Ufology is a neologism coined to describe the collective efforts of those who study unidentified flying object reports and associated evidence. A neologism (from Greek neo = "new" + logos = "word" is a word that although devised relatively recently in a specific time period has been Not all ufologists believe that UFOs are necessarily extraterrestrial spacecraft, or even that they are objective physical phenomena. Even UFO cases that are exposed as hoaxes, delusions or misidentifications may still be worthy of serious study from a psychosocial point of view. In Ufology, the psychosocial or psychocultural hypothesis, colloquially abbreviated PSH or PCH, argues that at least some UFO While Ufology does not represent an academic research program, UFOs have been subject to various investigations over the years, varying widely in scope and scientific rigor. Governments or independent academics in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, and the Soviet Union are known to have investigated UFO reports at various times. No national government has ever asserted that UFOs represent any form of alien intelligence. Perhaps the best known study was Project Blue Book, previously Project Sign and Project Grudge, conducted by the United States Air Force from 1947 until 1969. Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs conducted by the United States Air Force (U Project Sign was an official US government study of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs undertaken by the United States Air Force in late 1947 and dissolved in late Project Grudge was a short-lived project by the US Air Force to investigate Unidentified flying objects (UFOs Other notable investigations include the Robertson Panel (1953), the Brookings Report (1960), the Condon Committee (1966-1968), the Project Twinkle investigation into green fireballs (1948-1951), the Sturrock Panel (1998), and the French GEIPAN (1977-) and COMETA (1996-1999) study groups. The Robertson Panel was a committee commissioned by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1952 in response to widespread Unidentified Flying Object reports The Brookings Report or Proposed Studies on the Implications of Peaceful Space Activities for Human Affairs, was commissioned by NASA and created by the Brookings The Condon Committee was the informal name of the University of Colorado UFO Project, a study of Unidentified flying objects undertaken at the University Green Fireballs is a self-descriptive term used to refer to certain Unidentified flying objects which have been sighted in the sky since the late 1940s Peter Andrew Sturrock (born 1924 is a British scientist An Emeritus professor of Applied physics at Stanford University, much of Sturrock's GEIPAN (sept 2005- formerly known as GEPAN (1977-1988 and SEPRA (1988-2004 is a unit of the French Space Agency CNES whose brief is to investigate COMETA was a high-level French UFO study organisation from the late 1990s composed of high-ranking officers and officials some having held command posts in the armed

Contents 1 Background and legitimacy 2 UFO researchers 2.1 Physicists and UFOs 3 Studies 4 Physical evidence 5 Psychology 6 UFO categorization 6.1 Hynek system 6.2 Vallee system 7 Funding issues 8 Hypotheses involving the objective existence of UFOs 8.1 The extraterrestrial hypothesis 8.1.1 The staging hypothesis 8.1.2 The hostility hypothesis 8.2 The advanced human aircraft hypothesis 8.3 The interdimensional hypothesis (a.k.a. "cosmic trickster", "ultraterrestrial" hypothesis) 8.4 Atmosphere beast hypothesis 8.5 Aliens as supernatural beings 9 UFOs as perception or illusion 9.1 The natural explanation hypothesis 9.2 Psychosocial hypothesis 9.3 UFO organizations 10 Panel discussion on November 12, 2007 11 Sources 12 See also 13 References 14 External links

Background and legitimacy

While many ufologists strive for legitimacy, ufology has never been fully embraced by the scientific community, for a number of reasons. Despite involvement of some respected scientists, the field has seen very little attention from mainstream science.

One cannot obtain a "ufology" degree from any college or university, though there have been a few college or university courses on the subject, often from a folklore perspective. College ( Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an Educational Institution. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological Several Ufologists, such as Thomas J. Carey and Donald R. Schmitt, who investigated the Roswell incident, have dedicated their whole lives to their studies and attempting to sell the public on their theory of a worldwide UFO cover-up. Some ufologists have been criticized for accepting as true stories or tales without demanding supporting evidence or conducting even cursory research. Other ufologists have conducted amatuer investigations of UFO cases which were dismissed by professional scientists and investigators.

Ufologists vary from fringe proponent David Icke to respected mainstream scientists like Peter A. Sturrock, J. Allen Hynek, Jacques Vallee, James E. McDonald, or Auguste Meessen, some of whom argue that UFO reports are as worthy of study as any topic, and deserve case-by-case analysis using the scientific method. David Vaughan Icke (pronounced /aɪk/ born 29 April 1952 is a British writer and public speaker who has devoted himself since 1990 to researching "who and what is really controlling Peter Andrew Sturrock (born 1924 is a British scientist An Emeritus professor of Applied physics at Stanford University, much of Sturrock's Josef Allen Hynek ( May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986) was a United States Astronomer, Professor, and ufologist Jacques F Vallée, PhD ( September 24, 1939) is a French -born Venture capitalist Computer scientist, ufologist and former James E McDonald ( May 7, 1920 to June 13, 1971) was an American Physicist. Case analysis is one of the most general and applicable methods of analytical thinking depending only on the division of a problem decision or situation into a sufficient number of separate Scientific method refers to bodies of Techniques for investigating phenomena Debunkers include Philip Klass or Dr. A debunker is an individual who discredits and exposes claims as being false exaggerated unscientific or pretentious Philip Julian Klass ( November 8 1919 &ndash August 9 2005) was an American journalist and UFO researcher with a background Donald Menzel). Donald Howard Menzel ( April 11 1901 &ndash December 14 1976) was an American Astronomer and astrophysicist.

