Ark of the Covenant mystery deepens as new findings reshape the biblical relic's purpose

• READ MORE:  Hidden 'fingerprints' found in the Bible after thousands of years rewrite the story of the Ark of the Covenant

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

An Egyptologist has proposed a new theory that the Ark of the Covenant was not merely a sacred container for the Ten Commandments, but a radical reimagining of ancient religious symbols.

David Falk, who holds a PhD in Egyptology from the University of Liverpool, argued the Ark was modeled on Egyptian ritual furniture, specifically shrines designed to hold a statue or idol.

But unlike Egyptian shrines, the Ark contained no idol, meaning it was built to show that God's presence did not require a physical representation, Falk suggested.

In ancient Egypt, sacred chests and shrines were often decorated with uraeus cobras that spat fire, symbols meant to protect and sanctify holy space.

Winged goddesses also appeared on Egyptian thrones and shrines, their outstretched wings signifying protection and divine power.

Falk argued the Ark borrowed this visual language but flipped it, creating sacred space not inside the box but above it, between the wings of the cherubim on the mercy seat.

If Falk is correct, the Ark's design reveals a deliberate theological innovation: a sacred object built to reject the religious norms of its time, while still using their symbols to mark it as holy.

The theory implies that the Israelites did not just abandon Egyptian religion, but they intentionally weaponized its symbols against it through the Ark.

A new theory has suggested that the Ark was built using ancient Egyptian religious symbols as a theological rebuke, a statement that the Israelite God was superior to Egyptian gods because he required no idol, and because his presence was not confined to a statue

The Bible states that the Israelites spent generations in Egypt, which would have led to absorbing all aspects of its culture and religious imagery. 

Falk's theory suggested that, rather than simply abandoning these influences, the Israelites intentionally borrowed and reworked them. 

The biblical relic would then function as a theological rebuke, a statement that the Israelite God was superior to Egyptian gods because He required no idol, and because His presence was not confined to a statue. 

The Ark of the Covenant is one of the most iconic artifacts in religious history, yet it remains one of the most mysterious. 

According to scripture, Moses placed the Ten Commandments inside the Ark, which was kept in the Tabernacle, a sanctuary built shortly after the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt, traditionally dated by some scholars to around 1445 BC.

The Book of Exodus describes the Ark as a gold-covered acacia wood chest with precise dimensions and carrying poles. 

Its lid was topped with two cherubim facing one another, their wings outstretched to form a sacred space known as the 'mercy seat,' where God would commune with Moses.

While the fate of the Ark remains a mystery, it vanishes from the biblical record before the Babylonian sack of Jerusalem in 586 BC. 

The theory pointed to ancient Egyptian chests, noting how similar they are to the Ark

Falk noted in Biblical Archaeology that 'the Ark was constructed using a visual language that everyone knew 3,300 years ago, but is mostly lost to us today.' 

His theory centers on the idea that the Ark was intentionally modeled on Egyptian 'shrine' furniture, which was often built to house a statue or idol of a deity. 

These shrines were typically gold-covered and decorated with protective imagery. 

The most common protective figures were the uraeus cobra, often depicted spitting fire, and winged goddesses, whose outstretched wings signified divine protection and power. 

Falk argued that these symbols were not mere decoration, but active markers of sanctity, a way of announcing that a sacred presence was contained within.

However, rather than containing a physical god, the Ark may have been designed to create a holy space above its lid, between the wings of the cherubim on the mercy seat. 

The mercy seat, a golden cover placed atop the Ark, featured two cherubim facing each other. 

Their wings form a protective canopy, suggesting a sacred 'throne room' in the space between them. This, Falk argued, is a deliberate rejection of idol worship, a way of saying that God's presence cannot be captured in a statue.

According to scripture, Moses placed the Ten Commandments inside the Ark , which was kept in the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary built shortly after the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt , traditionally dated by some scholars to around 1445 BC

The Ark's carrying poles also support Falk's argument, as in the Exodus description, the Ark was transported using poles that ran through rings attached to its sides. 

Falk noted that this is consistent with Egyptian ritual chests, which were similarly designed to be carried by poles. 

However, the Egyptian versions were built to carry idols, while the Ark was built to carry nothing inside. 

This, Falk said, is the key difference: it retains the form of Egyptian sacred furniture, but removes its defining function.

If Falk's interpretation is correct, the Ark becomes a powerful symbol of Israelite identity and resistance. 

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{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

Scientists Reveal Lightning Can Spawn UFO-Like Plasmoids in Shocking Experiments

New research shows self-organising plasma fireballs that resemble flying objects can emerge naturally from extreme electrical conditions

A picture portraying a UFO flying.

