by Don Viecelli
“No, General, it’s not a fake. They have pictures of the dead alien that clearly shows the missing disk around its neck. I asked the reporter for a copy of the film. She gave me a sample to send to you. I’m transmitting it now. You should have it in your mailbox in a few minutes. What do you want me to do?”
“Give me the name of the reporter and her boss. I’ll call him immediately and convince him to hold the story until the President has a chance to respond. Tell the reporter they would be violating national security if they go on the air without the President’s approval. We could yank their FCC license.”
“I’ll send you a copy of the reporter’s business card. The name of her boss is on the back. I’m meeting with her again in few minutes.”
“Good. Colonel Hampton, this is a serious situation. We can’t have this go public until the President has a chance to decide what’s best for the country. We don’t want people to panic or invade your crash site. The President is meeting with the cabinet right now and they’re discussing the situation. I’ll inform General Walton and the Defense Secretary of your latest news and send them a copy of the video. Keep me informed every hour, Colonel.” They ended the call.
Dave located Colonel Feldman and asked him to find the TV crew and bring them back to the conference room. He sent the general a copy of Kaye’s business card and then walked back to the conference room where everyone was gathered.
“Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed your break,” Dave said. “I’ll get right to the point, Miss Weston. I talked with my superior officer, Lieutenant General Kent Anderson, at the Pentagon. He is heading this investigation for the Secretary of Defense. We cannot permit you to put your story on the air without the President’s permission due to National Security. General Anderson is calling your boss to discuss the situation with him.”
Everyone in the room remained silent after Dave stopped talking. The news was not unexpected, but it was still shocking to hear it nevertheless. Kaye spoke first. “I’m sorry to hear that, Colonel Hampton. I understand the Pentagon’s concerns, but not even the President of the United States can interfere with the right of the freedom of the press, Colonel. I can discuss this with my boss right now if you wish, but it will require something in return.”
“And what would that be, Miss Weston?” Dave asked trying to remain polite.
“I want first rights to break this story when the President is ready to go public with the truth. Can you promise me that?”
“I think that would be a fair exchange, Miss Weston. But before I get the General to agree, I need something from you.”
“What do you need?” Kaye asked trying to think what it might be.
“I need the evidence from the crash site back,” Dave said. They looked each other in the eyes. Neither one blinked.
“I don’t know if I can agree to that, Colonel Hampton. My source is confidential and whatever evidence he or she has, it’s not mine to give away.”
“Anything taken from this crash investigation is government property and needs to be returned. We can’t have people taking whatever they want at a crash scene and say it’s theirs to keep, now can we?”
“It depends on who’s telling the truth, I would think, Colonel. That’s why I’m here.”
“We can discuss that later if you wish. I don’t think we can resolve it now. I’ll call General Anderson back and tell him what you want. Please call your boss and let’s see what he says.”
Kaye pulled out her cell phone and walked out of the room for some privacy. Now the game begins, she thought as she dialed Dick Hughes’ number in Chicago.
Chapter 14
Houston, TX:
In Houston, Texas, NASA was preparing for the press conference scheduled for 10:00 a.m. at the Johnson Space Center. The PR Director who was going to read excerpts from the press release and answer questions was a lady named Karen Hickman. The Chief Administrator of NASA, Dr. Fred Tannenbaum, was present as well as the Chief Science Director for NASA, Dr. Haji Doriwatu, and the Deputy Director of NOAA’s Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colorado, Dr. Henry Everest. Karen was looking over her notes preparing for the meeting that would begin in ten minutes. The TV and newspaper reporters were still filing into the room and taking their seats. Copies of the press release were being handed to the reporters as they entered the room.