Dr. Carl Sagan was quite skeptical of any extraordinary answer to the UFO question, but in 1969, he co-organised a symposium on the subject, thinking that science had unfairly neglected the UFO question. Carl Edward Sagan ( November 9 1934 &ndash December 20 1996) was an American Astronomer, astrochemist, author Symposium originally referred to a drinking party (the Greek verb sympotein means "to drink together" but has since come to refer to any Academic conference

In her critique of the Condon Report, Diana Palmer Hoyt notes that "The UFO problem seems to bear a closer resemblance to problems in meteorology than in physics. The Condon Committee was the informal name of the University of Colorado UFO Project, a study of Unidentified flying objects undertaken at the University Meteorology (from Greek grc μετέωρος metéōros, "high in the sky" and grc -λογία -logia) is the Interdisciplinary Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. The phenomena are observed, occur episodically, are not reproducible, and in large part, are identified by statistical gathering of data for possible organization into patterns. Statistics is a mathematical science pertaining to the collection analysis interpretation or explanation and presentation of Data. They are not experiments that can be replicated at will at the laboratory bench under controlled conditions. A laboratory (informally lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific Research, Experiments and " (see external links below)

Along these lines, Peter A. Sturrock suggests that UFO studies should be compartmentalized — as are most scientific endeavors — into at least "the following distinct activities:

1. Field investigations leading to case documentation and the measurement or retrieval of physical evidence;
2. Laboratory analysis of physical evidence;
3. The systematic compilation of data (descriptive and physical) to look for patterns and so extract significant facts;
4. The analysis of compilations of data (descriptive and physical) to look for patterns and so extract significant facts;
5. The development of theories and the evaluation of those theories on the basis of facts. Peter Andrew Sturrock (born 1924 is a British scientist An Emeritus professor of Applied physics at Stanford University, much of Sturrock's "^[1]

Study of UFO sightings has yielded results applicable to other fields, such as in weather phenomena (see Hessdalen) and in human perception, such as the study lead by the SOBEPS for the Belgian flap in 1989-'90 or the studies of the GEPAN/SEPRA in France. Hessdalen is a 15 km long valley in Norway located approximately 120 kilometres south of Trondheim city and approximately 35 km north of Røros mining town SOBEPS is an acronym for Société Belge d'Etude des Phénomènes Spatiaux. GEIPAN (sept 2005- formerly known as GEPAN (1977-1988 and SEPRA (1988-2004 is a unit of the French Space Agency CNES whose brief is to investigate This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

Some argue the general rejection of ufology by mainstream science is part of the problem: anyone can declare themselves a "UFO researcher", and completely bypass the sorts of scientific consensus building and peer review that otherwise shape and influence scientific paradigms. Scientific consensus is the collective judgement position and Opinion of the community of Scientists in a particular field of Science at a particular Peer review (also known as refereeing) is the process of subjecting an author's scholarly work research or Ideas to the scrutiny of others who are The word paradigm ( Greek:παράδειγμα (paradigmacomposite from para- and the verb δείχνυμι "to show" as a whole -roughly- meaning "example" This has allowed many to stake out territory and disseminate claims, information and analysis of widely varying rigor and quality.

Some ufologists consider the general attitude of mainstream academics as arrogant and dismissive, or bound to a rigid world view that disallows any evidence contrary to previously held notions. A comprehensive world view (or worldview) is a term Calqued from the German word Weltanschauung ( Welt is the German Others charge that mainstream rejection of UFO evidence is a classic case of pathological science. Distinguish from the genuine medical-related science called Pathology. Astronomer and ufologist J. Allen Hynek's famous comment regarding this subject is, "Ridicule is not part of the scientific method and people should not be taught that it is. Josef Allen Hynek ( May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986) was a United States Astronomer, Professor, and ufologist Scientific method refers to bodies of Techniques for investigating phenomena "^[2] Another comment by Hynek regarding the frequent dismissal of UFO reports by astronomers was, "Close questioning revealed they knew nothing of the actual sightings, of their frequency or anything much about them, and therefore cannot be taken seriously. This is characteristic of scientists in general when speaking about subjects which are not in their own immediate field of concern. "^[3]

While the above Ufologists maintain that mainstream science has not held to the scientific method, it is of note that to date there has been no consistent, repeatable, independently verifiable, proof that UFO's, or extraterrestrial life at all, exists.

UFO researchers

Main article: List of Ufologists

Although it is sometimes contended that astronomers never report UFOs , the Air Force's Project Blue Book files indicate that approximately 1% of all their reports came from amateur and professional astronomers or other users of telescopes (such as missile trackers or surveyors). This is a list of UFO researchers from around the World. Asia China Wang Sichao, is currently working as a researcher Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs conducted by the United States Air Force (U In the 1970s, astrophysicist Peter A. Sturrock conducted two surveys of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and American Astronomical Society. Peter Andrew Sturrock (born 1924 is a British scientist An Emeritus professor of Applied physics at Stanford University, much of Sturrock's The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics ( AIAA) is the professional society for the field of Aerospace engineering. The American Astronomical Society (AAS sometimes pronounced "double-A-S" is a US society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals About 5% of the members polled indicated that they had had UFO sightings. [3] [4] In 1980, a survey of 1800 members of various amateur astronomer associations by Gert Helb and astronomer J. Allen Hynek of the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) found that 24% responded "yes" to the question "Have you ever observed an object which resisted your most exhaustive efforts at identification?"^[4]

Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, who admitted to 6 UFO sightings^[5], including 3 green fireballs supported the Extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH) for UFOs and stated he thought scientists who dismissed it without study were being "unscientific. Josef Allen Hynek ( May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986) was a United States Astronomer, Professor, and ufologist The Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS is a privately-funded Unidentified flying object ( UFO) research group Clyde William Tombaugh ( February 4, 1906 &ndash January 17, 1997) was an American Astronomer. Green Fireballs is a self-descriptive term used to refer to certain Unidentified flying objects which have been sighted in the sky since the late 1940s "^[6] Another astronomer was Dr. Lincoln LaPaz, who had headed the Air Force's investigation into the green fireballs and other UFO phenomena in New Mexico. Dr Lincoln LaPaz was an Astronomer from the University of New Mexico and a pioneer in the study of Meteors He was born in Wichita Kansas LaPaz reported 2 personal sightings, one of a green fireball, the other of an anomalous disc-like object. Even later UFO debunker Dr. Donald Menzel filed a UFO report in 1949 ^[7]. Donald Howard Menzel ( April 11 1901 &ndash December 14 1976) was an American Astronomer and astrophysicist. Donald Howard Menzel ( April 11 1901 &ndash December 14 1976) was an American Astronomer and astrophysicist.

