What is the golden space shuttle?
The golden space shuttle is a small gold object a few centimeters long said to have been found at an ancient site in Colombia, South America. With triangular wings and something like a vertical tail fin, it looks just like an airplane or the space shuttle, which gave it its name. There are several gold objects of similar shape, also called “golden jets.”
One theory attributes them to the Sinu culture of northern Colombia (around AD 500–800), but their date and find sites are disputed. Similar gold objects are held at the Gold Museum in Bogota and elsewhere.
The “ancient airplane” theory
OOPArt researchers argued that the shape of the wings and tail fin made aerodynamic sense, and that ancient people knew about airplanes, or made them after seeing the craft of aliens who came from the sky. In the 1990s, model airplanes built on the shape of the golden jets actually flew, which caused a stir.
Ornaments shaped like animals?
Most archaeologists, on the other hand, think these gold objects are ornaments such as pendants shaped like fish, birds or insects. Theories say they closely resemble the pleco, a catfish of South American rivers, or were modeled on flying fish or birds. The ancient cultures of Colombia made many finely crafted gold ornaments shaped like animals. Read also about ancient aircraft legends such as the vimana. Famous OOPArts are listed on the OOPArts page.
