spaceship sightings

[wendilla]

We are hearing about all this sightings in Wales and other parts .Why is it that when there is a large International Space Station circling the earth a few times in one day that it has not picked up any sightings.Or is it that they are not allowed to report anything.

[chakka35]

Investigate what,naomi, and how?
Transient lights in the sky have gone before any expert analysis can be brought to bear.

Eye-witness accounts of such things suffer from all the problems associated with personal testimony.

The existing photographs and video recordings fall, to my mind, into four categories:
(a) too vague to be of any interest.
(b) easily or with difficulty shown to be fakes
(c) easily or with difficulty shown to be unusual but explicable aerial phenomena
(d) inexplicable

'Inexplicable' in the last category does not necessarily mean that the explanation is thought-provokingly mysterious, merely that it can't be categorised into any one of the many possibles - of which I would imagine that extra-terrestial visitors come about 123,456th in the list.

So what do we investigate?

[naomi24]

We should investigate that for which we currently have no explanation. You�re absolutely right. Inexplicable need not mean that the explanation is mysterious, but how will we know how thought-provoking the solution is unless we take the trouble to investigate the initial question? You say there�s little point in wasting expensive resources on investigation, but I beg to differ. If it transpires that extra-terrestrial visitors are 123,456th on the list, or if they�re not on the list at all, I am curious, and I�d like to know the answers.

[chakka35]

Again, naomi, we agree on principle (see my last reply re crop circles).

So revert to my basic question: what should we investigate and how?

[naomi24]

I thought I'd answered that. We should investigate that for which we do not have an explanation, and we should use all the resources we have available to carry out those investigations.

[mibn2cweus]

Perhaps fining those confirmed to be perpetrating the frauds would be a legitimate source for financing such investigations however all in all isn't there enough spent of this sort of thing already???

[mibn2cweus]

Oh, and lets not forget the costs in terms of time alone that following a thoughtful assessment of how it could better be invested in more rewarding enterprises would provide some actual benefits to humankind. Oh yes, I am one of those still "foolish" enough to believe that we are not yet at the end of our rope and in dire need of extraterrestrial intervention if we would choose instead to focus our minds and abilities on the job at hand.

[wendilla]

Thank you all for your replies and there is some very interesting reading under crop circles just about 3 above this from Naomi 24.

[chakka35]

Yes, naomi, but what? Your answer is too vague.
Investigate what, precisely, that has not already been investigated? People who have seen lights have been interviewed; photographs have been analysed, all to little avail.
There are some who are only too eager to make that great unjustified leap to alien visitors .
OK then, I'm going to give my considered opinion: these lights are little glow-worm torches used by the fairies to find their way around at night. Except, of course, for those that are merely reflections of a newly-set sun on angel's wings.
I am not being scathing, merely making the same unwarranted assumptions that others make about UFOs which might well have become IFOs if someone more experienced had seen them.

[mibn2cweus]

Since this thread is already here in the 'Science' topic I'll offer up an obscure conjecture of my own:

If there is anything alien on this Earth it is this creature with the ability to half-reason; that is to apply reason up and until it comes into conflict with wishes and whims. Perhaps a superior civilisation with the capability to transport across space or even time deposited us in this remote corner of the galaxy being morally unable to kill us outright but fed up with the consequences of our irrational love of half (or less) reason. It could have happened that way but I doubt it . . . although I doubt even more that they didn't have better things to eat.

If they do occasionally drop in to observe our progress they must not be disappointed in the least with their decision to leave us here. However, we better get our act together before we acquire the technology to spread the devastation or our half brained schemes to other regions of space or we may leave them with no other alternative but to take more aggressive action or to rethink their decision entirely, should we have confirmed their worst suspicions beyond all reasonable doubt.

[naomi24]

Oops, sorry boys, I've only just seen your posts.

Chakka, yes, let those more experienced investigate properly and tell us they're IFOs. I'm happy with that.

Mibs, what can I say? Astute as always.