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Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video

A 2005 document presenting Mark J. Carlotto’s analysis of anomalous phenomena recorded during the 1996 STS-80 Space Shuttle mission, including disk-like objects, fast-moving streaks and a luminous event near Puerto Rico.

Pdf · Mark J. Carlotto · New Frontiers in Science · 2005 · 25 pages

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New Frontiers in Science · 2005

In this document, Mark J. Carlotto analyses video from the STS-80 mission, recorded by a camera aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. He presents three categories of phenomena: two slow-moving circular objects, fast-moving objects near the shuttle, and a luminous apparition near the Earth’s surface.¹ The mission began on 1996-11-19 and lasted 17 days, with objectives including the deployment and retrieval of two satellites and two space walks.² On 1996-12-02, the payload-bay camera recorded disk-like objects near the shuttle at approximately 07:57 GMT.³ Carlotto identifies the first luminous event as STS-80 video event F1 (1996-12-02): it crosses the camera’s field of view and is followed by a zoom-out.⁴ He estimates its speed at over approximately 800 kilometres per second,⁵ and places it near the eastern coast of Puerto Rico USA, close to Vieques, using a correction for foreshortening (remote sensing geometry).⁶ The event is discussed as occurring before sunrise and away from thunderstorm activity.⁷

The analysis also selects ten streaks, S1 to S10, for study.⁸ Carlotto says that their speeds and directions imply that they were not shuttle debris or meteors,⁹ while considering F1’s shape and motion inconsistent with typical orbiting debris.¹⁰ His proposed explanations remain differentiated: he considers the STS-80 video disk-like object sightings (1996-12-02) likely to involve nearby ice particles or other small objects,¹¹ whereas he suggests that F1 might be a new atmospheric phenomenon observed from space.¹² The source records a contrasting account attributed to James Oberg, who dismissed the disk-like-object event as identical in origin to scenes from STS-48 and other shuttle flights.¹³ Oberg’s explanation involved particles becoming visible when the orbiter entered sunlight.¹⁴ The account also reports that crewman Story Musgrave saw nothing unusual at the relevant point in the flight.¹⁵ The document therefore matters as a detailed record of competing interpretations, image geometry and motion analysis; it also notes that F1 was not mentioned in the mission record.¹⁶

References (16)

The analysis examines disk-like objects, fast-moving objects near the shuttle and a luminous apparition near Earth’s surface.
“Analysis of video from Space Shuttle mission STS-80 provides new insight into a number of unusual events captured by a camera aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 1996. Three different phenomena are analyzed: 1) two slow moving circular objects, 2) a number of fast moving objects in space near the shuttle, and 3) a strange luminous apparition near the earth's surface.”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:169-531
The Space Shuttle Columbia began the 17-day STS-80 mission on 1996-11-19.
“On November 19, 1996, the space shuttle Columbia (STS-80) began a 17-day mission to deploy and retrieve two satellites and conduct two space walks.”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:1579-1720
The payload-bay camera recorded disk-like objects near the shuttle at about 07:57 GMT on 1996-12-02.
“On December 2, at about 7:57 GMT, the video camera in the payload bay recorded a number of disk-like objects near the shuttle.”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:1727-1845
Event F1 appears, crosses the camera’s field of view and is followed by a camera zoom-out.
“a fast moving object (Fig. 1c) appears, moves rapidly across the field of view of the camera, and disappears. We designate this as event F1. The camera zooms back as if the operator were looking for the object”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:7231-7484
Event F1 has an estimated speed of over approximately 800 kilometres per second.
“moving at an estimated speed of over 500 miles/sec.”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:1274-1321
Event F1 occurred before sunrise and away from thunderstorm activity.
“Occurring well before sunrise, away from thunderstorm activity”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:1206-1260
Foreshortening-corrected lights in the video were matched with Puerto Rico, placing F1 near Vieques.
“A map of Puerto Rico (Fig. 4c) matches the shape of the corrected pattern of lights (Appendix C), establishing the location of the event just off the east coast of Puerto Rico, near Vieques.”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:11891-12073
Ten fast-moving streaks, designated S1 to S10, were selected for study.
“Ten streaks designated S1-S10 were selected for study.”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:7827-7875
Analysis of the streaks was said to imply that they were not shuttle debris or meteors.
“Analysis of their speeds and directions implies that they are not shuttle debris or meteors.”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:964-1048
Carlotto considered the shape and motion of F1 inconsistent with typical orbiting debris.
“it's shape and motion are not consistent with typical orbiting debris.”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:15295-15358
Story Musgrave reportedly saw nothing unusual during the relevant part of STS-80.
“"When I asked crewman Story Musgrave, who is not shy about talking about anomalies of any kind, he assured me he saw nothing unusual on the flight, at this point or at any other."”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:1970-2141
James Oberg dismissed the STS-80 disk-like-object event as having the same origin as scenes in STS-48.
“In a February 1997 web posting¹, Oberg dismisses the event as being "identical in origin to the infamous STS-48 scenes and to numerous others throughout the shuttle flight program."”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:2149-2321
Oberg attributed similar shuttle-video objects to particles illuminated as the orbiter entered sunlight.
“"When sunrise occurs (due to the Orbiter's motion along its orbit), even though the Orbiter is now bathed in sunlight, the camera is still trained on the dark side of Earth. But now the floating particles which routinely accompany every shuttle flight ... can become visible in the sunlight"”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:3950-4243
Carlotto proposed that U1 and U2 were probably ice particles or other small objects close to the orbiter.
“The most likely explanation is that U1 and U2 are ice particles or other relatively small objects in close proximity to the orbiter.”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:23671-23795
Carlotto proposed that F1 might represent a new atmospheric phenomenon observed from space.
“Its similarity to certain ground-based sightings suggests that it might represent the first observation of a new kind of atmospheric phenomenon from space.”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:1402-1551
The document states that no mention of F1 was found in the mission record.
“Why is there no mention of this event in the mission?”
Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video (2005) char:29067-29112

Anomalous Phenomena in Space Shuttle Mission STS-80 Video

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