

With some tangible, well-funded projects underway, it raises the question of why the Navy has previously gone to bat for Dr. Pais — and his ideas, which seem considerably ahead of their time if not outright implausible. The other possibilities are worth pondering though.

Occam’s Razor would suggest there might be something there. A genuine breakthrough in theoretical physics so advanced would require serious and well-funded lab work and prototype experimentation for years or even decades. Think of the long journey from J.J. Thompson’s discovery of the electron (1897) and Rutherford’s atomic model (1911) to the Manhattan Project (1939-1946). There are defense applications to most physics breakthroughs, and that is plenty incentive to invest in any potential Enrico Fermi, Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein, or Andrey Sakharov. The patents could be a sort of hedging, ensuring the United States can claim it was there first.

A second explanation is that is a U.S. disinformation operation to entice our adversaries into spending billions of dollars on dead-end research. That was more or less the initial thinking behind President Reagan’s “Star Wars” initiative. By faking data, the officials behind the program hoped to entice the Soviets to burn billions for a then-non-viable space-based missile defense system. Sending China on a wild goose chase for the Pais Effect would be a clever use of half a million dollars. Otherwise, his research would be deeply classified and not patented.

Lastly, and most out there, Dr. Pais’ patents could be a cover for alien technology. If the recent disclosure by the Pentagon of possible encounters with extraterrestrial artifacts is true, such technology may be in the U.S. Government’s possession. Talk about a low probability, high impact event!

I am not sure if we will see Faster Than Light space travel any time soon, but with or without Dr. Salvatore Cezar Pais, the race for fusion power is on, and we are likely to see a successful result within our lifetime.

*Correction: a previous version of this story reported that Dr. Pais graduated from Carnegie Mellon. He is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University where he received all three of his degree (BS, MS, Ph.D).

RELATED VIDEOS, selected and posted by peter2011

{ https://www.forbes.com/ }

18-02-2021 om 21:39 geschreven door peter  

WRECKAGE from the Roswell UFO incident could still be buried in the desert, an expert has claimed.

The astonishing revelation is made in a startling new six-part documentary which sets out to get the bottom of the world's most baffling UFO mystery.

Former CIA operative Ben Smith has been working with geophysicists

Credit: Sky History

Scans of the area appeared to show large gouges in the surface of the desert

Credit: Sky History

Soils samples were collected from the suspected crash site

Former CIA operative Ben Smith has been called in to work with a team of top experts to find out exactly what happened in New Mexico in July, 1947.

And he exclusively told The Sun Online he believes debris from the crash could still be buried in the sand just waiting to be found.

Ben has teamed up with geophysicists and ufologists for 'Roswell: The First Witness', which starts on February 9 as part of Sky History's Mystery Season.

He told The Sun Online: "There are delineations in the soil from a north-western to a south-eastern direction which match witness descriptions of something falling from the sky, hitting the earth, skipping and scattering debris."

During his investigation, he visited New Mexico to search for "unnatural features" which could be evidence of a flying saucer crash.

Scientists then conducted an exhaustive geo-thermal examination of the area where the first debris was discovered - using cutting-edge technology to look deep into the earth for clues.

The experts scoured the desert with state-of-the-art kit including drones in the hunt for an "impact and skid mark".

They also studied aerial images of the area before and after the Roswell incident and soon noticed what could be multiple "furrows" in the surface.

Studies also revealed "something really hot hit the earth and heated up the surrounding soil", changing the magnetic field in the area.

Hi-tech detecting equipment also appeared to pick up signs of metal hidden beneath the surface.

Major Jesse Marcel led the original investigation into the Roswell crash

Credit: Handout - Getty

Marcel was the first military man to visit the desert crash site

Credit: Sky History

Soil samples were then sent to a lab to see if they contained materials "not from this world".

Ben believes the fact there could still be debris scattered beneath the desert is what makes the Roswell mystery so intriguing.

