The captivating allure of a startling news report often demands a double take to truly grasp its implications. Mail Online’s publication on Mar. 21, 2017, with the headline “An alien satellite set up more than 12,000 years ago to spy on humans has been shot down by elite soldiers from the illuminati, UFO hunters claim,” rejuvenated the long-standing conspiracy encircling the purported “Black Knight” satellite.
Originating approximately 120 years ago, the concept of the Black Knight revolves around a presumed extraterrestrial craft stationed in near-polar orbit around Earth. The belief is based on disparate fragments of evidence, compelling enough to fuel widespread suspicion of NASA and governmental cover-ups, persisting as an enduring legend.
One key element of this theory relates to radio signals, with the narrative bolstered by images from the 1998 STS-88 mission depicting a mysterious dark object hovering in low orbit above Earth. These images, released by NASA, stirred speculation and ignited a flurry of conspiratorial calculations among the public.
However, astronaut Jerry Ross clarified that the ISS construction was ongoing during these images’ capture. As part of the assembly work, the U.S. team carried thermal covers meant to protect metal components from heat loss. Unfortunately, one cover inadvertently detached during a spacewalk, floating away and later being identified by NASA as a discarded blanket, designated as object number 025570, ultimately burning up upon re-entry.
Former NASA engineer James Oberg debunked these images, providing context about the ISS construction. Despite this clarification, conspiracy theories persisted, propelled by the peculiarities of the images and an alleged NASA website update that made original links inoperative, triggering cover-up suspicions.
The narrative of the Black Knight stretches back to 1899 when Nikola Tesla recorded enigmatic signals in Colorado Springs, igniting the first purported non-terrestrial radio wave source. However, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Varoujan Gorjian asserts that if Tesla’s signal was authentic, it likely emanated from Earth.
The persistence of the Black Knight theory further incorporates findings from Norwegian engineer Jørgen Hals regarding long delayed echoes, initially thought to be indicative of an alien space probe. Duncan Lunan’s 1973 article in Spaceflight magazine suggested these echoes might be from an extraterrestrial probe, a theory he still champions, despite echoes ceasing in 1975.
Yet, Lunan emphasized that his research does not intersect with the “Black Knight nonsense,” distancing his theories from this particular conspiracy. Despite multiple attempts to explain away the Black Knight myth using historical records and scientific discoveries, the theory persists, demonstrating the enduring allure of enigmatic mysteries in the realm of space exploration.