NationStates Jolt Archive


Space fireballs rain down death on Texas.

No Names Left Damn It
16-02-2009, 15:17
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090216/twl-mystery-fireballs-fall-from-the-texa-3fd0ae9.html

Authorities in Texas are baffled after being flooded with reports of burning debris falling from the sky.

Terrified onlookers were heard screaming when the mysterious "fireballs" were filmed mid-morning on Sunday.

They were captured by television cameras recording a marathon in the state capital Austin.

No one has explained where the debris has come from, amid numerous reports of sightings to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The city's Sheriff's Office sent up a helicopter to investigate but it returned with no hard evidence.

There were initial concerns the fireballs originated from a collision of two space satellites last week. A US and a Russian communication satellite smashed together 500 miles above Earth.

But US Strategic Command has since said the two incidents are unrelated.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it had warned pilots to be aware of possible space debris following the satellite collision.

Russia's Mission Control chief said clouds of debris will circle the planet for thousands of years and threaten numerous satellites.

The debris field from the collision is described as huge but scientists are still trying to determine the full scope of the crash.

Well maybe they didn't rain down death, but you know, I wanted to grab your attention. What is then NSG? Satellite debris? An exploded plane/other aircraft? Aliens? Xenu?
Gift-of-god
16-02-2009, 15:18
God's punishment, obviously.
No Names Left Damn It
16-02-2009, 15:21
God's punishment, obviously.

Those infidels, running a marathon.
Blouman Empire
16-02-2009, 15:21
Beaten by GoG
greed and death
16-02-2009, 15:21
a meteor shower ???
Intestinal fluids
16-02-2009, 15:24
It was Cheney coming to visit George Bush for the weekend. Its how he rolls.
Rotovia-
16-02-2009, 15:24
Did some red neck spot a "UFO" (If I Recall General Correctly) recently? Anyone up for an interplanetary conflict?
No Names Left Damn It
16-02-2009, 15:27
Did some red neck spot a "UFO" (If I Recall General Correctly) recently? Anyone up for an interplanetary conflict?

I dunno about that, but we've had a few sightings in my are over the last couple of months, and there was one caught on camera in Turkey in January.
Londim
16-02-2009, 15:30
So phase one of the Martian plan has begun. NSG you are all about to learn a great secret. Earth and Mars have diplomatic relations. Those images you see of "Mars" are nothing more than zoom ins of broken bricks. Earth and Mars have been active in a Cold War for millenia. That war just turned hot.

Your local miltary installation will soon pick you up and you will fight for the Glory of Mother Earth!
No Names Left Damn It
16-02-2009, 15:32
Those images you see of "Mars" are nothing more than zoom ins of broken bricks.

Lol wtf? You just made me laugh myself into a coughing fit.
Intestinal fluids
16-02-2009, 15:33
Mars is throwing Legos at us?
Trans Fatty Acids
16-02-2009, 15:34
The Red Scare to end all Red Scares.
Ancient and Holy Terra
16-02-2009, 15:36
So phase one of the Martian plan has begun. NSG you are all about to learn a great secret. Earth and Mars have diplomatic relations. Those images you see of "Mars" are nothing more than zoom ins of broken bricks. Earth and Mars have been active in a Cold War for millenia. That war just turned hot.

Your local miltary installation will soon pick you up and you will fight for the Glory of Mother Earth!Let me guess:

The Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!"

Right?
No Names Left Damn It
16-02-2009, 15:37
Let me guess:

"The Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night!"

Right?

No, because all you foolish Americans will be killed as you prance about on rooftops wearing alien masks. The heroic English will save the world.
Londim
16-02-2009, 15:39
Let me guess:

The Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!"

Right?

Pfft. Silly Americans with their Independence Day. This will be done for the Glory of the Earth Empire, run by the British.
No Names Left Damn It
16-02-2009, 15:41
run by the British.

You're not seriously suggesting the Scots and the Welsh have a say in the Glorious Empire work, are you?
Ancient and Holy Terra
16-02-2009, 15:44
You're not seriously suggesting the Scots and the Welsh have a say in the Glorious Empire work, are you?Oi mosh, boyo.

I had a Welsh friend many years ago, and those are the only things I can remember her saying.
No Names Left Damn It
16-02-2009, 15:49
Oi mosh, boyo.

I had a Welsh friend many years ago, and those are the only things I can remember her saying.

That's probably because it was the most worthwhile thing that came from her lips.
Ancient and Holy Terra
16-02-2009, 15:50
That's probably because it was the most worthwhile thing that came from her lips.That came out?

Sure. ;)
Rambhutan
16-02-2009, 16:35
Goodness gracious
South Lorenya
16-02-2009, 17:13
Actually, they DID explain them -- remember the coillision between the two satellites? You know, the "may break into pieces that burn upon reentry if collided" kind?

