Rewind 2023: Moments this year that seemed straight out of science fiction

The year 2023 saw some pretty 'out there' moments that at first glance seem like something right out of a sci-fi book. From the space rock being dropped to our planet Earth, to a dangerous journey underwater that took a tragic turn, here are some moments from the departing year that belong in the science fiction aisle of a library.

Titan Submersible Implosion

On June 18th, Titan, a submersible carrying five passengers, embarked on a fascinating expedition to view the wreck of Titanic, a ship known for its tragic end. However, merely 1 hour and 45 minutes into the dive, the submersible lost contact with its mother ship, the 'Polar Prince'.

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Four days after it went missing, a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) discovered debris containing parts of Titan. It was found merely 500 metres (1,640.42 feet) from the bow of the Titanic.

The Coast Guard announcing the discovery of debris said that it indicated the Titan's implosion and the instantaneous loss of all onboard — Stockton Rush, the founder and CEO of OceanGate; Hamish Harding, a British airline executive; Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a renowned French scientist and Titanic expert; and Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, a father-son duo.

Alien Mummies in Mexico

On September 13, journalist and UFO enthusiast Jaime Maussan presented the specimens at a Mexico congressional event on UFOs or FANIs in Spanish.

At the time, Maussan said that the bodies believed to have been found near the mysterious ancient Nazca lines in Peru were not related to life on Earth.

As expected, the scientific community had its doubts. However, in November, at a Congressional hearing in Mexico, researchers declared that the previously displayed three-fingered Peruvian mummies were authentic. However, they cautiously steered away from certifying the remains' extraterrestrial origins.

NASA's First-Ever Report on UFOs

September was truly a month of extraterrestrials. Apart from the Peruvian mummies that month, NASA also unveiled a report on UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects), or UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena).

In its report, the US space agency said that it did not find any evidence that the recently reported a spate of UFOs were of extraterrestrial origin. However, Bill Nelson, Administrator of NASA, said that the finding does not mean that the space agency is denying the possibility of life existing elsewhere in the universe.

A Special Delivery From Space

In October, NASA successfully brought to the Earth the largest soil sample scooped from the surface of an asteroid called Bennu. The materials, dating back around 4.5 billion years, were collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe in 2020. Finally, this year, the precious samples travelled some 67,000 miles (107,826.05 kilometres) to touch down on Earth.

"That was the moment I knew we made it home... For me, the real science is just beginning," said the Osiris-Rex mission's principal investigator Dante Lauretta at the time.

The celestial specimen can potentially hold answers to questions like how Earth became habitable and much more asasteroid samples, are composed of the 'original materials of the solar system' and are considered relics of the early solar system.

Crashing Into The Moon

You've heard of car crashes, but 2023 was the year of a space crash. In August, Russia's first moon mission in 47 years failed, with the Luna-25 spacecraft spinning out of control and crashing into the moon.

The spacecraft sought to land on the Moon's South Pole, and collect geological samples from the lunar surface. This was seen as a precursor to the eventual human colony on the moon.

Dark Side of the Moon

Soon after Russia failed, India succeeded in landing on the South Pole or the dark side of the moon. On August 23, the Chandrayaan-3 mission, with its lander Vikram and rover Pragyan, made the historic achievement, making India the first country to touch down on the unexplored side of the Earth's lunar satellite. Not just that, India also etched its name in history as only the fourth nation to touch the lunar surface.

Mysterious Object Haunts Australia Beach

In July, a large mysterious object was found on a remote West Australian beach. Initially, it was thought to be rocket debris from India's moon mission, Chandrayaan-3. However, India denied any links to the object and the origins of this object still remain unknown. It was eventually moved to a secret location.

Life on Mars?

In October, NASA announced that it had found evidence that points towards the existence of life on Mars… once upon a time. Examining data collected by NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover, a team of researchers deduced that the planet in ancient times had a huge network of rivers flowing with life-giving water.

"We're finding evidence that Mars was likely a planet of rivers," said the research's lead author, Benjamin Cardenas, a geoscientist at Penn State University. The findings were published in Geophysical Research Letters.