"This is what makes this project so interesting. We have this amazing Tic-Tac video recently declassified from American Navy pilots but it is footage but there is nothing physical," he said.

"Here we have a a record of something crashing into the ground and the geology (from the site) certainly supports trapping some of this debris.

"This a desolate site. The potential of finding a piece of it...whether through sophisticated space age technology that we used or tracking down original witnesses who may have taken a piece home is part of the crux of the invesitgation.

"We tried to keep it focused on the original witnesses and the original accounts of debris and go from there."

He now believes the key to solving this whole mystery could even be lying in a box after being collected by a local in the hours and days after the crash.

Ben said: "That's the crazy part and it could be the conclusive evidence that we need to determine whether this was truly extra terrestrial or this is very terrestrial.

"It could just be in a box somewhere. I think there is a piece of this thing somewhere out there and I think we can find it with enough time and resources."

Yesterday we told how a journal written by a US army major – who was first on the scene – may hold all the secrets to what has been described as the biggest cover-up in US military history.

On July 8, 1947 the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) distributed a press release claiming they had recovered the remains of a “flying disc” which had crashed in the desert.

Not surprisingly, the news made headlines across the US but the very next day the US Army suddenly backtracked and released a second statement claiming the recovered object was actually just a weather balloon.

The bizarre incident would have been lost over the decades had it not been for Major Jesse A Marcel, a former intelligence officer who was stationed at RAAF at the time.

When a local rancher reported the debris’ discovery, Marcel was sent out to take a look and bring some of the material back to the base before being ordered to fly some of the wreckage to Fort Worth, Texas, for further examination.

However, in the late 70s, Marcel told UFO researchers later photos with him and the debris was staged for the press as part of an elaborate plan to dupe the press and the public.

He claimed the Army whisked the real debris away while he was ordered to aid in the cover-up of what was really found.

Marcel claimed the actual crash site was scattered with extremely strong shiny material that was foil-like but returned to its original shape after it was crumpled. 

He later told his family what he found was “not made by human hands” but they say he was pressured by the US government to retract his original statement and deny he ever saw evidence of a UFO.

Now his diary – which has been in the hands of his family for decades – is being probed from cover-to-cover to unlock its secrets.

Ben Smith is a former CIA case officer with many years in the field as an undercover operative tracking terrorist networks, foreign intelligence activities and weapons of mass destruction.

He holds a degree in International Affairs and a Master's of Fine Arts. In his free time, he is either researching his next investigation or writing science fiction from his home in New York.

Roswell continues to attract questions from UFO hunters, with even Donald Trump’s son Don Jr asking the former US President about the suspected crash during an interview last year.

The First Witness premieres on Sky History on Tuesday, February 9

Credit: Sky History

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 { https://www.thesun.co.uk/ }

18-02-2021 om 21:20 geschreven door peter  

Pindai Caves, Once Home to the Lapita People and Extinct Species

New Caledonia, in the South Pacific , is a special collectivity of France. Not only does it have a fascinating history and unique culture, the islands also have one of the most important archaeological sites in all of Oceania, the Pindai Caves. These caves have provided archaeologists with a treasure trove of human remains, and palaeontologists with remains of extinct birds, reptiles and other fauna that dates to the Holocene Period.

The Ancient History of Pindai Caves

The Lapita people were the first people to settle on the islands of New Caledonia. As these sailors of Austronesian extraction were extremely skilled navigators, New Caledonia played a very important role in their colonization of Oceania. They are regarded as the ancestors of the Polynesians who went on to populate many Pacific Islands and New Zealand. They are also the ancestors of the modern Kanak people of New Caledonia.

Archaeologists have found items that once belonged to the Lapita people, including many pot shards, within the Pindai Caves. They also left several heaps of shellfish scraps. Guano (bird excrement) was harvested in the caverns and used as a fertilizer.  

