They’re reaching for the stars.
After 90 years of unsubstantiated Loch Ness monster sightings, Scotland’s Loch Ness Centre has turned to an unlikely source to aid them in their ongoing hunt for Nessie: NASA.
“We are hoping that Nessie hunters around the world will help us reach the people at NASA,” said Aimee Todd, marketing manager for the monster hunting institution, located in Drumnadrochit, per the Independent. “We are hoping to reach them through the power of social media.”
When asked how NASA could help, she explained: “Experts from NASA might have some advanced imaging technology to scan the loch. We would have to sit down and talk to them about how to get it here.”
They hope that the space agency, and other experts, can help them in their latest search, which goes down on the 90th anniversary of the first-ever organized surface watch of Loch Ness.
For the uninitiated, Sir Edward Mountain conducted this flagship expedition from May 30 to June 2 after Aldie Mackay reported seeing a “water beast” in Loch Ness from the Drumnadrochit hotel.
Since that inaugural expedition, the Centre has recorded over 1,156 alleged sightings of the beast. Last year, the newly-revamped organization partnered with Loch Ness Exploration (LNE) to conduct “one of the biggest searches” ever, with hundreds of both in-person and virtual volunteers from all over the world coming together to search for the beast,
The mission reportedly concluded with a hydrophone recording some peculiar underwater noises and several possible Nessie sightings.
Loch Ness Centre general manager Paul Nixon promises that this year’s search will be the “biggest ever” as the team searches for new equipment — hence the NASA callout — to help them “uncover the loch’s biggest mysteries.”
The org believes that agency’s interstellar tech could be integral in this year’s hunt, in which volunteers will be tasked with scouring the Loch’s 21.78 square mile surface for water breaks indicating Nessie’s presence.
Monster hunters will also be searching for the creature via boat and by using a 60-foot hydrophone to listen for mysterious sounds pinging up from the bottom of the Loch. Nessie trackers who can’t get to the lock can still search remotely with the live cameras on the Visit Inverness Loch Ness website.
“This year we are determined to find out more about the elusive Loch Ness Monster,” declared Nixon, who is banking on recruiting said experts in addition to the typical “monster hunters.”
Along with NASA, the center has reportedly reached out to UK university professors, Todd explained. No word as to whether they’ll try and enlist “Loch-heed” Martin in the future.
Ultimately, the org hopes that NASA and can lend their expertise — and perhaps some legitimacy — to the oft-mocked search for Nessie.
“We are just hoping for their expert guidance to help with our ongoing quest to get answers,” said Todd.
