THE CASE OF THE

SOMETIMES SPINNING

"DUST SPECK"

      Our play opens in the deep underground bunker of the Millennium Group World Headquarters located in the desolate expanses of the Western High Desert. We see "Beady Eye" at his computer:

ACT I
Subject:  Spinning Satellite 12/15/97 C-2 gif.
Date:  Tue, 16 Dec 1997 18:33:44 -0800
From: "Earl L. Crockett" <elc@cruzio.com>
To:  wang@ares.nrl.navy.mil

Hi Dennis:
  Have been meaning to ask you what satellite it is that can be seen in the C-2 gif's that is on the perimeter of the sun a little below the three o'clock position. I had thought it was the C-3, but found out recently that all the C scopes and the MIT are on Soho. Then yesterday I downloaded the C-2 gif and subject satellite was spinning end to end. Looks like a serious problem.
Thanks,
Earl

ACT II
Subject:  Re: Spinning Satellite 12/15/97 C-2 gif.
Date:  Wed, 17 Dec 1997 10:17:34 -0500
From:  wang@ares.nrl.navy.mil (Dennis Wang)
To: elc@cruzio.com

Sorry, it is not a spinning satellite.  It is a microscopic dust speck in the C2 optics that is being lit up by the bright sunlight close to
the occulting disk.

Despite our best efforts in cleaning things, this dust speck appeared after launch.  The vibration of being fired into space must have shaken it loose from somewhere onto our optics.  We are just glad it isn't in a more prominent place.  This why you always see people wearing lab coats, hair bonnets, masks and booties pictures of people working on spacecraft.

ACT III
Subject: Re: Spinning Satellite 12/15/97 C-2 gif.
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 22:43:02 -0800
From: "Earl L. Crockett" <elc@cruzio.com>
Organization: THE MILLENNIUM GROUP, http://www.millenngroup.com/
To:  Dennis Wang <wang@ares.nrl.navy.mil>

Dear Dennis:
   I think it's time to revisit the case of the "spinning satellite" that you so fully explained away as being a "microscopic dust speck".
This C2 still close-up shows exactly the image I see in my saved C2 animation, from 12/15/97, spinning end to end.  I'll make a deal. You tell me what it really is, and I won't send the whole thing to Art Bell. What say Dennis?
Earl

ACT IV
Subject: Re: Spinning Satellite 12/15/97 C-2 gif.
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 11:08:30 -0500
From: wang@ares.nrl.navy.mil (Dennis Wang)
To: elc@cruzio.com

Sorry Earl we are standing by our story.  The raw images show a dust speck. It flickers because of pointing jitters in the SOHO satellite, flexing in the telescope box due to heat variations and the sensitivity of our image processing.

BTW who is Art Bell ?
Dennis

(As Act IV ends we see "Beady Eye" slump to his desk in despair, and green with envy, for having allowed "Loose Lips" such a wonderful comeback line.)

ACT V
Subject: Re: Spinning Satellite 12/15/97 C-2 gif.
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 19:09:58 -0800
From: "Earl L. Crockett" <elc@cruzio.com>
Organization: THE MILLENNIUM GROUP, http://www.millenngroup.com/
To: Dennis Wang <wang@ares.nrl.navy.mil>
References: 1

OK Dennis:
   Just to make absolutely sure that we are "on the same page" with the "microscopic dust" explanation, I would like to draw your attention to the very angular object behind the "23" on the attached still. I've also included the C2 gif animation of 12/15/97 that shows the very same shaped angular object spinning end to end.
  You can learn everything you've ever wanted to know about Art Bell at the following URL:  http://www.artbell.com/

Thanks again for your assistance,
Earl
 

ACT VI
Subject:  Re: Spinning Satellite 12/15/97 C-2 gif.
Date:  Fri, 30 Jan 1998 09:47:56 -0500
From:  wang@ares.nrl.navy.mil (Dennis Wang)
To:  elc@cruzio.com

Yes, that is the dust speck.

*****************************

   As our play closes we see a distant back shot of "Beady Eye", and his pet armadillo, wandering aimlessly into the high desert void.
 

THE END