An illuminating series of tweets from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed that the company has not ruled out an 'unknown object' as the cause of their recent rocket explosion.
In a remarkable display of transparency, the billionaire entrepreneur detailed how the mysterious Falcon 9 disaster constitutes "the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years."
He explained that there are a number of aspects surrounding the explosion which have left the company baffled.
According to Musk, the incident occurred during a routine operation to supply the rocket with fuel and that "there was no apparent heat source."
Additionally, he told his Twitter followers that the company was "trying to understand the quieter bang sound a few seconds before the fireball goes off" and that they are not certain what produced the distinct sound.
The event has proven to be so puzzling that Musk actually publicly asked NASA, the FAA, and the Air Force for their help solving the mystery.
He also requested that anyone with additional footage of the explosion to submit the material to SpaceX for further study.
But what may be most eyebrow-raising comment among Musk's tweets was his response to a query regarding the online videos that claim "something hit the rocket."
Although the question did not invoke the dreaded 'UFO' acronym, it was clearly an allusion to the conspiracy theory which has percolated since the event.
Asked if there was "any reality" to the idea, Musk cryptically replied, "we have not ruled that out."
While some may simply see this as SpaceX being diligent about exploring every possible cause for the explosions, conspiracy theorists will likely see a slew of potential implications from Musk's comments.
If a UFO were actually responsible for the disaster, it's highly unlikely that SpaceX would reveal that to the world, given their deep connections with a number of government agencies.
However, the incident bolters the idea that private space exploration may ultimately be responsible for unraveling the enigma once and for all, since hiding the truth about UFOs may become impossible as more and more people are able to venture into the cosmos and potentially see for themselves.
Source: Daily Mail