New Interest in Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena
Source: NASA
Introduction
What is UAP? The notion humanity may be alone in the universe is difficult for the human mind to fully comprehend. The idea we are a mere anomaly, a one-time occurrence of life in the vast cosmos, seems implausible to many. This underlying need to determine whether or not we are the sole intelligence fuels our continual quest to uncover signs of extraterrestrial life beyond our planet. The existential desire to know for certain if we have cosmic companions drives our exploration of space and motivates our search for alien civilizations. However, the notion that we may have been discovered by extraterrestrial beings with vastly superior comprehension of universal laws and physics exceeds the limits of what many are willing to accept.
The origins of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) in the US can be traced back to the late 1940s, with the most famous sighting being reported by Kenneth Arnold on June 24th of 1947. Arnold, a civilian piloting a CallAir A-2 twin seat utility aircraft, reported seeing nine "saucer-like" objects flying over Mount Rainier in Washington state traveling at estimated speeds of 1,200 to 1,700 miles per hour. Arnold's sighting was widely reported in the media, and the term "flying saucer" was coined to describe the objects.
In the same general time of the Arnold sightings an incident occurred on a sheep ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. A rancher named William Brazel discovered a strange object scattered across his land. He described it as being about 12 feet wide and 5 feet tall and it had a metallic sheen to it. Brazel initially thought it might be a weather balloon, but upon closer inspection realized it was something more unusual.
He collected some of the debris and brought it to the sheriff's office in Roswell. Sheriff George Wilcox was intrigued by the find and called the Roswell Army Air Field which dispatched a team of soldiers to collect more of the debris.
Base commander Colonel William Blanchard was also intrigued by the event. He ordered his men to assemble the collected items like a puzzle into a complete object. Once assembled, the result was described as a disc, about 15 feet in diameter and made of a lightweight metal with no visible seams. Blanchard also reported finding strange symbols on some of the items, which he later described as being "hieroglyphic-like."
Concerned about the security implications of the object's discovery, he ordered his men to keep it a secret and to dispose of the items as quickly as possible. Supposedly, they were taken to a nearby landfill and buried.
News of the discovery soon leaked to the press and on June 28, 1947, the Roswell Daily Record published a front-page story about the object, calling it a "flying disc." The story went viral, and soon newspapers all over the world were reporting on the Roswell incident.
The Army was initially reluctant to confirm the story, but eventually issued a press release like the following.
“July 8, 1947
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RAAF Captures Flying Disc
Roswell, New Mexico — The many rumors regarding the finding of a “flying disc” near Roswell, New Mexico, is a fact, according to information released by the Roswell Army Air Field. The intelligence office of the 509th Bomb Group at the Roswell Field said that the disc was found in a ranch near Roswell and that it is being investigated by the Office of Scientific Research and Development.
There was no indication of the field origin of the disc or its purpose. However, it is believed that it may be of foreign origin.
”
Responding to heightened public interest, they quickly changed their story claiming the object was actually a weather balloon.
The public was skeptical and the Roswell incident became a hotbed for conspiracy theories. Many people believed the Army was covering up the crash of an alien spacecraft.
In 1994, 47 years after the Roswell incident, the US Air Force released a report that concluded the object was a top-secret weather balloon created for Project Mogul. Project Mogul was an initiative to develop high-altitude balloons that could be used to detect sound waves from Soviet nuclear tests. The project was active from 1947 until early 1949. The report also stated the recovered wreckage had been destroyed.
Again, this information failed to satisfy many people who believed the government was trying to cover up the truth.
Succumbing to public pressure, the Air Force released a second and final report on the incident in 1997. This report concluded the crashed object in Roswell was most likely a Project Mogul balloon, but it was impossible to say for sure.
New Interest
Source: New York Times
The New York Times
On December 16, 2017, the New York Times published an article about a secret Pentagon program to investigate UFOs. The article was written by Helene Cooper, Ralph Blumenthal, and Leslie Kean. Cooper and Blumenthal are staff reporters for the Times, and Kean is the author of the book "UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record."