Lapita pottery, found on Port Vila , Vanuatu 

( CC BY-SA 3.0 )

New Caledonia was absorbed into the French Empire in the 19 ^th century when they used the islands as a penal colony. While the caves were explored in the 19 ^th century, archaeologists only investigated in the 20 ^th century and found two settlements in the Pindai Caves that were occupied by humans over a period of at least two millennia.

The extinct horned turtle, Meiolania.  

Source: CC BY SA 2.0

The Amazing Fossils of Pindai Caves

Along with the prehistoric settlements, a great many animal and bird remains have been discovered. Of the 45 species found, at least 20 are now extinct in New Caledonia or globally. Among the extinct species are rails, a kagu, pigeons, and a large snipe. Other long-extinct species of birds found includes the Sylviornis, a flightless megapode who laid its eggs on the ground in mounds, and a flightless swamp hen. The remains of a number of owls were also found. These too have been extinct for many years. A great number of these remains were found in potholes and sinkholes in the caves, which trapped the birds.

• Bananas Helped Ancient Lapita Culture Colonize Oceania
• Ancient Skulls Give Insights into Origins of Polynesians
• Unprecedented Wave of Large-mammal Extinctions Linked to Prehistoric Humans

Sylviornis, the extinct flightless bird 

( Renata Cunha )

A number of extinct reptiles were also found, including a land-dwelling crocodile ( Mekosuchus) as well as fossils of the giant horned turtle, Meiolania. The fossils and remains in the cave are providing researchers with insights into the extinction of species after the arrival of the first humans.

The results of various studies have not shown a definite link between human activity and the extinction of species such as the flightless birds on New Caledonia. The remains have been carbon dated and indicate that humans and the extinct species co-existed for many years. Over time, humans had an adverse impact on the environment and this, rather than overhunting, led to the demise of many species.

Layout of the Pindai Caves

The caves are on a peninsula on the north coast of the main island, Grande Terre. The location has six caves of the karst type, two of which are accessible. The remaining four caves have been categorized as sinkholes - chasm created by the flow of subterranean water.

The location of New Caledonia 

(Google Maps)

The two accessible caves were once the homes of the first people who settled on the islands. The entrances of the cave broaden out into a large chamber and contain stalactites and stalagmites. Many species of birds lived in the caves, such as the extinct prehistoric birds whose fossils have been found by palaeontologists.

Visiting the Pindai Caves in New Caledonia

The caves are 130 miles (182 km) north of Noumea, the capital city of New Caledonia. There are guided tours of the region and they include excursions to the caves. The caves are protected by the local government and visitors are asked to respect the site.

• Top image: New Caledonia Cave. Credit: damedias / Adobe Stock

By Ed Whelan

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

18-02-2021 om 20:50 geschreven door peter  

Mystery Of Markawasi: UFOs And Baffling Stone Monuments

Marcahuasi (Markawasi) is located on the mountain range that rises to the right bank of the Rímac River nearly 4,000 meters high in Huarochirí Province, east of Lima, Peru. This plateu is home to a various set of huge granite rocks with unusual shapes resembling human faces, animals, and religious symbols.

There are many theories as to their origins. There is also a collection of ruins on the north side of the plateau. Over 50 structures still stand in varying states of decay. There are also what appear to be burial tombs on the outskirts of the settlement.

The plateau is shrouded in mystery at many levels. There is even disagreement as to the derivation of the name Marcahuasi (Markawasi). Daniel Ruzo states that the name is relatively recent and means “two-storied house,” referring to the stone buildings (which Ruzo regards as Inca military garrisons) found on the plateau.

In contrast, Lisa Rome states that marca in Quecha means the land belonging to a community, and huasi means town, so the name Marcahausi refers to the land for the town or entire community, and from this etymology she suggests that the plateau was communal religious center for the surrounding area.

She states that there is are no Inca remains to be found at Markawasi, dating many of the structures to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries A.D. Others have tentatively dated some of the buildings to a good five hundred or more years earlier.

