For the first time in its history, the Pentagon has openly acknowledged the presence of combat systems in space. U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink made the statement at the annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference of the Air & Space Forces Association outside Washington. He did not disclose details, arguing that specifics would undermine deterrence. It is not even known when these systems were deployed in space.

The Combined Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, May 28, 2026. Credit: U.S. Space Force/David Dozoretz

A Statement Without Details

Troy Meink chose his wording carefully. In his prepared remarks, he said that “the United States now has space-control capabilities on orbit capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary actions.” He did not specify the type of equipment or when it was deployed.

U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference of the Air & Space Forces Association in National Harbor, Maryland. Credit: Craig Hudson/Air & Space Forces Association

At a press conference, Meink explained the lack of detail in terms of deterrence. Discussing technical characteristics, he said, would undermine the effect. As Ars Technica reports, officials even discussed internally how such statements should be worded.

Actions by Russia and China

Public attention in the United States to orbital weapons intensified as early as 2020, when the U.S. military pointed to a Russian test of a spacecraft resembling an anti-satellite weapon. In 2024, the Biden administration accused Russia of deploying operational systems of this type.

That same year, former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner disclosed a U.S. government assessment that Russia could place a nuclear device in space. A detonation in low Earth orbit could disable thousands of satellites, including Starlink spacecraft, U.S. intelligence assets, and the International Space Station.

Chinese satellites regularly approach U.S. military targets, most likely for observation. The United States conducts similar maneuvers near Chinese and Russian spacecraft. Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted in their 2025 Space Threat Assessment that the maneuverability of Chinese satellites was already sufficient to support a full range of counterspace capabilities.

The first Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared missile-warning satellite, valued at more than $4 billion. Credit: Lockheed Martin

The stakes in this field are illustrated by the cost of the hardware that must be protected. The first Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared missile-warning satellite cost more than $4 billion and became the most expensive spacecraft acquired by the U.S. Space Force since its creation in 2019.

Likely Nature of the Systems

Categories of space weapons in U.S. military doctrine include directed-energy systems such as lasers, radio-frequency jammers, and kinetic systems that physically destroy targets. They can be deployed either on the ground or in orbit. General Chance Saltzman said last year that other countries were developing all six categories, while the United States at that time was not working on every one of them.

The first officially confirmed weapon system shown by the Space Force came in June, when it announced that the mobile ground-based Meadowlands jammer had entered service. Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation suggests that the systems in orbit may also be jammers, since similar capabilities have been attributed to China and Russia. A kinetic strike in space would create a debris cloud dangerous to U.S. satellites as well, so the United States has consistently favored systems that do not generate debris.

Anti-satellite tests using kinetic weapons create space debris. Credit: NASA

Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, notes that non-kinetic weapons are almost indistinguishable in hardware terms from ordinary orbital equipment. Any radio transmitter can function as a jammer, while an inter-satellite optical link can potentially be used to blind sensors.

Experts Express Doubts

Clayton Swope considers the statement too vague to have a meaningful deterrent effect. Deterrence depends not simply on the existence of a weapon, but on an understanding of how and when it might be used, while Meink’s comments reveal neither the systems’ intended purpose nor their destructive capability.

Victoria Samson adds that after the official acknowledgment, China and Russia may similarly announce their own orbital systems, after which the United States could cite those declarations as evidence that its own deployment was justified. This creates a closed loop of mutual justification in which each new statement becomes an argument for the next one.

Satellite communications and commercial orbital imagery have long become everyday tools for the Ukrainian military. Orbital jammers would target exactly these channels. The greatest risk falls on the side whose intelligence and command systems depend on foreign satellite infrastructure. China and Russia have not yet officially responded to the statement.

• Posted in News, Tech

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

Argentina: UFO Mystery in Puelches (July 2026)

 Mystery has once again descended upon the small town of Puelches, in La Pampa province, after residents reported witnessing a series of unusual phenomena. Accounts include strange lights in the sky, water tanks emptying without explanation, animal mutilations, and—most recently—the alleged crash of a flying object, fueling speculation about a possible UFO presence in the area. The town, home to fewer than 500 people, is living through a period of uncertainty. 

According to local residents, these incidents have been occurring for some time; however, speculation was reignited last Saturday when two locals claimed to see a strange object descend near a salt flat. Located 272 kilometers from Santa Rosa and nearly 900 kilometers from Buenos Aires,

 Puelches has become the focus of attention due to a series of events that many residents feel defy conventional explanation. Locals report seeing lights appear and vanish in the night sky, hearing unidentifiable sounds, and finding livestock with injuries featuring precise cuts. 

Accounts also center on the three lagoons surrounding the town—Urre Lauquén, La Dulce, and La Amarga—where residents claim to have witnessed striking phenomena in recent weeks. Those who frequent these areas for rural work, such as salt harvesting, state that sightings of lights hovering over the lagoons' nearly dry beds have become increasingly common. 

Some residents even claim to have seen a sort of illuminated city suspended above the countryside—an image they describe as an impossible mirage. While there is no official explanation for these events, stories continue to multiply among the people of Puelches, where the mystery has once again become a major topic of conversation, keeping the entire community on edge.

{  http://inexplicata.blogspot.com/ }

Special Review of UAP Evidence, Testimony and Government Data

BREAKING INVESTIGATION: 

UAP INTELLIGENCE PIPELINE APPEARS TO BE ACCELERATING

ZlandCommunications has not independently established that these objects are extraterrestrial or that any particular incident represents technology beyond human capability. However, evidence from pilots and radar sensor data  appear to point in a non-human direction.

• A growing body of testimony, official statements, and investigative reporting suggests that the U.S. government—and potentially other governments - may possess technologies or materials of non-human or otherwise unexplained origin.
• These claims remain unverified publicly; however, their increasing frequency and the involvement of government officials, military personnel, and congressional representatives warrant continued examination.
• The ambiguity surrounding government agencies’ efforts to protect or release data concerning UAP incidents—including events over military bases, encounters with military aircraft or naval operations, and the storage of recovered materials - is pervasive and, at times, appears purposeful.
• The failure to release this information limits the ability of independent researchers, scientists, and the public to critically evaluate claims that some UAP may demonstrate capabilities beyond currently known human technology. 

2. Alleged U.S. Government UAP Recovery and Analysis Programs

• There are claims that the U.S. government maintains an operational program dedicated to the recovery, examination, and analysis of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP).
• Whistleblower testimony presented to the U.S. Inspector General and to members of Congress has included allegations concerning the recovery and analysis of UAP and associated materials.
• Despite these allegations, U.S. government officials have continued to state publicly that there is insufficient evidence demonstrating the existence of non-human intelligence.