The gist of the article described a shadowy program, of which some parts remain classified, which began in 2007 and was initially funded at the request of Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat who was the Senate majority leader at the time and who had an interest in space phenomena.
Most of the money went to an aerospace research company run by Robert Bigelow, a billionaire entrepreneur and longtime friend of Mr. Reid and whose company is currently working with NASA to produce expandable space habitats. The program produced documents that describe sightings of aircraft that seemed to move at very high velocities with no visible signs of propulsion, or that hovered with no apparent means of lift.
Source: Trusted Tech News
Congress
In May of 2022, a House Intelligence subcommittee convened the first congressional hearing in over half a century on military reports of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). Three witnesses, all ex-military officers, gave sworn testimony to the subcommittee.
It is important to recognize the gravity of misleading a congressional committee while under oath, which is a federal crime. Witnesses who provide false testimony to Congress face severe legal consequences, including potential imprisonment for up to 5 years and fines up to $250,000.
With that understanding in mind, David Fravor, a commander in the U.S. Navy in 2004, testified while stationed on the USS Nimitz he and another pilot observed an object behaving inexplicably. Video of the encounter was released by the Department of Defense in 2017 and publicized by The New York Times. He testified the technology he witnessed was far superior to anything human beings have and described objects with no visible means of propulsion carrying out sudden maneuvers that no known technology could achieve.
Ryan Graves, an F-18 pilot, testified in 2014 sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) were so common among his crew stationed at Virginia Beach that they were included in the daily briefings. He recounted one incident in which two jets had to take evasive action to avoid a UAP.
The most noteworthy testimony came from David Grusch, an Air Force intelligence officer who retired with the rank of major. His high security clearance gave him access to reports that were not available to the public. He sought whistleblower protection after claiming that the US government was operating in secrecy and above congressional oversight with regard to UAPs, even claiming that crashed UAPs had yielded biological material of non-human origin. The Pentagon has denied this claim.
Source: NASA
NASA
In parallel with the government's increasing transparency around UFOs, NASA embarked on its own independent study of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to explore how the agency could apply scientific principles to understand the issue. On June 9th 2022, NASA announced its UAP analysis effort would examine available data and recommended future research directions. Just over a year later, on September 14th 2023, NASA published its completed findings from the UAP study. While not reaching definitive conclusions about the origins or nature of UAP, the NASA report advocates ways the agency can contribute its expertise to advance the ongoing investigation of the phenomena. By taking a science-based approach, NASA aims to bring analytical rigor to determining if UAP represents evidence of new physics or alien visitation rather than staying relegated to the shadows. These recommendations include:
Establishing a dedicated UAP research office at NASA.
Developing standardized methods for collecting and analyzing UAP data.
Working with other government agencies and the private sector to share information and resources on UAP research.
Conduct public outreach and education on UAP research.
The release of the NASA report is significant because it is the first time NASA has officially acknowledged the phenomenon and has committed to studying it.
Source: Roswell Inn
Conclusion
Jaime Maussan, a Mexican journalist, recently alleged he had acquired two ancient mummified remains from an unnamed source in Peru. Maussan asserts the mummies are evidence of extraterrestrial life. He presented the controversial specimens at a Mexican congressional hearing where, under oath, he testified the mummies prove the existence of aliens that once visited Earth.
According to Maussan, the discovery of these bodies occurred in the vicinity of the pre-Columbian Nazca Lines in Cusco, Peru. He asserts the exhibits date back approximately 1,000 years and scientific examinations have established they do not align with our planet's evolutionary history. Furthermore, he asserts these bodies were analyzed by researchers from the Autonomous National University of Mexico, revealing the presence of unfamiliar DNA within their cellular structure.
The concerning issue is the improper handling of this alleged discovery. Upon unearthing remains of this nature, proper protocol calls for securing the site and promptly notifying scientists to systematically examine the entire area. Removing and relocating the specimens to Mexico absent proper analysis gives the unfortunate impression of plundering gravesites rather than responsibly documenting an archaeological find.
