On Film at Eleven

"...once the mission was underway, scientists realized that due to a rare alignment of the outer planets the possibility existed to extend the mission and include visits to Uranus and Neptune as well. The calculations were made so that with the appropriate firing of Voyager’s main engine it was possible to use the gravitational power of Saturn as a slingshot and propel the craft to a rendezvous with Uranus. As Voyager closed in on Uranus, in January of 1986, the media was full of ‘specialists’ talking about the ‘gaseous’ planet that we would soon be viewing. Commentators repeatedly stressed that this would be the first ‘substantive’ information ever gathered on this solar neighbor. Nevertheless, in a special news report in February of 1976, a year before the launch of Voyager II, I had reported the Sumerian conclusion, that Uranus and Neptune are practically identical in size, composition and rotational eccentricities. In addition, I described in detail that they were not composed exclusively by hydrogen and helium gases as believed, but also by vast amounts of carbon dioxide, water and water vapor. Further, that the greenish-blue planets would both display discolored patches on their surface. To every scientist of the day, my claims were the unfounded ravings of a lunatic.”  

The backdrop began showing Voyager II pictures of Uranus at five-second increments.  

“But as the stunning images of Uranus began to appear on television screens around the world, all the newscasters could talk about was the green-blue color, completely different than anything else in the Solar System and totally different than any hydrogen or helium composed planet, which would be expected based upon all accretion theories.”

Michael glanced at the monitor and took a slow drink of water, as the pictures continued to rotate.

“That is, until August 1989, when it was observed that Neptune was in fact, an identical twin to Uranus in almost every way: size, rings, color, water content, rotation time and moons, as well as extreme inclinations relative to the planet’s axis of rotation. Oh yes, both planets also display discolored patches, which scientists now confirm are due to weather patterns and zonal temperature differences of the carbon dioxide and water vapor atmosphere, which exists due to the self-generated heat of the planet.”

Michael leaned back in his chair and folded his hands on the desk, as he continued. “I’ve begun the Show at this point, because it is important that everyone realize where this information came from. It was not an incredibly lucky guess on my part. Nor did I then or do I now claim to be clairvoyant, psychic or anything else of a paranormal nature. I simply reported information that had been recorded as fact by the Sumerians. The statements I made regarding Uranus and Neptune came from a direct translation of six-thousand-year-old Sumerian texts. And this example is only the tip of the iceberg, because the text also states that Saturn’s moon Titan is covered in dark and lighter patches and that that darker patches are almost pure water ice, while the lighter areas are a mixture of water ice and hydrocarbons. On its initial pass, the Cassini spacecraft confirmed these observations to be exactly correct, even though they were exactly opposite what scientists had expected and believed to that point. I’m not going to belabor this, but suffice it to say, there is nothing ‘lucky’ about the accuracy of this information.”