No, we don't know why the US strategic command is denying the connection.
Megaloria
16-02-2009, 17:54
My bad. I'll clean that up.
Khafra
16-02-2009, 18:05
Actually, they DID explain them -- remember the coillision between the two satellites? You know, the "may break into pieces that burn upon reentry if collided" kind?

No, we don't know why the US strategic command is denying the connection.
This is pretty much what I'm thinking too. Interesting that we'd so quickly deny it without investigating first, though.
Elves Security Forces
16-02-2009, 18:11
I told everyone to give up that silly religion, but no, they wanted to believe in Jesus. See what happens when you don't listen to the elf!
Araraukar
16-02-2009, 18:13
Meteor shower, either from manmade debris (not necessarily the recent collision - there's tons of stuff up there) or natural. I'm not surprised there was no hard evidence, since most small fragments give a spectacular show as they burn up completely in the friction of the atmosphere.

I'm also not surprised that Texans would go into panic. :tongue:
H N Fiddlebottoms VIII
16-02-2009, 18:19
The apocalypse is at hand. Already fire is descending from the sky! Soon, the streets will run with blood turning all pathetic human cities into a crimson, nightmare version of Venice. Mankind's demons shall rise to tear him apart like a troublesome bag of chips, and innards will scatter in the sky.
Let me guess:

The Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!"

Right?
No. On this Fourth of July, the fireworks will be stomachs hurled into the sky where they shall come to pieces and scatter acid across the terrified (and now stomachless) onlookers below.
As the body count rises, Christ shall return and all the people of Earth will turn to him for forgiveness and salvation. However, he'll remember that he left the stove on in Heaven and be gone for another 200 years, by which point we'll all be dead and dragged down to Hell.

Oh, and all that blood in the streets? It's gonna be HIV+.
Araraukar
16-02-2009, 18:19
Actually, they DID explain them -- remember the coillision between the two satellites? You know, the "may break into pieces that burn upon reentry if collided" kind?

Possible, but highly unlikely. Iridium satellites are up quite high, the ISS for example is on a much lower orbit. It'll take a long while before any of the bigger debris (the small ones burn out so high we don't see them from the ground) drifts down from those heights to be burned up.

You know what the space agencies should do? Send up a fortified 'satellite' with internal energy source producing a strong magnetic field onto the right orbit. Let it mop out the small debris from the collision - with a nuclear battery it'll keep going long enough. :D
Exilia and Colonies
16-02-2009, 18:23
Possible, but highly unlikely. Iridium satellites are up quite high, the ISS for example is on a much lower orbit. It'll take a long while before any of the bigger debris (the small ones burn out so high we don't see them from the ground) drifts down from those heights to be burned up.

You know what the space agencies should do? Send up a fortified 'satellite' with internal energy source producing a strong magnetic field onto the right orbit. Let it mop out the small debris from the collision - with a nuclear battery it'll keep going long enough. :D

Anything magnetic gets dragged down by the earths magnetic field fairly quickly anyway.
Lord Tothe
16-02-2009, 18:23
No, you're all wrong. It pains me to admit this, but that is just the debris from my flying saucer. It suffered a catastrophic hull integrity failure while I was trying to spook some UFO believers.
Araraukar
16-02-2009, 18:25
Anything magnetic gets dragged down by the earths magnetic field fairly quickly anyway.

Err, the space magnet wouldn't be _that_ powerful - it's beyond humans to produce portable magnetic fields that strong. If you were right, there wouldn't be any orbital debris, since all the little metal pieces would get mopped out by Earth's magnetic pull. :tongue:
Araraukar
16-02-2009, 18:27
It suffered a catastrophic hull integrity failure while I was trying to spook some UFO believers.

Bwahahahahaahhahaa!

Wait, was that out loud? :eek2:
Exilia and Colonies
16-02-2009, 18:29
Err, the space magnet wouldn't be _that_ powerful - it's beyond humans to produce portable magnetic fields that strong. If you were right, there wouldn't be any orbital debris, since all the little metal pieces would get mopped out by Earth's magnetic pull. :tongue:

Not everything we chuck up into space is made of metal :rolleyes:
H N Fiddlebottoms VIII
16-02-2009, 18:31
Not everything we chuck up into space is made of metal :rolleyes:
Yeah. Sometimes NASA just fires Styrofoam peanuts into the exosphere for the Hell of it.
Araraukar
16-02-2009, 18:32
Not everything we chuck up into space is made of metal :rolleyes:

No. But the problematic pieces tend to be.
Lord Tothe
16-02-2009, 18:34
No. But the problematic pieces tend to be.

but not necessarily ferromagnetic....
Exilia and Colonies
16-02-2009, 18:36
but not necessarily ferromagnetic....