3. Canadian Government and UAP-Related Claims

• Former Canadian Member of Parliament Larry Maguire wrote to former Minister of Defence Anita Anand requesting an investigation into reports that Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) may possess materials allegedly recovered from UAP incidents.
• Mr. Maguire has also asserted that former Deputy Minister John Hannaford was briefed on reports concerning unidentified craft operating over Canadian nuclear energy installations. ZNN's investigation reveals that while Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Hannaford failed to provide follow-up details for Larry Maguire reports concerning unidentified craft operating over Canadian nuclear energy installations.
• These allegations raise questions regarding whether Canadian government departments or agencies possess information or material relating to UAP that has not been made publicly available.
• Canadian Members of Parliament remain mute on the UAP issue. 

4. Congressional and Parliamentary Engagement

• U.S. Representative Eric Burlison recently disclosed that he participated in an online briefing with two Canadian Members of Parliament concerning information related to his most recent UAP investigations.
• While ZlandCommunications has been in communication with Representative Burlison’s office, as well as having held multiple discussions with the offices of Manitoba MPs Grant Jackson and Branden Leslie, the UAP matter continues to attract unprecedented global attention. Despite this increasing scrutiny—including at the highest levels of government—there has yet to be any public acknowledgement of the matter from Canadian Members of Parliament.

5. Satellite, Radar, and Sensor Data

• There are assertions that extensive satellite, radar, and other sensor data concerning UAP exists but has not been fully released to the public.
• Former U.S. Representative Mike Rogers, who served as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has publicly discussed the existence and significance of UAP-related sensor data.
• Additional reports indicate that data may exist concerning UAP operating beneath the ocean or emerging from the ocean; this relevant information has not been publicly released.
• Claims have also been made that advanced U.S. aerospace radar networks have detected UAP operating at or near space-based altitudes.
• Reportedly, some of this information falls outside the scope of the UAP data currently being publicly disclosed by the Pentagon.
• Such data is potentially significant because it may contain detailed analysis of UAP speed, acceleration, maneuverability, and other performance characteristics.
• The continued restriction or non-release of this information limits the ability of independent researchers, scientists, and the public to independently evaluate claims that some UAP demonstrate capabilities beyond currently known human technology.

6. Military Base and Aviation Incidents

• In December 2023, reports emerged of repeated unauthorized UAP incursions over Langley Air Force Base lasting more than two weeks.
• The reported incidents were sufficiently significant that an entire squadron of F-22 fighter aircraft was reportedly relocated.
• Similar incidents were subsequently reported at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
• Air Force officials reportedly acknowledged that they were unable to determine the origin of the objects involved.
• Such incidents raise questions concerning the ability of military surveillance and air-defence systems to identify, characterize, and respond to unidentified objects operating within or near sensitive military airspace.

7. International and Maritime Incidents

• Reports of unexplained aerial phenomena continue to emerge from locations across North America, Guam, and the Pacific.
• Some reports involve UAP operating in proximity to naval vessels and other military assets.
• Additional reports have emerged from the Middle East and Europe, suggesting that the phenomenon is not necessarily confined to a single geographic region or military jurisdiction.
• The persistence of reports involving military installations, aircraft, naval vessels, and other sensitive infrastructure warrants systematic examination and comparison of available sensor and intelligence data.

8. Continuing Lack of Explanation

• Following a classified Pentagon briefing, a senior U.S. Senator reportedly stated that the Pentagon remains unable to explain certain UAP phenomena.
• This is significant in the context of continuing reports involving military personnel, intelligence officials, congressional representatives, and other government sources.
• While the inability to identify an object does not, by itself, establish a non-human origin, persistent incidents involving multiple independent sensors and military platforms merit further investigation.

9. Summative Assessment

• Considered individually, any one of these reports could potentially be dismissed, challenged, or explained through conventional means.
• Taken collectively, however, the volume, persistence, geographic distribution, and increasingly official nature of the reporting raise substantive questions that warrant serious and sustained attention.
• The central issue is not whether every UAP report represents technology of non-human origin. Rather, it is whether governments possess information, sensor data, recovered materials, or other evidence that could allow these claims to be independently evaluated.
• Greater transparency, subject to legitimate national-security considerations, would enable qualified scientists, researchers, legislators, and the public to assess the evidence on its merits.
• At minimum, the continued withholding of potentially relevant information makes it difficult to determine whether reported UAP represent conventional aircraft, foreign technologies, sensor phenomena, previously undisclosed human capabilities, or phenomena that cannot presently be explained by known technology.

{ https://zlandcommunications.blogspot.com/?m=1 }

Pentagon releases another batch of UFO files, including documents from secretive government program

By Dorothy Sedovic

(Gray News) - The Pentagon released another batch of UFO files on Friday.

The new disclosure includes a total of 71 files, dated from 1952 to 2025.

Among them are documents from a military program that studied warp drives and wormholes. The documents, called “Defense Intelligence Reference Documents,” were produced under the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program, according to CBS News.

The Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) was a secretive military operation started in 2008 that studied future aerospace threats. According to files released about the program, its objective was to “understand the physics and engineering of these applications as they apply to the foreign threat out to the far term, i.e., from now through the year 2050.”

Along with the “Defense Intelligence Reference Documents,” the batch included videos from military cameras capturing unexplained objects moving at fast speeds. Many of the videos appear similar to those released in previous batches: grainy footage of an unusual object moving quickly across the screen.

Four of the videos were submitted by a police department in Colorado. The videos, captured on cellphone cameras in October 2023, featured unexplained “red, blue, and green flashing lights.”

Since Congress ordered their release in 2022, the Pentagon has been working to declassify records on “unidentified anomalous phenomena” and UFO sightings.

This is the sixth release under the Trump administration’s effort to declassify those records.

Experts urge caution regarding the released files, saying videos of unidentified anomalous phenomena can be misinterpreted or mischaracterized by people who lack an understanding of advanced military technology.

In 2024, the Pentagon released a report that refuted claims that the U.S. government had confirmed the existence of alien life or recovered alien technology.

{ https://www.kcrg.com/news }

Terrifying UFOs buzzing military sites could be secret Chinese super-tech, expert warns

Unsealed Pentagon files reveal mind-bending 965G UFOs over US nuclear sites, but an expert warns they could be terrifying foreign super-drones

BY Liam Randall - News Reporter

Terrifying UFOs pulling "impossible" high-speed manoeuvres over top-secret military sites could actually be deadly Chinese or Russian super-tech, an expert has warned.