Local people say nothing about who the builder were, where the figures were made or quite possibly more important — where were they from. Yet still an extraordinary energy pervades this sanctuary cloaked in the clouds for untold centuries, having only recently been discovered by the outside world. In this place, many reports of UFO’s being seen, as well as strange beings who reportedly walk around the place day and night.

The local people believe these beings come from inside the earth or are materializing from other dimensions. The archaeological community is at a loss to explain some of the more unfathomable images carved in the stone.

Supposedly they created monumental carvings from the granodiorite cliffs, boulders, and outcroppings on the top of the plateau – carvings of an anthropomorphic and zoomorphic nature, including peoples of many different races and animals found not just in the immediate vicinity, but from other continents as well.

There was even an alleged sculpture of the Egyptian divinity Ta-urt (Thoueris), goddess of childbirth and maternity, in her typical form as an upright female hippopotamus. If these reports were true, this would indicate a pre-Columbian culture that had transoceanic ties, and just perhaps it represented a branch of the primordial global lost civilization of which many writers and philosophers have speculated over the centuries.

In addition to toads, dogs and condors which are all indigenous to the area, there are also 25-foot tall carvings of a walrus, camel, lion, polar bear, alligator, turtle and what can only be described as a prehistoric stegosaurus dinosaur! These and other creatures haunt this mist shrouded plateau from a lost world.

There is a3-story tall human head carved from a single bolder and faces carved on a cliffs that drop thousands of feet representing all the different races of the world, speaking in muted silence of the many questions permeating these stones resting upon the Markawasi plateau. So what are the meaning of structures, the monuments, the gigantic megalithic sculptures, found at Markawasi?

Dr. Robert M. Schoch interpret the monuments of Markawasi as incredible simulacra – that is, in this case, natural objects that in the mind’s eye take the shape of forms of other entities, such as human faces and animals. He believe they were recognized as such even in very remote ancient times. The weathering and erosion of the granodiorite of which the plateau is composed gives rise to rounded anthropomorphic and zoomorphic features that, with a little imagination and insight, can be seen as very convincing sculptural forms.

The Markawasi sculptures are point-of-view manifestations, not typical sculptures in the round. Most can only be seen from a particular angle, and in many cases under particular lighting conditions, be in morning, evening, a solstice sunrise, by the light of a full moon, or under other special conditions.

Believers in the sculptures feel there are special spots that have been designated as viewing locations, and to move even a few feet from some of the spots means that the sculpture is obscured or not visible at all.

Certain sculptures appear to change forms as one moves or the light changes, perhaps from a face of one race to a face of another race. Such apparent subtlety and precision in sculpting and viewing has been used to argue for the reality of the artificiality of the monuments, but likewise has been advanced as strong evidence that they are simply natural structures to which humans brings their own meaning and interpretations.

The indigenous Andean peoples had a traditional concept of wakas (guacas), which can in an abstract sense refer to laws (as laws or nature) or knowledge, or could at times be personified as heroes and deities (similar, perhaps, to the Egyptian concept of neterw or divine principles) or as cult ancestors.

Wakas, it was believed, could sometimes take the physical form of uniquely shaped rocks or other natural structures. This is exactly what we may behold in the simulacra of Markawasi. The perfection and abundance of the manifestations of the wakas would make this an incredibly sacred place indeed. Schoch believe there is no doubt that Markawasi is a very powerful, energy-filled, and sacred place.

There are also numerous chulpas (chullpas), or tombs, to be found on the plateau, some neatly constructed of stone blocks (and in some cases rebuilt in modern times) and other tombs that simply utilized natural overhangs and shallow caves on the edge of the plateau. Bodies were bound and formed natural mummies, but most of the tombs have now been cleared out and any remains removed. Schoch and his team did come across human skulls and other bones in one of the more inaccessible regions, however.

