Cue 'Also sprach Zarathustra'
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On 11/18 a crew from the Utah Department of Public Safety was making a survey of big horn sheep populations from a helicopter when they spotted something unusual. They landed, and encountered a large metallic monolith, roughly 10' tall, 2' wide and 2' thick (so the proportions are wrong for it to be the other Monolith).
There is no indication of who placed the object there, or when. The exact location is not being released to dissuade visitors, as the area is very remote and the unprepared would likely need rescuing.
The BLM would also like to remind you that "It is illegal to install structures or art without authorization on federally managed public lands, no matter what planet you’re from."
All images and video courtesy Utah Department of Public Safety.
Big horn sheep are crazy good at climbing sheer cliffs
UMA-1 with human for scale
"Everyone gets a picture with the unknown!"
"Okay, so it's a little over a 'Ned' and a 'Gerry' tall." -
Fine, but does it emit piercing radio signals, and is there another one on the moon?
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So, did they leave it?
I get both sides of the argument here. It’s “fancy littering” and not treading lightly, but as an art piece, it has to be very cool to come across something so unexpected like this in the middle of nowhere.
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@skyfire77 worth the repost
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“The BLM wants to remind you that this is illegal and it discourages placing such things. That’s why we are rewarding whoever did this with lots of internet exposure and taking pics of our employees next to it.”
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@davesaddiction @Skyfire77 - evidently it's partially buried into the soil, so it's going to be a challenge to remove, even if it's hollow.
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NASA: The Europa Clipper* is scheduled to launch in 2024.
Utah Department of Public Safety: All these worlds are yours except Europa. Attempt no landing there.*Yes, I know it's not a lander.
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@engineerwithtools There actually were plans to included a lander with Clipper, or possibly as a parallel program launched separately, but they weren't pursued. Of course, Clipper is mandated by Congress to launch on Shelby's Lunch System, so there's no real guarantee it's going to launch on time anyway.
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@skyfire77 You know... it's still better than them literally stealing dinosaur footprints, so I'll take it.
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@williamssw This would be the one that directed our evolution. There should be another one buried somewhere on the moon that'll signal the big one in orbit around Jupiter when we dig it up. We're running about 40-50 years behind schedule though...
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@jayvincent In that soil, a couple of kids could probably push it over.
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@dipodomysdeserti I’m guessing it’s sunk in concrete under the sand.
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@davesaddiction Maybe. In that case you could probably pull it out with a winch or a come along. It's pretty much all Navajo sandstone out there.
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Will be interesting to see if they leave it or pull it. I’m assuming it’s super remote. Guess we’ll see if the influencers find it...
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I didn't realize that Clipper had included lander plans at some point. I've seen other concepts for landers - and I wish we would pursue them!
Don't get me started on the mandate to launch on SLS. We might miss the chance for some awesome science in pursuit of (hot take / opinion incoming) a wasteful make-work program.
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@skyfire77 I'm ok with being behind. No rush to colonize Ganymede, or deal with the monoliths trying to wipe out humanity.
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@davesaddiction said
get both sides of the argument here. It’s “fancy littering” and not treading lightly, but as an art piece, it has to be very cool to come across something so unexpected like this in the middle of nowhere.
I agree, they shouldn't have done this but it's a lot better than coming across beer cans, bullet and shotgun casings, and food wrappers.
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@chariotoflove I mean yeah, but by the same token, only the people involved with the object know that they did it (so far), so they're not really getting publicity. Not like they can come forward either, not with the threat of prosecution implied by the press release.
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BLM: We do not endorse unauthorized art installations on public land
BLM: blows up the internet with unauthorized art instillation on public land
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I didnt think GMG would find it that fast. Its a giant flash drive with the entirety of oppositelock on it. I hid it in the desert so the kinja overlords wouldnt find it.
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@skyfire77 They'll just have to call up the Bundy boys if they need help handling the BLM.
