I would like some of your comments on this 19 July, 1991 radio
broadcast 'For The People'. Since the item is from an old article,
what happened to 8-13A?

The host read the following from a 6 Oct 77 article from the NY
Times:

Government Scientists call newly discovered heavenly object a
stray asteroid. Astronomers worldwide in disagreement with
official explanation call the phenomena an intelligently guided
object.

Washington, Oct 6. United States Government astronomers at the
national radio astronomy observatory have identified an
uncatalogued object near Jupiter as an asteroid from outside the
solar system. Their conclusions have been contested by leading
astronomers across the world who believe the object is not a
natural phenomena. The object, designated 8-13A, was discovered
on Monday by Dr. Leo Moffet at the Green Bank Radio Astronomy
center in West Virginia. Dr. Moffet made the discovery while
searching for evidence of an atmosphere on Io, a moon of Jupiter.
His instruments detected a small object not previously recorded
just outside Io's orbital path. The existence of the object has
been verified by scientists worldwide. Dr. Moffet initially
believed that the object was a tiny moon of Jupiter, but its
course and velocity persuaded him otherwise. He then assumed it
was an errant asteroid on an extremely elongated, elliptical
orbit around the Sun. He named it asteroid 8-13A in accordance
with the observatory's classification system.

When the discovery was announced to the scientific community on
Tuesday, astronomers throughout the world focused their attention
on 8-13A. Its size was approximated to be 7 kilometers, about 4
miles, in diameter. Scientists had expressed surprise that the
object had hitherto escaped detection and focused their attention
on plotting its course. No trace of an orbital curve could be
found. The object is apparently on a straight trajectory that
will take it very close to Earth. According to calculations,
there is no danger of collision. But if 8-13A's rate of
deceleration remains constant, it should take up orbit around
Earth just inside that of the moon on or about Oct 25. In light
of the discoveries concerning 8-13A's trajectory, Dr. Moffet
modified his original statement and described the object as a
cometary body from interstellar space which was making its first
and only visit to this solar system. Not all scientists agree
with this explanation, however. Dr. Lawrence Rude of the British Interplanetary Society stated 'the facts surrounding 8-13A
effectually discount the possibility of a natural origin for the
object. First, the object is on a perfectly straight path toward
Earth. Second, it is traveling at just the right speed to enable
it to enter into a stable orbit around Earth. If it were
traveling any slower it would be pulled into Earth by gravity
with catastrophic results. If it were any faster, it would pass
by our planet and move on out of the solar system. Finally, the
fact is that 8-13A is DECELERATING as it approaches implies
guidance. Natural celestial bodies do not decelerate of their
own accord. It is my belief that 8-13A is neither an asteroid
nor a comet, but an intelligently guided vehicle from beyond the
solar system.'

Other announcements similar to Dr. Rude's have been released by
independent astronomers and research centers across the country.
Scientists at Lincoln Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts have
been observing the object's light curve in order to estimate its
shape by measuring the different amounts of sunlight it reflects
as it rotates. If 8-13A were to show no change or a regular
cycle in its light curve, evidence would suggest that it was
entirely smooth and thus of artificial origin. However, the data
shows an irregular light curve. To the undaunted supporters of
the artificial origin explanation, this fact merely means that 8-
13A must have a complex design. The United States Government is
sticking to its natural object theory despite the evidence
presented by leading authorities. At a news conference here
yesterday, a spokesman for the national radio astronomy
observatory stated that 8-13A is an asteroid or cometary body
which originated in another star system and has traveled here
through the emptiness of interstellar space. The apparent
deceleration of 8-13A is a natural affect brought about by its
passage close to the strong gravitational fields of other
planets. The possibility of its entering Earth orbit should be
regarded by all members of the scientific community as a unique
opportunity to study matter from beyond the solar system. This
matter, it should be emphasized, will prove to be entirely
natural. 8-13A is not, as some radical scientists would like to
believe, a spaceship from another world.


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