Facts About UFOs, What Do We Really Know?

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Facts About UFOs, What Do We Really Know?

Whether you are a believer or not, it is a fact that Unidentified Flying Objects or UFOs have been seen since ancient times in the earth’s atmosphere. Critics argue that all UFO evidence is anecdotal, so what are the real facts when it comes to UFOs.

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Basics UFO Facts

UFO

The term "UFO" was officially created in 1953 by the United States Air Force. It defined a UFO as any airborne object which by performance, aerodynamic characteristics, or unusual features, does not conform to any presently known aircraft or missile type, or which cannot be positively identified as a familiar object.

Real UFOs
Governments and independent researchers have always accepted that between 6-10% of all UFO Sightings are truly unidentified. This number is plausible and believable.

Hoax UFOs
Only a tiny minority, estimated to be around 1 -2% of all UFO reports turn out to be hoaxes. This number relates to personal UFO sightings, not YouTube or other video evidence.

Polls and Surveys
There have been many polls that set out to sensationalize the UFO Phenomena and they are simply dishonest and misleading. We have averaged several of the largest and most reputable polls that have been taken over the last 10 years. It is a fairly accurate assessment of what people around the world think about UFOs.

• 56% believe UFOs are real
• 17% reject the idea of UFOs
• 27% are unsure if UFOs are real
• 76% of all people believe there is a UFO cover-up by governments
• 8% of all respondents said they have seen a UFO

Legal Status of the UFO (1969 - 1991)
In the United States (under title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal regulations, implemented on July 16, 1969) which made it illegal for US citizens to have any contact with the extraterrestrials or their vehicles (UFOs). The "Extraterrestrial Exposure  Law" (which was primarily targeted at astronauts) was removed from the CFR in 1991, NASA having determined that it had "served its purpose" and was "no longer in keeping with current policy," and is no longer in force.

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UFO Firsts

There have been a long list of "UFO firsts", this list chronicles the most important events since history was recorded.  

First Bible UFO Sighting
In the Book of Ezekiel, the prophet describes a flying chariot containing wheels within wheels and powered by angels. One of the passages reads: "This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel." (Ezekiel 1:16)

First Recorded Sighting In the United States
In 1639, America's first UFO was sighted over the Charles River in Boston. Lights sped back and forth across the Charles River from Back Bay Fens to Charlestown. Governor John Winthrop made an entry in his journal regarding this strange event. The primary witness was described as a man of good reputation, activity and estate in Boston: A sober, discreet man, and two others, saw a great light in the night at Muddy River. When it stood still, it flamed up, and was about three yards square. The light was seen for approximately 2+ hours so the likelihood of it being a comet or meteorite is unlikely.

First USO (Unidentified Submerged Object) Recorded in the U.S.
In January 1644, America's first USO, or Unidentified Submerged Object, was sighted. A USO is an aquatic UFO. Governor John Winthrop (Massachusetts) made two entries in his journal in regards to this "unholy affair".

First Recorded UFO Sighting in Modern Times
On 24, 1947, private pilot Kenneth Arnold spotted a string of nine, shiny, mostly disc-like unidentified flying objects flying past Mount Rainier, Washington at then unheard of supersonic speeds that Arnold clocked at a minimum of 1,200 miles an hour. This was the first post-War sighting in the United States that garnered nationwide news coverage and is credited with being the first of the modern era of the UFO.

First UFO photo ever taken

1870-Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. This photo is dubbed, "the oldest UFO photograph ever taken." This item was the subject of bidding at EBay in 2002, when finally the photo was purchased for $385.00 by Samuel M. Sherman, who was the president of Independent-International Pictures Corp. This was originally a "stereo" photograph. Certainly it was difficult to manipulate photos at that time, and remember, there were no flying objects then; at least, not from this world. To see a compilation of the best early UFO Photos. See 10 Best UFO Ever Taken

First Air Force UFO Regulations 
(AFR 200-2) was the first comprehensive Air Force Regulation in regards to Unidentified Flying objects: This Regulation establishes procedures for information and evidence material pertaining to unidentified flying objects and sets forth the responsibility of Air Force activities in this regard. It applies to all Air Force Activities.

