50 Unsettling Things That NASA Doesn’t Want You To Know

1. Astronauts Actually Drink Their Own Urine

Image source Space.comEven though it seems very unhygienic, it's what goes on. .NASA has developed a process of recycling urine and converting it into drinkable water at space stations.  The Russians were known to refuse to drink this recycled water but the Americans had no problem downing it.  Better than being dehydrated!Original content sourced from Femanin.com

2. If You Freak Out, You Get Taped Up & Tranquilized

Image source Daily ExpressNASA is always prepared for anything that could go wrong in space.  For astronauts who can’t handle the pressure or have a bit of a melt down on board the spaceship, companions must immobilize his arms and feet with tape and inject him with a tranquilizer, to make sure no harm comes to anyone else.

3. They Recruited Enemy Scientists For "Operation Paperclip"

Image source Interesting EngineeringOne dark secret that NASA would prefer to keep under its hat took place during World War II. The United States recruited more than 1,600 Nazi scientists in institutes like NASA, in order to increase their payroll.  The code name they used to bring in the scientists was known as Operation Paperclip.

4. Astronauts Couldn't Get Life Insurance

Image source NPRSounds morbid but until 2003, astronauts sent off to far-away missions did not have life insurance from NASA.  Prior to Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong’s team actually signed autographs to their relatives so that if anything did happen to him, they’d have something of value to sell.

5. They've Accidentally Live Streamed UFOs

Image source iHeartThere have been rumours for a long time that NASA knows about UFOs and aliens and is just hiding their knowledge from us. Sometimes it’s reported that NASA has streamed UFOs live, thanks to the webcam on the International Space Station.  It's thought that the streaming feed is cut when aliens are spotted.  True or false, we'll never know.

6. There's A Pyramid On Mars - Just Like The Ones In Egypt

Image source Christian Science MonitorOn Earth, the pyramids were built by ancient Egyptians.  This image on Mars looks like it could be one but Dr Jim Bell reports that it's probably a volcanic rock that has broken in a very sharp, angular way.  Is that what they want the space enthusiasts to believe?  We don't know.

7. Damaging Precious Moon Stones

Image source WikipediaThad Roberts was a scientist that NASA would prefer to forget  He's now spending 8 years in prison for stealing 600 pounds of lunar rocks from the space agency and then having sex with his girlfriend on top of the precious samples - whatever floats your boat!  The samples had been valued at $21 million.

8. Warp Drive

Image source FandomNASA has secretly been working on 'warp drive' technology for many years. It’s not just something you see in Star Wars and Star Trek!  In 2015, it came to light on a forum that NASA had found a way of accelerating beyond the speed of light. This was when the EM drive team shot lasers through a resonance chamber that travelled over 300 million metres a second.  Wow!

9. The X-37B Secret Space Shuttle

Image source BBCThis doesn’t involve NASA, but still of great interest to them.  The Air Force has had a secret space shuttle in orbit for two years although no one has any idea what it's for and what it’s been doing. The X-37B has done missions since 2010, after it was developed in 998 and passed on to DARPA.

10. Life On Mars

Image source WikipediaSeems unbelievable but in 2014, a woman said that she had worked on the Viking Mars Rover project in 1979.  While working on the telemetry, two humanoid figures wearing thin protective space suits started approaching her.  After going to tell someone, she came back and the room was locked and it was covered up. NASA never commented about the finding.  Think what you want about this!

11. Weaponized Telescopes

Image source NewsweekWe all know about the Hubble telescope but you may not be aware of the James Webb Telescope.  It’s a project from NASA that launched in 2018 and it has 100 times the power of the Hubble.  Scientists can actually see the edge of the universe with it which had previously been undetected.

12. Secret Missions In Africa

Image source ABCThere’s a lot of mystery surrounding NASA’s secret missions in Africa.  Officials declined to give specific details but there has been speculation that the presence may be for future military activity, possibly counter-terrorism, ground relief or even in preparation for a war.

13. China Is Winning The Solar Space Race

Image source Daily ExpressReports claim that China is at the forefront of solar power technology in space although NASA prefer to keep hush about this.   The solar power can collect energy 24 hours a day all year long and space solar farms are located in geosynchronous orbit, 22,000 miles above sea level.