A crack of lightning, a burst of heat, and suddenly a glowing sphere hangs in the sky like a craft from another world. Scientists now say this is not fantasy or folklore, but hard physics, after a growing body of peer reviewed experiments revealed that lightning and plasma can spontaneously create floating fireballs known as plasmoids.

Ball lightning has baffled witnesses for generations. During violent thunderstorms, people have reported silent glowing spheres drifting through streets, rolling along power lines, or even passing through walls. Local police and military authorities have logged hundreds of accounts each year, yet the phenomenon remained deeply mysterious because it appears randomly and vanishes within seconds.

From Storm Clouds to Strange Sightings

These shimmering orbs behave in ways that closely resemble famous UFO sightings, including the so called tic tac object filmed by the US Navy, raising dramatic questions about what people have really been seeing for centuries.

A major scientific book on the phenomenology of lightning now includes an explicit chapter on UFO-like events, arguing that many reports could be rooted in real atmospheric plasma rather than extraterrestrials. On page 68, the description of lightning born fireballs is so precise that it mirrors modern footage of the tic tac object struck by a missile and seemingly unharmed.

• Scientific Literature on The Phenomenology of Lightning Contains Explicit Chapter on UFO Phenomenon.
  by u/lewdmemommy in UFOs

When Scientists Made Their Own Fireballs

Laboratory research shows that under the right conditions, electricity can organise chaos into structure. Scientists call this the auto assemblage of ionospheric research instruments, a technical way of saying that giant plasmoids can self assemble in the sky. When electrons are pushed far from thermal equilibrium, they begin to behave like organisers of matter, transforming random sparks into stable glowing bodies. This process involves complex quantum effects such as Bose Einstein condensation, electron tunnelling and Josephson effects. Instead of being simple blobs of light, plasmoids act like dynamic systems that evolve step by step as energy changes around them.

Researchers have successfully recreated plasmoids inside laboratories, producing luminous spheres that look strikingly similar to natural ball lightning. One of the most dramatic experiments took place at the Heavy Ion Collider in New York, where beams of gold nuclei were smashed together at near light speed. The collision created a fireball of plasma 300 times hotter than the surface of the Sun. Remarkably, the fireball survived longer than the moment of impact itself. Scientists observed particles being absorbed into its core and re-emerging as thermal radiation, a process compared to how matter might fall into a black hole and reappear as Hawking radiation.

Are They Alive or Just Light?

The big question remains whether these plasmoids are merely exotic physics or something closer to proto intelligence. Some researchers suggest the structures show signs of organised behaviour, adapting to energy flows rather than dissolving instantly.

Critics argue they are simply electromagnetic shapes, no more sentient than foam or smoke. The debate is far from settled, and experts admit that much of the scientific literature is so technical that only a handful of specialists can fully interpret it. What is clear is that nature can create floating luminous objects without any need for alien pilots.

Taken together, the evidence suggests that many historical UFO encounters may have been misidentified plasmoids born from lightning, plasma or extreme energy events. Yet the findings do not entirely close the door on extraterrestrial possibilities. Instead, they deepen the mystery, showing that our own planet can generate phenomena that look, move and behave like something straight out of science fiction.

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{ https://www.ibtimes.com/ }

Pentagon baffled by 8,000 mysterious UFO orbs hovering over US military bases

• MORE: Mysterious 'UFO' caught hovering over Disney World before vanishing into the darkness

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

An invasion of small metallic orbs has been spotted hovering over the US in recent years, leaving the Pentagon scrambling to identify these mysterious UFOs.

A new report from the crowdsourced platform Enigma, which allows people to report sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), reveals more than 8,000 sightings across the US between December 2022 and June 2025. 

Among these, 422 reports specifically describe metallic orbs, with the majority observed between 1am and 4am near military installations in New York, California, and Arizona. 

Eyewitnesses, including civilians, pilots, and military personnel, reported seeing the spheres hover silently before moving at extreme speeds, leaving no trace of their departure. 

Some of the sightings have been captured on video or radar, though many remain unexplained. 

'I was walking into work when I looked up and saw two metallic liquid-like objects hovering for about two minutes,' said one witness over Brooklyn's Fort Hamilton in June 2024. 

Another in California described seeing a metallic orb above Los Angeles shortly after a squadron of planes flew by. 

The Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has been charged with investigating claims of UFOs and has dismissed many as natural phenomena like flocks of birds, conventional aircraft, drones, balloons, or other explainable objects. 

Military drone footage from the Middle east in 2022 revealed a metal sphere flying through the sky in broad daylight (circled in purple)

The crowdsourced platform Enigma reported that over 8,000 orbs have been seen over the US since December 2022

However, some cases have remained unsolved, reportedly due to a lack of data. Of the 757 UFO cases between May 2023 and June 2024 released in AARO's annual report, 21 cases were classified as unresolved sightings.

