5 Unexplained Astronaut Encounters with Extraterrestrial Beings and Objects
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June 1984 marked the Soviet Union's ninth mission to its orbital space station, Salyut 7. The mission, launched on Cosmonauts Day, was intended to resupply the station and conduct scientific and technical research.
However, the mission gained more fame not for its scientific endeavors but for a mystifying experience reported by the crew members. The accounts involve an ethereal encounter that occurred 155 days into their 237-day mission.
The day started typically until the cosmonauts reported seeing a "fog" that transformed into an intense, blinding light enveloping their spacecraft. From this celestial luminescence, they claimed to have witnessed the appearance of seven angelic figures, each comparable in size to an airliner, with a serene expression and outstretched wings.
These beings supposedly remained visible for 10 minutes, silently moving outside the station before disappearing.
This wasn't an isolated incident either; the 'angels' were said to have reappeared a week later when the space station was joined by another team of three from Soyuz T-12.
The cosmonauts were seasoned professionals, not prone to hysteria or hallucinations. Many were experienced pilots and engineers, and two were physicians. They had undergone rigorous psychological testing to withstand the mental challenges of long-duration space travel. Yet all six reported seeing the same entities, which lent credibility to the account.
Scientists on Earth have proposed theories to explain this celestial mystery, ranging from the plausible to the outlandish. Some have suggested a mass hallucination induced by high carbon dioxide levels, a common issue in space stations.
Others pointed towards a phenomenon called "cosmic rays visual phenomena," where high-energy particles stimulate optic nerves, causing flashes of light. Some insisted it was a psychological coping mechanism for the harsh isolation and monotonous environment of space.
Despite the scrutiny and countless hypotheses, no definitive explanation has emerged...