Physicists and UFOs

Certain physicists, some working for the US Military, others said to be associated with the US Intelligence Community are seriously interested in UFOs as extraterrestrial flying machines. The United States Intelligence Community (IC is a cooperative federation of 16 separate United States government agencies that work together to conduct intelligence Dr. Jack Sarfatti, in his book "Super Cosmos" (2005), has an extremely detailed "theory" based on the recent discovery of the repulsive anti-gravity field "dark energy" that is accelerating the expansion of the 3D space of our universe. Jack Sarfatti (born September 14, 1939) is an American theoretical physicist and the author of a number of popular works on Quantum physics Anti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of Gravity. In Physics, a field is a Physical quantity associated to each point of Spacetime. In Physical cosmology, dark energy is a hypothetical exotic form of Energy that permeates all of space and tends to increase the rate of expansion of the universe Three-dimensional space is a geometric model of the physical Universe in which we live Sarfatti also cites Alcubierre's weightless warp drive without time dilation as essential conditions for "propellantless propulsion" in what Puthoff has called "metric engineering. Weightless is the debut album by rap group The Skinny Boys. It was released in 1986 for Warlock Records and was produced by Mark Bush and Chuck Warp drive is a form of Faster-than-light propulsion in the Fictional universe of Star Trek, capable of propelling spacecraft or objects to many multiples This article discusses a concept in physics For the concept in sociology see Time displacement. " In his book "The Physics of Star Trek," Lawrence M. Krauss argues that it would be physically impossible to concentrate enough energy in one place to "warp" the fabric of space. Lawrence M Krauss (born May 27, 1954) is Foundation Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the Physics Department and Director

According to other physicists, taking advantage of certain experimentally verified quantum phenomena, such as the Casimir effect, may make the construction of Alcubierre type warp drives theoretically possible. In Physics, the Casimir effect and the Casimir-Polder force are physical forces arising from a quantized field. The Alcubierre metric, also known as the Alcubierre drive or Warp Drive, is a speculative mathematical model of a spacetime exhibiting features reminiscent of Warp drive is a form of Faster-than-light propulsion in the Fictional universe of Star Trek, capable of propelling spacecraft or objects to many multiples ^[8][9] However, if certain quantum inequalities conjectured by Ford and Roman (1996) hold, then the energy requirements for some warp drives may be absurdly gigantic, e. Introduction Quantum inequalities are local constraints on the magnitude and extent of distributions of negative energy density in space-time g. the energy -10⁶⁷g might be required to transport a small spaceship across the Milky Way galaxy. Counterarguments to these apparent problems have been offered (Krasnikov, 2003), but not all physicists are convinced they can be overcome. (For a detailed discussion, see: Alcubierre drive. The Alcubierre metric, also known as the Alcubierre drive or Warp Drive, is a speculative mathematical model of a spacetime exhibiting features reminiscent of )

Studies

Various public scientific studies over the past half century have examined UFO reports in detail. None of these studies have officially concluded that any reports are caused by extraterrestrial spacecraft (e. g. , Seeds 1995:A4). Some studies were neutral in their conclusions, but argued the inexplicable core cases called for continued scientific study. Examples are the Sturrock Panel study of 1998 and the 1970 AIAA review of the Condon Report. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics ( AIAA) is the professional society for the field of Aerospace engineering. The Condon Committee was the informal name of the University of Colorado UFO Project, a study of Unidentified flying objects undertaken at the University Other private or governmental studies, some secret, have concluded in favor of the ETH, or have had members who disagreed with the official conclusions. The following are examples of such studies and individuals:

• One of the earliest government studies to come to a secret ETH conclusion was Project Sign, the first official Air Force UFO investigation. Project Sign was an official US government study of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs undertaken by the United States Air Force in late 1947 and dissolved in late In 1948, they wrote a top-secret intelligence estimate to that effect. The Estimate of the Situation was a document supposedly written in 1948 by the personnel of United States Air Force 's Project Sign -including the project’s director The Air Force Chief of Staff ordered it destroyed. The Chief of Staff of the Air Force ( CSAF) is the senior uniformed officer in United States Air Force and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The existence of this suppressed report was revealed by several insiders who had read it, such as astronomer and USAF consultant Dr. J. Allen Hynek and Edward J. Ruppelt, the first head of the USAF's Project Blue Book. Josef Allen Hynek ( May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986) was a United States Astronomer, Professor, and ufologist Edward J Ruppelt ( July 17, 1923 in Iowa – September 15, 1960) was a United States Air Force officer probably best-known Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs conducted by the United States Air Force (U (Ruppelt, Chapt. 3)
• An early U. S. Army study, of which little is known, was called the Interplanetary Phenomenon Unit (IPU). In 1987, British UFO researcher Timothy Good received a letter confirming the existence of the IPU from the Army Director of Counter-intelligence, in which it was stated, ". Timothy Good is a British Ufologist and professional Violinist. . . the aforementioned Army unit was disestablished during the late 1950s and never reactivated. All records pertaining to this unit were surrendered to the U. S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations in conjunction with operation BLUEBOOK. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI is a Field Operating Agency (FOA of the United States Air Force that provides professional investigative services " The IPU records have never been released. ^[10]

