UFO believers claim NASA footage of ‘tether incident’ proves aliens exist
In the world of UFOs, believers are still talking about the well known tether incident.
· archived 5/18/2026, 12:39:56 AMscreenshotcached html UFO believers claim NASA footage of 'tether incident' proves aliens existSeattle Post-Intelligencer LogoHearst Newspapers LogoSkip to main contentHome Archives Contact SeattlePI Ethics Policy Privacy Notice Terms of UseUS & World Business U.S. Washington D.C. Asia Africa Middle East Europe Latin America/Caribbean Canada Sponsored ContentLocal Seattle Seattle History Transportation History of SeattlePI PNW Politics WeatherSports Seahawks/NFL Mariners/MLB Sounders/Reign/Soccer Huskies/Cougars Kraken/NHL More SportsCOVID-19Lifestyle & Entertainment Entertainment Food & Dining Travel Pets Cannabis Horoscopes Sponsored Content Health Marketplace Sponsored: SEA CultureComicsEducationReal Estate Real estate featuresSeattle Post-Intelligencer LogoNewsUFO believers claim NASA footage of 'tether incident' proves aliens existBy Carol Christian, Houston ChronicleSep 17, 2014|Updated Sep 18, 2014 10:43 a.m.The 'Tether Incident'Yes, we know – this looks like a black-and-white ring toss game, but what is actually pictured is a tether (the stick-like object) protruding from the back end of a NASA shuttle and an unidentified object floating in its radius. The "tether incident" happened in 1996, but a new high-def look at it by UFO believers is giving alien conspiracy theorists new ammunition.Photos: Check out these other wild "alien encounters" space watchers spotted on NASA cameras ...UFO believers say there is more to these NASA images than the space agency wants the public to know.AFP/Getty Images/Getty ImagesDinosaur skull found on Mars?The Mars watchers at UFO Sightings Daily say this formation spotted in a NASA photo from Mars resembles a fossilized dinosaur head. We say it looks like a rock.Can you see it?MASA Mars ExplorationDinosaur skull found on Mars?The Mars watchers at UFO Sightings Daily say this formation spotted in a NASA photo from Mars resembles a fossilized dinosaur head. We say it looks like a rock.MASA Mars ExplorationA coffin on Mars? An online group has purportedly spotted a coffin on Mars. What other oddities have been spotted on Mars?NASAObama on Mars?UFO Sightings Daily says it has spotted a statue of President Barack Obama on Mars in a composite image taken from NASA rover cameras. We think it's a rock. What's your take?UFO Sightings DailyA statue on Mars? NASA inserted the arrows into this photo, likely from the 1997 Pathfinder mission, to point out rock features. Can you see it? (NASA / JPL)A statue on Mars? UFO Sightings Daily believes this formation looks like a statue head looking up, with its chin and lips to the far left, and nose, eyes and forehead to the right. Check out these other weird oddities spotted on the surface of Mars including strange lights, a cross and even a cat ...NASAAn iron cross on Mars?Can you see the cross surrounded by a circle on this image taken by a NASA rover camera on Mars?(NASA / JPL)An iron cross on Mars?What about now? Can you see the cross surrounded by a circle on this image taken by a NASA rover camera on Mars? Check out these other weird oddities supposedly seen on the surface of Mars ...NASAA man sitting on Mars? Can you see the sitting figure in this photo captured by a NASA rover?NASAA man sitting on Mars? What about now?Can you see the sitting figure in this photo captured by a NASA rover?NASAA cannon on Mars? This high-resolution image from the Mars rover Curiosity, taken July 29, 2014, includes what some viewers describe as a small artillery cannon, seen on the left, just above the mid-point. Can you see it? A cannon on Mars?What about now? Not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you worry about a Martian attack. Our verdict: just another rock. Check out these other weird oddities spotted on the surface of Mars, including a cat, a space iguana, thigh bones and a mysterious light ...NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSA traffic light on Mars? UFO watchers say that this NASA photo reveals an oddly human-like creation on the surface of Mars? Can you see it? NASAA traffic light on Mars?What about now? OK, so it's probably not actually a traffic light, but you've got to admit it's a pretty strangely-shaped object to be standing on its end in the middle-of-nowhere on Mars. Check out these other weird discoveries on Mars, including a cat, bones, a lizard and even a child's toy ...NASABones on Mars?The space watchers at UFOblogger.com say this image shot by NASA's Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars shows what looks like a thigh bone. Can you see it? NASABones on Mars?