Russians plan to build underground Moon base
When sci-fi conjures up images of a lunar base, it's usually a metal structure on the surface with some kind of dome or shield protecting it. Science fact is sometimes stranger than its fiction, though, and our old friends the Russians have a whole new spin on the old "colonize the moon" plan.
In 2008, Japan's Kaguya spacecraft discovered a meters-deep hole on the surface of the moon. It's been long suspected that there's a vast system of tunnels beneath the moon due to its volcanic past. Russians are now postulating that it may be possible to access those tunnels through the hole in the moon's surface.
According to veteran spaceman Sergei Krikalyov, who heads Russia's Star City cosmonaut training center, "If it turns out that the moon has a number of caves that can provide some protection from radiation and meteor showers, it could be an even more interesting destination than previously thought."
A slide show displayed images of bunker-like inflatable tents to give viewers an idea of how a lunar base might look. "It would be enough to use an inflatable module with a hard outer shell to—roughly speaking—seal the caves," said Krikalyov.
The craziest part is how early the Russians are projecting they could have the first colonies built—2030. That's less than two decades away! What we're wondering more than anything is if this plan will relaunch American interest in their own space program. Could we be looking at the dawn of another space race?
Ideas like these don't have only real-world implications, either. Kickstarting a new endeavor toward the heavens would no doubt give much-needed fuel to speculative fiction.
What do you think? Does the idea of living on the moon inspire you? - blastr
The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program: 50 Years After Sputnik, New Frontiers (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)
Russian Space Probes: Scientific Discoveries and Future Missions (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)
**********
UFO crash in Nebraska?
10/18/2011 - unedited: My husband and I were driving through Nebraska maybe around 2 or 3 am, maybe earlier. I noticed the sky was very clear and it was cold, maybe 29 or 30. I saw a flash that looked like lightening. I was headed east on highway 80 at mile marker 335. I looked out to the left to see if there was a storm coming and a giant flaming multiple colored ball of light with a long bright colorful bluish green white in the center tail was following what appeared to be a large object on fire. I followed it with my eyes as did my husband and after it was out of sight the gaseous cloud seemed to hang in the air like a low jet stream almost at my eye level like fog. Then as we looked back it looked like a contained explosion with a blue dome keeping it in had hit the ground out in the darkness. I was hoping nobody was hurt and what exactly I saw. I've seen shooting stars, visited planetariums, watched meteor showers and done recreational research mainly to teach my son about space and the solar system and I have never seen anything like this. I chalked it up to a possible comet collision but it seems different for some reason. I was in awe asking myself what the hell was that and repeating wow for hours. That's why I looked and found this. This was way to close to be a shooting star. In addition we did see four normal shooting stars along the same stretch before and after this other object. It looked like the lunar module entering the atmosphere in the movie Apollo 13. It came from the above right and seemed to curve with the atmosphere of earth. Strange. Hope to hear from you. - MUFON CMS
It Didn't Start With Roswell: 50 Years of Amazing UFO Crashes, Close Encounters and Coverups
**********
Mysterious bird deaths baffle hotel workers
The apparent death of 30-40 birds has workers at one Myrtle Beach hotel wondering what's to blame.
Ocean Forest Resort Hotel Security Guard Brandon Nelson said between 30 and 40 birds of various breeds fell from the sky around 2 Sunday morning while he was patrolling the building.
"The birds were just landing with a plop, some of them chirped and squirmed for a few minutes before they died. I've never seen anything like it," Nelson said.
Nelson's mother, Sarah Allen, stopped at the hotel to visit her son during his shift when she says one of the birds hit her in the shoulder as it fell from the sky.
"I stepped out of my car and asked what was going on and no sooner had I asked when a bird hit my shoulder," Allen said.
Ocean Forest Maintenance Worker Jimmie Livingston said birds die almost yearly around the Hotel, though not in such large numbers.
"Oh no, this isn't the first time. And I think it's going to keep happening too," Livingston said.
Livingston said he thinks the birds may be colliding with hotel late at night when the poor visibility makes the building difficult to see, especially in the moonlight.
"They just confuse it for open air and they run into it," Livingston said.
Myrtle Beach Police confirmed they did respond and investigate the incident, but did not have any further details at the time. - wistv
Get Phantoms and Monsters on Kindle
**********
Werewolf loose in Northern Virginia?
Perhaps county police should start carrying silver bullets.
Officers were called late Monday to the area of Colchester Road and Randall Drive in Woodbridge after a neighbor reported seeing something suspicious.
"A coyote, or a werewolf," said Prince William County police spokesman Jonathan Perok.
The resident said they spotted the creature in the woods at 10:05 p.m.
It wasn't a full moon, and apparently no one else saw any mythical wolf-like creature prowling the streets and woodlines near Featherstone Plaza.
Officers searched, but found no signs of any werewolf, or coyote. No signs of Bigfoot either.
"They were unable to locate," Perok said.
Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter
**********
Bigfoot Research: Demonizing Long Term Witnesses
Regan Lee of The Orange Orb writes an excellent article at UFO Digest:
At Cryptomundo, Loren Coleman's bias towards UFOs, aliens, and the stranger side of Sasquatch -- which includes long term interactions with Bigfoot, regardless of any other high strangeness events or not -- and witnesses reporting such is made clear:
“They really believe they are having these experiences,” Coleman said. “I don’t know if it’s hallucination or a psychological state.” ~ Coleman, Meldrum Question Contactee Claims.
Given that one quote, it seems that anyone who sees something strange in context of a Bigfoot sighting is, in Coleman's worldview, either hallucinating or suffering from some kind of mental illness. Continue reading at Bigfoot Research: Demonizing Long Term Witnesses
Paranormal America: Ghost Encounters, UFO Sightings, Bigfoot Hunts, and Other Curiosities in Religion and Culture
The Real Men In Black: Evidence, Famous Cases, and True Stories of These Mysterious Men and their Connection to UFO Phenomena
Bigfoot Declassified: The Official Government Manual For Co-Existing With The Now Documented Species