Only Karen, senior officials and a handful of the reporters entering the room knew the history of these two government agencies. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is a complex organization. The Congress and the President of the United States created NASA on October 1, 1958. It was a direct response to the cold war with the Soviet Union and the contest that later became known as the space race. It was President Dwight D. Eisenhower who approved a plan to orbit a scientific satellite as part of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in July 1957 to December 1958. On October 4, 1957, the Soviets launched the first satellite, Sputnik 1, and the race began. It created a scientific and technological crisis in the U.S. As a direct result of the Sputnik crisis, NASA was created. On January 31, 1958, the United States launched its first satellite, Explorer 1, which verified the existence of the Van Allen Radiation Belt encircling the Earth. NASA is responsible for robotic missions to many of the planets, air transport safety, propulsion systems, communication and weather satellites, moon missions, orbital Skylab, Shuttle spacecraft and the International Space Station.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was created in October 1970 by Congress and President Nixon and was established under the Department of Commerce. NOAA is responsible for all U.S. weather and climate forecasting, monitoring and archiving of ocean and atmospheric data, management of marine fisheries and mammals, mapping and charting of all U.S. waters, coastal zone management, and research and development in all of these areas. NOAA is the largest part of the Department of Commerce.
NOAA's satellite operations grew out of the space program and the desire to study Earth from a vantage point high in the sky. NOAA’s first weather satellite was called the Tiros-1. NOAA's satellites have evolved from weather satellites to environmental satellites. Data is used for applications related to the oceans, coastal regions, agriculture, detection of forest fires, detection of volcanic ash, monitoring the ozone hole over the South Pole, and the space environment.
Today’s press conference was going to cover the recent events aboard the ISS and the Sun’s solar activities. Karen Hickman knew this was going to be a serious session and was relieved to have the Administrators of NASA and NOAA and the Chief NASA Scientist available for the question and answer session.
It was precisely 10:00 a.m. She opened the door to the pressroom and walked to the podium. It was a large room, filled to capacity with reporters. The NASA emblem was on the wall behind her. The three officials and several other PR persons walked into the room and stood to one side of her so as not to block the projection screen. The lights were bright for the TV cameras. “Hello, everyone. My name is Karen Hickman. I’m the NASA PR Director. I apologize for the short notice of this meeting, but the events I’m about to describe to you just occurred last night. You have all been given a press release from which I’ll read some excerpts. Afterwards, I’ll answer your questions. I’m fortunate to have the Chief Administrator of NASA, Doctor Fred Tannenbaum, and the Chief Science Director for NASA, Doctor Haji Doriwatu, and the Deputy Director of NOAA, Doctor Henry Everest, behind me to answer any scientific or technical questions you may have. Let me start with the press release.
“At approximately 8:15 p.m. last night, Central Daylight Saving Time, the International Space Station suffered major damage to the P5 and P6 Truss Segments and one of its Port Photovoltaic (solar power) Arrays and minor damage to the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. None of the astronauts are currently in any danger. However, the astronauts are busy trying to repair the damage to the solar arrays, MPL module and fix the electrical power systems.
“The cause of the damage to the Internat
ional Space Station was a powerful X-Class solar flare which erupted on the Sun’s surface at approximately 8:00 p.m. CDST. The flare produced a mass of highly energized protons that caused the solar panels to overheat and send a large bolt of electrical current to a power generating motor attached to the P6 solar array truss structure. The motor overloaded and exploded violently, sending metal fragments in all directions.
“NASA and NOAA satellites that monitor the sun have been predicting for the past two days that a solar flare of this magnitude might occur and NOAA issued the following Space Weather Advisory:
Space Weather Bulletin #11-8
June 1 at 7:00 p.m. MDST
***MAJOR SOLAR FLARE ERUPTS, EXTREME SOLAR RADIATION STORM EXPECTED***
“A large, complex sunspot group called Region 9393 is currently making its way across the face of the sun. This region is now near the center of the sun and has just produced an X-Class solar flare and the largest Earth directed coronal mass ejection (CME) ever recorded by NASA and NOAA satellites. The solar flare and CME erupted at approximately 7:00 p.m. MDST on June 1st. Energetic protons from the flare arrived at the ISS about 15 minutes after the eruption. Space weather forecasters expect this solar flare to produce a S5 Extreme Solar Radiation Storm, R5 Extreme Radio Blackout conditions and G5 Extreme Geomagnetic Storms in our atmosphere and on Earth over the next two days. The magnitude of this flare and CME cannot be overestimated. Extreme Solar Radiation Storms can produce unavoidable high radiation hazard to astronauts on EVA and to passengers on commercial jets at high altitudes equating to approximately 100 chest x-rays. Satellite operations may be rendered useless. Computer memory banks can be erased. Imaging systems can be negatively affected and permanent damage to solar panels is possible.