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Government UFO Projects And Investigations

It is a fact that the United States Governments has spent millions of dollars and thousands of man hours studying the UFO phenomena. Other countries have also studied UFOs most notably, France, Italy United Kingdom, Uruguay and many others. Since 2010 several South American countries have reconvened or restarted commissions to deal with the UFO phenomena. See Disclosure links for more information.

Project Sign (1948-1949) - an official U.S. government study of UFOs undertaken by the United States Air Force and active for most of 1948. Project Sign reached the conclusion that UFOs were likely of extraterrestrial origin, and most of the project's personnel came to favor the extraterrestrial hypothesis before this opinion was rejected and Sign was dissolved and replaced with Project Grudge.

Project Grudge (1949) - was a short-lived project by the U.S. Air Force to investigate unidentified flying objects (UFOs). The name Grudge was intentionally chosen because those in charge had a preconceived notion that UFO were explainable even before the report was commissioned. Grudge reached the conclusion that there is no evidence that objects reported upon are the result of an advanced scientific foreign development; and, therefore they constitute no direct threat to the national security.

The Robertson Panel (1952-1953) - The panel was commissioned by the CIA in response to widespread reports of unidentified flying objects, especially in the Washington, D.C. area during the summer of 1952. The report concluded that UFOs were not a direct threat to national security, but could pose an indirect threat by overwhelming standard military communications due to public interest in the subject. Most UFO reports, they concluded, could be explained.

Project Blue Book (1952-1969) - The longest-lived of the official inquiries into UFOs, Project Blue Book, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. From 1952 to 1969 Project Blue Book compiled reports of 12,618 sightings or events, each of which was ultimately classified as (1) “identified” with a known astronomical, atmospheric, or artificial (human-caused) phenomenon or (2) “unidentified.” To this day, 701 of the sightings remain "Unidentified."

The Condon Committee (1966-1968) - was the informal name of the University of Colorado UFO Project. This group was funded by the United States Air Force at the University of Colorado to study UFOs under the direction of physicist Edward Condon. Condon issue the following statement - "Our general conclusion is that nothing has come from the study of UFOs in the past 21 years that has added to scientific knowledge. They conclude that further extensive study of UFOs probably cannot be justified in the expectation that science will be advanced.

Sturrock Panel (1998) - An independent panel of scientists took a fresh look at the UFO question, it concluded that the matter needed to be taken seriously after all. In 1998, Sturrock's scientific panel reviewed various types of physical evidence associated with UFOs. The panel felt that existing evidence might support the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH). Sturrock noted that the UFO subject was obviously a very sensitive one for most of his colleagues. Sensitive in the sense that most of his peers feared ridicule or career ending repercussions by reporting, working on or even discussing the UFO phenomena.

COMETA Report France (1996-1998) is certainly worth mentioning. The study was carried out by an independent group of mostly former "auditors" at the Institute of Advanced Studies for National Defence, or IHEDN, a high-level French military think-tank, and by various experts. They produced a 90 page report that was released in 1999. COMETA concluded that the physical reality of UFOs, under control of intelligent beings, is "quasi-certain." Only one hypothesis takes into account the available data: the hypothesis of extraterrestrial visitors. The goals of these alleged visitors remain unknown but must be the subject of speculations and prospective scenarios.

Note

A number of criticisms have been leveled at each of these projects and committees. The most consistent criticism is that the government did not go far enough to legitimize the UFO. The finding they claim were intentionally misdirected as to not alarm the public and put an unnecessary burden on the assets of military or government agencies.

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Political UFO Witnesses

There have been literally hundreds of thousands of UFO Sighting by very reputable witnesses. The list includes policemen, pilots, politicians, priest and clergy, military personnel, government officials and a host of professionals. Here are five key high level first hand government UFO witnesses. 

