South Lincs UFO Study Group Newsletter - No 43 - 1972

Magazine Overview

This document is the "SOUTH LINCS. U.F.O. STUDY GROUP NEWSLETTER", Issue No. 43, covering the months of September, October, and November 1972. The newsletter focuses on UFO sightings, astronomical discoveries, and related phenomena.

SAUCER SHOCK.

The newsletter begins with a report titled "SAUCER SHOCK." It describes an incident in Todmorden, Yorks, where residents reported seeing an object looming out of the autumn mist, which they initially believed to be a flying saucer. However, it was later identified as a house designed in Finland, being manufactured under license by a local firm.

Distress flares were 'meteors'.

This section reports on an incident where "distress flares" confused North Sea shipping and initiated a rescue search. The Daily Express reported on October 6, 1972, that these flares were likely meteors. The Royal Greenwich Observatory suggested they were probably part of a meteor shower from a passing comet.

Oh, those blobs:

Reported in the Daily Express on October 7, 1972, this piece details protests by housewives and motorists in Northfleet, Kent, concerning strange orange-brown blobs falling from the sky. The local council was attempting to find the source of these blobs.

Britain's flying saucer spy.

An article from the Daily Mail on September 5, 1972, by Angus Mac Pherson, discusses a pilotless 'flying saucer' called Skyspy, being pioneered by British scientists. Revealed at the Farnborough Air Show, Skyspy is described as an almost invisible robot 'spy' capable of sending back TV pictures from a battlefield. Shorts of Belfast has tested a model, and the Royal Aircraft Establishment assisted in its development, with the RAF monitoring its progress. The device resembles a Mexican sombrero with a fan and is designed to fly for two hours at up to 25,000 feet. Shorts has spent approximately £50,000 on its research and is seeking government backing. The article suggests Skyspy could represent the next stage of the 'automated battlefield', contrasting it with pilotless drone planes used by the US Air Force in Vietnam, which suffer high loss rates. British experts claim Skyspy is harder to spot and easier to maneuver and land.

UFO Probe - Australia.

Reported in various papers on September 13-14, 1972, this section details a flying saucer sighting in Taree, New South Wales, Australia. The object had been seen regularly for a month. Newsmen and photographers gathered, and the Air Force was called to identify it.

Riviera riddle of thing from outer space...

From Joe Hollander, Nice, this piece in the Sunday Express on October 15, 1972, discusses the mystery of Montaurou, a rural commune near Grasse, France. A local peasant, M. Rene Merle, discovered a large area (330 square yards) of ground flattened in his woods. Fragments of a dry stone wall appeared to have 'exploded', and trees, including 18-inch thick pine trunks, were uprooted, coiled, and twisted. Some trees were sectioned as if by a blade. Police and scientific investigations were underway, but the gendarmes were baffled. Rumors suggested a flying saucer caused the havoc. Professor Guy Turco of Nice University examined the site but could not explain the phenomenon, ruling out meteorites, tornadoes, whirlwinds, or lightning. Meteorological experts noted that whirlwinds have a consistent direction and trajectory, unlike the observed tree damage. A biological student, Alain Jhistarry, reported his compass went 'haywire' at the site. Science fiction writer Jimmy Guieu believes an 'extra terrestrial engine' propelled by anti-gravity magnetic energy might be responsible, citing a previous sighting of a ball of fire in the same area. Locals have jokingly named the track "The Martians Road."

A Robot Makes A Map Of Mars.

This Sunday Express article from August 13, 1972, reports on the success of the Mariner 9 robot cameraman sent to Mars. Scientists have collected enough pictures to map the entire surface. Mariner 9 has transmitted 7,100 pictures since arriving in November 1971, flying twice daily at an altitude of about 750 miles. Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are assembling these images into a 'gigantic jig-saw puzzle'. Dr. Robert Steinbacher, in charge of the Mars project, anticipates a "veritable explosion of information about Mar's terrain..." Mariner 9 completed its 500th orbit and remains in good condition, capable of providing more images, particularly of the polar cap.

The article also mentions that the Americans, who initially gave Mariner 9 a limited lifespan, now expect it to operate for several years, dependent on its fuel supply. In the coming month, Mars and the spacecraft will be 250 million miles from Earth during a "superior conjunction," allowing scientists to test a theory about radio waves slowing down when passing the sun's gravitational field.

Did You Know Earth Has TWO Moons?

This piece by Robert Chapman, published in the Sunday Express on February 20, 1972, reveals that Earth has two moons. The second moon, named Toro, is very small and distant, making it unknown to most people. Astronomers hope to land an unmanned spacecraft on Toro by 1975. The known moon orbits Earth monthly at about 240,000 miles, while Toro travels on a long, elliptical course that takes eight years to complete and never brings it closer than 9 million miles. Toro was discovered as a microscopic speck of light on a photographic plate. It reflects sunlight, but its light is too weak to be seen by the naked eye due to its distance. Since its discovery in 1964, scientists have been tracking it. Dr. Hannes Alfven, a Nobel prize-winner, has suggested Toro should be a priority target for a scientific space shot, with a spacecraft potentially landing in January 1975. Moonlets and asteroids like Toro may have orbited for millions of years, preserving their original state due to lack of atmosphere and insufficient gravity to attract meteorites. Computer calculations suggest Toro is extremely unlikely to collide with Earth, though scientists have speculated about potential tidal waves if it fell into the Atlantic Ocean.

Do you come from Bardney?

This section, referencing a Lincoln Diocesan leaflet from August 1972, recounts a historical event at Bardney Abbey. When the body of St. Oswald, King of Northumbria, was brought for burial 1300 years prior, the Abbey doors were closed at night. The monks, partly due to prejudice and the late hour, refused to open them. During the night, a great light appeared outside the Abbey. Upon opening the doors, they found the King's body. The Abbot then decreed that the church doors at Bardney should never be shut, leading to the saying, "Do you come from Bardney?"

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently covers reports of unexplained aerial phenomena, often presenting them with a degree of skepticism or seeking scientific explanations, as seen in the 'Saucer Shock' and 'Distress flares' articles. However, it also dedicates significant space to intriguing mysteries like the Montaurou incident and the potential for advanced aerial technology like Skyspy. The inclusion of astronomical news, such as the discovery of Toro and the Mars mapping mission, broadens the scope beyond strictly UFO phenomena, suggesting an interest in space and the unknown. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, reporting on events and scientific developments without necessarily endorsing supernatural explanations, while still acknowledging the unexplained aspects of some reported incidents.