“Extreme Radio Blackouts can cause complete high frequency radio blackouts on the sunlit side of the Earth that will last for several hours. Low-frequency navigation signals used by maritime and general aviation systems may experience outages for many hours, causing loss in positioning. Satellite navigation errors in positioning may occur for several hours, which may spread to the night side of Earth.
“Extreme Geomagnetic Storms can produce widespread power system voltage control problems, and some power grid systems on Earth may experience complete collapse or blackouts. Transformers may also experience damage. Spacecraft operations may experience extensive surface charging, orientation problems, uplink/downlink and tracking satellite problems. Pipeline currents can reach hundreds of amps. Satellite navigation may be degraded for days. Aurora borealis may be seen as far south as Texas and Florida over the next two days.
“Solar flares and CMEs of this magnitude are very rare. They usually occur less than one time per eleven-year solar cycle and most occur during Solar Maximum. The current solar cycle will reach Solar Maximum in one year. More solar events are forecasted over this period and safety precautions are advised. This particular solar proton event is still intensifying and will continue through June 3rd.
“I’ll let each of you read the rest of the press release statement on your own. At this time, I will open the floor for questions. Yes, Kim from the Houston Daily News.”
“Can you tell me if any of the astronauts were on EVA during the solar storm and, if so, what happened?”
“I’ll let Doctor Fred Tannenbaum from NASA answer that question,” Karen said.
“Yes, one astronaut, Commander Julian Bonario, was working outside on the Remote Manipulator System when the solar flare erupted,” Dr. Tannenbaum said into the wireless mike. “He was able to get back inside the pressurized airlock before any harm was done to him.” He made no mention of the UFO incidence.
“Yes, Tom, from CBS News,” Karen said.
“How much solar radiation protection does the ISS have on board for the crew?”
“Doctor Doriwatu, would you like to answer this question?” Karen asked.
“Certainly. The ISS has been designed to offer adequate protection from solar radiation storms for those living on board in most of the living and working modules since the late 1990’s. However, we cannot stop all the high level x-rays and gamma rays from penetrating open areas like windows and unshielded storage facilities, which must be avoided during times of intense radiation,” Dr. Doriwatu answered.
“Yes, Susan, from the New York Times,” Karen said.
“What type of dangers are the astronauts facing aboard the ISS from the storm?”
“The biggest concerns are high doses of x-ray and gamma radiation expected to reach the ISS by tomorrow. That’s when the full brunt of the solar storm will hit. The crewmembers should be adequately protected from the radiation in special compartments designed for this type of event. However, if the radiation shields are not adequate, the ISS may suffer more damage to the computer and electrical power systems,” Dr. Doriwatu answered.
“Bill, from MSNBC,” Karen pointed to another seat.
“What’s the worst case scenario for the crewmembers if the radiation storm is too strong for the crew to handle or more damage is done to the space station, Doctor Tannenbaum?”
“The astronauts and all other crewmembers can return to Earth in the two ISS Crew Return Vehicles. They are fully operational and can hold everyone onboard in case of an emergency, but we don’t expect this to be necessary.”
“Yes, Craig Warner from CNN,” Karen said.
“Can you please explain what a ‘CME’ is and how this will affect conditions on Earth?”
“I think I’ll let Doctor Henry Everest from NOAA answer that question. Doctor,” Karen said.
“That’s a very good question. I’ll try to explain it. A Coronal Mass Ejection or CME is a gigantic bubble of electrified gas that rises up from the surface of the Sun in what’s called a Prominence. Sometimes a Prominence explodes out from the Sun like a firestorm. It usually follows a solar flare like the one that just erupted. It can carry as much as 10 billion tons of solar material and usually travels at speeds of between 500 and 1500 kilometers per second or approximately 1 to 3 million miles per hour. It normally takes 2 to 3 days for the gas to cross the 150 million kilometer distance to Earth. As the cloud of gas expands toward the Earth, it appears to envelop the Sun, forming a halo around our star. We call this a ‘Halo Event’.”