Although the Pentagon and civilian groups like the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) have also been cataloging these incidents, many have continued to baffle military officials, who have no way of explaining what was seen.

While the new report focused on the thousands of sightings in the US over the last three years, strange orbs have been documented all over the world, from Puerto Rico to the Middle East.

Moreover, these tiny craft have apparently been visiting our skies for decades, with pilots during World War II reporting similar orbs over the skies of Europe.

Enigma revealed that more than 360 'metallic orb' reports took place within a few miles of military bases here on US soil.

In three of those cases, witnesses revealed that the orbs got within five miles of Fort Hamilton in New York, Papago Military Reserve in Arizona, and Los Angeles Air Force Base on multiple occasions.

These mystery orb sightings include one shocking encounter revealed by Dr Sean Kirkpatrick, the former director of AARO, which was captured on a MQ-9 Reaper drone's camera in the Middle East in 2022.

Enigma revealed that witnesses spotted strange orbs flying above Fort Hamilton military base in New York multiple times

Even more close calls were documented around Los Angeles Air Force Base in California between 2022 and 2025

Kirkpatrick warned that if these videos didn't prove that aliens exist, then they're evidence that a rival foreign power could be 'doing stuff in our backyard.'

Some theories have suggested these orbs could be surveillance devices from foreign powers like China or Russia.

Government officials believed they might be advanced drones, due to their tremendous agility and ability to avoid radar, according to a 2022 report in the New York Times.

This theory exploded into rampant paranoia last year, when countless drones were spotted flying over the East Coast, including over key military sites and President Trump's property in New Jersey.

As for Enigma's report, many of the orb sightings have been concentrated in Texas and Florida. 

In fact, visitors at Disney World's Epcot in Florida got an unexpected sight this month, when a glowing orb appeared over the amusement park.

After searching online and finding no information about drones or satellites in the area, Morgan Huelsman, digital director of The Bobby Bones Show, described the object as a 'UFO,' adding, 'definitely a UFO with aliens.'

The Enigma platform has also received sightings from all over the US, over critical infrastructure such as power plants, and over naval vessels at sea.

The Buga Sphere recovered in Colombia (pictured) remains one of the only pieces of physical evidence tied to metallic orb sightings worldwide

However, the most convincing proof of this invasion of mysterious orbs has been found in Colombia, where locals actually recovered a metallic sphere that was seen hovering over the town of Buga in March.

The 'Buga Sphere' has become a major topic of discussion among UFO researchers, with scientists claiming the object contains a maze of fiber-optic wires that suggest it can send and receive signals.

After striking a power line and crashing to the ground, the object also appeared to have somehow dehydrated the field it landed in, killing all the grass and soil where it touched down.

Scientists suggested this was proof that the object produced some kind of energy field, but researchers had not attempted to forcibly cut the object open so far. The sphere has since been taken to Mexico for further analysis.

However, UFO researcher Dr Julia Mossbridge from the University of San Diego is among the many who doubt the authenticity of the Buga Sphere, calling it a 'man-made art project.'

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{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

America’s nuclear sites secretly invaded by thousands of UFOs, new report reveals

• MORE: Mysterious 'vehicle of unknown origin' hidden at US Navy Base raises questions about secret UFO program

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

America's most sensitive nuclear sites have been secretly invaded by thousands of unidentified flying objects, a stunning new report has revealed.

Crowdsourced platform Enigma revealed to the Daily Mail that there have been more than 2,800 'unidentified aerial sightings' over 90 US nuclear plants or nuclear weapons facilities over the last eight decades.

The new report detailed sightings of objects often described as glowing orbs, disks, spheres, cylinders, or triangles hovering or flying in precise patterns within 25 miles of these nuclear sites.

One of the most recent reports from April 2025 captured video of a glowing orange ball changing shape while flying over Bear, Delaware, which is located near the Salem Nuclear Power Plant and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey.

'It just kept getting bigger, disappearing, bigger, disappearing. I thought it was just a star at first, or just a plane from a distance. Then I realized it got a lot, lot closer and kept getting closer and bigger. Then it started flashing,' the witness described.

'It wasn't a drone. It wasn't mechanical. It would actually morph into different shapes.'

One witness in California from April 2023 said: 'After hovering, it arched sideways and disappeared in the blink of an eye. I felt it was observing Diablo Canyon Nuclear plant.'

More than 70 of these reports specifically referenced UFOs with metallic or reflective surfaces flying over bases in broad daylight during the early dawn hours.