(Highlighted) What about now? Check out these other dubious findings space-watchers have found in Mars rover images ...NASADinosaurs on Mars? The space watcher "TRUTHSEEKER" on YouTube claims this image taken by the Mars rover shows two dinosaurs on the surface of the red planet. Can you see them?TRUTHSEEKER on YouTubeDinosaurs on Mars(highlighted) What about now? TRUTHSEEKER on YouTubeLight from a UFO on Mars?YouTube user "UFOs and SpacE" claims this photo shows a light from a UFO landing on the surface of Mars. the image was captured by the Mars Rover in 2014. Check out the next slide for a zoomed in shot and decide for yourself. NASA Rover ImageUFO Light on Mars? The light can be seen in the upper right corner of the frame, above a line of Martian hills. The light isn't the first mysterious item spotted by the Mars rover. Here's what else space spotters have seen... NASA Rover ImageA cat on Mars? A blogger who maintains the site "Mars Anomalies, UFO Sightings and More" pointed out the feline shape in a NASA Mars rover photo. Can you see it?NASA Rover ImageA cat on Mars? (zoomed) Now check out these other so-called Mars creatures spotted on MASA satellite images.NASA Rover ImageA buffalo on Mars? Are buffalo at home on the range of Mars? The alien observers at UFO Sightings Daily say this Mars rover image shows a lonely buffalo wandering the wide open spaces of the red planet. Can you see it?NASAA buffalo on Mars? What about now? Are buffalo at home on the range of Mars? The alien observers at UFO Sightings Daily say this Mars rover image shows a lonely buffalo wandering the wide open spaces of the red planet.NASAA bear on the surface of Mars? An object in the shape of a bear cub can be seen in a recent photo from Mars taken by a NASA rover. Can you see it?NASAWhat about now? An object in the shape of a bear cub can be seen in a recent photo from Mars taken by a NASA rover.NASAAn object that look strikingly similar to a Glock-like handgun was spotted by a NASA Mars rover in a recent photo posted by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).NASA JPLAn object that look strikingly similar to a Glock-like handgun was spotted by a NASA Mars rover in a recent photo posted by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).NASA JPLAlien conspiracy site UFO Sightings Daily says that an skeleton remains of a creature on Mars can be seen on this photo taken by the Mars rover Curiosity. The photo zoomed in on the "skeletal remains" Source: NASANASA / Mars rover CuriosityIn the world of UFOs, believers are still talking about the well known "tether incident."AdvertisementArticle continues below this adThe incident happened Feb. 25, 1996, during Space Shuttle Columbia's STS-75, the 75th Space Transportation System mission flown by one of the four space shuttles. More For YouMysterious images of and from Mars, the Red PlanetUFO watchers spot mysterious bone-like object on MarsThe mission was to be highlighted by the flight of a joint NASA/Italian Tethered Satellite System designed to investigate new sources of spacecraft power and ways to study Earth's upper atmosphere, according to a NASA statement at the time.AdvertisementArticle continues below this adOn Feb. 25, Day 4 of a 15-day mission, the crew began to deploy the satellite and its 12 miles of "tether," a cable that could conduct electricity."The world watched as the satellite smoothly and gently lifted from its cradle atop the latticework boom that previously had been extended some 40 feet (11.3 meters) out of Columbia's cargo bay. The crew continues carefully unreeling the satellite on its slender tether," NASA stated in a summary of Day 4 highlights.But things went awry. At about 7:30 p.m., short of five hours into the satellite experiment, the tether broke and the satellite floated away.A video clip of the drifting satellite and its attached 12-mile tether is still generating comment on YouTube.AdvertisementArticle continues below this adEarlier this month, Stargazer Nation posted an enhancement of the original NASA footage that purportedly shows UFOs approaching the tether. On the video, the tether looks like a stick surrounded by bright dots and some larger white circles with a hole in the middle.At the time of the incident, astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz explained the objects seen near the tether as "a little bit of debris that kind of flies with us." The debris, he said, was illuminated by the sun.Later, John Tindall of the History Channel noted that the camera's telephoto lens was used with a circular mirror that had a hole in the middle, which left an artifact on the images.Because the images on the camera were overexposed by