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The mystery of the Solway Spaceman


Still Waters

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On a bright summer's day in 1964, a Carlisle fireman took a photo of his daughter that created headlines around the world. Fifty years later are we any closer to solving the mystery of the "Solway Spaceman"?

http://www.bbc.co.uk...umbria-27391210

Remember this? We've had threads about this famous picture before but I thought an update would be interesting to read.

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i think its a picture of a rambler facing away from the camera, the person has grey hair and the sun is shining on the left side making it appear like a helmet. if the person wasnt aware that a picture was being taken then they wouldnt be able to come forward and say its was them.

Edited by Ever Learning
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You mean that famous photo of someone walking up a hill behind a little girl?

If I was her father and saw a ******* spaceman behind my daughter, I'd not be taking a photo, I'd be taking her and running like the clappers.

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That was spooky. The most interesting was when the Blue Streak missile in Woomera, Australia, cancelled a test because "spacemen" appeared in the area. They looked like the "spaceman" in the photo. Carlisle is where that picture was taken and also it's where Blue Streak comes from.

I don't know if I Can accept the "spacemen in Woomera" story or not. It doesn't add up. First of all the report of the "spacemen" was really said that "two figures clad in white" seen in area of the test site. There was film of the Blue Streak tests. Reports indicate that the missile was cancelled because of technical problems.

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You mean that famous photo of someone walking up a hill behind a little girl?

If I was her father and saw a ******* spaceman behind my daughter, I'd not be taking a photo, I'd be taking her and running like the clappers.

I've never been convinced by the debunk attempts that purport to show that it was a guy behind the girl. The perspective is all wrong and he would need to have legs ten feet long.

There was something strange that occurred that day; the parallel sighting also needs to be explained.

That was spooky. The most interesting was when the Blue Streak missile in Woomera, Australia, cancelled a test because "spacemen" appeared in the area. They looked like the "spaceman" in the photo. Carlisle is where that picture was taken and also it's where Blue Streak comes from.

I don't know if I Can accept the "spacemen in Woomera" story or not. It doesn't add up. First of all the report of the "spacemen" was really said that "two figures clad in white" seen in area of the test site. There was film of the Blue Streak tests. Reports indicate that the missile was cancelled because of technical problems.

Shame we have no image of this event. That would have intensified the mystery.

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i think its a picture of a rambler facing away from the camera, the person has grey hair and the sun is shining on the left side making it appear like a helmet. if the person wasnt aware that a picture was being taken then they wouldnt be able to come forward and say its was them.

It's not that simple. Look at the distance to the ground. Legs ten feet long?

solway-firth-spaceman.jpg

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Beekeeper.

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Beekeeper.

With enormously long legs. Maybe he was an alien bee keeper?

:lol:

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With enormously long legs. Maybe he was an alien bee keeper?

:lol:

Has anyone ever tried to reproduce this photo? If its not a hoax i.e. A kids toy on a stick etc, we know the camera type, location, participants, time, sunangle and day the photo was snapped it would only be childs play to bust this myth wide open.

Edited by taniwha
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Has anyone ever tried to reproduce this photo? If its not a hoax i.e. A kids toy on a stick etc, we know the camera type, location, participants, time, sunangle and day the photo was snapped it would only be childs play to bust this myth wide open.

Some wag tried to do analysis years ago trying to prove it was some dude behind the camera.

It wasn't convincing and the enigma persists. The basic problem is that the perspective is all wrong for it to be a guy behind.

If the head was lower no one would have given this case a second look. You only have to look at the image to see something is wrong with the idea. The legs would need to be ten feet long.

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Some wag tried to do analysis years ago trying to prove it was some dude behind the camera.

It wasn't convincing and the enigma persists. The basic problem is that the perspective is all wrong for it to be a guy behind.

If the head was lower no one would have given this case a second look. You only have to look at the image to see something is wrong with the idea. The legs would need to be ten feet long.

I agree the heights are wrong to the human senses, but might appear just right from an old fashioned cameras perspective. Its definately out of focus, the human eye would not have been that discriminate.

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Has anyone ever tried to reproduce this photo?

Without success if they did.

Film company Kodak said the same and even offered a reward to anyone who could prove the photo was faked. It was never claimed.
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Has anyone ever tried to reproduce this photo? If its not a hoax i.e. A kids toy on a stick etc, we know the camera type, location, participants, time, sunangle and day the photo was snapped it would only be childs play to bust this myth wide open.

Should send it Mythbusters.

It's not that simple. Look at the distance to the ground. Legs ten feet long?

solway-firth-spaceman.jpg

Maybe it is the wife with her back to the camera. You can see the dress sleave and maybe a scarf. But then there is no shadow cast by the figure which may suggest a processing error or it was added in on purpose.

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Maybe it is the wife with her back to the camera. You can see the dress sleave and maybe a scarf. But then there is no shadow cast by the figure which may suggest a processing error or it was added in on purpose.

Good spotting. Perhaps given the shadow of the toddler the sun was more or less overhead, meaning that the figure might have cast a shadow just beyond view. I would like to hear the girls opinion after all these years.

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The figure actually looks like a person with their back to the camera judging by the stance and appearance of the shadows denoting more a back than a front.

It seems as though a nose can be discerned if the head was facing to the right of the image, otherwise, its a bloody good shot of a spaceman alright....

problem is, the head is too small for a normal human figure and placed a little eccentric on the shoulders... having a left leaning bias, further, the right shoulder is too low for the 'hands on hips' stance sooo, logically, its a fake...

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Should send it Mythbusters.

Maybe it is the wife with her back to the camera. You can see the dress sleave and maybe a scarf. But then there is no shadow cast by the figure which may suggest a processing error or it was added in on purpose.

The fact that his wife must have had legs ten feet long isn't an issue for you then?

Why do you think this case keeps cropping up as unsolved if were that simple? Try and imagine what the person behind the girl must look like.

Apart from the parallel sighting in Australia, the above reasoning kills the idea stone dead.

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Maybe it is the wife with her back to the camera. You can see the dress sleave and maybe a scarf.

Good spotting.

Pretty muscular back and arms, and look at her dress in the following img posted at the link;

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/75012000/jpg/_75012545_cumberland-spaceman2-1.jpg

No sleeves.

Everyone should try this, copy the original img, paste it into paint, select all then invert the colors. See what happens?

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Pretty muscular back and arms, and look at her dress in the following img posted at the link;

http://news.bbcimg.c...spaceman2-1.jpg

No sleeves.

Everyone should try this, copy the original img, paste it into paint, select all then invert the colors. See what happens?

Agreed. Rushing to obvious conclusions in an attempt to dismiss the case rarely works.

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Fun picture with no explanation the camera caught a subject which is what cameras do. The spacemen at the rocket launch have been explained. The picture of the little girl has not.

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Fun picture with no explanation the camera caught a subject which is what cameras do. The spacemen at the rocket launch have been explained. The picture of the little girl has not.

I don't think it ever will be. The best attempt at a banal explanation would be some processing mix up between different negatives.

Again highly unlikely.

No doubt it will crop up again next year. And the year after............

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Who has the light blue dress shown in the above image?

This person! The mother! On the right. Coincidence? No its just common sense!

S_F_Mother.jpg

.

Edited by seeder
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