A massive wave of unsealed Pentagon files has revealed mind-bending reports of mysterious craft soaring over sensitive nuclear bases across the United States. The unclassified documents describe anomalous objects defying the laws of physics, including a 1953 report detailing abrupt turns with acceleration pulling up to a staggering 965 times gravity.

Another report from 1950 highlights a craft spotted rising directly out of the sea off Okinawa. While UFO hunters hope the craft are visitors from deep space, expert Ross Coulthart fears the reality could be far more dangerous.

Ross Coulthart warned the propulsion-less craft could belong to Beijing or Moscow

(Image: Sky News Australia)

Speaking to The Hill on NewsNation, Coulthart warned the propulsion-less craft could belong to Beijing or Moscow, raising alarms that Western defences have been left behind.

He said: "I think some of this is definitely foreign adversary tech, and that raises a really dramatic and concerning issue.

"If the Chinese or the Russians have developed adversary drone technology which is capable of the manoeuvres, the stealth, and all of the characteristics, transmedium positive lift without any visible means of propulsion. That's scary."

Coulthart added: "I fear that what we're looking at here, if it is a foreign adversary, is that somebody from another country has stolen the march on us. I actually hope it's aliens because, frankly, it's really bad news if it's the Chinese or the Russians."

Despite releasing historical files from the Air Force's Project Blue Book, defence chiefs are facing accusations of hiding the full truth for nearly 75 years.

Coulthart slammed the government's sluggish disclosure over threats to sensitive military airspace.

He said: "Isn't it incredible that it's taken three quarters of a century to reveal what we know to be the case, that there are anomalous objects presenting themselves over sensitive military sites, nuclear facilities, nuclear weapons facilities across the continental United States?

"This is a national security concern. It's a flight safety concern, and frankly, it shouldn't have taken 75 years, nearly, for this to come out.

"It's great that the president is releasing this material and it's only to be commended, but I'm sure there is so much more in the locker."

Former Pentagon employee Luis Elizondo agreed with the assessment, calling official excuses "pitiful" and revealing that important military documentation has vanished.

He said: "When I was at the Pentagon, we had lots of documentation that has now, for some reason, just simply disappeared."

With insider warnings of missing files and superior foreign technology, experts fear the Pentagon's drip-feed of secrets is masking a wider security threat.

RELATED

{ https://www.dailystar.co.uk/latest/ufo }

Missing aircraft, orbs, and portals: Alaska UFO Town Hall lands in Juneau

JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) - For one afternoon in the capital city, the usual talk of state politics and cruise ship timetables took a detour into interdimensional portals, glowing orbs and vanishing planes.

Dozens of curious locals joined hundreds of passengers from the inaugural “Missing 411: Alaska Cruise” inside Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall on Sunday for the first-ever Alaska UFO Town Hall. Organized by Tennessee-based Gather Up Events, the shoreside gathering was designed as a lively collision between national paranormal investigators and Alaskans eager to talk about the strange things seen in the northern skies.

“It’s an extension of what we do on the ship, but the extension is about local experiences, which we can’t get on the ship, right?” said Martin Pippin, Gather Up Events partner. “So that was the starting point.”

Pippin noted pulling off a convention-style panel while docked during a seven-day voyage aboard Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas brings its own brand of unpredictability. Between navigating last-minute berth changes in port and hurrying to set up hundreds of chairs before doors opened, the atmosphere inside remained upbeat and packed with questions.

“The questions have been all over the place, from why are the planes disappearing to why do some people see code when they are on DMT,” Pippin said. “These are people that are, you know, either believers or open to believing, or in some cases experiencers who are happy to share what’s happened with them.”

Headlining the stage was David Paulides, the former California police officer turned investigative author best known for his “Missing 411” book and documentary series. While Paulides has spent years tracking wilderness disappearances across North America, he said Alaska poses a unique mystery when looking upward.

“When you look at aircraft, there’s a special niche for Alaska,” Paulides said. “There’s a lot of big aircraft that have disappeared over land in Alaska that have never been found, and there’s a lot of amphibious aircraft that have disappeared in Alaska over water. No mayday call, no debris, no oil, no gas slick.”

Paulides stressed his investigations focus strictly on documented evidence rather than speculation, citing historical cases like the 1986 Japan Airlines radar tracking over eastern Alaska to encourage people to examine official records for themselves.

“Know that there are people who are high integrity individuals who take this topic seriously, who have accumulated a vast amount of data and are willing to put it in front of you to interpret how you wish,” Paulides said. “Facts are the only important thing in an investigation.”

Also joining the panel was Chris Bledsoe, whose reported 2007 encounter in North Carolina became the subject of his bestselling book, “UFO of God.” Bledsoe, who previously faced intense public skepticism before his accounts drew the attention of federal scientists and intelligence officials, offered an encouraging message to locals stepping up to the microphone.

“I just say not to be afraid, and don’t be too quick to label your experience as some alien or something of that nature,” Bledsoe said. “Study consciousness and understand how it can manifest.”

Bledsoe added public perception has undergone a massive cultural shift over the past two decades.

“It’s like the whole UFO community, including Congress, including the vice president and all, are now saying that this thing could be angels and demons or spiritual. So it’s done about shift from physical to more non-physical.”

Rounding out the panel was Joe Hauser, a longtime researcher at the Montana Vortex, who shared experimental field theories on electromagnetic anomalies and mysterious “plasma energy fields” that researchers believe might link high-strangeness hot spots across the continent.

“I’m sure there’s energy fields inside Alaska that haven’t been discovered yet that could be vortex fields, possibility of portals, stuff like that. Not a lot of people have looked into all of these missing people or the planes and stuff like that,” Hauser said. “Is there some other compelling factor behind them that’s causing these things to happen?”

For organizers and attendees alike, the town hall served as a welcoming platform for residents to openly share stories they might otherwise keep quiet at the dinner table.

With the cruise set to continue its Inside Passage voyage, Pippin said Gather Up Events plans to return to Alaska next year with an expanded itinerary in Anchorage.

RELATED

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

Fact, fiction and flying objects: This new docufiction journeys across prehistory, colonial records and UFO encounters in Pavagada

Sashi Sivramkrishna’s latest docufiction, The Incidents at Pawgur, 1830, brings together several of his deep interests. “Mysuru history, the journey of the Scottish physician, botanist, and surveyor Francis Buchanan through South India, a fascination with prehistoric sites and UFOs,” lists the Bengaluru-based economist and documentary filmmaker, who recently screened the film at the Bangalore International Centre.

