Space Command Radar Contact Data Packet (Minneapolis Tracking)

Utilized in a briefing context to provide evidence and add political pressure regarding radar contact.

3 appearances

Purpose

To relay time-stamped radar tracking data and diagnostic readouts about a specific contact so command and White House staff can verify, escalate, or respond to an unexplained return.

Significance

Provides incontrovertible, operational evidence that Minneapolis radar tracked Captain Hutchins' aircraft; its presence converts rumor into accountable fact, tightens political pressure on spokespeople, and propels private confrontations about the administration's handling of the incident.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S1E5 · The Crackpots and These Women

Unsettling UFO Pitch to the White House

The Space Command Radar Contact Data Packet is the implied evidence Bob cites when asking Sam to show the President data. It operates as the concrete object of the dispute: empirical weight that collides with political procedure and is ultimately refused entry into presidential attention.

Before: In Bob's control or briefcase as the technical packet of time‑stamped radar returns and tracking notes used to support his request.

After: Remains with Bob or within Space Command channels — not accepted for elevation to the President, effectively deferred to proper military/agency procedure.

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S1E5 · The Crackpots and These Women

The Unseen Object and a Presidential Pen

The Space Command radar contact data functions as the central evidentiary claim Bob cites to justify escalation: time-stamped detection, transponder gaps, and failed visual confirmation by jets. It is the reason for Bob's visit and the unstated object Sam must decide whether to route up the chain.

Before: In Bob's control or represented in his briefing notes/mental summary as the core factual claim he brings to Sam.

After: Not accepted for presidential briefing; it remains unescalated in Space Command channels or with Bob, effectively deferred by Sam's refusal.

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S1E22 · What Kind Of Day Has It Been

C.J. Deflects — Confirms Airspace, Cuts Off Briefing

The Minneapolis tracking packet is the evidentiary backbone for C.J.'s opening line: radar officers aboard the Minneapolis monitored Captain Hutchins going 'Feet Dry'. It functions as the technical fact that forces the administration to concede location and tracking details during the briefing.

Before: In circulation among intelligence and briefing staff; compiled and ready as reference material for the press briefing.

After: Remains an operational exhibit to be discussed in the forthcoming Pentagon briefing; its facts have been publicly referenced and thus become part of the record.

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