As images of the object gleaming amid dusty red rocks spread online, many noted a vague resemblance to the so-called “monoliths” in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” prompting strained jokes about a possibly extraterrestrial origin. It disappeared after generating much excitement internationally among science-fiction fans, hearkening to Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, “2001: A Space Odyssey,” based on a novel by Arthur C. Clarke.