Blending documentary-style narration with fiction, it follows a contemporary UFO encounter that leads to a journey back in time through the drought-prone, starkly beautiful landscape of Pavagada, about 160 km north of Bengaluru in Tumkur district. The film follows two researchers and a local explorer as they retrace the path of 19th-century British surveyor John Warren, who may have also had a similar encounter.

“I wanted to tell a story, and there were several ways I could do it, including an audio podcast or feature film. Another way was to make a fiction film in a documentary style, which is what I did here,” says Sashi, who believes that using this format made the film more believable. “When we watch feature films, at the back of our minds, we know that it is fiction. But when you tell a story, like this, in a documentary style, you are more likely to convince people,” he believes.

While the film’s characters and overarching narrative are largely fictional, the history of Pavagada that underpins the storyline is not. “It is a work of fiction, but has got some history in it. The menhirs and the prehistoric sites are there, though I don’t name the villages on purpose, because many of these are private lands,” says Sashi, who worked with Shiva, an explorer familiar with the terrain, to make this film. “He had visited the forts and prehistoric sites showcased in the film, many of which were not even known to the local people of the region.”

Bengaluru-based economist and documentary filmmaker Sashi Sivramkrishna
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The inspiration for the 19th-century British surveyor came from Sashi’s own interest in Francis Buchanan’s journey, something he has researched extensively and even written about in a graphic novel titled A Journey into the Furnace of History: The Dying Embers of Ancient Iron-Smelting in India. “I like the idea of retracing a journey, so I kept that in mind,” says Sashi, who has visited Pavagada several times before and finds the landscape “fascinating. It is not like the Western Ghats or the Himalayas, but it has got its own beauty.” In his opinion, the rocky landscape of the region, “very quiet, very distant was particularly suited for UFOs.

The film idea first emerged in June-July 2025. “I got all these inputs from Shiva and started writing the script for the film. It is entirely scripted, with professional actors playing the roles of the various experts in the documentary,” he explains. Once Sashi completed the planning, recce, and obtaining permissions, he began shooting for the film in February 2026. “We did five days outdoors at all the sites, and three days of staged interviews in Bengaluru…so about eight days of shooting in all.”

The film, officially released on July 4, has already been sent to a few festivals, says Sashi, whose earlier work includes The Curse of Talakad (2005), A Looming Past (2010),and The Indigo Factory (2024). “There are a lot of film festivals for hybrid films and something called mockumentaries, though I don’t really like the word.”

According to him, most mockumentary films fall into the found-footage genre, like The Blair Witch Project, rather than the fictional documentary genre. “This kind of format, which almost looks like a serious Netflix documentary, is not so popular, but I believe the use of interviews really convinces people,” he says.

The film poster

Amid the stark landscapes of Pavagada in southern India, a fleeting UFO encounter draws two researchers and a local explorer into a journey that spans centuries. They retrace the path of a 19th-century British surveyor whose meticulous records of prehistoric sites lend weight to his testimony of witnessing strange lights at dusk in Pawgur, now Pavagada—accounts uncannily similar to their own and other present-day reports of UFO sightings.

The film blends documentary-style narration with fiction, in a cinematic experiment that reframes the UFO phenomenon through contemporary eyes, situating it within a historical context where the unknown and imagination converge.

Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The film has had a great start so far, even being selected for screening at OFFNI Cine Fest 2026 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, says Sashi, who is deeply grateful to Shiva and the rest of the crew, especially Mithun TM, who was key to bringing his vision to life through his work on cinematography, editing, colour grading, and VFX. Once the festival circuit is over, he plans to drop the film on an online digital film distribution platform like Filmhub and see where it goes from there. “I just want to try and see if it works. Meanwhile, I plan to have private screenings in Bengaluru and outside.”

To know more, log into theincidentsatpawgur1830.in

{ https://www.thehindu.com/ }

Washington — The Pentagon on Friday released its sixth batch of files on unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP or UFOs, including dozens of documents detailing a military program that commissioned studies of warp drives, wormholes and injuries that researchers linked to possible encounters with unknown craft.

Friday's release includes a total of 71 files — 67 provided by the Defense Department and four from local law enforcement in Colorado. There are 55 PDF files, 15 video files and one audio file. Most of the files — 64 out of 71 — contain redactions. The dates of the documents range from 1952 to 2025. 

What's in the latest UFO files?

The most noteworthy documents deal with a secretive military initiative known as the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program. The Defense Intelligence Agency established the program in 2008 to study various aerospace threats decades into the future. The initiative ended in 2012. 

One document describes the goals of the program and requirements for contractors who would work on it: "One aspect of the future threat environment involves advanced aerospace weapon system applications. The objective of this program is to understand the physics and engineering of these applications as they apply to the foreign threat out to the far term, i.e., from now through the year 2050. Primary focus is on breakthrough technologies and applications that create discontinuities in currently evolving technology trends."

The release includes 37 "Defense Intelligence Reference Documents," or DIRDs, produced under AAWSAP, dealing with topics like warp drives, wormholes, antigravity, negative mass propulsion and invisibility cloaking. All 37 have been publicly available for years, including through Freedom of Information Act releases by the DIA. But Friday's versions include some details the agency had previously withheld, like the names of the agency offices that produced the documents.

In notes accompanying the documents, the Pentagon says the DIRDs are "best understood as reference and synthesis products rather than as original research" and that they "should not be read as implying current validation of the concepts discussed."

While most of the DIRDs examine ideas that are typically the domain of science fiction, one is a 38-page highly technical study from 2010 analyzing "evidence of unintended injury to human observers by anomalous advanced aerospace systems."

Researchers recounted that "three previous fit and active individuals experienced an anomalous ['irregular, incongruous and inconsistent with their domain'] aerospace-related event" and suffered a range of medical symptoms in the aftermath, including heat and redness on their skin and hair loss. One of the individuals showed "signs of radiation illness" and "over several years developed signs of malignant transformations."

The document did not identify the source of the exposure that led to the symptoms, but said the three individuals were "antennae engineers." The author compared the cases to 42 published and roughly 300 unpublished incidents of conventional radiofrequency injury where the source of the radiation was known.

"Sufficient incidents/accidents have been accurately reported, and medical data acquired, as to support a hypothesis that some advanced systems are already deployed, and opaque to full US understanding," the author found.