Over 1,800 UFO sightings have been reported near US nuclear power plants, while more than 1,000 sightings have been documented at military nuclear weapons sites

An image taken in February 2024 in Salem, New Jersey captured multiple small objects merging with a larger object near the local nuclear plant

Enigma added that nuclear sites and missile bases in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida saw the biggest clusters of sightings.

Moreover, these incidents exploded during the mysterious drone surge over the East Coast between November 2024 and February 2025. 

Enigma said: 'Many of these sightings described structured, light-emitting objects that pulsed or changed color before disappearing - characteristics that closely resemble those attributed to the unidentified drones reported across the region at the time.'

One witness near the Salem nuclear power plant claimed that several small objects hovering over the facility seemed to combine into one large UFO in February 2024.

'I was coming up to the Salem hospital and saw these four lights in a square hovering over the building, it looked like, but the closer I got, they seemed to disappear,' the witness revealed.

'So I started recording, and you see all these little lights going into the big bright one and not coming back out.'

Although the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office is charged with investigating reports of UFOs, the military has maintained that there has never been any physical evidence that proves extraterrestrials or UFOs exist. 

The new report also detailed how many of the thousands of objects easily violated restricted airspace, raising concerns about how safe America's national security sites really are.

Enigma Labs has revealed that more than 2,800 UFO sightings have taken place directly over or nearby nuclear power plants and military bases

The sightings were reported over several years and sent to the crowdsourced platform by eyewitnesses, including civilians, pilots, and military personnel

'If these objects belong to foreign intelligence or advanced programs, they expose vulnerabilities in national defense,' Enigma researchers wrote in a statement.

'If they are something unknown to science, they may represent new physics or technology. Either possibility demands improved detection, data sharing, and protective measures.'

Enigma, which allows people to report sightings and share pictures or videos of UFOs on an app, noted that these incidents include the strange craft seen over Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana in 1967, just as several Minuteman missiles shut down.

The sightings of strange craft and unidentifiable objects over nuclear plants weren't limited to just the US.

Researchers detailed how witnesses claimed they saw UFOs over two major nuclear disasters - the 1986 reactor meltdown in Chernobyl, Ukraine and the 2011 accident in Fukushima, Japan.

In Chernobyl, a bright cylindrical object was reportedly seen hovering near the burning remnants of the nuclear plant's Reactor 4. There has never been any confirmation that the radiation dipped after the sighting, as some have claimed.

During the Japanese meltdown, similar glowing objects were allegedly flying over the damaged reactor; however, these sightings were later suggested to be foreign drones conducting surveillance of the accident.

In 1967, multiple nuclear missiles were disabled during alleged UFO encounters over Malmstrom Airforce Base in Montana (Pictured)

Limerick Generating Station nuclear energy plant in Pottstown, Pennsylvania (Stock Image)

In the US, the sightings go all the way back to the dawn of the US nuclear program in the late 1940s, with Enigma detailing how 'bright green fireballs' were reported near Kirtland and Sandia Air Force Bases in New Mexico.

Overall, Enigma Labs has collected over 1,800 reports of UFOs flying and hovering near 53 nuclear power plants in the US.

Another 1,000 reports specifically mentioned incidents that allegedly took place over 37 US military bases linked to nuclear weapons research or missile launch sites.

Half of these sightings claimed that the objects were able to hover or seemed to float through the air, and one-third mentioned suddenly disappearing or vanishing into thin air.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

Warning Issued That Alien Revelations Could Spark Financial Crisis

A financial crisis could be triggered by an announcement that aliens exist, according to Helen McCaw, a former policy expert of the Bank of England.

McCaw told The Times of London that politicians and bankers can’t afford to dismiss alien life, and wrote to the governor of the Bank of England, urging him to organize a contingency plan in case the White House confirms alien existence.

Why It Matters

A 2021 study from the Pew Research Center found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that intelligent life exists beyond Earth. Some Americans, meanwhile, believe that there is proof of UFOs and alien life being concealed from the public by global governments. However, this belief is held by a significant minority.

Planet Earth visitor looks at an immersive presentation of Antarctica at the "Polar Experience" exhibition at the Arena venue on December 16, 2025 in Berlin, Germany.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

President Donald Trump has previously indicated that his administration may declassify some information on the nature of extraterrestrial life. In 2025, the UFO documentary The Age of Disclosure made headlines, and its director Dan Farah said that Trump could reveal the existence of aliens.

What To Know

McCaw was a senior analyst in financial security at the Bank of England for ten years, until 2012.

She told The Times, "The United States government appears to be partway through a multiyear process to declassify and disclose information on the existence of a technologically advanced non-human intelligence responsible for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs)."