• In 1967, Greek physicist Paul Santorini, a Manhattan Project scientist, publicly stated that a 1947 Greek government investigation that he headed into the European Ghost rockets of 1946 quickly concluded that they were not missiles. The World War II Manhattan Project developed the first Nuclear weapon (atomic bomb Ghost Rockets (also called Scandinavian ghost rockets) were mysterious Rocket - or Missile -shaped Unidentified flying objects sighted in 1946 Santorini claimed the investigation was then quashed by military officials from the U. S. , who knew them to be extraterrestrial, because there was no defense against the advanced technology and they feared widespread panic should the results become public. ^[11]
• A 1948 Top Secret USAF Europe document (at right) states that Swedish air intelligence informed them that at least some of their investigators into the ghost rockets and flying saucers concluded they had extraterrestrial origins: ". . . [Flying saucers] have been reported by so many sources and from such a variety of places that we are convinced that they cannot be disregarded and must be explained on some basis which is perhaps slightly beyond the scope of our present intelligence thinking. When officers of this Directorate recently visited the Swedish Air Intelligence Service. . . their answer was that some reliable and fully technically qualified people have reached the conclusion that 'these phenomena are obviously the result of a high technical skill which cannot be credited to any presently known culture on earth. ' They are therefore assuming that these objects originate from some previously unknown or unidentified technology, possibly outside the earth. " ^[12]
• Various European countries conducted a secret joint study in 1954, also concluding that UFOs were extraterrestrial. This study was revealed by German rocketry pioneer Hermann Oberth, a member of the study, who also made many public statements supporting the ETH. Hermann Julius Oberth ( June 25, 1894 &ndash December 28, 1989) was a Austro-Hungarian -born German ( Transylvanian
• In 1958, Brazil's main UFO investigator, Dr. Olavo T. Fuentes wrote a letter to the American UFO group APRO summarizing a briefing he had received from two Brazilian Naval intelligence officers. The Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO was a UFO research group started in 1952 by Jim and Coral Lorenzen Fuentes said he was told that every government and military on Earth was aware that UFOs were extraterrestrial craft and there was absolute proof of this in the form of several crashed craft. The subject was classified Top Secret by the world's militaries. The objects were deemed dangerous and hostile when attacked, many planes had been lost, and it was generally believed that Earth was undergoing an invasion of some type, perhaps a police action to keep us confined to the planet. This information had to be withheld from the public by any means necessary because of the likelihood of widespread panic and social breakdown. ^[13]
• An FBI field office letter to the FBI Director, dated January 31, 1949, stated ". . . the matter of 'Unidentified Aircraft' or 'Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,' otherwise known as 'Flying Discs,' 'Flying Saucers,' and 'Balls of Fire' . Green Fireballs is a self-descriptive term used to refer to certain Unidentified flying objects which have been sighted in the sky since the late 1940s . . is considered Top Secret by Intelligence Officers of both the Army and Air Forces. " (emphasis included in original) ^[14]
• During the height of the flying saucer epidemic of July 1952, including highly publicized radar/visual and jet intercepts over Washington, D.C., the FBI was informed by the Air Force Directorate of Intelligence that they thought the "flying saucers" were either "optical illusions or atmospheric phenomena" but then added that, "some Military officials are seriously considering the possibility of interplanetary ships. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D " FBI document
• The CIA started their own internal scientific review the following day. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all Some CIA scientists were also seriously considering the ETH. An early memo from August was very skeptical, but also added, ". . . as long as a series of reports remains 'unexplainable' (interplanetary aspects and alien origin not being thoroughly excluded from consideration) caution requires that intelligence continue coverage of the subject. " A report from later that month was similarly skeptical but nevertheless concluded ". . . sightings of UFOs reported at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge, at a time when the background radiation count had risen inexplicably. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL (previously known at various times as Site Y, Los Alamos Laboratory, and Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory) is a Oak Ridge National Laboratory ( ORNL) is a multiprogram science and technology National laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by Radiation, as in Physics, is Energy in the form of waves or moving Subatomic particles emitted by an atom or other body as it changes from a higher energy Here we run out of even 'blue yonder' explanations that might be tenable, and we still are left with numbers of incredible reports from credible observers. " A December 1952 memo from the Assistant CIA Director of Scientific Intelligence (O/SI) was much more urgent: ". . . the reports of incidents convince us that there is something going on that must have immediate attention. Sightings of unexplained objects at great altitudes and traveling at highs speeds in the vicinity of U. S. defense installation are of such nature that they are not attributable to natural phenomena or known types of aerial vehicles. " Some of the memos also made it clear that CIA interest in the subject was not to be made public, partly in fear of possible public panic. (Good,331-335)
• The CIA organized the January 1953 Robertson Panel of scientists to debunk the data collected by the Air Force's Project Blue Book. The Robertson Panel was a committee commissioned by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1952 in response to widespread Unidentified Flying Object reports Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs conducted by the United States Air Force (U This included an engineering analysis of UFO maneuvers by Blue Book (including a motion picture film analysis by Naval scientists) that had concluded UFOs were under intelligent control and likely extraterrestrial. ^[15]
• Extraterrestrial "believers" within Project Blue Book including Major Dewey Fournet, in charge of the engineering analysis of UFO motion. Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs conducted by the United States Air Force (U Director Edward J. Ruppelt is also thought to have held these views, though expressed in private, not public. Edward J Ruppelt ( July 17, 1923 in Iowa – September 15, 1960) was a United States Air Force officer probably best-known Another defector from the official Air Force party line was consultant Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who started out as a staunch skeptic. Josef Allen Hynek ( May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986) was a United States Astronomer, Professor, and ufologist After 20 years of investigation, he changed positions and generally supported the ETH. He became the most publicly known UFO advocate scientist in the 1970s and 1980s.
• The first CIA Director, Vice Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter, stated in a signed statement to Congress, also reported in the New York Times, February 28, 1960, "It is time for the truth to be brought out. Roscoe Henry Hillenkoetter ( May 8, 1897 &ndash June 18, 1982) born in St Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. . . Behind the scenes high-ranking Air Force officers are soberly concerned about the UFOs. However, through official secrecy and ridicule, many citizens are led to believe the unknown flying objects are nonsense. . . I urge immediate Congressional action to reduce the dangers from secrecy about unidentified flying objects. " In 1962, in his letter of resignation from NICAP, he told director Donald Keyhoe, "I know the UFOs are not U. The National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena (or NICAP) was a civilian Unidentified flying object research group active in the United States Donald Edward Keyhoe (June 20 1897 - November 29 1988 was an American Marine Corps officer with some flight experience Writer of many aviation articles S. or Soviet devices. All we can do now is wait for some actions by the UFOs. " ^[16]
• Although the 1968 Condon Report came to a negative conclusion (written by Condon), it is known that many members of the study strongly disagreed with Condon's methods and biases. The Condon Committee was the informal name of the University of Colorado UFO Project, a study of Unidentified flying objects undertaken at the University Edward Uhler Condon ( March 2 1902 &ndash March 26 1974) was a distinguished American Nuclear physicist, a pioneer Most quit the project in disgust or were fired for insubordination. A few became ETH supporters. Perhaps the best known example is Dr. David Saunders, who in his 1968 book UFOs? Yes lambasted Condon for extreme bias and ignoring or misrepresenting critical evidence. Saunders wrote, "It is clear. . . that the sightings have been going on for too long to explain in terms of straightforward terrestrial intelligence. It is in this sense that ETI (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) stands as the `least implausible' explanation of `real UFOs'. " ^[17]
• Nick Pope, a Higher Scientific Officer in the UK MOD who was responsible for the UK government UFO desk for a number of years, is an advocate of the ETH based on the inexplicable cases he reviewed, such as the Rendlesham UFO incident, although the British government has never made such claims. Nick Pope is a Ufologist and Author who previously worked for the British Ministry of Defence from 1985. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Rendlesham Forest Incident is the name given to a series of reported sightings of unexplained lights and the alleged landing of an extraterrestrial spacecraft in Rendlesham
• Jean-Jacques Velasco, the head of the official French UFO investigation SEPRA, wrote a book in 2005 saying that 14% of the 5800 cases studied by SEPRA were utterly inexplicable and extraterrestrial in origin. ^[18] Yves Sillard, the head of the new official French UFO investigation GEIPAN and former head of the French space agency CNES, echoes Velasco's comments and adds the U. The fr '''Centre National d'Études Spatiales''' ( CNES) is the French government Space agency (administratively a "public establishment of industrial and commercial S. is guilty of covering up this information. ^[19] Again, this isn't the official public posture of SEPRA, CNES, or the French government. (CNES recently announced that their 5800 case files will be placed on the Internet starting March 2007. )
• The 1999 French COMETA committee of high-level military analysts/generals and aerospace engineers/scientists declared the ETH was the best hypothesis for the unexplained cases. ^[20]