Most of the videos in Friday's disclosure are similar to those from previous releases: grainy footage captured by military cameras of unexplained objects zooming across the screen at high speed. One unexplained incident from 2022 shows a UAP "traveling at various speeds between 80-180 miles per hour."

An accompanying report on the encounter shows operators were flying a mission in the Middle East when they spotted various objects at unknown altitudes. The crew reported that the objects were between 1 and 2 meters in size and were "flying spora[d]ically within the target area."

Another video captured over the Middle East shows roughly half a dozen objects flying in tandem. The report says there were "six small spherical objects" that "seemed to be agile" and were "frequently changing direction." The incident remains unexplained.

Four of the videos originated from local law enforcement in Colorado who submitted reports to the Pentagon's office that investigates UAP. The Pentagon said the partially blurred footage was captured by cellphone cameras in October 2023.

"The reporting officer described the phenomenon as 'silent' and as featuring 'red, blue, and green flashing lights,'" the military said in notes accompanying one of the clips.

The historical files include an hour-long audio recording and transcript of remarks by Air Force officer Edward Ruppelt from 1952 in which he explains the service's investigation into UFO incidents. In the presentation, Ruppelt revealed that roughly 20% of the 800 UFO reports the Air Force had investigated were still a mystery.

"We've gone through these reports and come up with the fact that about 20% are very good reports offered by very reliable people and … just absolutely no conclusions can be drawn," Ruppelt said.

Ruppelt would go on to run Project Blue Book, an Air Force program that investigated UFOs from 1952 to 1969. Several other files related to Project Blue Book were also included in Friday's disclosure.

On Monday, the Pentagon announced the creation of a legal waiver that would allow current and former employees previously bound by nondisclosure agreements to share UAP-related information with the government.

{ https://www.cbsnews.com/politics/?ftag=CNM-16-10abg0d }

Pentagon releases new UFO videos, decades-old files in fresh transparency drop

Three UFO Videos And Close Ups From Dept of War 5th Release, UAP Sighting News.

Date of release: Sept 16, 2026

Location of sighings: Unknown

Source: US Dept of War

 

I searched through the 5th drop of UFO files and honestly, you couldn't find a worse bunch of files than these. I found 41 total files, 16 videos, but only 3 decent ones, the others were horrible and far away so we only saw an object the size of a pixel on the entire screen. One video they broke up into four videos so we see the same pixel several times even though they say its different...its the same! Also 22 document files good for putting you to sleep tonight fast, 3 artist renderings pictures...nice of them to have the kids draw them on the computer for us. So honestly, I cut through the garbage to give you the tip top best of the best in this 5th drop. I also made a close up of the UFO at the beginning of each video so you see it better. The best of them all you ask? Thats the #1 part in my video...the plasma ai orb. They are pure of heart, timid and kind. I like them!

 

Its clear the person releasing files is stalling for time. Perhaps they will release something good for a change, but I'm not holding my breath till then.

Scott C. Waring - UFO Sightings Daily

 

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

Date of sighting: Sept 17, 2026

Location of sighting: Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA

Source:

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/1957305311060864

This is a great example of a UFO that changes color. Many UFO reports state seeing such color changes that goes back five decades...long before drones ever existed. This UFO is huge and in Colorado where so many UFO orb sightings have been seen around the Rocky Mountain area. The orbs are usually the size of a military jet and yes...have been seen being chased by jets in the past. I really want to see the rest of the footage the eyewitness says he has. This is 100% an alien craft. 

Scott C. Waring - UFO Sightings Daily 

Eyewitness states: 

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

Earth's centre of mass is MOVING, NASA warns – and it could wreak havoc on satellite positioning data and navigation systems

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

Earth's centre of mass is constantly moving in time with the seasons, experts have revealed. 

A team of scientists at NASA said our planet is continually sloshing and sagging under the weight of water, ice and air.

These are all affected by winter freezes, springtime thaws, churning oceans and changing atmospheric pressure.

Because of this, Earth's centre of mass swivels around its geometric centre by as much as several millimetres, they revealed.

And it could be throwing off satellite data and navigation systems.

'While these movements might appear tiny, our modern world relies on extremely accurate positioning measurements,' co-author Felix Landerer, from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said.

'By unravelling and understanding the mechanisms that change reference systems, we can build better reference systems that ultimately benefit mapping and navigation – from global shipping logistics to precision agriculture.'

Earth's centre of mass is constantly moving thanks to springtime thaws, churning oceans and dense winter air, NASA revealed

Earth's centre of mass continually swivels around its geometric centre by as much as several millimetres as the seasons change

Driven by gravity, satellites naturally orbit Earth's centre of mass as if bound by invisible tethers.

Therefore, tiny changes in the distance between satellites and ground stations reflect Earth's shifting centre of mass.

Dense metal satellites resembling enormous disco balls are already orbiting Earth, and have done so for decades.

But they are limited by the uneven distribution of ground stations around Earth – which can make measurements slightly less accurate.

For the study, published in Geophysical Journal International, lead author Donald Argus and his team developed a new technique to track the size of Earth's swivel based on ultraprecise satellite tracking.

They added GPS tracking, as well as orbital data from several other satellites in low Earth orbit to provide a diverse array of 'targets'.

It also considers how the weight of water and ice can deform the Earth's crust – and how this can affect ground stations, too.

The scientists tracked Earth's centre of mass oscillating with the seasons, and said this is likely caused by changes to the oceans, atmosphere and continental water as the months go by. 

A team of scientists at NASA said our planet is continually sloshing and sagging under the weight of water, ice and air

The scientists tracked Earth's centre of mass oscillating with the seasons, and said this is likely caused by changes to the oceans, atmosphere and continental water as the months go by

They found that snow accumulation in North America and Eurasia reaches a maximum in March and shifts Earth's centre of mass about three millimetres toward the North Pole.

A month later, in April, rainwater in the Amazon River basin peaks at 2,400 gigatons, swinging Earth's centre of mass 2.2 millimetres toward South America.

Monsoon water in southeast Asia attains a maximum of 600 gigatons seven months later in November, adding slightly to the annual oscillation.

Between August and October, the oceans swell with meltwater and rain, and Earth's centre of mass shifts toward the South Pacific Ocean.

They also found that cold, dense, winter air helps tip the scales over Arabia, Asia, and northern Africa around December 21 each year, and over South America and South Africa around June 21.

Overall, they discovered that the Earth's centre of mass is actually moving less than previously estimated.