"If the UAP proves to be of non-human origin, we may have to acknowledge the existence of a power or intelligence greater than any government and with potentially unknown intentions. It is entirely possible that government leadership and their central banks have not been properly briefed on the topic. UAP disclosure is likely to induce ontological shock and provoke psychological responses with material consequences," she said.

McCaw said there could be price volatility in the financial markets, and a collapse in confidence, in addition to a potential rush to safe assets such as gold.

She also told the outlet that the authorities should be prepared for unrest.

The report has quickly made an impact online.

Mario Nawfal, a podcast host, said in a post on X viewed over 100,000 times, "WAIT…WHAT?! A former Bank of England policy analyst is warning the UK’s central bank to prepare for a financial crisis…caused by aliens."

What People Are Saying

Holly Wood, a researcher and public speaker sharing The Times piece, in a post on X viewed over 100,000 times: "And at the centre of it is my friend, Helen McCaw. A former Bank of England senior analyst in financial security. A Cambridge graduate. Someone whose actual job was to think about state-level risk, stability, and what breaks systems. I’m incredibly proud of her. She inspires me regularly. The question is no longer "is it real?" It’s "what happens when it’s confirmed?"

The YouTuber Hustle B****, in a post on X sharing The Times report, viewed over 100,000 times, which read in part: "READ THIS TWICE - THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM IS PREPARING FOR ALIENS. This is not a meme. This is not a fringe blog. This is an actual newspaper article reporting that the Bank of England has been urged to prepare for financial collapse if aliens are officially confirmed."

What Happens Next?

There is a continued interest in the idea of intelligent life beyond Earth. The documentary The Age of Disclosure made a significant impact online, with the trailer amassing millions of views and the documentary prompting a discourse about aliens.

The upcoming fictional film Disclosure Day, directed by Steven Spielberg, has also prompted significant interest, with the trailer fast amassing more than a million views on X. Disclosure Day is set for release in the U.S. on June 12, 2026.

{ https://www.newsweek.com/ }

Bank Of England Warned To Prepare For Economic Chaos Sparked By The Existence Alien Life

by Connor Toole

There is currently no proof that the universe is home to other intelligent life forms aside from the ones that inhabit Earth, and evidence to the contrary would be a very big deal. There’s no telling how people would react to that development, but one expert has warned the Bank of England to be prepared for a financial crisis triggered by that revelation.

Humans have been debating the existence of extraterrestrial life for thousands of years. Thinkers in ancient Greece floated the notion of a “plurality of worlds” like the one we inhabit, and arguments for (and against) the probability of so-called “aliens” being real have gotten increasingly sophisticated as our knowledge of the universe has grown over the millennia.

The odds of Earth being the only planet in the universe to boast some sort of life are infinitesimally small, and the same can be said for the notion that humans are responsible for cultivating the most advanced society in existence.

With that said, we’re still waiting for the day when we’re treated to incontrovertible proof concerning alien life. It’s difficult to predict the impact that kind of discovery would have, but one economic expert is warning a major institution to be prepared for some negative ramifications if that information comes to light.

• A former security analyst at the Bank of England is sounding the alarm about the economic ramifications of alien life being confirmed

Aliens have been a staple of science fiction for centuries, and while plenty of people have come forward with claims that they were abducted and ferried away to an unknown part of outer space in a UFO, they’ve been largely dismissed as crackpots.

The same can be said for the conspiracy theorists who are convinced the United States government (and others around the world) has engaged in a massive cover-up concerning aliens who’ve already visited Earth and UFOs that are purportedly being stored in a warehouse in Area 51.

A number of whistleblowers have come forward in recent years to support those claims, and Congress itself added some fuel to the fire with a series of hearings concerning the UFOs the military officially refers to as “unidentified anomalous phenomena.”

Those proceedings did not produce any concrete evidence concerning alien life, but according to The Times, the Bank of England has been warned to prepare for what would be one of the most monumental days in human history if that ends up changing.

Helen McCaw, who formerly served as a senior analyst specializing in financial security for that institution, recently sent a letter to Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey to warn him about the potentially disastrous ramifications of alien life coming to light, saying:

• “It is entirely possible that government leadership and their central banks have not been properly briefed on the topic. UAP disclosure is likely to induce ontological shock and provoke psychological responses with material consequences.

There might be extreme price volatility in financial markets due to catastrophising or euphoria, and a collapse in confidence if market participants feel uncertain on how to price assets using any of the familiar methods.”

McCaw warned the price of precious metals like gold and silver could either skyrocket or plummet, saying people may turn to those historically trusted assets or dump them out of fears that alien technology could cause their value to drop.

