Richard P Oszx
Captain Richard P. Oszx, USAF, authored early research on Fast Walkers detected by Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites in 1989. His work represents some of the earliest official documentation of the US military's systematic tracking of anomalous objects entering and leaving Earth's atmosphere.
| Role | USAF Captain; Fast Walker researcher |
|---|
1989 Fast Walker Research
Oszx wrote "Orbit Determination of Sunlit Illuminated Objects Detected by Overhead Platforms" in 1989, detailing joint efforts between NORAD and the Air Force Foreign Technology Division to investigate uncatalogued spacebound objects detected by reflected sunlight passing through satellite sensors — objects designated as Fast Walkers.
Key Findings
The 1989 paper established several critical facts about Fast Walker detection:
- Data collection began in 1972: The paper states that data on Fast Walkers "has been recorded since 1972 by certain ballistic missile early warning Satellite Systems located at various geostationary locations" — confirming that DSP satellites have been cataloging these objects for decades.
- Increasing detection rates: The report noted that "the fast Walker analysis has become an increasingly important issue due to the increase in geosynchronous satellites which detect the objects while ground-based sensors cannot."
- Unsolvable orbit determination: Despite joint NORAD and Foreign Technology Division efforts, determining the orbit or precise origin of Fast Walker objects was deemed unsolvable, as referenced in prior research by a scientist named Wong.
Significance
Oszx's 1989 paper is one of the earliest official documents confirming systematic US military tracking of anomalous space objects. The paper's acknowledgment that Fast Walker detection was becoming "an increasingly important issue" suggests growing concern within the defense establishment about the frequency and nature of these detections. His work preceded Bradley R. Townson's 2008 follow-up study by nearly two decades, establishing a long documented history of military research on this phenomenon.