'We're now estimating the size of the movement of Earth's mass centre back and forth each year to be about half of what we believed it to be eight years ago,' Dr Argus said. 'Our findings suggest that the mass of Earth's water and air moving between the hemispheres is smaller than previously thought.'

Alongside Earth's centre of mass, scientists have confirmed the geographical North Pole is also moving – and could shift nearly 90 feet (27 metres) by 2100.

As the planet's ice sheets and glaciers melt, this is causing a rapid redistribution of the Earth's mass, causing the pole to shift.

Researchers measured the movement of the poles between 1908 and 2000 and compared this with projections of ice melt to see how far they might move in the future.

In the worst-case scenario, in which greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, the dramatic melting of the ice sheets will have moved the poles 89 feet between 1900 and 2100.

In a more optimistic scenario in which greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, the North Pole will still move as much as 39 feet (12 metres).

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

The sixth batch of UFO files has been released by the Pentagon, showing clusters of alleged spacecraft flying through the sky for decades.

The latest tranche was made public Friday morning, with the focus on a famous 1952 UFO sighting by a Navy photographer in Tremonton, Utah.

The newly released footage revealed ten to 14 bright objects in a clear blue sky. Newhouse, a Navy warrant officer who was on vacation with his family at the time, described them as looking like two discs stacked on top of each other - creating the classic 'flying saucer' shape.

He added in incident reports that the UFOs had a shiny metallic or gunmetal color and were moving around in a loose circle while generally heading west.

The US Air Force’s old UFO investigation office, Project Blue Book, studied the film for months and was never able to fully explain what Newhouse had filmed.

Over 70 years later, military aircraft over the Middle East captured another mysterious cluster of UFOs traveling in a highly organized formation.

The group of glowing orbs was seen traveling past an oil rig, flying at high speed next to each other in an almost perfect horizontal line before splitting up into groups of three.

The latest files also contained dozens of witness reports, videos of UFO sightings and newly declassified files documenting how a private company owned by billionaire Robert Bigelow was contracted by the Pentagon to study UFO sightings and futuristic technology.

Footage from a 1952 Navy photographer has been released, showing what the sailor described as a group of flying saucers

In 2025, another cluster of UFOs was seen by US military aircraft over the Middle East

Among the hundreds of pages of never-before-seen documents released on Friday were expense reports coming from the Defense Intelligence Agency - the Pentagon’s military intelligence service which studies foreign military technology and possible future threats.

The documents detailed how tens of millions of dollars were spent on a program called AAWSAP: Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program. It ran from 2008 to 2012.

Among the futuristic technology the group secretly contracted researchers to investigate were space-age materials including metallic glass, a faster-than-light method of travel known as warp drive, the ability to make objects invisible using a cloaking device and the creation of laser weapons for the military.

Among the files, were drawings of an experimental craft that would, in theory, be able to travel to distant planets by creating a 'warp bubble' that could allow the ship to travel faster than light by contracting spacetime in front of it and expanding spacetime behind it.

In simpler terms, defense officials were working on a way to move this wheel-shaped ship through space and time without the craft actually moving faster than light locally - like riding through an invisible expressway in the fabric of the universe. 

The files on cloaking reviewed ideas for making an object harder to see by bending or hiding light, heat or radar signals around it.

Meanwhile, researchers also surveyed high-powered laser weapons and how that technology had developed over the years. The Department of War publicly revealed in May that 'directed energy weapons' were now a part of the military's arsenal.

Artist's concept of a warp drive spacecraft being researched by the Pentagon

The Pentagon also awarded millions of the dollars to study the ability to make people and objects invisible by creating a cloaking device

The group awarded the contract for this work was Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS). 

BAASS was a subsidiary company set up by Robert Bigelow, the businessman behind Budget Suites of America and Bigelow Aerospace. He has also been known to have a strong personal interest in UFOs and government transparency.

In July, UFO researcher and documentary filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee alleged that Bigelow was part of President Trump's inner circle which convinced the president to prepare a speech which would announce the existence of UFOs and extraterrestrial life at some point in the future.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Bigelow for comment on the UFO files and the claims by Lee.

The sixth batch of UFO files contained multiple videos of alleged UFO encounters, including orbs traveling over land and sea at high speeds

Multiple videos released by the Pentagon on September 18 showed glowing orbs moving at high speed as US military aircraft followed them

In total, 71 files were released by the Pentagon on Friday, which can be seen by the public on their UFO disclosure website.

President Trump ordered that all information being held by the government related to UFOs and the search for extraterrestrial life be disclosed to the American people in February.

The first tranche of declassified reports began rolling out in May, however, the releases have been met by more criticism than praise, as no 'smoking gun' piece of evidence has materialized as of yet.

Members of Congress, government whistleblowers and UFO researchers have all claimed that more files are coming, with more definitive proof of some sort of non-human intelligence visiting Earth.

'We are getting more and more proof that we are not alone,' Lee claimed in a statement. 'Washington is not dumping the whole story in one go. It is drip-feeding it. File by file. Week by week. It feels like they are walking the public toward a bigger reveal.'

A former US Army Green Beret and a group of well-known Christian pastors who were briefed on the UFO disclosure campaign told the Daily Mail more evidence is expected to come - including possible physical evidence of extraterrestrials.

Bishop Alan DiDio, a pastor in North Carolina, revealed: 'There's gonna be some interesting things released, from what I hear, that there's much more clearer videos, possibly the talk of biologics.'

DiDio told the Daily Mail the timeline emerged from confidential sources in government agencies who contacted him after the publication of his book 'Summoning the Demon, about AI, aliens, and the Antichrist.'

'They just seem to all be pointing toward 27, and things are gonna be released in 27,' DiDio explained.

RELATED

{https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

Has Queen Nefertiti finally been found? New scans provide fresh evidence for a hidden chamber beyond Tutankhamun's tomb that could hold the remains of his long-lost stepmother

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

It is the most famous tomb in the world, extensively studied by Egyptologists since it was discovered by Howard Carter more than a century ago and visited by hundreds of thousands every year.

But archaeologists believe they may have uncovered a new secret hiding behind the walls of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

For scans have revealed tantalising evidence of a previously unknown network of corridors and chambers just metres from the young pharaoh’s burial chamber.

If the researchers are right, they could contain one of ancient Egypt’s greatest missing treasures – the long-lost burial place of his stepmother, Queen Nefertiti.

The study, first reported in Nature, involved a range of geophysical surveys and clues from ground-penetrating radar.