Physical evidence

Besides visual sightings, cases sometimes have an indirect physical evidence, including many cases studied by the military and various government agencies of different countries. Indirect physical evidence would be data obtained from afar, such as radar contact and photographs. More direct physical evidence involves physical interactions with the environment at close range—Hynek's "close encounter" or Vallee's "Type-I" cases—which include "landing traces," electromagnetic interference, and physiological/biological effects.

• Radar contact and tracking, sometimes from multiple sites. Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships These are often considered among the best cases since they usually involve trained military personnel and control tower operators, simultaneous visual sightings, and aircraft intercepts. One such recent example were the mass sightings of large, silent, low-flying black triangles in 1989 and 1990 over Belgium, tracked by multiple NATO radar and jet interceptors, and investigated by Belgium's military (included photographic evidence). This article is about UFO's for other uses see the disambiguation page Black triangle. The North Atlantic Treaty ^[21] Another famous case from 1986 was the JAL 1628 case over Alaska investigated by the FAA. ( or JAL, is an airline of Japan It is one of the largest Airline operators in Asia. The Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of ^[22]
• Photographic evidence, including still photos, movie film, and video, including some in the infrared spectrum (rare). Infrared ( IR) radiation is Electromagnetic radiation whose Wavelength is longer than that of Visible light, but shorter than that of
• Recorded visual spectrograms (extremely rare) — (see Spectrometer)
• Recorded gravimetric and magnetic disturbances (extremely rare)
• Landing physical trace evidence, including ground impressions, burned and/or desiccated soil, burned and broken foliage, magnetic anomalies, increased radiation levels, and metallic traces. A spectrometer is an Optical instrument used to measure properties of Light over a specific portion of the Electromagnetic spectrum, typically used Gravimetry is the measurement of a gravitational field Gravimetry may be used when either the magnitude of gravitational field or the properties of matter responsible In Physics, magnetism is one of the Phenomena by which Materials exert attractive or repulsive Forces on other Materials. See, e. g. Height 611 UFO Incident or the 1964 Lonnie Zamora's Socorro, New Mexico encounter, considered one of the most inexplicable of the USAF Project Blue Book cases). Height 611 UFO incident refers to a UFO crash claimed to happen in Dalnegorsk, Primorsky Krai, USSR, on January 29, 1986 Lonnie Zamora (born 1933 is a retired New Mexico Police officer who reported a UFO Close encounter of the first second and third kinds on Friday "Socorro" redirects here For other uses see Socorro (disambiguation. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs conducted by the United States Air Force (U A well-known example from December 1980 was the USAF Rendlesham Forest Incident in England. The Rendlesham Forest Incident is the name given to a series of reported sightings of unexplained lights and the alleged landing of an extraterrestrial spacecraft in Rendlesham Another less than 2 weeks later, in January 1981, occurred in Trans-en-Provence and was investigated by GEPAN, then France's official government UFO-investigation agency. GEIPAN (sept 2005- formerly known as GEPAN (1977-1988 and SEPRA (1988-2004 is a unit of the French Space Agency CNES whose brief is to investigate ^[23] Project Blue Book head Edward J. Ruppelt described a classic 1952 CE2 case involving a patch of charred grass roots. Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs conducted by the United States Air Force (U Edward J Ruppelt ( July 17, 1923 in Iowa – September 15, 1960) was a United States Air Force officer probably best-known ^[24] Catalogs of several thousand such cases have been compiled, particularly by researcher Ted Phillips. ^[25][26]
• Physiological effects on people and animals including temporary paralysis, skin burns and rashes, corneal burns, and symptoms superficially resembling radiation poisoning, such as the Cash-Landrum incident in 1980. The cornea is the transparent front part of the Eye that covers the iris, Pupil, and Anterior chamber. Radiation poisoning, also called " radiation sickness " or a " creeping dose " is a form of damage to organ tissue due to excessive exposure to The Cash-Landrum Incident was a reported Unidentified Flying Object sighting from the United States in 1980, which the witnesses insist was responsible One such case dates back to 1886, a Venezuelan incident reported in Scientific American magazine. Scientific American is a Popular science magazine, published (first weekly and later monthly since August 28, 1845, making it ^[27]
• So-called animal/cattle mutilation cases, that some feel are also part of the UFO phenomenon. Cattle mutilation (also known as bovine excision) is the apparent killing and then Mutilation of Cattle under unusual or anomalous circumstances Such cases can and have been analyzed using forensic science techniques.
• Biological effects on plants such as increased or decreased growth, germination effects on seeds, and blown-out stem nodes (usually associated with physical trace cases or crop circles)
• Electromagnetic interference (EM) effects, including stalled cars, power black-outs, radio/TV interference, magnetic compass deflections, and aircraft navigation, communication, and engine disruption. Crop circles are patterns created by the flattening of crops such as Wheat, Barley, Rapeseed (also called "canola" Rye ^[28] A list of over 30 such aircraft EM incidents was compiled by NASA scientist Dr. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Richard F. Haines. ^[29] A famous 1976 military case over Tehran, recorded in CIA and DIA classified documents, resulted in communication losses in multiple aircraft and weapons system failure in an F-4 Phantom II jet interceptor as it was about to fire a missile on one of the UFOs. The 1976 Tehran UFO Incident was a Radar and visual sighting of an Unidentified flying object (UFO over Tehran, the capital of Iran, during Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all This was also a radar/visual case. (Fawcett & Greenwood, 81-89; Good, 318-322, 497-502)^[30][31]
• Remote radiation detection, some noted in FBI and CIA documents occurring over government nuclear installations at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1950, also reported by Project Blue Book director Ed Ruppelt in his book. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL (previously known at various times as Site Y, Los Alamos Laboratory, and Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory) is a Oak Ridge National Laboratory ( ORNL) is a multiprogram science and technology National laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs conducted by the United States Air Force (U ^[32]
• Actual hard physical evidence cases, such as 1957, Ubatuba, Brazil, magnesium fragments analyzed by the Brazilian government and in the Condon Report and by others. Ubatuba is a Brazilian city located on the southeast coast in the state of São Paulo. Magnesium (mægˈniːziəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Mg, Atomic number 12 Atomic weight 24 The Condon Committee was the informal name of the University of Colorado UFO Project, a study of Unidentified flying objects undertaken at the University The 1964 Socorro/Lonnie Zamora incident also left metal traces, analyzed by NASA. Lonnie Zamora (born 1933 is a retired New Mexico Police officer who reported a UFO Close encounter of the first second and third kinds on Friday The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program
• Misc: Recorded electromagnetic emissions, such as microwaves detected in the well-known 1957 RB-47 surveillance aircraft case, which was also a visual and radar case;^[33] polarization rings observed around a UFO by a scientist, explained by Dr. James Harder as intense magnetic fields from the UFO causing the Faraday effect. James Albert Harder, PhD ( Fullerton California in 1926-2006) was a professor of civil and hydraulic engineering at the University of California Berkeley In Physics, the Faraday effect or Faraday rotation is a Magneto-optical phenomenon or an interaction between Light and a Magnetic ^[34]

