The Vela Incident (Part One: Alert 747)

The Vela Incident (Part One: Alert 747)

Author: Unresolved Productions September 27, 2026 Duration: 58:54
"There was indication of a nuclear explosion in the region of South Africa, either South Africa, Israel using a ship at sea, or nothing."

In May 1969, Vela 6911 had been launched into the upper atmosphere to monitor a portion of the planet for any sign of a nuclear explosion. It was an Advanced Vela Satellite, carrying X-ray, gamma-ray, and neutron detectors. It was also armed with a pair of optical sensors called bhangmeters, which were named that almost as a joke, because 'you would have to be high' to believe they would actually work.

Well, over their lifespan, the bhangmeters had actually worked successfully. Of the 41 "double-flashes" that the Vela satellites recorded over their first decade of use, all had been confirmed as a nuclear explosion by other means, usually by detecting the radioactive debris afterward. But then on Saturday, 22 September 1979, at 00:53 Coordinated Universal Time, Vela 6911's two bhangmeters recorded a double flash over the southern Indian Ocean, somewhere between South Africa and Antarctica...



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For those drawn to the shadows where stories lack a final page, there's Unresolved: A True Crime & Mystery Podcast. Hosted by Micheal Whelan, this podcast operates on a simple, haunting premise: some questions demand to be asked, even if the answers remain just out of reach. Since 2015, each episode is a deep, respectful exploration into the voids left by history and crime. You'll hear meticulously researched narratives on cold cases that have grown dusty, the enigmatic patterns of unidentified perpetrators, and disappearances that left only silence in their wake. This isn't about easy conclusions; it's about the weight of the unknown. The podcast gives voice to the details that complicate simple theories and honors the lingering questions that haunt families and investigators alike. By focusing on mysteries that refuse to be neatly solved, Unresolved creates a space for thoughtful reflection on the nature of justice, memory, and the stories we can't afford to forget. It's for listeners who find compelling narrative not in resolution, but in the pursuit itself, in following every thread no matter how faint or where it leads. Tune in for a sobering, immersive journey into the cases that defy closure.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Unresolved: A True Crime & Mystery Podcast
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