Analysis of the tomb structure, the ground around it and wall paintings indicate there is a 'hidden complex' of corridors and rooms.

They appear to pre-date the entombment of Tutankhamun, the experts said – suggesting they could hold the remains of his stepmother.

And, if confirmed, the discovery could 'rank among the most transformative archaeological discoveries of the modern era'.

New scans have revealed tantalising evidence of a previously unknown network of corridors and chambers (pictured in purple and yellow) just metres from the young pharaoh's burial chamber (in grey). KV 9 refers to the nearby tomb of the pharaohs Ramesses V and Ramesses VI

A room inside the tomb of King Tutankhamun, who died at the age of 18 or 19, in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. Analysis of the tomb structure, the ground around it and wall paintings indicate there is a 'hidden complex' of corridors and rooms 

The idea that there could be a hidden chamber within the tomb containing Tutankhamun's predecessor, Nefertiti, was first proposed in 2015 by British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves

He said lines and cracks in the north wall of the burial chamber, as well as alterations to the room's paintings, made him believe the structure was a false wall.

The tomb itself is unexpectedly small for a royal burial, leading some to think it is part of a larger network of chambers.

Mr Reeves proposed that when Tutankhamun died unexpectedly, as a teenager, a much larger royal tomb was adapted for his burial, with the deeper sections blocked off.

For the new study, archaeologists at Egypt's National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics used powerful ground-penetrating radar to probe the interior walls of the tomb.

Their analysis indicates a 6.5 foot (two metre) wide corridor leading away from the burial chamber.

George Ballard, co-author of the study, said previous teams may have missed it because they were searching for a large void immediately behind the wall.

Further investigations involving a microgravity survey – a technique that can measure density through tiny variations in the Earth's gravitational field – pointed to a series of hidden chambers tucked into the rock behind.

Further investigations involving a microgravity survey – a technique that can measure density through tiny variations in the Earth's magnetic field – pointed to a series of hidden chambers tucked into the rock behind (depicted with dashed yellow lines)

The proposed opening to the corridor, in what experts believe could be a 'false wall' in the side of Tutankhamun's tomb

The study, published in Occasional Papers of the Amarna Royal Tombs Project, compares the layout of Tutankhamun's tomb to others, including that of Hatshepsut – one of ancient Egypt's most powerful female pharaohs.

The team point out that the exit in Tutankhamun's tomb is left-turning – identical to the layout of Hatshepsut's resting place.

However, tombs for kings during this period all have right-turning exits.

'The implication of this leftwards turn is clear,' the team wrote. 'KV 62 [Tutankhamun's tomb] conforms to the architectural grammar of neither a private nor a kingly monument.

'The plan Tutankhamun's tomb follows is that of an Eighteenth Dynasty Queen.'

The researchers add that Tutankhamun's burial chamber may have initially served as an intermediary space separating the tomb's visible outer apartments from an original burial suite further back.

This adds to the theory that the tomb was originally for Queen Nefertiti, before being adapted for the early death of her stepson.

The walls of Tutankhamun's burial chamber may contain another clue. Experts believe some of the paintings were originally created for an earlier royal – and that images of Nefertiti may have been altered to portray her stepson after his unexpected death.

Experts believe some of the paintings were originally created for an earlier royal – and that images of Nefertiti may have been altered to portray her son after his unexpected death

View of the proposed funerary complex, showing how it cuts deep into the rock in the Valley of the Kings

Close analysis confirms that the space employed as a burial chamber for Tutankhamun had not been conceived as such,' the researchers wrote.

'It had originally played a very different, median role within a larger, ultimately regal tomb.

'The identification of the owner and original occupant of this larger tomb is dependent on satisfying a tightly constrained set of conditions: to have been female, as tomb type indicates… to have enjoyed full pharaonic status, and to have been Tutankhamun's immediate predecessor.

'With none but Nefertiti… meeting these criteria, it comes as no surprise to find the north wall's ownership imagery replicating the precise profile of this very lady.'

The team suggest that Tutankhamun's death – barely a decade after his stepmother passed away – prompted the reopening of Nefertiti's tomb and for the outermost rooms to be repurposed as his burial chamber.

'[This room] was now redesigned as a burial chamber for Tutankhamun, with satellite side-rooms newly quarried,' the team wrote.

'[The] single, north wall scene was then revised to suit its new ownership and role.

'By the time these changes had been fully implemented, KV 62 presented the appearance of ownership by Tutankhamun alone – which, for more than a century, is how it has been completely misunderstood.'

One chamber in particular appears to be closed off, with no link to other entrances.

The researchers said there's a chance it could be filled with objects – which may not have been touched since they were first put there more than 3,000 years ago.

The decision to enter the supposed chambers is in the hands of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

If approved, careful drilling to deploy tiny tractors equipped with cameras could start in the next two months.

KING TUTANKHAMUN: THE PHARAOH WHO RULED EGYPT MORE THAN 3,000 YEARS AGO

The face of Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, and ruled between 1332 BC and 1323 BC. Right, his famous gold funeral mask

Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, and ruled between 1332 BC and 1323 BC.

He was the son of Akhenaten and took to the throne at the age of nine or ten.

When he became king, he married his half-sister, Ankhesenpaaten.

He died at around the age of 18 and his cause of death is unknown.

In 1907, Lord Carnarvon George Herbert asked English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter to supervise excavations in the Valley of the Kings.

On 4 November 1922, Carter's group found steps that led to Tutankhamun's tomb.

He spent several months cataloguing the antechamber before opening the burial chamber and discovering the sarcophagus in February 1923.

When the tomb was discovered in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter, under the patronage of Lord Carnarvon, the media frenzy that followed was unprecedented.

Carter and his team took 10 years to clear the tomb of its treasure because of the multitude of objects found within it. 

For many, Tut embodies ancient Egypt's glory because his tomb was packed with the glittering wealth of the rich 18th Dynasty from 1569 to 1315 BC.

Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass (3rd L) supervises the removal of the lid of the sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun in his underground tomb in the famed Valley of the Kings in 2007.

Scientists Scanned The Nefertiti Bust — And Exposed a Secret

Nefertiti Was Found Inside King Tut's Tomb?

{https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

China’s human-like robots could transform the future of warfare

©The Daily Digest 

The future of war?
Yesterday's science fiction is increasingly becoming today's reality, with progress in technology, such as drones or AI, changing every aspect of the human existence, including war.

©The Daily Digest

A more literal type of killing machine
United24Media highlights that the Chinese military is advancing research on the use of humanoid robots for security and defense.

