| The Fourth Astronaut | |
|---|---|
|
Origin |
Apollo 11 moon landing |
|
Type |
Sentient (?) Spacesuit |
|
Effects |
Self-animate, possibly sentient |
|
Downsides |
N/A |
|
Activation |
Alive (?) |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 13 |
|
Date of Collection |
July 30th, 1969 |
| [Source] | |
Origin
On July 24th, 1969, the Apollo 11 Lunar landing module Columbia achieved splashdown in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Warehouse agents were stationed aboard the USS Hornet to intercept any artifacts likely to have been created in such a momentous event. Nothing of note was identified at recovery, though a single moon rock would later be identified as an artifact during testing at the NASA headquarters. Under orders, the agents followed the journey of the Columbia to the Ford Island deactivation site, then onto the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in Houston.
Here, when the module was reopened for examination, the agents and researchers were alarmed to find a full space suit sitting in one of the secured seats. More so when the suit turned to face them and began talking. Its dialogue seemed confused and unrelated to the aggressive questioning it was presented with, and did not otherwise move or react to external stimulus. After adequate warning, two .45 caliber rounds were fired at the torso, to no effect. The figure was Tesla'd and removed from the module.
Interrogation from Warehouse agents and Regents produced no coherent replies until it was discovered that the suit was simply repeating a set rotation of phrases from radio communications between Mission Control and the Apollo 11 craft, as well as transcripts of news station reports that had aired between the 16th (launch day) and the 24th. Subsequent attempts to remove parts of the suit were met with failure, the interior seeming to exert a massive amount of pressure keeping everything together. The two previous bullet holes had been plugged by the spent rounds, apparently pushed back out of the suit to perfectly plug the entry wounds.
Internal scans of the suit showed absolutely nothing within, just a mass of hyper-dense matter in the approximate shape of a human with no discerning features. Given the lack of apparent sentience and the consistent effect of repeated phrases, it was decided to class the suit as an artifact itself as opposed to a Metaphysical Artifact Entity.
Effects
The suit contains a dense humanoid figure that cannot be identified by internal scanning. It does not require any apparent source of nutrients, nor does it breathe or sleep. The suit reacts to the presence of other people, but will not interact with them of its own volition. The suit, when approached, will emit radio recordings of transmissions between Mission Control in Houston and the Apollo 11 crew, as well as any television and radio news broadcasts about the event that aired while the mission was in progress.
The suit is resistant to damage, either recovering quickly or using nearby materials to patch any holes. Currently two .45 caliber rounds are embedded in the suit to plug the holes they punctured and cannot be removed. It is unknown where the suit came from, as it appeared to manifest spontaneously inside the Columbia. No extra suits were aboard the shuttle, and nothing unusual was reported by the astronauts. The current theory is that the worldwide excitement surrounding the landing manifested physically, explaining the artifact's limited dialogue.