14. NASA Has Been Hacked

Image source WIREDYou’d think that one of the most important departments in the United States would be well protected from hackers but the opposite is true. Even though it’s one of the most technologically advanced organizations on Earth, the agency has suffered from hackers and had data and secrets stolen.

15. Mysteries Surrounding Apollo 11

Image source The Pulitzer PrizesOn July 20 1969, the USA made history by landing the first astronauts on the moon and winning the space race with the Soviets. Of course, there have been plenty of conspiracy theories that it was all staged but never proven.  It didn't help that the video showing Apollo 11 landing on the moon disappeared without a trace!

16. Mars Shots

Image source Viral TalksMany critics believe that the photos NASA has been publishing of Mars are not authentic images and are actually photos from an arctic island that is in a similar condition to Mars. However, when they published the pictures, nobody from those islands recognised any areas.

17. Chief Explains The Need For A Space Force

Image source SpaceNewsA few years ago, NASA's Administrator, Jim Bridenstine, explained the need for America’s dominance on the final frontier.  He said space has become very dangerous, and the government needed commercial partners who were willing to invest their money in order to make the US the pre-eminent nation in space.

18. The Challenger Cover-Up

Image source WikipediaIn 1986, the worst space shuttle disaster happened when the Challenger aircraft exploded mid-flight. NASA said the crew were unconscious during the explosion due to the cabin pressure but it has been revealed that they might have been awake and knew they were going to explode.  The Rogers Commission revealed that NASA hadn't taken the necessary precautions against catastrophic failure.

19. No Admittance That It’s Wrong About Asteroids

Image source MITMaverick inventor and ex-Microsoft exec Nathan Myhrvold has been fighting with NASA about the analysis of near-Earth asteroid sizes. His 30 page scientific paper criticizes the methods used to estimate the size of 165,000 asteroids.  This could be dangerous because a major asteroid will heavily impact life on Earth, at some point, just like it has in the past, and data is crucial in assessing the risk.

20. Space Fireflies

Image source WikipediaJohn Glenn became the first American astronaut to orbit the planet in 1962 as part of the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission.  As great an achievement as that was, Glenn’s trip is better remembered by UFO enthusiasts for its 'fireflies'. While flying over Australia, Glenn noticed something strange floating outside the Friendship 7 capsule window. 'I am in a big mass of some very small particles that are brilliantly lit up like they’re luminescent…they look like little stars,' he told NASA's mission control.

21. Is That Music On The Moon

NASANASA has made a habit of explaining away strange occurrences in space. While piloting the Apollo 10 space capsule around the dark side of the moon, astronaut Eugene Cernan thought he could hear music which sounded like a weird whistling sound, comparable to 'outer space-type music'.  No explanation was given and then it happened again.  How strange!

22. Secret Speech In Case Of Armstrong's Death

Image source History.comWe all remember Neil Armstrong's famous 'One small step for man' speech as he became the first man to walk on the moon.  Turns out there was another secret speech to be delivered by the President of the United States if the worst happened and the moonwalk turned out to be deadly.

23. Bright Lights And Big Mystery

Image source History.comKeeping secrets in the modern age has become more difficult for NASA because of live broadcasts of shuttle missions and strange happenings rarely remain secret for long.  This was the case with the STS-115 mission of the shuttle Atlantis in 2006. Charged with helping to construct the International Space Station, the shuttle was one day from home when commander Brent Jett noticed a reflective structure outside the shuttle, unlike anything he'd ever witnessed before.

24. Are There Aliens On The Moon?

Image source Ars TechnicaThough not as popular as the 'Fake Moon Landing' conspiracy theory, there are many who continue to see something alien in the photos of the moon. The best known of this theory is Ken Johnston, a former NASA staffer who says he was in charge of destroying NASA moon images following missions in the 1970s. He wasn’t very good at his job and there were claims he kept incriminating photos of an alien presence on the moon.