The plateau is spotted with a number of artificial and natural lakes and reservoirs, most of which were dry during our August 2005 visit. Artificial dams and canal systems collect water during the rainy season and carry the water down to the village and terraced fields below the plateau.

Even today the people of San Pedro de Casta celebrate a ritual festival in October that celebrates the water that is captured on the Markawasi Plateau.

According to Ruzo, men opened the festival with rituals in honor of the Huari (their pre-Inca ancestors of a thousand or more years ago deified as the god Huari that was their protector; huari means giant or strong and the women and girls carry out the remainder of the ceremony over a number of days.

RELATED VIDEOS, selected and posted by peter2011

{ https://anomalien.com/ }

18-02-2021 om 18:32 geschreven door peter  

Some people are willing to go to the extreme in their attempts to prove the existence of Planet Nine – the rumored ninth (or maybe tenth) planet which may or may not have wreaked chaos through the solar system on its last trip around, and may or may not do the same on its next – whenever that might be. That last event has been predicted by doomsayers to be sooner (without success) or by renowned space scientists to be later (without visible or concrete proof). As a result, a new team of researchers has gone to a different extreme – Extreme Trans-Neptunian Objects – to analyze whether their strange orbits were caused by a Planet Nine. The report is in and the answer is (drum roll here) …

Pause that drum roll for a second. Despite the conspiratorial and apocalyptic nature of many Planet Nine theories, the search for it is indeed serious in many scientific circles. That search heated up in 2016 when astronomers Konstantin Batygin and Michael Brown of Caltech unveiled their theory supporting the existence of Planet Nine based on the behavior of Extreme Trans-Neptunian Objects (ETNO). Brown is a well-known ETNO discoverer, but he became famous to the general public when he “killed Pluto” by demoting it to a dwarf planet, based on the fact that there is at least one ETNO larger than it.

Orbits of Sedna, other objects and a possible orbit of Planet X

Brown and Batygin’s Planet Nine theory is based on the idea that a select group of ETNOs is “clustered” in an orbit that puts their closest point to the sun in the same spot – an event they show with simulations that they conclude could only be caused by a ninth planet’s gravity. Without any physical evidence for Planet Nine, this theory has been disputed ever since, and so far Brown and Batygin’s say no one has proven them wrong.

“The apparent clustering in longitude of perihelion ϖ and ascending node Ω of extreme trans-Neptunian objects (ETNOs) has been attributed to the gravitational effects of an unseen 5-10 Earth-mass planet in the outer solar system. To investigate how selection bias may contribute to this clustering, we consider 14 ETNOs discovered by the Dark Energy Survey, the Outer Solar System Origins Survey, and the survey of Sheppard and Trujillo. Using each survey’s published pointing history, depth, and TNO tracking selections, we calculate the joint probability that these objects are consistent with an underlying parent population with uniform distributions in ϖ and Ω.”

That’s astronomer-speak for “Hold our beers and watch this.” A large team of astronomers led by Kevin Napier of the University of Michigan believed Brown and Batygin were suffering from “selection bias” – a theory that the six ETNOs they used were only the brightest but not all of them, and a larger sampling would show that bias. As explained in their pre-print, non-peer-reviewed paper, they used three different surveys: the Dark Energy Survey (DES) which uses the Blanco Telescope in Chile, the Outer Solar System Origins Survey on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii, and a third which used a variety of telescopes, and found 14 more ETNOs besides the six from Brown and Batygin. They then fed their data into a survey simulator that took into account any kinds of bias. And what did they find? (Resume drum roll.)

“We find that the mean scaled longitude of perihelion and orbital poles of the detected ETNOs are consistent with a uniform population at a level between 17% and 94%, and thus conclude that this sample provides no evidence for angular clustering.”

Their simulation found no evidence of clustering that could only be caused by a Planet Nine. Kevin Napier told Science Magazine, “(The clustering) is a consequence of where we look and when we look. There’s no need for another model to fit the data.” In his and Brown’s defense, Konstantin Batygin claims the new study looked at the same area as he did and found more ETNOs, so he takes the Spockian approach that their negation of his Planet Nine theory is “not logical” and asks “Can their analysis distinguish between a clustered and uniform distribution?” which he immediately answers: “No.”

