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SpaceX's Falcon 9 Appears As UFO In Australia

Posted by timothy on from the only-looks-suspicious dept.

RobHart writes "ABC (the Australian Broadcasting Commission) has reported extensively on a bright spiraling light that was seen in Eastern Australia just before dawn. It has just broadcast a report from an Australian astronomer who has suggested that the light was probably the successful Falcon 9 launch, which would have been over Australia at that time on its launch trajectory." Update: 06/05 22:20 GMT by T : Setting aside the literal exhaust fumes, reader FleaPlus says, It's "interesting to look at the reactions from those in Congress who control the purse-strings for NASA (one of SpaceX's biggest customers). The successful launch was congratulated by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL and former astronaut) and Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL), both praised and criticized by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) due to the successful launch being a year later than previously predicted, and blasted by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) for merely replicating what 'NASA accomplished in 1964,' who added that the company's success 'must not be confused with progress for our nation's human spaceflight program.'"

6 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Oh, those Falcon UFOs! by Adambomb · · Score: 4, Funny

    FWIW, I have a substantial blog post with details, including a rant against the ABC story. :) This was definitely the Falcon 9 second stage, despite the UFO guy's protestations: the timing, position, and appearance all match.

    Oh sure, says the Bad Astronomer!

    --
    Ice Cream has no bones.
  2. Fools! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Everyone who watched knows the Falcon 9 was launched in the upwards direction, not the downwards direction needed to reach Australia.

    Also, Australian UFOs spiral in the opposite direction to The Vistors who arrive in the northern hemisphere.

  3. Re:Oh, those Falcon UFOs! by ColdWetDog · · Score: 3, Funny

    So despite the nonsense you'll hear from the news sites and the bulletin boards that will claim this is some sort of transdimensional stargate warp ...

    Look, if it's all the same to you, I'll take the transdimensional stargate warp over a measly chemical rocket any day.

    But thanks for playing.

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  4. Re:Skylab by MichaelSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oz has every right to be worried when pieces of spacecraft come flying over them.

    Eventually we will put all the pieces together and have our own space program.

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  5. Ob. Red Dwarf by ozbird · · Score: 3, Funny

    Cat: I hate to go all technical on you, but: All hands on deck, Swirly Thing Alert!

  6. Re:Congress is happy by goodmanj · · Score: 3, Funny

    Comparing the Constellation system to the Falcon system is like comparing an over the road semi-articulated tractor trailer to a day-cab straight truck.

    Hooray, a truck analogy. Lemme fix that for you. It's like comparing a fusion-powered antigravity freighter to a day-cab straight truck. The antigravity freighter is much more impressive, but the straight truck actually exists.