25. Aldrin Performs Communion

The second man to walk on the moon was also the first to drink on the moon!  Buzz Aldrin was a devout Presbyterian and he wanted to perform communion up in space.  He prepped in advance, clearing it with his pastor and securing some consecrated bread and wine in his space suit fanny pack!

26. Gordo Sees Green

Image source Universe TodayNo one had to convince Major Gordon 'Gordo' Cooper that aliens existed when he became one of NASA’s original Mercury astronauts.  He admitted in later years that he had been seeing UFOs since as early as 1951. On his 1963 solo orbital mission, he had a close encounter that was broadcast on NBC. Cooper told NASA mission control that he was watching a glowing green object approaching him!

27. The UFO That Looked Like A Beer Can

Image source Daily ExpressAstronaut James McDivitt never made a big deal about his close encounter during his 1965 Gemini IV mission.  In fact he didn’t even bother to wake up fellow astronaut Ed White when he first spied the UFO outside the capsule window. According to McDivitt, the object resembled a  beer can with a pencil sticking out of the middle.  He watched it for almost a minute whilst taking photos.

28. Aristarchus Crater

Image source Wikimedia CommonsAs if the crew of Apollo 11 didn’t have enough to think about, they were asked to check out the Aristarchus Crater. Apparently, astronomers on Earth had been noticing for more than a century that the crater would glow brightly. The glowing crater was confirmed instantly by Neil Armstrong, who characterized the glow as 'considerably more illuminated' than its surroundings.

29. Technical Difficulties Create A Cover-Up?

Image source The SunConspiracy theorists and binge space watchers are claiming that NASA is censoring footage from the International Space Station. The controversy started during a live feed when an unidentified object approached the Earth that was visible to the space station cameras. As it got close, the station camera signal allegedly cut out. How convenient for NASA!

30. Across The Twitterverse

Image source StorypickAstronaut Scott Kelly, who spent a year at the International Space Station, apparently didn’t know anything about NASA’s alleged UFO footage cover-ups and he's never been accused of covering up a space station lens.  In 2015, he tweeted to his followers a photo he snapped of what appeared to be a UFO.  Kelly tweeted a picture of India from more than 200 miles above the Earth with the simple message 'Day 233. Once upon a #star over Southern India. #GoodNight from @space_station! #YearInSpace.'

31. Was That A Crab?

Image source The MirrorIn a photo taken from Mars, it appears that there is a crab, with 4 to 6 log legs, that is free to roam around the planet.  It was seen near the Russian Mars probe that landed.  They took photos and then reported that the creature had died.  NASA had tried to follow this up but were keeping the results under their (space) hats.

32. Did a Lizard Blink?

Image source Space.comLooking closely,  this image could easily be identified as a lizard and it looks like it was making a move as the photo was captured.  Reptile-type vertebrates have long been thought to possibly survive on Mars although maybe the image was merely a rock on the planet!

33. Cooperating With The Soviet Union

Image source DeviantArtEven though the space race was huge news during the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union actually cooperated on some things. There was hostility and mistrust between the two nations between 1957 and 1991 although the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, conducted in 1975, did see them join forces.

34. NASA's Plastic Dome Home

Image source Space.comZak Wilson lived on Mars, in a way!  In order to get a feel for what's in store for astronauts when they undertake a space mission, they live on the barren slopes of Mauna Loa, Hawaii.  They exist entirely on freeze-dried or dehydrated food, put on plastic 'space suits' every time they want to step outside and endure a 20-minute delay on virtually all communications with the outside world.

35. Cutlery On Mars!

Image source Daily MirrorThis image was captured by the Curiosity Rover’s Mast camera (Mastcam) on April 10 2015. Located near Mount Sharp, the image appears to show a levitating sphere that got the UFO community excited and fascinated.  Referred to as a 'floating spoon'. NASA claims that this is just leftover debris from a Martian campsite or kitchen!

36. Ancient God In Space?

Image source CNETAmong the images taken from NASA’s Mars Opportunity Rover, there  appears to be a rock that has been printed with the face of an ancient god.  According to CNET, the image of the god closely resembles Nabu, the Neo-Assyrian god of wisdom.   Is information being withheld from us or is it a pile of Martian rocks?