She also said digital currency like Bitcoin could end up being attractive if people lose their faith in government-backed funds and predicted it wouldn’t take long for chaos to reign if alien life is confirmed, adding, “I would say that in a matter of hours, you are going to have total financial instability….Even if you feel it’s very unlikely, it’s madness not to consider it and plan accordingly.”

{  https://brobible.com/category/culture/ }

The super-heavy Space Launch System rocket is what allows the Orion spacecraft not only to go into space, but also to fly to the Moon. The history of their creation was not easy, and the design deserves to be described in detail.

The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft

The dream of returning to the Moon

Soon, four astronauts may embark on a journey around the Moon as part of the Artemis II mission. If this happens, it will be a great success not only for the United States but for all of humanity. But most of all, it will be a success for the NASA engineers who created the super-heavy Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft, as well as their European colleagues who developed the service module for the latter.

All these devices are true works of engineering genius. However, their path to space flight was extremely difficult and long. It all began in 2003, when the Columbia shuttle disaster forced the US to reconsider how and by what means it planned to explore space in the future. At that time, the main focus was on returning to the Moon. However, the giant Saturn-V rocket, which was used to send the Orion spacecraft there in the 1960s and 1970s, was no longer available, and it proved impossible to resume its production.

The response to this was the Constellation program, adopted in 2004. It involved the creation of two rockets: Ares I and Ares V. The first was larger and two-stage. With a height of 94 m, it was designed to carry 25.4 tons of payload into orbit. It was intended to carry the Orion manned spacecraft together with the Altair landing module.

Comparison of the Ares I and Ares V rockets with other space systems. Source: Wikipedia

Ares V was supposed to be smaller, also two-stage, and was supposed to launch the Orion upper stage into orbit. In space, both parts were supposed to connect and fly to the Moon. Outwardly, everything looked quite realistic, but in 2010, it was acknowledged that the program had failed due to underfunding, and of all the above, only the Orion spacecraft is at some stage of readiness.

Constellation was canceled, but plans to return to the Moon were not abandoned. In 2011, a new program called Artemis was adopted, in which only the Orion spacecraft remained from Constellation. Only now, instead of two large rockets, one giant rocket was to send it to the Moon. It was named the Space Launch System, or SLS.

SLS design

The Space Launch System is a three-stage rocket that can exist in several variants, depending on the tasks assigned to it. For the first three missions carried out under the Artemis program, a smaller variant called Block 1 is used. Its height is 98 m, and its mass when fueled is 2,610 tons.

SLS rocket. Source: Wikipedia

The “zero” stage in SLS is a pair of solid-fuel boosters. They are a modification of similar accelerators that were used for the Space Shuttle program. However, while the space shuttle used four segments connected in series, each with a diameter of 3.71 m, the lunar rocket has five, so each booster is actually over 50 m long.

A mixture of ammonium perchlorate, aluminum, and iron oxide enclosed within plastic is used as fuel. Segments containing this material burn out sequentially, propelling the SLS away from Earth and providing its initial acceleration.

After they have worked and separated, the main stage begins to operate. It is a huge metal tank with a diameter of 8.4 meters and a height of 65 meters. For comparison, this is equivalent to two nine-story residential buildings placed one on top of the other. Inside are tanks of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, a cryogenic unit for their maintenance, and four RS-25 engines at the bottom. These were also used on the shuttle.

The central block of the SLS rocket. Source: Wikipedia

The upper stage of the rocket is called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS). It is essentially a modified upper stage of the Delta III rocket.

It is 8.8 m high and 4 m in diameter. Inside are tanks containing liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. There is only one engine. In the Artemis I mission, it was an RL10B-2. In the second mission, it was replaced with a more powerful RL10C-2. The engine is designed for launch in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

Above all, this is the Orion spacecraft. It consists of two parts: a command module built by Lockheed Martin and a service module built in Europe by Airbus Defence and Space.

Orion spacecraft. Source: phys.org

The command module is a truncated cone with a diameter of 5.03 m and a height of 3.3 m. Inside, there is room for a crew of four astronauts, control systems, and scientific equipment. Attached to the bottom is a service module in the form of a cylinder with a diameter of 4 m and a height of 4 m. Its main purpose is to propel the spacecraft through space and supply its systems with electricity. To do this, it is equipped with an engine, its own fuel tanks, and folding solar panels. All of this is an adaptation of the systems used on the European ATV cargo spacecraft.

The long road to space

As you can easily see, most of the SLS components are not new, but are already used versions. This was done to make its creation cheaper and faster.

However, it was still not possible to complete everything on time. The Artemis program was supposed to begin with an unmanned flight around the Moon. Initially, it was planned that this would happen in 2017. But as time went on, it became increasingly clear that there would simply not be enough time to quickly assemble and test this most complex puzzle in the world.

