5)      On the footage I saw, there was a brief flash that  
    brightened the entire frame just before  
    the object made the right angle turn.  What caused this  
    flash?  
  
6)      Could this be or have some relationship with SDI  
    testing?  
  
7)      What is the position or opinion of the astronauts  
    who filmed the object?  
  
8)      How did "HardCopy" or Don Ecker obtain this  
    footage?  
  
9)      Does the extent of this investigation include  
    congressional interest?  In other words, give me some idea  
    of what level of personnel is working on this.  
  
10)     When can the public or I expect this investigation  
    to conclude?  
  
With the exception of number 3 (an obviously loaded  
question), it seemed like a good list.  
  
On June 10th, I was at work when I received a call from  
Bill.  He says that the person involved with the  
investigation would be faxing me the answers within the next  
hour.  The answers arrived on schedule.  The answer sheet  
began with a few paragraphs stating the need for secrecy,  
the rules I must follow and the request that I not get  
paranoid.  It stated that the "HardCopy" footage was of  
"Event #2", taken during STS-48.  Further, it was NASA's  
opinion that the flash was from an attitude thruster firing.  
Lastly, The sheet stated that three major government offices  
were involved and that an official congressional inquiry had  
occurred.That was it.  Bill Eatwell's involvement ceased at  
this point at the insistence of the unnamed source.  I was  
also enjoined to not reveal any of this to anyone, including  
Bill.So here I was, involved in an honest-to-God high level  
investigation.  Yet, all I could do was sit and wait.  Just  
days from this, we would be publishing the June HUFON  
REPORT.  Though anxious to tell someone, anyone of this, I  
held my peace and reported nothing in the newsletter.  A  
little over two weeks later, another event changed the  
course of my involvement.  
  
What with the presidential race developing into a three way  
free-for-all, I had been checking out "Larry King Live" on  
CNN each night.  On June 26 at 8:32pm (30 minutes into his  
show), I suddenly remembered Larry King and switched to it.  
Astonishingly enough, he was introducing Don Ecker in LA.  
and James Oberg (ostensibly representing NASA) in Houston.  
The topic?  You guessed it.  I jumped up (I'm getting good  
at this) and shoved a tape in.  What followed was a head to  
head confrontation between Don, doing his best impression of  
a UFO investigator, incensed at the government cover-up that  
Oberg was there to perpetrate and James, doing his best to  
appear as an interested "space nut" while touting the NASA  
line.  Between the personal attacks on each other (that  
Larry King appeared powerless to control), some facts were  
revealed that jibed with the information I had received.  
This, at least, verified that I was dealing with a serious  
investigator.  
  
One of the calls taken that night by Larry King was from  
Vincent DiPietro from Sykesville, MD.  He apparently had  
digitally enhanced some of the Event #2 footage revealing a  
possible domed object.  Mr. Ecker knew of this and, by  
inference, admitted he knew Mr. DiPietro. Still, Mr.  
DiPietro's opinion followed the NASA party line; that the  
object was an ice crystal that moved suddenly due to a  
shuttle attitude thruster firing.  His opinion is noteworthy  
due to his name showing up in a very prominent manner later.  
But, I'm getting ahead of myself.  More on Vincent DiPietro  
later.  
  
Although I was told not to, I called Bill once more and  
informed him that while I was keeping my mouth shut, the  
story was showing up on nationally broadcast programs.  
Enough was enough.  I had shown good faith.  The secrecy was  
becoming an irritant, if for no other reason than my friend  
and UFO confidant (not to mention co-editor of HUFON REPORT,  
Vince Johnson, deserved to know about this story.  Now I  
wanted to talk to someone.  After this call, I wondered if I  
would hear from anyone again.  I didn't have to wait long.  
  
On Saturday, June 27th, Bill called me with a very brief  
message.  The source of my information would be calling me  
in 15 minutes.  Well, finally.  Moments later, the phone  
rang.  To my surprise, it was Ron Madeley, a past president  
of HUFON.  He explained that he was giving me exclusive  
information, unavailable to any other publication.  He  
stated that his belief in my seriousness to the study of  
UFOs and his opinion that  HUFON REPORT had become the best  
UFO newsletter around helped him pick me.  I'm not above  
praise so I thanked him, then insisted that I be shown  
something to convince me.  Exactly, what was going on?  Why  
"Event 2"?  Were there other events?  He agreed to visit me  
and bring the visual evidence of more than I was  
aware of.  This story was about to become something much  
bigger, involving Congressional evasion, implausible  
deniability, and a flock of scientists, astronauts and  
physicists.  
  
A few days later, Ron arrived at my house, bearing a  
briefcase.  We sat on the sofa as he discussed some of the  
background of this particular shuttle flight.  STS-48 was a  
September '91 launch of the space shuttle Discovery.  It  
carried several scientific experiments including radiation  
monitoring, zero gravity crystal growth, polymer growth and  
rodent physiology.  Cargo payloads included the UARS (Upper  
Atmospheric Research Satellite) and the APM-03 (Atmospheric  
Particle Monitor-3).  There were five crew members: John  
Creighton, Commander; Kenneth Reightler, Jr. Pilot; Charles  
D. Gemar, Mission Specialist 1; James F. Buchli, Mission  
Specialist 2; and Mark N. Brown, Mission Specialist 3.  
Although this was not a DoD mission, all crew members were  
active duty military personnel.  Ron mentioned a few other  
tidbits about congressional involvement but did not  
elaborate any further.  The time had come to show and tell.  
He handed me a video tape.  He explained he was going to  
show me Event #2 as it should be seen, not the multi-  
generational degraded footage shown on "HardCopy".  