U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr. (October 4,1955 Transcaucasia Region Russia) then chairman of the Armed Services Committee, was on a Soviet train when he spotted a disc-shaped craft taking off near the tracks. He hurriedly called his military aide and interpreter to the window and they saw the UFO, plus another one that appeared a minute later. All three witnesses were convinced that they witnessed and extraterrestrial craft. Russel remained one of the most important figures in American Politics until his death in 1971

President Jimmy Carter (January, 1969 Leary Georgia) -Two years before he became governor of Georgia, Carter was preparing to give a speech at a Lions Club meeting. At 7:15 p.m, one of the guests called his attention to a strange object that was visible about 30 degrees above the horizon to the west. Carter described the object as being bright white and as being as bright as the moon. It appeared to have closed in on where he was standing but stopped beyond a stand of trees. The object is then said to have changed color, first to blue, then to red, then back to white, before appearing to recede into the distance.

President Ronald Reagan (1974 On approach to Bakersfield California) - California Gov. Ronald Reagan was one of four people in a Cessna Citation plane who witnessed an unusual object that was a steady light which elongated and went from a normal cruising speed to a rapid acceleration. Reagan told the Wall Street Journal, "We followed it for several minutes. It was a bright white light, and all of a sudden to our utter amazement, it went straight up into the heavens."

Governor Fife Symington (March 1997 Phoenix Arizona) Gov. Fife Symington was one of thousands of eyewitnesses to the historic Phoenix Lights, which he didn't admit was real until 10 years later. Symington stated "It was enormous and inexplicable. Who knows where it came from? A lot of people saw it, and I saw it too. It was dramatic. And it couldn't have been flares because it was too symmetrical. It had a geometric outline, a constant shape." Symington said he thought the vehicle had "extraterrestrial origin".

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (2007) - At a Presidential Debate in Philadelphia, NBC's Tim Russert cited a passage from a book by Shirley MacLaine in which the author writes that Kucinich had seen a UFO from her home in Washington State. Russert asked if MacLaine's assertion was true. Kucinich confirmed and emphasized that he merely meant he had seen an unidentified flying object, just as former US president Jimmy Carter has.

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Astronaut UFO Witnesses

NASA was formed in 1958 and from the very start a number of it's astronauts and test pilots testified and reported seeing UFOs or craft of undetermined origin.

While there are many other astronauts UFO Sightings we limited our facts to just five, four US and one Russian space travelers.

Astronaut Joseph Walker (1963) was the first to announce a UFO Sighting - he told the United Nations, National Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Space Research in 1962 that he had an aerial encounter with two disc-shaped objects in April, 1964. Walker went on to say that he filmed the incident. NASA refused to discuss the incident or reveal any evidence that might substantiate the pilots' claims, photographs or films were never released.

Gordon Cooper (1963) - One of the original Mercury Astronauts and the last American to fly in space alone. On May 15, 1963 he shot into space in a Mercury capsule for a 22 orbit journey around the world. During the final orbit, Major Gordon Cooper told the tracking station at Muchea (near Perth Australia) that he could see a glowing, greenish object ahead of him quickly approaching his capsule. The UFO was real and solid, because it was picked up by Muchea's tracking radar. Cooper's sighting was reported by the NBC, reporters were told that they would not be allowed to question him about the UFO sighting.

James A. McDivitt (1965) Perhaps the best documented astronaut sighting occurred aboard Gemini 7 in 1965. Astronaut McDivitt saw "a cylindrical object with an antenna-like extension". According to McDivitt's account, the craft was silvery in appearance, and several miles away from Gemini 7.  At that time it was in "free drifting flight" over the Pacific Ocean. Suddenly the craft appeared to change direction until it was on a collision course towards them. Hastily the astronauts began to consider preparations for avoiding action, but the craft ran past them without incident.
Brian Todd O'Leary (January 27, 1940 – July 28, 2011) was an American scientist, author, and former NASA astronaut.  A members of the group of eleven that were known as the scientist-astronauts. O'leary stated just before his death "If we know UFOs are real, one of the questions to ask is how they operate and how they get to where they need to be." O'leary made a deathbed confession about the implications of the UFO Phenomena. You can his final interview, NASA Astronaut Blows Whistle on UFOs

Cosmonaut Victor Afanasyev (1979) In April of 1979, Cosmonaut Victor Afanasyev lifted off from Star City to dock with the Soviet Salyut 6 space station. But while en route, something strange happened. Cosmonaut Afanasyev saw an unidentified object turn toward his craft and begin tailing it through space.