bright sunlight, objects appeared brighter than they were, giving the illusion they were behind the tether rather than in front of it, Tindall said.AdvertisementArticle continues below this adIn the summaries of each day's highlights, NASA online archives make no mention of UFOs or any strange sightings as the tether got away.On Day 4, when the tether broke at about 7:30 p.m. Central time, the highlights note straightforwardly that the tether broke and neither the astronauts nor the space shuttle were injured."Following the break, Mission Control asked the astronauts to record television of the boom and broken tether for post-flight analysis," Day 4 highlights state.If there were anomalies outside the shuttle window, they were left out of the highlights, which have the page-turning quality of a physics textbook.AdvertisementArticle continues below this ad"Once the tether is retracted and the boom is restowed, the crew members will turn their attention to the science activities involving the U. S. Microgravity Payload," Day 5 highlights state. "The USMP experiments will study various aspects of materials science investigation."In the words of Stargazer Nation, "some things must be believed to be seen."By Carol ChristianCarol Christian reports on breaking news for chron.com. Since joining the Houston Chronicle staff in 1998, she has covered various beats, including criminal courts and transportation. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, she holds a Master?s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a Master?s in sociology from Michigan State University. Carol got started in journalism while teaching English in Poland during martial law.PI staff storiesLocal NewsHearst Foundations award two Wash. orgs with $175,000 in grantsLocal NewsTwo popular Seattle parks will close early this summer, city saysLocal NewsMost calls made to Seattle police are for noncriminal activityReal estateHome in local architect's family since the 60s is on sale for $3MLocal NewsHere's when to see Sunday's 'super flower blood moon' in SeattleReal estateThis $5M Queen Anne home is beautiful inside and outTaonga: The Island FarmThe most relaxing farm game of 2022. No InstallEnjoy farming, stock up and make friends. Taonga is a whole world full of adventure!Taonga: The Island Farm|SponsoredSponsoredUndoCompareCredit.com2 Cards Charging 0% Interest Until 2024Check out the best 0% Intro APR credit cards recommended by our experts.CompareCredit.com|SponsoredSponsoredUndoGoodgame Empire If You Are Above 40, this City-Building Game is Addictive. No Install Required!Goodgame Empire |SponsoredSponsoredUndoCombat SiegeIf you own a mouse, you have to try this game. No Install. Play for free.Combat Siege|SponsoredSponsoredUndoForge Of Empires If You Need To Kill Time On Your Computer, You Have to Play this Vintage Game. No Install.Forge Of Empires |SponsoredSponsoredPlay NowUndoForge Of Empires If You Are 45 Years Old, this Strategic Game is a Must-Have (no install)Forge Of Empires |SponsoredSponsoredUndoBuzzDaily WinnersDon't Play This Game if You Are Under 40 Years OldBuzzDaily Winners|SponsoredSponsoredUndoEnergyBillCruncherTexas Program Will Cover The Cost To Install Solar If You Own A Home In These ZipsEnergyBillCruncher|SponsoredSponsoredUndoDating | Search AdsDallas: Meet Single Senior Women Near YouDating | Search Ads|SponsoredSponsoredUndoOnline Shopping ToolsAmazon Left Scrambling As Prime Users Find Out About Secret DealsOnline Shopping Tools|SponsoredSponsoredUndoHealth & WelfareCardiologist: Too Much Belly Fat? Do This Before BedHealth & Welfare|SponsoredSponsoredUndoBabbelThe App That's Teaching Americans Spanish In 15 Minutes A DayGet 50% OFF + Unlimited Languages For LifeBabbel|SponsoredSponsoredSign UpUndoCadillac SUVS | Search AdsThe Killer New Cadillacs Will Leave You BreathlessCadillac SUVS | Search Ads|SponsoredSponsoredUndo Return to Top Seattle Post-Intelligencer LogoAboutOur CompanyCareersStandards and PracticesVisual Ethics GuidelinesAnonymous Sources PolicyCorrection PolicyContactNewsroom ContactsFreelance for the P-IQuicklinksSeahawksCoronavirusOutdoor DiningMLS ListingsFind an AgentWinter EscapesQuick GetawaysConnectArchiveNewslettersFacebookTwitterInstagramAbout Our Company Careers Standards and Practices Visual Ethics Guidelines Anonymous Sources Policy Correction PolicyContact Newsroom Contacts Freelance for the P-IQuicklinks Seahawks Coronavirus Outdoor Dining MLS Listings Find an Agent Winter Escapes Quick GetawaysConnect Archive Newsletters Facebook Twitter InstagramHearst Newspapers Logo© 2023 HearstTerms of UsePrivacy NoticeAdvertisingInterest Based AdsYour California Privacy Rights.noscript\:o100 {opacity: 1;} .noscript\:o0 {opacity: 0;}