Orion spacecraft. Source: Wikipedia

Many components could not even be manufactured on time. Therefore, the Artemis I mission dates kept getting pushed back. First to 2019, then to 2020. At the same time, the rest of the plans had to be changed as well.

The SLS and Orion, designed for the Artemis I mission, were first transported to the launch pad in March 2022. But that was not the end of the horror that accompanied its first launch. The rocket was refueled several times, a launch simulation was conducted, technical problems were found, and it was returned to the assembly shop. This continued until November, when it was finally launched.

Overall, the Artemis I mission was successful in terms of the flight to the Moon itself. There were problems with the spacecraft that were launched together with Orion as an additional payload, but this did not interfere with the plans to explore the Moon.

Launch of the Artemis I mission. Source: Wikipedia

Much more attention was paid to the Orion spacecraft, which, upon returning to Earth, was found to have problems with its heat shield, designed to protect it from atmospheric friction. The problem was not unsolvable, but it did require attention.

But then it turned out that while the first SLS was being prepared for launch, the schematics used to manufacture its components were compromised, and many things had to be redesigned. Therefore, it will not be possible to launch the second mission as quickly as possible.

At one point, delays in the Artemis II launch schedule led to fears that it would never happen. Criticism reached its peak in February 2025, when Elon Musk himself joined in. He stated that the SLS should be recognized as a non-viable concept and that instead of the Moon, it should fly to Mars.

The Artemis II mission crew. Source: Wikipedia

For a while, it seemed as if this idea would prevail. But then Starship, which was supposed to fly to the fourth planet from the Sun, suffered several accidents, and the technical staff of the Artemis project managed to solve the problem and complete the assembly of the rocket.

And now it has been delivered to the launch pad. This means that at least this launch will not be canceled due to technical problems. Another issue is that the procedure that took everyone involved six months of work and a lot of nerves in 2022 may now begin. Before launch, engineers must ensure that everything is working properly, and to do this, they will fuel the rocket and carry out all the procedures that will take place during launch. Except for the actual ignition of the engines.

Everything may work as it should the first time around. However, it is more likely that it will not. And then, the rocket will have to be brought back, and the launch postponed. After all, no one promised that it would be easy. But the rocket will only fly when everyone is confident that the technology is working as it should and the people on board are safe.

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An off-the-grid explorer has spotted a mysterious UFO-shaped aircraft flying over the top secret US military base Area 51.

Anders Otteson, a self-described backpacker and videographer, was documenting his trip to the desert surrounding the infamous Nevada facility on January 14 when the unidentified craft was seen flying overhead at around 3am local time (6am ET).

Otteson had already seen what appeared to be a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flying over Area 51 two hours earlier and noted that this craft was shaped more like an 'equilateral triangle,' which UFO researchers have called the 'Dorito.'

Moreover, a scanner monitoring Area 51's unencrypted radio frequencies picked up a bizarre transmission full of code words themed around beer, food, and snacks instead of standard military jargon.

Otteson noted that this isn't the first time the mystery aircraft has been seen flying over the US.

Twice in 2014, photographers caught the same Dorito-shaped object on camera, revealing that the craft looked nothing like the US military's current stealth bomber planes or known drones.

Area 51 has been involved in the development and testing of revolutionary and experimental aircraft for decades, including the F-117 Nighthawk, America's first stealth bomber.

The explorer claimed that the latest sighting of the Dorito adds to recent reports of triangle-shaped objects seen over Southern California and Death Valley, near the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) where Area 51 sits.

Anders Otteson, a Youtuber and explorer, captured video of a triangle-shaped aircraft flying over Area 51's restricted airspace

Area 51, an area of more than 2.9 million acres, is located at the Nevada Test and Training Range

On his Uncanny Expeditions YouTube channel, Otteson said he was camping in the Tikaboo Valley of the Nevada desert, on public land near Groom Lake Road, which overlooks Area 51's restricted airspace and front gate area when the Dorito appeared.

Around 1am local time, he spotted and filmed what appeared to be the B-2 flying overhead from the northwest, which had allegedly originated from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

Hours later, Otteson observed the second aircraft performing a low flyover from the northwest, passing directly over his position before continuing onward.

The Dorito triangle's flight path was consistent with a low-altitude pass over the area like other military aircraft, though the explorer wasn't able to determine its exact heading. 

Although the B-2 has a similar V-wing design, the Dorito had a drastically different body, with a noticeably flatter trailing edge, no wings, or jagged rear section like the stealth bomber.

'Are we looking at a classified test flight or run-of-the-mill training sortie?' Otteson said. 'I certainly think we have something interesting here.'