"It followed us during half of our orbit. We observed it on the light side, and when we entered the shadow side, it disappeared completely. It was an engineering structure, made from some type of metal, approximately 40 meters long with inner hulls. The object was narrow here and wider here, and inside there were openings. Some places had projections like small wings. The object stayed very close to us. We photographed it, and our photos showed it to be 23 to 28 meters away."

In addition to photographing the UFO, Afanasyev continually reported back to Mission Control about the craft's size, its shape and position. When the cosmonaut returned to earth he was debriefed and told never to reveal what he knew, and had his cameras and film confiscated. Those photos and his voice transmissions from space have never been released.

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UFO Sightings Confirmed by Radar

It is a fact that the most mysterious and thought provoking UFO sightings, are those not only witnessed by several people, but also confirmed by radar. These sightings are remarkably common and the most authentic. In many cases these bizarre blips that suddenly invade military and civil radar screens are seen to execute manoeuvres completely beyond the abilities of any known aircraft. Many of these 'radar visuals' are have been simultaneously witnessed by eye witnesses in the air and on the ground. These accounts can never fully be explained and they continue to be very real for all the witnesses involved. Here are 3 such cases. For more radar confirmed UFO Sightings.

America West Flight 564

On May 25, 1995 America West Flight 564 was flying at an altitude of about 39,000 ft close to Bovina, Texas. While observing lightning outside the plane, the attendant noticed a peculiar set of flickering lights a little bit below the 757. The First Officer was alerted to the phenomena, he immediately saw the lights which he described as eight bright blue strobes. As the rest of the flight crew watched the flashing lights, they could clearly see the object as being cigar-shaped. The pilots estimated it to be between 300 and 400 ft long. The following day the controllers checked with NORAD and discovered that they tracked an unknown object the previous evening that appeared to be hovering, but would accelerate at speeds between 1000 - 1400 mph and stop. A US Air Force Pilot flying in the vicinity also confirmed seeing the object. 

Japan Air Lines flight 1628

On the 17th of November 1986 the crew of a Japanese cargo plane noticed two unidentified objects. in the air above Alaska. The two objects followed the cargo plane so closely that the crew at one stage even felt the warmth of the objects’ light on their faces. The first two objects dropped away when a third, larger unidentified object arrived; at which point in time the pilots requested a change of course. The FAA noticed the objects on their radar and gave the crew a directive to evade the unidentified crafts, but even after making many distinct turns and dropping over 4,000 feet the object continued to trail the cargo plane for 400 miles. On the 19th of November the crew was interviewed by the FAA who concluded that the crew was rational, normal and professional.

The Stephenville, Texas UFO Lights

On January 8, 2008, dozens of residents in Stephenville saw a massive object in the sky above their town. Some said it was a big as a football field, while others said it was nearly a mile long, very similar to the mass sighting in Phoenix during 1997. Several witnesses claimed that the object moved extremely fast. Some of the witnesses (of which one is a private pilot) believed that military aircraft chased the object and that it turned around and traveled back to the direction where it originally appeared from as they spotted F-16’s in pursuit. The story was covered by CNN’s Larry King in the days after the event. After almost two weeks, after denying any aircraft were operational in the area, The US Air Force did an 180? and now claimed they were conducting training flights in the area that involved 10 fighter jets. That might have been the end of the rumors had it not been for the very detailed radar report obtained from the FAA which clearly showed a very large object in the sky tailed by the jets at the exact time witnesses claimed they were seeing the unidentified object.

For more UFO Sightings confirmed by radar

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Mass UFO Sightings

It’s one thing for skeptics to dismiss a sighting of a UFO by a single individual, who might be mistaken, delusional or simply a teller of tall tales. It’s more difficult, however, to disregard sightings in public places and a large number of witnesses. For more Mass UFO Sighting Reports

The Belgium Wave (1989-1990)

Controversial Belgium UFO

The Belgian UFO wave refers to a series of sightings of triangular UFOs in Belgium, which lasted from November 1989 to April 1990. Approximately 13,500 people on the ground witnessed the craft of which 2,600 of filed written statements describing in detail what they had seen. These objects were also tracked on radar. Several police and military pilots also witness the UFO.