Meanwhile, Planet Nine shakes its head and smiles.

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{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

18-02-2021 om 18:05 geschreven door peter  

Declassified Russian Files List Gruesome Underwater UFO Encounters

A Russian UFO researcher is calling for an investigation after declassified files from the Soviet era detailed cases of terrifying incidents alien encounters, reports dailystar.co.uk.

Former naval officer and UFO researcher Vladimir Azhazha believes the documents that mention Soviet K-222 submarines being hunted out of the sea by speeding unidentified objects, “are of great value.”

The experiences listed in the documents are similar to the ones reported in the region of the Bermuda Triangle, one of the world’s biggest mysteries, reports Alien Revelations.

According to the declassified Russian Navy records, unidentified submerged objects (USOs) have been spotted within the Earth’s oceans.

The technologically advanced objects are far superior to anything we’ve ever built, the website adds.

One of the most interesting cases Mr Azhazha examined, involved a nuclear submarine on a combat mission in the Southern Pacific.

During the routine operation, the submarine detected six unknown objects traveling in formation at speeds in excess of 230 knots (265+ mph).

In comparison, the fastest submarine was the Soviet K-222, which reached about 44 knots (51 mph).

The objects were believed to be headed straight for the Soviet submarines, which were therefore forced to surface. But the USOs followed them to the surface and then flew away.

Retired submarine commander Yuri Beketov recalled similar instances in the region of the Bermuda Triangle.

Mr Beketov said on-board instruments often malfunctioned, indicating the presence of strong interference. which many believed was a clear sign of USO and UFO presence.

Mr Beketov said: “On several occasions the instruments gave reading of material objects moving at incredible speed. Calculations showed speeds of about 230 knots, or 265 mph.

“Speeding so fast is a challenge even on the surface. But water resistance is much higher. It was like the objects defied the laws of physics. There’s only one explanation: the creatures who built them far surpass us in development.”

Vladimir Azhazha believes the issue should be thoroughly investigated.

He said: “I think about underwater bases and say: Why not? Nothing should be discarded.

“Skepticism is the easiest way: believe nothing, do nothing. People rarely visit great depths. So it’s very important to analyse what they encounter there.”

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{ https://anomalien.com/ }

18-02-2021 om 17:27 geschreven door peter  

The shotgun approach to the UFO phenomenon

Copyright 2021, InterAmerica, Inc.

I think Ron and I are the only two guys, hereabouts, who see the fracturing of UFO efforts as not helpful or useful in resolving the UFO mystery.

Almost everyone in the UFO community has a fish to fry, many of those fish only peri- pherally connected to UFOs or the UFO conversation, some fish personal with no connection to ufology or UFOs at all.

The paranormal sobriquet often intrudes. And while there may be a tangential connection to the UFO phenomenon, the efforts expended on things paranormal haven’t shown what that connection may be.

Also, ufology is flush with persons, mostly via podcasts or Facebook postings, providing too much information about their personal lives, illnesses mostly but financial and domestic problems, plus reminis- cences of past glories or suggestions of music memories and trips to scenic sites around the country.

UFOs aren’t even a backdrop in these online excursions.

In the “old days,” often a UFO sighting or report would take hold of persons following the phenomenon, but nowadays, we’re all so jaded, disappointed by the lack of anything vital or substantive about UFOs that we comment and become absorbed by the discursive activity and verbiage by those soaked in their own personal sweat and inane lives, encouraging them to slavishly indulge in more banal personal activities.

This posting is another example of splurged quasi-UFO nonsense. (I apologize)

There comes a time when we UFO people have got buckle down and find solutions to some UFO sightings and accounts. We have to stop fooling around or sitting, still waiting for disclosure.