Meaning they stay up there much longer in the magnetic field than a nuclear powered satellite magnet would. Seriously I'd be suprised if that would last a year the amount of force that would act on it.
Risottia
16-02-2009, 18:48
Pfft. Silly Americans with their Independence Day. This will be done for the Glory of the Earth Empire, run by the British.

Seesh. Brits running an Empire. They cannot even run their subs without colliding with the French!

Anyway, this is NOT the aliens coming from Mars.

Did you REALLY think that Brezhnev died?
Londim
16-02-2009, 18:52
Seesh. Brits running an Empire. They cannot even run their subs without colliding with the French!

Anyway, this is NOT the aliens coming from Mars.

Did you REALLY think that Brezhnev died?

So the Soviets have returned.
Khafra
16-02-2009, 18:52
Yeah. Sometimes NASA just fires Styrofoam peanuts into the exosphere for the Hell of it.
I'd totally do that if I could. I'm sure it's hilarious.
Araraukar
16-02-2009, 18:53
Seriously I'd be suprised if that would last a year the amount of force that would act on it.

Uhh... I was supposed to be serious about this? LOL, my bad. :D
Trostia
16-02-2009, 18:54
Don't mess with Texas. That includes God.
Risottia
16-02-2009, 18:56
So the Soviets have returned.

It is called ze Red planyet for wery specific reason. ;)

Red Mutant Killer Commies from Outer Space!
Rambhutan
16-02-2009, 19:05
The Great Prophet Jerry Lee Lewis foretold this. As high priest of his religion you all need to give me a tenth of your income.
Londim
16-02-2009, 19:09
The Great Prophet Jerry Lee Lewis foretold this. As high priest of his religion you all need to give me a tenth of your income.

You seem legit.

*gives non existant tenth of income*
Rambhutan
16-02-2009, 19:13
You seem legit.

*gives non existant tenth of income*

Your place in the giant fallout shelter we shall build is guaranteed once you start earning.
Londim
16-02-2009, 19:18
Your place in the giant fallout shelter we shall build is guaranteed once you start earning.

http://news.gotgame.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/thumbs-up.jpg
Mirkana
16-02-2009, 20:32
So phase one of the Martian plan has begun. NSG you are all about to learn a great secret. Earth and Mars have diplomatic relations. Those images you see of "Mars" are nothing more than zoom ins of broken bricks. Earth and Mars have been active in a Cold War for millenia. That war just turned hot.

Your local miltary installation will soon pick you up and you will fight for the Glory of Mother Earth!

Now this is a cause I can get behind! For our homeworld! For Terra! For the land and the sea! For humanity!

HOMO SAPIENS UBER ALLES!
No Names Left Damn It
16-02-2009, 20:50
HOMO SAPIENS UBER ALLES!

Race traitor.
Trostia
16-02-2009, 21:17
Now this is a cause I can get behind! For our homeworld! For Terra! For the land and the sea! For humanity!

HOMO SAPIENS UBER ALLES!

Burn the Heretic! Kill the Mutant! Purge the Unclean!
No Names Left Damn It
16-02-2009, 21:21
Burn the Heretic! Kill the Mutant! Purge the Unclean!

In the name of the Emperor?
Trostia
16-02-2009, 21:22
In the name of the Emperor?

For the Emperor!

http://www.smallbattles.co.uk/images/Heresy2.jpg
No Names Left Damn It
16-02-2009, 21:32
For the Emperor!

http://www.smallbattles.co.uk/images/Heresy2.jpg

So we do have things in common.
Mirkana
16-02-2009, 21:37
Burn the Heretic! Kill the Mutant! Purge the Unclean!

Works for me. I am a human supremacist, after all.

Also, LG for Immortal God-Emperor of Mankind!
Galloism
16-02-2009, 21:46
Works for me. I am a human supremacist, after all.

Also, LG for Immortal God-Emperor of Mankind!

I'm siding with the aliens.
Tmutarakhan
16-02-2009, 21:47
I, for one, welcome our new exploding-fireball overlords.
UNIverseVERSE
16-02-2009, 21:49
Meaning they stay up there much longer in the magnetic field than a nuclear powered satellite magnet would. Seriously I'd be suprised if that would last a year the amount of force that would act on it.

Umm, do you have any idea how weak Earth's magnetic field is? Go pick up a fridge magnet. Assuming you live at about the same latitude as me, that is about 100 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field at your location.

Earth's magnetic field will have negligible effects on satellite orbits, even if said satellite is a very large magnet.
H N Fiddlebottoms VIII
16-02-2009, 21:51
I, for one, welcome our new exploding-fireball overlords.
I have a feeling that it might be somewhat difficult to serve them, as their only form of communication seems to consist of falling out of the sky and exploding.

