Are There Snakes In Space?
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Jason Murphy is a novelist, screenwriter, and content creator. He once smuggled 400 cases of Coors from Texarkana to Atlanta in under 28 hours.
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Are There Snakes In Space?
Frank Story Musgrave. Born on August 19, 1934, in Boston, Massachusetts, Musgrave was a renowned American astronaut who completed six spaceflights for NASA between 1967 and 1996. His remarkable career spanned several decades, earning him the distinction of being the only astronaut to have flown missions on all five Space Shuttles: Challenger, Columbia, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour.
In 1994, during his mission on the Space Shuttle Endeavour, Musgrave had the unique opportunity to perform a spacewalk as part of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) repair mission. His mission was to help service and repair the telescope, which had been in orbit since 1990. The HST was a vital instrument in astronomy, providing unprecedented views of the cosmos.
During his spacewalk, Musgrave and fellow astronaut Jeff Hoffman noticed an unusual phenomenon that defied explanation—a series of peculiar, snake-like objects that seemed to be floating in the abyss of space. These ethereal "space snakes" appeared to be transparent and undulated gracefully, almost like serpents swimming through water.
In a later interview, Musgrave described the space snakes as "translucent, curved, snake-like objects" that were unlike anything he had ever encountered during his extensive spacewalks. The astronauts were captivated by the mesmerizing sight, and their first thought was that these creatures might be some previously undiscovered form of life.
The astronauts quickly realized that these enigmatic objects were not living creatures but were likely ice particles or debris illuminated by sunlight, creating a stunning visual effect. While the space snakes were not extraterrestrial life forms, they provided valuable insights into the behavior of particles in the vacuum of space.
And no, he didn’t mention if they played jazz.
https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/345467/revisited-astronaut-saw-snake-out-in-space
When you’re on a spacewalk, I imagine any surprises are unwanted. To me, this illustrates a fundamental concept of writing horror tales, the juxtaposition of story and setting. Seeing a snake under ordinary circumstances can be cause for alarm. A rattlesnake under a porch. A snake on a playground. Maybe something hiding among cast off tires.
But when a character experiences that snake in a setting like outer space, a degree of ontological shock sets in. Suddenly, the threat isn’t really space or the snake. The threat is that part of your reality suddenly doesn’t make sense. Your character has been confronted with something impossible, something that has the power to completely fracture their worldview.
The Warnings of Vrillon
The Vrillon broadcast, also known as the Southern Television broadcast interruption, took place when an unknown individual or group hijacked the airwaves of Southern Television, a regional ITV station in the United Kingdom.
On the evening of November 26, 1977, thousands of viewers in the south of England settled in to watch the evening news on Southern Television. Around 5:10 PM, the screen suddenly went black, and a distorted voice emerged, claiming to be Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command.
The message, delivered in a calm and deliberate tone, was both cryptic and surreal. Vrillon urged humanity to abandon its weapons, embrace peace, and prepare for a new age of enlightenment. The message also warned of the consequences of mankind's self-destructive behavior and urged viewers to "evolve" and "ascend" to a higher state of consciousness.
Naturally, the sudden intrusion into a television broadcast by an unknown entity left viewers and station employees bewildered. Southern Television engineers struggled to regain control of their transmission but were unsuccessful for several minutes. As the message continued, some viewers were undoubtedly alarmed, while others dismissed it as a prank or elaborate hoax.
The incident, however, was not limited to Southern Television. Reports suggest that a similar message had interrupted broadcasts in other parts of the world during the same time frame, further fueling speculation about the origin and purpose of the broadcast.
In the aftermath, there was a flurry of investigations and theories surrounding the incident. Some believed it was the work of a rogue hacker or a group of pranksters with advanced technical knowledge. Others speculated that it might be an act of psychological warfare or an experiment in mass media manipulation.
Despite numerous investigations, the identity of the individuals responsible for the transmission remains unknown.
If I didn’t fear prison. Taking over the airwaves is every super-villain’s modus operandi. Since no one has claimed it, anyone can claim it. What would you use that power for? To sell things.
De Loys’ Ape
The De Loys' Ape, or "Spider Monkey Man" as it is sometimes called, made its first appearance on the world stage in 1920. The discovery was credited to Swiss geologist and explorer François De Loys, who led a petroleum-seeking expedition along the border of Colombia and Venezuela. It was during this journey that De Loys and his team reported encountering a remarkable, previously unknown primate species deep within the South American rainforest.
De Loys described the creature as a large, tailless monkey, roughly the size of an adult human. The mysterious primate boasted distinctive features such as a short, snub nose, long arms, and a curious penchant for sitting upright on the ground. However, the most intriguing aspect of De Loys' discovery was its purported aggression toward the explorers, who had no choice but to defend themselves, resulting in the killing of one of these creatures.
One of the most significant points of contention revolved around the infamous photograph taken by De Loys and his team, which depicted the dead creature propped up against a crate. Critics argued that the photograph was staged, and the primate was actually a spider monkey, a well-known species in the region. Furthermore, skeptics questioned the size of the primate, believing it to be smaller than De Loys had claimed.