While UAP artifacts may seem like treasures, they belong to all humanity. If Jaime Maussan sincerely believes his account, he should make the evidence available for scientific scrutiny. Otherwise, without transparency, people will assume the story is a hoax for personal profit. Even if Maussan's claims prove factual, that alone doesn't confirm the bodies are extraterrestrial. Ultimately, the truth behind these artifacts needs open examination.
The nature of UAP remains ambiguous - they could be advanced technology, natural occurrences, or something else entirely. However, the frequency of sightings indicates they are valid phenomena worth investigating further. NASA's involvement lends credibility and resources to analyzing these incidents more systematically. If accounts like pilot David Fravor's encounters are representative, then instrumenting aircraft in regions with known UAP activity could yield valuable data when new sightings occur. A proactive, evidence-based approach is needed to move beyond speculation.
Others like SETI should join the effort as their mission statement supports this kind of effort.:
To lead humanity's quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe and share that knowledge with the world.
This statement encompasses a broad range of objectives, including:
Searching for evidence of life beyond Earth
Studying the formation and evolution of planets and solar systems
Exploring the possibility of interstellar travel
Communicating with the public about the search for extraterrestrial life
As an organization dedicated to searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, SETI should leverage their expertise to lead new efforts investigating UAPs.
If a UAP incident was properly documented and irrefutably proven to have the ability to maneuver without any recognizable propulsion system, it would have major implications for the possibility of advanced alien technology. Such unprecedented engineering would constitute a scientific leap beyond all current human inventions. Solid verification of this kind of craft would connect directly to SETI's core goal of finding signs of life beyond Earth.
However, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Any such documentation would need to withstand rigorous scrutiny by the scientific community. Nonetheless, proven evidence of such technology could transform our understanding of what is possible and reshape the search for life beyond our planet.
Update: Netflix Docuseries
Sept 27, 2023
The new docuseries named Encounters, released on September 13, 2023, investigates four riveting narratives of experiences that defy conventional explanation. Directed by Yon Motskin and jointly produced by Amblin Television, Boardwalk Pictures, and Vice Studios, this four-part program examines and dramatizes purportedly real-life incidents involving unidentified or extraterrestrial activity. Using director Motskin's signature stylized reenactments, Encounters aims to vividly bring to life these fascinating alleged close encounters while exploring their implications from scientific, cultural and personal perspectives. Backed by seasoned producers and combining dramatic flair with documentary substance, the series offers viewers cinematic portraits of four extraordinary paranormal mysteries, leaving audiences to draw their own conclusions.
The four stories featured are:
Strange lights in the sky over small-town Texas
Submersible space crafts haunting a coastal Welsh village
An alien encounter with schoolchildren in Zimbabwe
Non-human intelligence reportedly interfering with a nuclear power plant in Japan
This docuseries demonstrates the difficulties of investigating UAP events. They are random and unpredictable. The first episode introduces the audience to the MUFON network. The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) is a prominent non-profit American organization that investigates and researches reports of UFO sightings.
Some key facts include:
Founded in 1969, it is one of the oldest and largest civilian UFO research groups in the world.
Its goal is serious scientific study of UFO phenomena for the benefit of humanity.
MUFON has a global network of trained field investigators who respond to and document UFO sightings.
It maintains a comprehensive database of UFO reports that is available for analysis.
Their investigators interview witnesses, examine physical evidence, and cross-reference other data points to vet UFO incidents.
MUFON has monthly meetings, publishes journals, hosts conferences, and works with scientists to further understand UFO evidence.
While open to the possibility of extraterrestrial origins, they do not jump to conclusions and critically analyze sightings.
MUFON offers a reporting form on its website for the public to submit new UAP accounts which are then reviewed by their investigation team.
Over the decades, MUFON has compiled over 100,000 UFO reports, pushing for greater transparency around UAP information.
Update: Why haven’t we found aliens?
Sept 29, 2023
Dr. Brian Cox, PhD is a prominent British physicist and professor who has made major contributions to the public understanding of science. In the above video he walks through his thoughts on why we have not found life beyond our planet.