37. Keeping The Tomb A Secret

Image source The MirrorEagle-eyed observers have claimed that one of the images taken by NASA shows a face and head turned to its right, with breasts and a plump stomach, shoulders.  The remarkable detail should be enough to convince the United Nations that intelligent life once existed on Mars, but NASA doesn't want anyone to know the truth because 'they will be asked to share the info and technology that they have found.'

38. Helmet But Not A Space One

Image source The MirrorLooking at one of the photos taken by NASA’s Curiosity Rover, some are quite convinced that it seems to show a Nazi army helmet on the rocky surface of Mars. NASA has not yet made an official comment on the discovery.  Is it because they are hiding something from us?

39. Human Face In Space!

Image source The MirrorAccording to NASA, this image was taken in 1976, when its Viking 1 spacecraft was circling the planet to take images of possible landing sites for Viking 2, its sister ship. Since then, NASA has returned and photographed the same spot.  They now say that the 'face' is a natural landform.

40. Peek-A-Boo On The Red Planet

From this image taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover, it appears that there is a man peering out a cave on the Red Planet.  It looks like a pink face is sticking out.  Is it a living being that is peeking out and looking at the rover.  Is there life away from planet Earth?

41. Female Figures

Image source Space.comThe idea that there may be life on Mars has been around for centuries but the theory got a dubious boost from released photos of the surface of Mars (taken by the NASA robot Spirit).  It seems to show a human-like figure apparently showing a human-like figure but may be, disappointedly, just a rock.

42. Project a119

Image source Space.comAn insider of NASA revealed that US government funded for a secret undertaking, Project a119, where NASA was to test nuclear weapons on the Moon. Though we cannot be sure whether the project was truly executed or not, the odd sightings of explosions on the Moon has been witnessed in some countries.

43. Gordon Cooper's Confessions

Image source Space.comGordon Cooper, a pilot from NASA, said that he saw an extremely large UFO and reported immediately. It had some advance technologies and he was told by NASA to lie about it. It was only after retiring that he confessed and said NASA didn't have a clue about such advanced technology.

44. Secret Whale Oil

Image source InsiderUsing Whale Oil has been banned worldwide but NASA has been using it secretly as a lubricant for telescope and space satellite because the lubricant doesn't freeze under temperature below zero. NASA has not yet found a substitute for it.  Feels a bit uneasy reading this.

45. Anti-Gravity

Image source US NewsGary Mckinnon is the greatest hacker of all time who hacked into NASA's server and leaked secret information.  That included reports that NASA had learned the advanced technology from aliens. They have recovered crashed UFOs and used reverse engineering to development items that can work with anti-gravity property.  Do you believe that?

46. Ammonite

Image source NASAThis image was taken by NASA’s very own Martian rover.  Based on the appearance of the fossil, it appears to be that of an ammonite. which resembles a snail.  On Earth, Ammonites died out 66 million years ago but lived as long ago as 200 million years ago. Maybe they are evolving on a different planet.

47. Spacecraft?

Imae source CBS NewsUpon seeing this image, many UFO buffs were convinced that this was a downed spacecraft that ended up crashing on Mars.  As the craft was only about two and a half metres wide, it probably only carried a few passengers.  No official mention was ever made.

48. Coffin Question

Image source India TodayAt one point, during NASA’s exploration of the Red Planet, it took an image which seemed to indicate that there was coffin lying on Mars.  Was it an alien coffin?  It was discovered by Will Farrar who wrote, 'This little box sure does look like a modern coffin concrete liner.'

49. Proof Of Aliens?

Image source CNN NewsIt seems that this image taken by the Curiosity rover as it surveyed the rocky terrain around gale crater, is key to proving that there are creatures who once existed on Mars.  It resembled a large statue and has been described as 'a remarkable Martian artifact'.  Is this enough proof?

50. Does Big Foot Exist?

Image source The Planetary SocietyFor years now, there has been a great deal of fascination around Bigfoot, a mythical creature that is said to live deep in the forests. One image has also led some to believe that Bigfoot may exist on Mars. The idea is fascinating although there is still very little evidence to support this claim.  That is unless NASA know differently!!