/BANG!BOOM!CRASH!/
"Yes, but what do you want from me?"
/KA-FWOOSH!BOOM!/
"I don't understand!"
/BAM!/
"I still don't understand, and now I'm on fire!"
Mirkana
16-02-2009, 22:09
I'm siding with the aliens.

*gunshot*
Intestinal fluids
16-02-2009, 23:46
I have a feeling that it might be somewhat difficult to serve them, as their only form of communication seems to consist of falling out of the sky and exploding.


On the other hand that would qualify as an actual form of communication, which is a far cry better then any other deity has managed so far.
South Lorenya
16-02-2009, 23:53
I have a feeling that it might be somewhat difficult to serve them, as their only form of communication seems to consist of falling out of the sky and exploding.

/BANG!BOOM!CRASH!/
"Yes, but what do you want from me?"
/KA-FWOOSH!BOOM!/
"I don't understand!"
/BAM!/
"I still don't understand, and now I'm on fire!"

What if they fall in morse code?
Ancient and Holy Terra
17-02-2009, 02:03
"I am U-571. Destroy me."
Gauntleted Fist
17-02-2009, 02:07
So phase one of the Martian plan has begun. NSG you are all about to learn a great secret. Earth and Mars have diplomatic relations. Those images you see of "Mars" are nothing more than zoom ins of broken bricks. Earth and Mars have been active in a Cold War for millenia. That war just turned hot.

Your local miltary installation will soon pick you up and you will fight for the Glory of Mother Earth!EMC (Earth Marine Corps), hoorah! Ready to kick ass and take names, sir!
H N Fiddlebottoms VIII
17-02-2009, 02:55
On the other hand that would qualify as an actual form of communication, which is a far cry better then any other deity has managed so far.
Hey! God is very shy, but that's no reason to be mean to him. Maybe if you just walked up and talked to him, you would discover that he is a really nice deity.
H N Fiddlebottoms VIII
17-02-2009, 03:07
EMC (Earth Marine Corps), hoorah! Ready to kick ass and take names, sir!
Although we're assuming that they balls of fire are malevolent. They might simply be trying to light the pathway we must take to drag us from the myre while they sooth the darkness from our feet and burn down our funeral pyres . . .

What do you mean you don't get the reference? It's from "Come and Buy," by Arthur Brown. You know, the song that came immediately after "Fire." You didn't know that song was part of a whole concept album? One hit wonders? No, of course not!
Skallvia
17-02-2009, 04:50
I saw something similar coming home today, only it had a smoky tail behind it...

I just thought it was a Meteorite or something, like a glimpse of a Meteor shower during the day...
Tmutarakhan
17-02-2009, 04:58
I have a feeling that it might be somewhat difficult to serve them, as their only form of communication seems to consist of falling out of the sky and exploding.

/BANG!BOOM!CRASH!/
"Yes, but what do you want from me?"
/KA-FWOOSH!BOOM!/
"I don't understand!"
/BAM!/
"I still don't understand, and now I'm on fire!"
Reminds me of The Producers:

Gene Wilder: I'm hysterical! I'm hysterical!

Zero Mostel: [throws water on him]

Wilder: I'm.... WET! I'm hysterical and I'm wet!

Mostel: [slaps him across face]

Wilder: I'm... IN PAIN! I'm in pain and I'm wet! And I'm still hysterical!
South Lizasauria
17-02-2009, 05:08
It was Cheney coming to visit George Bush for the weekend. Its how he rolls.

Huh? :confused:
Wilgrove
17-02-2009, 05:10
Yeah. Sometimes NASA just fires Styrofoam peanuts into the exosphere for the Hell of it.

That actually sounds like fun.
VirginiaCooper
17-02-2009, 06:22
Fire it up.
Heinleinites
17-02-2009, 07:48
Pfft. Silly Americans with their Independence Day. This will be done for the Glory of the Earth Empire, run by the British.

Run by the British? Y'all can barely deal with the Irish, and you're going to run the rest of the world?
Lord Tothe
17-02-2009, 17:45
I'm siding with the aliens.

Their superior technology is still no match for pies and mud.
Lunatic Goofballs
17-02-2009, 17:47
Their superior technology is still no match for pies and mud.

Once I figure out how to tell a joke in their language, it's all over. Music is not the only universal language. *nod*
Ancient and Holy Terra
17-02-2009, 20:53
Once I figure out how to tell a joke in their language, it's all over. Music is not the only universal language. *nod*All over for us, sure. I have a feeling that the alien equivalent of a facepalm involves igniting our atmosphere and cackling.

Of course, maybe we'll all be saved because they never evolved faces or palms.