Italian Stadium (1954)

Boni now in his 80's

A game between Fiorentina and nearby rivals Pistoiese was under way at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. A crowd of around 10,000 has gathered to watch. In his eighties Boni still has vivid memories of watching in disbelief as UFOs hovered above the stadium."I remember clearly seeing this incredible sight. They were moving very fast and then they just stopped. It all lasted a couple of minutes. I would describe them looking like Cuban cigars."

Westfall UFO Encounter, Australia (1966)

Children watching UFOs

The Westfall UFO encounter is an event that occurred on 6 April 1966 in Melbourne, Australia. Around 11.00 am, for about 20 minutes, more than 200 students and teachers at two Victorian state schools allegedly witnessed an unexplained flying object which descended into a nearby open wild grass field.

62 School Children See UFO and Aliens - Zimbabwe, Africa (1994)

Dr. Mack interviews witness

At the Ariel School in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, sixty-two children between the ages of eight and twelve reported seeing a UFO and “strange beings” during morning recess. The private primary school in Ruwa, located about 20 km from Harare in Africa were in their playing field for the mid-morning break. “They saw one main silver craft that had four others around it.” They saw this small creature walk around on top of the craft while another came down to check out the children. He was all in black, with a very tight suit. The children said he had big eyes ‘like rugby balls’.

The Phoenix Lights - (1997)

CGI Phoenix Lights

Thousands of people in Nevada and Arizona reportedly saw what many described as an immense, V-shaped object outlined by seven lights. Others, however, reported seeing orbs and triangles in the sky as well. Police departments in Phoenix, Tempe, Glendale and other Arizona cities were jammed with calls from residents. One witness, a man in his thirties named Dana Valentine, said that he and his father both watched as the lights passed 500 feet directly above them. The Governor of Arizona, eventually came forward saying he was a witness to an extraterrestrial craft.

For a full list of Worldwide Mass UFO Sightings

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Congressional Hearings On UFOs

It is a fact that the United States Governments has spent millions of dollars and thousands of man hours studying the UFO phenomena. Other governments have studied and held hearings on UFOs but for the sake of brevity we will confine (in this section) our facts to the U.S. Government.  Two formal and one informal Congressional hearings on UFOs have been held:

1. The House Armed Services Committee convened the first hearing in April 5, 1966 in response to widely publicized sightings and strong public and editorial criticism of the handling of the Air Force Project Blue Book UFO program. This effort was supported by the House Minority Leader, Gerald Ford (R-Mich.), whose home state was the focus of many sightings.

2. The House Science and Astronautics Committee convened a second hearing in July 29, 1968, during the final stages of the Condon Committee project, to review the scientific evidence for UFOs. It took the form of a scientific symposium in which six scientists testified and six others submitted prepared papers.

3. The Citizen Hearing was held from April 29 to May 3, 2013 on Disclosure  at the National Press Club in Washington DC. Forty plus researchers and military/agency witnesses testified for thirty hours over five days before former members of the United States Congress. The event was the most concentrated body of evidence regarding the extraterrestrial subject ever presented to the press and the general public at one time.

Three additional events occurred in an attempt to learn more about the UFO phenomena, they are certainly worth a mention.

A. In 1976, Marcia Smith, a specialist in aerospace with the Congressional Research Service, prepared a comprehensive report on UFOs entitled "The UFO Enigma." It was revised and updated by George D. Havas in 1983 into a 143-page Report No. 83-205 SPR. It contains sections on types of encounters, witness credibility, pre-1947 accounts, history of Air Force UFO investigations, international perspectives, appendices with selected case summaries, etc. "The UFO Enigma" provides a well researched and unbiased overview of the phenomenon.

B. The Disclosure Project was held in 2001, over twenty military, intelligence, government, corporate and scientific witnesses came forward at the National Press Club in Washington, DC to establish the reality of UFOs or extraterrestrial vehicles, extraterrestrial life forms, and resulting advanced energy and propulsion technologies. The first-hand testimony, along with supporting government documentation and other evidence, attempted to establish the reality of these phenomena.

C. The Library of Congress and the NASA held a symposium in Washington DC September 2014 to discuss the broad implication of discovering life in the universe. The theme of the conference was "preparing for discovery". 

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