UFO reports are no longer perceived with such discomfort; Congress and the Pentagon have begun taking them seriously and publicly investigating these reports.
Former military intelligence officer has made a remarkable claim: that the government has found intact craft of “nonhuman origin,” possibly even reverse engineering one of them.
What is a UFO?
UFOs (unidentified flying objects) are unclassifiable flying objects that remain undetected by observers, such as spacecraft or aircraft. UFOs have fascinated science fiction fans, screen writers and conspiracy theorists for decades; for many people however they symbolize alien civilizations visiting Earth; this assumption has given rise to various groups and clubs that advocate extraterrestrial encounters.
Kenneth Arnold saw nine high-speed objects over Mount Rainier in Washington State that looked similar to saucer-shaped vehicles that moved like they were “skipping across water,” prompting news reports to refer to them as flying saucers; their name became increasingly widespread thereafter.
Since then, the United States military has investigated numerous unexplained objects seen flying overhead. Project Blue Book attempted to investigate such cases but ultimately fell apart due to internal political fights and limited funding; nonetheless it provided some useful data and suggested that any mysterious object in the sky most likely wasn’t an extraterrestrial spacecraft but something the military couldn’t identify or explain.
Project Blue Book concluded in 1968, yet government interest in unexplained objects persisted. Since then, its interest has been channeled through the Office of Scientific Investigation (OSI). Former NASA scientist Frank Shostak currently heads this agency; some recent sightings could be explained away due to instrument error or software glitches; Navy pilot experience suggests most objects tend to appear near coastal regions where hiding would be harder than in remote interior areas of the nation.
Shostak noted that Navy pilots have reported seeing UFOs that are often undefined blobs or blurs on radar screens and cellphone photos; it can make it hard for people to discern exactly what is seen, yet should not be taken as evidence that aliens are spying on our military forces.
Are UFOs real?
Since UFO sightings first made headlines decades ago, our national imagination has been consumed with images of alien spacecraft whizzing through the sky. For years now, the government has quietly kept track of numerous reports regarding strange occurrences. Last year military footage and eyewitness accounts surfaced, sparking renewed public curiosity over UFOs; recently however, military footage and eyewitness accounts made their way public, prompting yet more UFO-related curiosity; thus spurring military use of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). To lessen stigma around such encounters
The Pentagon has established an office dedicated to tracking and studying these sightings. Since March of 2021, more than 350 reports of such sightings have been received; preliminary analysis suggests some may be drones, birds, weather events or airborne garbage such as plastic bags; while some remain unexplained.
Note that this research isn’t designed to uncover evidence of alien life; rather, its goal is to better understand why some people see what others describe as flying saucers in the sky. Researchers on the task force claim they’re investigating these sightings to gain a deeper insight into their social and psychological implications and drive belief in this phenomenon.
Researchers have studied how people interpret UFO sightings as metaphors for Cold War anxieties or concerns over technology, as well as why some believe aliens have visited Earth. With these studies in hand, researchers hope to contribute towards creating more rational discussions surrounding UFOs and how they may impact our lives.
There may still be no physical proof of aliens, but government is increasingly willing to discuss possible alien encounters without stigmatization. A recent Times story detailing three Navy videos generated considerable buzz; top astronomer Seth Shostak at SETI Institute Mountain View California explained this phenomenon was likely just some sort of glitch in their radar system and not evidence of aliens. “Anyone familiar with Microsoft products knows there can be problems when upgrading software or upgrading something else,” according to Seth Shostak’s assessment.
How do UFOs get into the sky?
An increasing number of people are speculated to have come upon extraterrestrial life here on earth, from science-fiction novels and blockbuster movies, through Congress hearings on this issue, all the way up to one Republican lawmaker wondering whether UAPs (UFOs in Pentagon jargon) owe an explanation to us all.
Many UAP sightings seem to defy our understanding of physics and common sense, yet most experts say they’re likely not alien spacecraft; rather they could be optical illusions. Some witnesses report flashes of light appearing briefly before quickly disappearing – potentially due to camera lenses distorting images taken with cameras; other witnesses claim to have witnessed objects moving at speeds impossible for conventional aircraft or that appear to linger midair for extended periods of time.
Some unidentified objects have been captured by military drones and radar systems, prompting the Pentagon to establish a special office dedicated to investigating possible UAPs – now called “unidentified aerial phenomena” by them – with only 163 of 366 recent reports being explained by weather events, birds, drones or airborne debris such as plastic bags.
Furthermore, the government is encouraging pilots and other personnel to report such sightings, since it may help evaluate whether these objects pose a threat to national security. Furthermore, it could be that some have been secret weapons tests conducted by foreign adversaries such as China or Russia.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently issued an unclassified draft version of an updated report on UAPs it plans to deliver to Congress this year, in part to protect sensitive national security data. Experts who reviewed it predicted it will likely provide more conclusive findings than its initial 2021 study.
Are UFOs dangerous?
Congress lawmakers recently held the first public hearing on UFOs since decades as a result of a report issued by the Pentagon. Their goal is to remove any stigma that exists around discussing UFOs, encouraging military personnel to be more open with regards to encounters they’ve had with these mysterious objects. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams interviewed Chris Impey of Starlight Astronomy Center about this issue.
Impey, who studies observational cosmology, galaxies and black holes at the University of Arizona. His work was part of an international collaboration that recently confirmed a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Although he holds great respect for scientific process, Impey believes it’s also essential to document daily events as part of his documentation efforts.
He says he has noticed in his discussions with people on social media a widespread belief that any unexplained sightings must be alien spacecraft. While taking these sightings seriously is important for government, we shouldn’t panic about an impending secret alien invasion; rather we should document these events so they can be studied by scientists.
The Pentagon has established an office to investigate reports of unidentified aerial phenomena. Their inaugural report was issued in 2021 and covered 144 incidents of these objects; officials say they can explain half, while some accounts result in near misses with military aircraft and remain unexplained. Although not definitive proof that extraterrestrial life exists, their office continues their investigations regardless.
One hypothesis holds that these objects may be foreign intelligence-collection platforms. Our office continues to gather data regarding these incidents and will share it with the intelligence community, Congress, and other government agencies.
This office’s name has been changed to reflect its expanded scope; they now examine more than UFOs alone, such as atmospheric, meteorological and astronomical phenomena that cannot be explained, advanced drone technology developed by China or Russia that might pose threats to America and so forth.