I know many do not like rechewing old UFO tales, but what can we do with newer, splashier accounts like those encapsulated in those AATIP videos?

We are kids hoping to be enraptured by something fresh or new then moving on, wishing for something else to titillate us. Meanwhile those iconic older UFO reports/sightings lie moldering in the dustbin where UFO books reside pretty much and therein lie all the answers as to what UFOs are, if we only had the stalwart patience to ferret out the clues that have to be there, yes?

RR  

• http://ufocon.blogspot.com – The UFO Iconoclast(s)

Source: 

• https://ufocon.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-shotgun-approach-to-ufo-phenomenon.html

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{ https://beforeitsnews.com/ }

18-02-2021 om 16:56 geschreven door peter  

Ancient Alien Structures On Dark Side Of Moon, LROC Moon Map, Photos, UFO Sighting News.

Date of sighting: February 17, 2021

Location of sighting: Earths moon

Source: 

• https://quickmap.lroc.asu.edu/projections?extent=150.1824919,-69.0883592,168.7208984,-62.2417447&proj=7&layers=NrBsFYBoAZIRnpEoAsjYIHYFcA2vIBvAXwF1SizSg

I found some structures in a crater on Earths moon. Its from the LROC moon map and we are looking at a crater on the dark side of the moon. Inside are several structures. Two larger structures at the center of the crater, one higher with a dark window, the other long like an airplane wing. Then another structure outside the crater on the left side. 

 

The thing is...if you click the URL, don't zoom in all the way, because NASA uses a smoothing program to erase detail, so don't...don't zoom in too much. Zoom in enough to see the objects before they are changed by the smoothing program. You will know when. Apparently NASA failed at using the smoothing program correctly and put it at the wrong settings so we could see the actual structures aliens built on the moon. This is undeniable proof that aliens exist on our moon. 

Scott C. Waring - Taiwan 

 

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ }

18-02-2021 om 16:40 geschreven door peter  

Massive electrical sparks fly across power lines in Louisiana as dangerous weather batters the region.

{ http://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.com/ }

18-02-2021 om 16:22 geschreven door peter  

Fast UFO making fast maneuvers over Huntington State Beach, California

This was filmed back in 2019 (11th March) but it was just posted on MUFON’s website today.

Witness report: 

UFO flying next to plane in the sky above the beach goes Into a STAR WARS hyperdrive turn into space, then attempted coverup!!! 2 friends of mine along with one of their girlfriend’s and I were all together at the beach around 6 pm in Huntington Beach near a bathroom stall when suddenly we notice a vey mysterious giant fireball looking star, but obviously nothing like we seen before, moving steadily down the coast line. We could see a plane with its blinking lights flying in the opposite direction in the same line of direction of view which made it apparent that this was particularly not flying like a plane or jet. We watched for maybe a few or so minutes before I pulled out my iPhone and recorded the incident. I filmed for about 25 seconds and then turned off recording.

About a few minutes or less after I stopped recording, we all witnessed the UFO go from a steady tread to the left into an impossible abrupt turn towards west so fast that not the sky that the light faded away almost instantaneously like a stars wars hyperdrive intro space when the light stretches then fades away. The object shot towards the sky in front of us and faded away, then almost immediately after the incident, I personally witnessed the most aircraft at one time in the sky, which to me looked like a bunch of planes flying in every direction in the sky. There were also jets that came from the south that were suspicious because it was obvious why they were there and that was the only time I seen a team of jets fly in at night on top of the beach.

But the icing on the cake was when helicopters came and tried to cover up what we saw by trying to replicate the light by flying around where the UFO was flying and shining a search light around that looked kinda something similar to the UFO’s, but obviously was not perfect because it did not at all move like the UFO did and the light did not match the exact size or color and was also spinning in multiple directions. It baffled my friends and I and then a few months later in December.

{ https://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/ }

18-02-2021 om 16:00 geschreven door peter