Black Knight satellite conspiracy theory

The Black Knight satellite conspiracy theory claims that an extraterrestrial artificial satellite has orbited Earth for thousands of years. It connects unrelated observations and spaceflight incidents into a story of an ancient alien object.

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Nikola Tesla: Nikola Tesla was an inventor and electrical engineer whose work included high-voltage systems and wireless communication. Reports of unusual radio signals received by Tesla are retrospectively treated as the theory’s earliest evidence.
Space debris: Space debris consists of human-made objects in orbit that no longer serve a useful function. The photographed object is widely identified as a thermal cover lost during the STS-88 spacewalk.
Conspiracy theory: A conspiracy theory explains events through secret coordination by powerful actors, often despite contrary evidence. The Black Knight claim is a specific theory built around alleged concealment of extraterrestrial evidence.
Artificial satellite: An artificial satellite is a human-made object placed in orbit around a celestial body. Documented satellites have known launch histories, unlike the alleged ancient extraterrestrial object.
Long-delayed echoes: Long-delayed echoes are radio signals received well after their expected return following transmission. A 1920s radio phenomenon became one of the theory’s alleged early clues.
STS-88 thermal cover: A thermal cover lost during an STS-88 spacewalk was photographed drifting near the shuttle. This mundane explanation accounts for the image most often presented as proof.
Apophenia: Apophenia is the perception of meaningful patterns or connections in unrelated or random information. It helps explain how disparate observations can appear to support one continuous satellite story.
Space Shuttle: The Space Shuttle was NASA’s reusable crewed spacecraft system, operated from 1981 to 2011. Its missions produced the photographs and equipment-loss records relevant to the theory’s best-known image.
Donald Keyhoe: Donald Keyhoe was an American aviation writer who argued that extraterrestrial craft were visiting Earth. His writing helped circulate claims that unidentified objects had been detected in orbit.
Long-delayed echo experiment: Radio researchers have investigated delayed signal echoes using transmission and reception experiments. Such experiments offer terrestrial explanations for echoes later attributed to an alien satellite.