These various reported physical evidence cases have been studied by various scientist and engineers, both privately and in official governmental studies (such as Project Blue Book, the Condon Committee, and the French GEPAN/SEPRA). Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs conducted by the United States Air Force (U The Condon Committee was the informal name of the University of Colorado UFO Project, a study of Unidentified flying objects undertaken at the University GEIPAN (sept 2005- formerly known as GEPAN (1977-1988 and SEPRA (1988-2004 is a unit of the French Space Agency CNES whose brief is to investigate A comprehensive scientific review of physical evidence cases was carried out by the 1998 Sturrock UFO panel. ^[35]

Attempts have been made to reverse engineer the possible physics behind UFOs through analysis of both eyewitness reports and the physical evidence. Reverse engineering (RE is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device object or system through analysis of its structure function and operation Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Examples are former NASA and nuclear engineer James McCampbell in his book Ufology online, NACA/NASA engineer Paul R. Hill in his book Unconventional Flying Objects, and German rocketry pioneer Hermann Oberth. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Paul R Hill (1909&ndash1990 was a pioneering aeronautical research engineer who spent a lifetime on the cutting edge of research and development for NACA and NASA Hermann Julius Oberth ( June 25, 1894 &ndash December 28, 1989) was a Austro-Hungarian -born German ( Transylvanian Among subjects tackled by McCampbell, Hill, and Oberth was the question of how UFOs can fly at supersonic speeds without creating a sonic boom. For other uses see Supersonic. The term supersonic is used to define a speed that is over the Speed of sound ( Mach 1 The term sonic boom is commonly used to refer to the shocks caused by the Supersonic flight of an aircraft McCampbell's proposed solution of a microwave plasma parting the air in front of the craft is currently being researched by Dr. Microwaves being high frequency Electromagnetic radiation in the GHz range are capable of exciting electrodeless gas discharges Leik Myrabo, Professor of Engineering Physics at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a possible advance in hypersonic flight. Leik Myrabo is an aerospace engineering professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who has demonstrated the feasibility of using ground-based Lasers to propel objects Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or RPI, is a Nonsectarian private Research University located in Troy, New York In Aerodynamics, hypersonic speeds are speeds that are highly Supersonic. ^[36]1995 Aviation Week article

Psychology

The study of UFO claims over the years has led to valuable discoveries about atmospheric phenomena and psychology. Meteorology (from Greek grc μετέωρος metéōros, "high in the sky" and grc -λογία -logia) is the Interdisciplinary In psychology, the study of UFO sightings has revealed information on misinterpretation, perceptual illusions, hallucination and fantasy-prone personality. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and A hallucination, in the broadest sense is a Perception in the absence of a stimulus. . Many have questioned the reliability of hypnosis in UFO abduction cases. Hypnosis is often thought to be a wakeful state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility with diminished peripheral awareness Alien Discussions Proceedings of the Abduction Study Conference.

Psychologists point out that almost all UFO-related claims are based solely on eyewitness and anecdotal evidence, which is extremely unreliable. The expression anecdotal evidence has two quite distinct meanings ^[37] It has further been shown that memory of an event can be unconsciously altered to suit a desired interpretation of what was remembered. ^[38] For example, a person who has a supposed UFO sighting may simply be reinterpreting an older memory to fit a desired explanation. Many skeptics believe this to be the case with the Roswell incident and many other UFO claims. The Roswell Incident involved the recovery of materials near Roswell New Mexico, USA, on July 7, 1947, which has become the subject of intense

UFO categorization

Some researchers recommend that observations be classified according to the features of the phenomenon or object that are reported or recorded. Typical categories include:

• Saucer, toy-top, or disk-shaped “craft” without visible or audible propulsion. (day and night)
• Rapidly-moving lights or lights with apparent ability to rapidly change direction and then suddenly stop, impossible for conventional aircraft.
• Large triangular “craft” or triangular light pattern
• Cigar-shaped “craft” with lighted windows (Meteor fireballs are sometimes reported this way). This article is about UFO's for other uses see the disambiguation page Black triangle.
• Other: chevrons, equilateral triangles, spheres, domes, diamonds, shapeless black masses, eggs, and cylinders.

Hynek system

J. Allen Hynek developed another commonly used system of description, dividing sightings into six categories. Josef Allen Hynek ( May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986) was a United States Astronomer, Professor, and ufologist It first separates sightings into distant- and close-encounter categories, arbitrarily setting 500 feet as the cutoff point. It then subdivides these close and distant categories based on appearance or special features. The three distant-encounter categories are:

• Nocturnal Lights (NL): Anomalous lights seen in the night sky.
• Daylight Discs (DD): Any anomalous object, generally but not necessarily “discoidal”, seen in the distant daytime sky.
• Radar/Visual cases (RV). Objects seen simultaneously by eye and on radar.

Subgroups of the distant category of sightings correlate with evidentiary value. RV cases are usually considered to have the highest value because of radar corroboration, whereas NL cases have the lowest because it is so easy to mistake lights seen at night for prosaic phenomena such as meteors, bright stars, or aircraft. RV reports are also fewest in number, while NL are most common.

Hynek also defined three “close encounter” (CE) subcategories:

• CE1: Strange objects seen nearby but without physical interaction with the environment. A close encounter in Ufology is an event where a person witnesses an Unidentified flying object.
• CE2: A CE1 case that leaves physical evidence (e. g. soil depressions, vegetation damage) or causes electromagnetic interference (see below).
• CE3: CE1 or CE2 cases where “occupants” or entities are seen. (Hence the title of Steven Spielberg’s movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (Hon (born December 18 1946 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and producer. Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 Science fiction film directed and written by Steven Spielberg. )

From UFO Casebook:

• CE4+: aliens communicate with the observer, even abduct, experiment on the observers, others. UFO Casebook lists additional categories, in which the UFO and/or alien is captured/destroyed by military forces and/or civilians.

Like the RV cases, CE cases are considered higher in evidentiary value because they include measurable physical effects, and because objects seen up close are less likely to be the result of misperception. Like the RV cases, these tend to be relatively rare.

Hynek’s CE classification system has since been expanded to include such things as alleged alien abductions and cattle mutilation phenomena. Alien Discussions Proceedings of the Abduction Study Conference. Cattle mutilation (also known as bovine excision) is the apparent killing and then Mutilation of Cattle under unusual or anomalous circumstances

Vallee system

Jacques Vallee has devised a UFO classification system which is preferred by many UFO investigators over Hynek’s system as it is considerably more descriptive than Hynek’s, especially in terms of the reported behavior of UFOs. Jacques F Vallée, PhD ( September 24, 1939) is a French -born Venture capitalist Computer scientist, ufologist and former

Type - I (a, b,c, d)- Observation of an unusual object, spherical discoidal, or of another geometry, on or situated close to the ground (tree height, or lower), which may be associated with traces - thermal, luminous, or mechanical effects. Geometry ( Greek γεωμετρία; geo = earth metria = measure is a part of Mathematics concerned with questions of size shape and relative position

• a - On or near ground.
• b - Near or over body of water.
• c - Occupants appear to display interest in witnesses by gestures or luminous signals.
• d - Object appears to be “scouting” a terrestrial vehicle.

Type - II (a, b,c) - Observation of an unusual object with vertical cylindrical formation in the sky, associated with a diffuse cloud. This phenomenon has been given various names such as “cloud-cigar” or “cloud-sphere. ”

• a - Moving erratically through the sky
• b - Object is stationary and gives rise to secondary objects (sometimes referred to as “satellite objects”)
• c - Object is surrounded by secondary objects

Type - III (a, b,c, d,e)- Observation of an unusual object of spherical, discoidal or elliptical shape, stationary in the sky.

• a - Hovering between two periods of motion with “falling-leaf” descent, up and down, or pendulum motion
• b - Interruption of continuous flight to hover and then continue motion
• c - Alters appearance while hovering - e. A pendulum is a mass that is attached to a pivot from which it can swing freely g. , change of luminosity, generation of secondary object, etc.
• d - “Dogfights” or swarming among several objects
• e - Trajectory abruptly altered during continuous flight to fly slowly above a certain area, circle, or suddenly change course

Type IV (a, b,c, d) - Observation of an unusual object in continuous flight. A dogfight or dog fight is Aerial combat between Fighter aircraft.

• a - Continuous flight
• b - Trajectory affected by nearby conventional aircraft
• c - Formation flight
• d - Wavy or zig-zag trajectory

Type V (a, b,c)- Observation of an unusual object of indistinct appearance, i. e. , appearing to be not fully material or solid in structure.

• a - Extended apparent diameter, non-point source luminous objects (“fuzzy”)
• b - Starlike objects (point source), motionless for extended periods
• c - Starlike objects rapidly crossing the sky, possibly with peculiar trajectories ^[39]

Funding issues

Astrophysicist Peter A. Sturrock suggests that a lack of funding is a major factor in the institutional disinterest in UFO’s: "If the Air Force were to make available, say, $50 million per year for ten years for UFO research, it is quite likely that the subject would look somewhat less disreputable . A point source is a single identifiable localized source of something Peter Andrew Sturrock (born 1924 is a British scientist An Emeritus professor of Applied physics at Stanford University, much of Sturrock's . . however, an agency is unlikely to initiate such a program at any level until scientists are supportive of such an initiative. We see that there is a chicken-and-egg program. It would be more sensible, and more acceptable to the scientific community, if research began at a low level. " ^[40]

Hypotheses involving the objective existence of UFOs

These hypotheses speculate that the phenomena derives wholly or in part from a phenomenon, rather than the mind of the observer.

The extraterrestrial hypothesis

The extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH) theorizes that some UFO sightings are alien spacecraft. The extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH is the Hypothesis that some UFOs are best explained as being creatures or space aliens from other planets Extraterrestrial life is Life originating outside of the Earth. A spacecraft is a Vehicle or machine designed for Spaceflight.

The staging hypothesis

• A sub-set of the ETH, the Staging Hypothesis, prevalent up until the 1980s, speculated that extraterrestrials have "stage-managed" encounters as a deliberate policy to "educate" humanity. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.

The hostility hypothesis

Wilhelm Reich and Jerome Eden have the hypothesis that UFOs - or at least some of them - or the beings traveling in the UFOs - are hostile. Wilhelm Reich ( March 24, 1897 – November 3, 1957) was an Austrian-American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. They claim that the waste product of the UFO engines is what they call "Deadly Orgone" (DOR) which ruins the atmosphere, dries it out, and is one cause, if not the most important cause, of the development of deserts. Orgone energy is a hypothetical and largely disputed extrapolation of the Freudian concept of Libido first proposed and promoted in the 1930's by Psychoanalyst A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. They found this during their operations with the "Cloudbuster". A Cloudbuster is a device developed by Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich as a rainmaker ^[41]

Eden, just like several other researchers, attributes the Cattle mutilations, cases such as "Snippy the horse",^[42] to aliens, and claims that these beings abduct persons, manipulate their feelings and thoughts, cause military aircraft to crash or disappear, but they do not make open contact to government or military. Cattle mutilation (also known as bovine excision) is the apparent killing and then Mutilation of Cattle under unusual or anomalous circumstances That they even try to "educate" mankind in the way that the human beings develop a spiritual attitude towards aliens and UFOs, hoping that the aliens arrive as the saviors for the big problems of mankind and earth, when, in fact, their agenda involves exploiting Earth's natural resources and destroying its water and atmosphere.