The mystery sighting over Area 51 played out very much like the Dorito sightings in 2014; one captured by photographer Jeff Templin in Wichita, Kansas and another by photographer Steve Douglas in Amarillo, Texas.

Both showed similar unidentified triangle-shaped aircraft that looked unlike known Air Force planes or drones. The main difference was this new incident took place over a base infamously tied to UFO sightings since the 1950s.

US Air Force F-117 stealth bombers (Pictured) were part of the top-secret projects being worked on at NTTR, which is home to Area 51

The US Air Force strictly enforces the perimeter around Area 51, a classified military facility linked to UFO sightings for decades

As for the strange radio code picked up on fellow UFO researcher Joerg Arnu's scanner, military personnel at Area 51 were heard using words such as 'pretzel snack,' 'corona pretzel snacks zero with cheese,' 'profile Michelob,' 'Imperial with garlic,' and 'fridge hydrate' to mask what they were saying.

While the familiar flight path of the Dorito and the military code words point to the craft being a manmade aircraft, triangle-shaped UFOs have been a frequent sighting over the US for decades.

According to the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), there have been 10 UFO sightings throughout the US in January that mention a triangle-shaped object flying overhead.

Unlike the Dorito over Area 51 hover, the UFOs has bright or flashing lights that could be seen clearly by witnesses on the ground.

Overall, there have been 85 triangle-shaped UFO reports since November 2025 throughout the world, including in the UK, Canada, Germany, and Brazil. 

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Scientists Intrigued by Unfamiliar Life Form

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A major debate over the construction of the mysterious Neolithic Stonehenge site in the UK may finally have been resolved, after new evidence strongly suggests the stones were carried to the site by humans, not by natural processes.

The work, conducted by Curtin University researchers, discounts the likelihood that glaciers transported the blue stones used to construct the famous megalithic site. Archaeologists have long debated Stonehenge’s construction methods, and the recent paper published by the researchers in Communications Earth & Environment brings valuable new information to the discussion.

Explorations at Stonehenge

Uncertainty about how the site’s enigmatic altar stone arrived at Stonehenge has long fueled scholarly debate. In 2024, Curtin University researchers determined that the altar stone at the site had been transported from Scotland. For the new work, the Curtin University team used a form of mineral fingerprinting to provide new scientific evidence for how the transport occurred. To do so, the team explored rivers surrounding southern England’s Salisbury Plain, seeking mineral grains.

Analyzing these grains at Curtin University’s John de Laeter Centre revealed a geological record of the movement of sediment throughout Britain on a scale of millions of years. Especially crucial were zircon crystals, among Earth’s toughest materials, which are preserved for immense periods of time.

“If glaciers had carried rocks all the way from Scotland or Wales to Stonehenge, they would have left a clear mineral signature on the Salisbury Plain,” said lead author Dr Anthony Clarke from the Timescales of Minerals Systems Group within Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences. “Those rocks would have eroded over time, releasing tiny grains that we could date to understand their ages and where they came from.

“Humans Moved the Stones”

“We looked at the river sands near Stonehenge for some of those grains the glaciers might have carried and we did not find any,” Dr Clarke added. “That makes the alternative explanation—that humans moved the stones—far more plausible.”

While the work suggests that human ingenuity, not natural processes, moved these immense slabs of rock, exactly how that was accomplished remains a mystery.

“Some people say the stones might have been sailed down from Scotland or Wales, or they might have been transported over land using rolling logs, but really we might never know,” Dr Clarke said. “But what we do know is ice almost certainly didn’t move the stones.”

Ongoing Explorations at Stonehenge

“Stonehenge continues to surprise us,” said co-author Professor Chris Kirkland, also from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group at Curtin. “By analysing minerals smaller than a grain of sand, we have been able to test theories that have persisted for more than a century.”

Given the site’s great antiquity, it has remained a focus of archaeological inquiry, although many questions about Stonehenge remain. Fortunately, modern technologies—including the geochemical tools used in the recent work—are helping to provide answers to some of these lingering mysteries over time.

“There are so many questions that can be asked about this iconic monument,” Professor Kirkland says. “For example, why was Stonehenge built in the first place?”

Kirkland points out that the site most likely had multiple purposes, which, in addition to its ritual significance as an ancient temple, likely included serving as a calendar, and even a site for feasts and other gatherings. “So asking and then answering these sorts of questions requires different sorts of data sets, and this study adds an important piece to that bigger picture.”

The paper, “Detrital Zircon-apatite Fingerprinting Challenges Glacial Transport of Stonehenge’s Megaliths,” appeared in Communications Earth & Environment on January 21, 2026.

• Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.

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