©The Daily Digest

Sound investment?
Official records indicate that the Chinese military has allocated the equivalent of 300,000 US dollars to collect and label data from cameras and robot movements across varied terrain.

©The Daily Digest

The wars of tomorrow
Experts believe that the ultimate goal of the People's Liberation Army is the eventual wartime deployment of these machines on the battlefield.

©The Daily Digest

The Robot Olympics
Last August, China unveiled some of its state-of-the-art robot technology at the Humanoid Robot Games, where androids ran, boxed, danced, and jumped around to showcase their mechanical improvements.

©The Daily Digest

From the laboratory to the training grounds
Reuters reports that, after the exhibit, the People's Liberation Army made a call to transfer these technological advances from laboratories to military training grounds.

©Provided by The Daily Digest

Still in the testing stage
This is hardly a fringe, far-fetched idea, with Beijing's military institutions beginning to test humanoids in battlefield conditions, working alongside human troops.

©The Daily Digest

China's robot monopoly
According to Reuters, Chinese manufacturers represented 95% of global humanoid shipments in 2025.

©The Daily Digest

Privileged access
This local industry provides the People's Liberation Army with privileged access to a rapidly growing technological sector.

©The Daily Digest

Where nobody has ever wanted to go
“Going where we don’t want humans to go is one of the most compelling reasons to develop robots in the first place,” said Dennis Hong, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCLA, to Reuters

©The Daily Digest

Better a robot than a human life
“If losing a robot means avoiding the loss of a human life, then the robot ​can become expendable,” added Hong.

©The Daily Digest

Not the only interested party
However, Beijing is hardly the only one interested in having its robot army fight on the front line.

©The Daily Digest

Made in the US of A
According to United24Media, the US Army launched a competition in 2025 for militarized humanoid capabilities aimed at urban assault, reconnaissance, and handling hazardous material.

©The Daily Digest

East vs. West
However, the US robots manufacturing industry is lagging behind China, despite attempts to catch up.

©The Daily Digest

Five to ten years
Robotics engineer Yang Kun told CBS News that he believes Chinese companies are only five to 10 years away from achieving functional and reliable robot soldiers.

©The Daily Digest

Pax Sinica or Pax Silica?
“We will use the robots to show the power of a country like China that will ensure no other country attacks. This will prevent war,” remarked Yang.

©The Daily Digest

Robot revolution?
The robotics engineer, who works for the Shanghai-based humanoid robot company AG BOT, argues that the possibility of a robot uprising is unlikely.

©The Daily Digest

Who is pulling the strings?
“No, I don't think so. Robots don't have emotions, only humans,” Yang said. “ }}all depends on who controls them and who makes them.”

{ The Daily Digest.}

{ https://www.downtoearth.org.in/science-technology }

{ https://www.downtoearth.org.in/science-technology }

Newly Identified “Pristine’ Moon Crater Offers Rare Opportunity

According to a study detailing the newly discovered lunar impact crater, initial estimates suggest it is about 222 meters in diameter. The study authors said crater production models predict that craters of McGetchin’s size occur on the Moon once every 132 years on average, “making it an event of century-scale rarity.”

The research team said the new crater is the largest since NASA’s LRO mission began in 2009. The previous record holder was 70 meters smaller than McGetchin

The research team said the crater’s exceptional size and pristine state “make it an exceptional natural experiment” for measuring the lunar surface’s reaction to a relatively fresh impact. They also noted that the crater’s recent formation offers researchers a chance to study it before it is permanently changed by “space weathering, impact gardening, and other surface processes.”

“Discovered in repeat Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images, it provides a unique opportunity to study surface modification by a pristine impact, prior to subsequent fading,” they explained.

Shedding Light on A Lunar Cold Spot Mystery

Beyond fresh surface details, the researchers said the newly formed crater “provides the best opportunity yet to observe a large, virtually unaltered cold spot with well-characterized pre-impact conditions.”

First discovered in nighttime temperature data from the LRO’s Diviner Lunar Radiometer, cold spots are mysterious regions around fresh impact craters that are cooler than the surrounding regolith.

“Cold spots are extensive regions of reduced nighttime temperature relative to surrounding terrain that have been observed around young impact craters between ∼30 m and ∼2 km in diameter,” the research team explained.

This combination of photos made by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the same area on the surface of the moon before and after a newly-discovered crater in May 2024.

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Intuitive Machines via AP)

These lunar cold spots are also much larger than the actual craters they encompass. According to the study authors, some cold spots extend “tens to, in some cases, hundreds of crater radii.”

Regolith Decompaction Could Explain Temperature Difference

While more research is needed to explain their existence, the research team said most theories suggest that lunar cold spots result from a “decompaction” of the upper layer of regolith during the impact event.

“Thermal modeling shows that the observed nighttime cooling is consistent with reduced density in the upper centimeters of the regolith, resulting in lower thermal inertia,” they explained.

The team notes that the Apollo 16 mission landed on a ‘faint’ cold spot associated with the South Bay crater, and measurements taken there by that mission’s astronauts support the decompaction theory. For example, Astronauts’ footprints left in the South Bay cold spot were measurably deeper than similar prints at other lunar landing sites.

When measuring the temperature around the newly formed McGetchin crater, the researchers found it was 8 to 9 kelvin cooler than its surrounding area. The team said this measurement is “consistent with decompaction of the upper centimeters to decimeters of regolith.”

The team also found that cold spot anomalies increased with crater size. This supports the idea that larger impacts result in more regolith decompaction.

Providing Calibration for Fading Timescale Cold Spots

When discussing the significance of their findings, the Johns Hopkins-led research team noted that cold spots fade extremely slowly, “on ∼100 ka to ∼2 Ma timescales.” This makes these natural formations reliable dating markers of some of the Moon’s youngest impact craters.

For example, when investigating all newly formed craters over 20 meters in diameter, the team found that all those that were larger than 30 meters produced detectable cold spots. The team said this suggests that cold spot formation is a “common consequence of fresh lunar impacts.”

The study authors said that finding relatively young lunar impact craters “has enabled their use in investigations of regolith thickness, the recent impact cratering rate, and as potential source craters for lunar meteorites.”

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

“This will improve our understanding of cold spot formation and provide a calibration for the fading timescale of cold spots, potentially enabling age estimates for some of the youngest craters on the Moon using cold spot properties,” they explained.

The study “New lunar crater reveals extensive distal regolith modification” was published in Science Advances.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }