In Brief

Objects Seen by Chinese Satellite Not Wreckage from Missing Malaysian Jetliner

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Chinese Satellite Image of Floating Objects #1
A Chinese satellite imaged three objects floating in the South China Sea on March 9, 2014, but officials now confirm the objects were not parts of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which went missing on March 7. Image uploaded March 13, 2014. (Image credit: China Resources Satellite Application Center for map)

Three objects spotted floating in the waters northeast of Kuala Lumpur by a Chinese satellite were not parts of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight that disappeared Friday (March 7), according to press reports.

Crews searching for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 didn't find any wreckage in the area imaged by the Chinese satellite, the BBC reports. The satellite images of the South China Sea, taken on March 9, surfaced on Wednesday (March 12).

A Chinese satellite imaged three objects floating in the South China Sea on March 9, 2014, but officials now confirm the objects were not parts of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which went missing on March 7. Image uploaded March 13, 2014. (Image credit: China Resources Satellite Application Center for map)

NASA officials are using data collected by NASA satellites to hunt for the missing jetliner as well. The space agency is looking into archived satellite information that might help them find signs of the missing plane. NASA is currently using space-based instruments like the Earth-Observing-1 satellite and ISERV camera on the International Space Station to get new images of possible crash sites, NASA spokesman Allard Beutel told Space.com via email Wednesday.

A Chinese satellite imaged three objects floating in the South China Sea on March 9, 2014, but officials now confirm the objects were not parts of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which went missing on March 7. Image uploaded March 13, 2014. (Image credit: China Resources Satellite Application Center for map)

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Miriam Kramer
Miriam Kramer
Staff Writer

Miriam Kramer joined Space.com as a Staff Writer in December 2012. Since then, she has floated in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight, felt the pull of 4-Gs in a trainer aircraft and watched rockets soar into space from Florida and Virginia. She also served as Space.com's lead space entertainment reporter, and enjoys all aspects of space news, astronomy and commercial spaceflight.  Miriam has also presented space stories during live interviews with Fox News and other TV and radio outlets. She originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee where she and her family would take trips to dark spots on the outskirts of town to watch meteor showers every year. She loves to travel and one day hopes to see the northern lights in person. Miriam is currently a space reporter with Axios, writing the Axios Space newsletter. You can follow Miriam on Twitter.