In the decades that followed, De Loys' Ape became a subject of debate and scrutiny within the scientific community. Researchers attempted to retrace De Loys' steps and locate any potential evidence of the creature's existence. However, no concrete evidence, such as skeletal remains or additional sightings, ever surfaced to definitively prove the existence of this enigmatic primate.
In the absence of conclusive evidence, the scientific consensus gradually shifted toward skepticism. The prevailing belief among experts is that De Loys' Ape was, in fact, a misidentified spider monkey, a known species of the region. This theory suggests that the photograph and descriptions were exaggerated or altered, possibly for sensationalism or personal gain.
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/history-of-geology/de-loys-ape/
https://www.primatespark.com/deloys-ape/
There’s an undeniable ‘creep factor’ when looking at an old picture of an unidentified cryptid. Those sepia-tones are loaded with ‘what if’, as it drags the viewer back to a time when maybe there were undiscovered monsters roaming the earth. Staring at those pictures, you find yourself on the threshold between the past and the present. And that collision is at the root of folk horror, where the old comes for the new. There’s a bit of that inherent to all cryptid stories, particularly those featuring mysterious ape men. These aren’t just monster tales, they’re stories about ancient rites and customs, things the locals don’t want outsiders to know about …
The Moon Isn’t Real
While the scientific community overwhelmingly supports the Giant Impact Hypothesis as the explanation for the Moon's formation, there exists a fringe theory that proposes an altogether different narrative—one that posits the Moon might be an artificial construct created by extraterrestrial beings.
The Alien Moon Hypothesis: The Alien Moon Hypothesis proposes that the Moon was intentionally constructed by technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilizations for purposes that remain speculative. Proponents of this theory suggest various elements to support their claims:
Orbital Precision: Advocates argue that the Moon's precise orbital characteristics, including its relatively circular orbit and synchronous rotation (meaning it always shows the same face to Earth), are too perfect to be the result of natural processes. They contend that this level of precision implies intentional design.
Anomalies and Structures: Some proponents point to alleged anomalies and structures on the lunar surface as evidence of extraterrestrial involvement. These anomalies are said to include unusual geometric formations, artificial-looking structures, and unexplained lunar phenomena.
Lunar Mysteries: The theory also draws attention to unexplained lunar mysteries, such as the "Lunar Wave," a supposed phenomenon captured in video footage that some claim is evidence of artificial manipulation of the Moon.
Craters are thought to be the result of meteorite and asteroid impacts, meaning there should be a certain proportion between their depth and width. Instead many wider craters have similar depths to significantly narrower craters, with some even appearing convex. And when astronauts attempted to drill into the craters, they were barely able to penetrate the surface, discovering processed metals like brass, mica, and pure titanium.
Challenges and Skepticism: While the Alien Moon Hypothesis may be intriguing, it faces significant challenges, aside from it just being considered insane and stupid:
Lack of Empirical Evidence: Perhaps the most significant hurdle for this theory is the absence of credible empirical evidence. No verifiable proof of extraterrestrial involvement in the Moon's creation has been presented to the scientific community.
Natural Explanations: Mainstream science provides plausible natural explanations for many of the Moon's features, such as impact craters, volcanic activity, and geological processes. These explanations are grounded in established scientific principles.
Occam's Razor: The principle of Occam's Razor suggests that, when considering competing explanations, the simplest one is usually the most likely. The Giant Impact Hypothesis, supported by extensive scientific research, is a simpler and more widely accepted explanation for the Moon's origin compared to the complex scenario of alien construction.
https://www.gaia.com/article/the-hollow-moon-theory-is-the-moon-an-artificial-satellite
https://randomthings.pro/2023/05/24/the-moon-is-an-artificial-alien-satellite/
There are people out there who actually believe this. If you encounter them, I don’t know that an honest discussion is the play to make. Maybe just back away slowly. Don’t make eye contact. Just go on with your life. If someone is suggesting that the moon is a spaceship, they’ve passed the last mile marker for logical discourse.
That said, how long until this is turned into a big, dumb movie? We’ve already had the Transformers claim that Decepticons lived on the moon! (Is that what happened? I didn’t watch that one.) The X-Men comics established that the Inhumans lived on the blue area of the moon. Let’s just go all out and get one of those big budget, stupid disaster movies. Something big and loud that will annoy Neil DeGrasse Tyson with 2 hours of bad science.
The Strangerous Channel Updates
I need your help! You probably know how much I love storytelling. It’s at the heart of the Strangerous. All of this research - this encyclopedia of the bizarre - is all for storytelling.
And The Strangerous wants YOUR stories. Have you ever encountered something you couldn’t explain? The ghost of your dead uncle? A hirsute, ape-like thing stalking you while out on a hike? An alien spacecraft, floating above you in the dead of night?
I want to hear it! It might get used on an episode of the Strangerous!
Email jason@jasonsmurphy.com
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God damn. Where's the Strangerous about smuggling Coors to Atlanta? When I was in high school a friend's older brother had a van (with a pot leaf painted on the side to make it inconspicuous) that we'd take across the boarder to Colorado, load up, and bring back to Kansas. Good times, but not that risky for us. I wanna hear about Jason making the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.