Doctor Everest continued. “This CME is more unusual than normal. First, it is larger than any CME previously recorded by our satellites. This one is traveling towards Earth at a rate of 1100 miles per second. The full brunt of the storm would reach Earth in 36 to 48 hours. Second, it was a ‘two-ribbon’ flare sometimes called a ‘seahorse flare’. The last one like this was recorded on a hydrogen H-alpha telescope at the Marshall Space Flight Center in 2001.
“This flare is even more powerful than the one in 2001. The shock wave will be very strong. It will compress the Earth’s magnetosphere and unleash a potentially dangerous geomagnetic storm. Usually, these storms just produce beautiful auroras or Northern Lights, which we all enjoy. However, this storm is strong enough to induce electric currents in the Earth that may interfere with electric power transmission equipment and cause blackouts and other adverse effects mentioned in the press release. Combined with the effects from the solar flare, we can expect serious radiation and electrical disturbances in space and in our atmosphere and we should be prepared to take certain safety precautions. Fortunately, on Earth, our atmosphere will protect us from any serious radiation effects, but we do need to monitor and protect our electric utility and power systems.”
“Yes, the woman in the back of the room. Your name please,” Karen said.
“My name is Kathy Mills from U.S. Cable News. Am I mistaken or are these solar storms getting worse over time?”
“Doctor Everest, can you answer this one?” Karen said.
“We have been monitoring the Sun for a long time and this event does seem to be out of the ordinary. The Sun is 4.5 billion years old and it has another 4 or 5 billion years to go. We’re learning something new about the Sun all
the time and are trying to get better at predicting when solar events such as this one will occur and how big they will be. It’s like trying to predict the weather on Earth and we’re getting better every year. I don’t think we have anything to worry about at this time.”
The question and answer session continued for another thirty minutes until Karen had to call an end to it. The Chief Administrator of NASA, Dr. Tannenbaum, had to catch a flight back to NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC to meet with the President who called a special cabinet meeting for 3 pm EDST.
“Thanks everyone. That will conclude today’s press conference. Thank you for coming. We will try to keep everyone informed on any new developments aboard the ISS and how this solar event develops.”
As Karen left the room and was walking down the hall to her office she turned to Dr. Tannenbaum and quietly said, “Well that went rather smoothly considering the alternative.”
“I think you’re right. The trouble aboard the ISS and the solar storm effects are nothing compared to what will occur if the press finds out what really happened. I have to attend the President’s cabinet meeting this afternoon to discuss the incident. Let’s hope we can keep everything under control.”
Chapter 15
Washington, D.C.:
Fred Imhoff spent the rest of the morning, after meeting with the President, Defense Secretary and the two generals, calling Cabinet Members and other key government officials to inform them of the emergency cabinet meeting scheduled for 3 o’clock in the White House. He couldn’t give any details over the phone, just confirmed it was necessary for them to attend if they were able. Most Cabinet Members understood and made plans to be there.
Then Fred reviewed the video files from NASA and the Defense Secretary. They were hard to believe. Fred was not one to believe in aliens or UFOs. There were enough other believable events to handle that were Earth based such as natural weather catastrophes, famine, disease, war, airplane crashes and other world events that needed attention. He was not prepared to worry about what the President should do about alien UFO crashes, let alone real bodies that prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. As a religious person, he knew this was going to create a lot of anxiety among the religious organizations around the world. But one thing he did believe in, and the President was prone to agree, was that people had a right to know about things that would change their lives forever, and this was one of those climactic changes. As far as he was concerned, the sooner people learned about this, the sooner they would adjust to the changes and civilization would advance a little more, hopefully for the better. After he completed his last call, he walked next door to the President’s office to see if he was available for a briefing. “Mr. President, do you have a moment?” He did.