The advanced human aircraft hypothesis

This is a theory that all or some UFO sightings are advanced, secret or experimental aircraft of earthly origin.

• During the 1980s, there were reports of "black triangle" UFOs. This article is about UFO's for other uses see the disambiguation page Black triangle. Some of these were the secret F-117 Nighthawk, which became known to the public in November 1988.
• Nazi Germany is known to have experimented with circular jet planes using the Coanda effect. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Coandă effect ('kwandə is the tendency of a Fluid jet to stay attached to an adjacent curved surface that is very well shaped. At least one of the scientists involved was taken to the USA after WWII. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Experiments with these designs and their descendants down the years may explain many sightings of circular UFO's. See Military flying saucers. The development of disc shaped Aircraft — or military "flying saucers" — apparently dates back to World War II.

There is a theory that the secret groups developing these aircraft in the USA, have been encouraging ufology to follow the "alien spacecraft" line of thought, to cover up for sightings.

The interdimensional hypothesis (a. k. a. "cosmic trickster", "ultraterrestrial" hypothesis)

The Interdimensional Hypothesis has two meanings here. See Interdimensional hypothesis. The interdimensional Hypothesis of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs and related events advanced by Astrophysicist Jacques Vallee, holds

• That some UFO sightings are alien spacecraft who have come from a parallel dimension or similar, or are human-manufactured craft from the far future. Parallel universe or alternative reality is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own
• The theory, related to the Psychosocial Hypothesis, that angelic, demonic and other supernatural manifestations down the centuries were caused by aliens trying to control human destiny, and that or some UFO sightings are part of this process. In Ufology, the psychosocial or psychocultural hypothesis, colloquially abbreviated PSH or PCH, argues that at least some UFO An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events Extraterrestrial life is Life originating outside of the Earth. (This overlaps considerably with the Staging Hypotheis. )

Atmosphere beast hypothesis

The theory of Trevor James Constable (a. k. a. Trevor James) speculated that UFO sightings involve the sighting of exotic unknown life otherwise known as Sky Critters, creatures similar or identical to Rods, a theory also held by cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson. Rods, sometimes known as Sky Fish or Solar Entities are a rather new entry in the field of Cryptozoology. Cryptozoology (from Greek κρυπτός kruptos, "hidden" + Zoology; literally "study of hidden animals" is the study of and search Ivan Terence Sanderson ( January 30, 1911 – February 19, 1973) was a naturalist and writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland

Constable also worked with the cloudbuster. A Cloudbuster is a device developed by Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich as a rainmaker However, some have claimed that he does not understand what the DOR ("Deadly Orgone") means. There is the possibility that the infrared photos of the critters in his book are artifacts.

Aliens as supernatural beings

See Paranormal and Occult Hypotheses About UFOs

UFOs as perception or illusion

The natural explanation hypothesis

This is a theory that most UFO sightings are misunderstood phenomena such as ball lightning or by a visual illusions. There has been a fair amount of crossover between Paranormal events and Unidentified Flying Objects. Ball lightning is an atmospheric electrical phenomenon the physical nature of which is still Controversial. This article is about visual perception See Optical Illusion (Album for information about the Time Requiem album See Identified Flying Objects (IFOs). see Identified flying object for IFOs in ufology Identified Flying Object is an album by the Goa trance project

Psychosocial hypothesis

This is a theory that some UFO sightings are hallucinations or fantasies and are caused by the same mechanism as various occult, paranormal, supernatural or religious experiences (compare alleged sightings of the Blessed Virgin Mary). A hallucination, in the broadest sense is a Perception in the absence of a stimulus. The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine hidden secret referring to "knowledge of the hidden" Paranormal is an Umbrella term used to describe unusual Phenomena or experiences that lack an obvious Scientific explanation The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos This ecumenical article is about general Christian views on and veneration of the Virgin Mary See article, Psychosocial Hypothesis. In Ufology, the psychosocial or psychocultural hypothesis, colloquially abbreviated PSH or PCH, argues that at least some UFO

The route followed by these misperceptions can be influenced by the environment that the perceiver was brought up in as a child: fairy stories, or one or other religion, or science fiction, etc: for example, one perceiver may see fairies where another sees Greys. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair Greys is a term used to describe alleged Intelligent, Humanoid extraterrestrials that appear in claims of encounters with UFO -related phenomena

Carl G. Jung, the Swiss analytical psychologist, published a book about UFOs in 1957 (Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies). Jung explained UFOs -- mostly without addressing the question of their existence -- as objects of the collective unconscious and modern archetypes. (In a brief final chapter of his book, however, Jung also expressed his opinion that some UFOs were real "nuts-and-bolts" crafts, citing corroborating physical evidence. )

UFO organizations

Main article: UFO organizations

• United States Air Force Project Blue Book: Small, public Air Force UFO investigation, from 1952 until discontinued in 1969. This is a list of UFO organizations located around the World. Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs conducted by the United States Air Force (U Preceded by Project Sign (1947-1948) and Project Grudge (1948-1952). Project Sign was an official US government study of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs undertaken by the United States Air Force in late 1947 and dissolved in late Project Grudge was a short-lived project by the US Air Force to investigate Unidentified flying objects (UFOs
• Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) (1952-1988): Early, national U. The Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO was a UFO research group started in 1952 by Jim and Coral Lorenzen S. civilian research organization with many PhD consulting scientists.
• National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena (NICAP)(1956-1980), Early, national U. The National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena (or NICAP) was a civilian Unidentified flying object research group active in the United States S. civilian research organization, very large and powerful at one time, with many scientists and military consultants.
• Mutual UFO Network (MUFON): Large, international, U. The Mutual UFO Network, or MUFON, is one of the oldest and largest UFO investigative organizations in the United States S. based civilian research organization stressing field investigations and data collection. MUFON is the largest civilian UFO research group in the United States today.
• Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS): Founded by Project Blue Book consultant, astronomer and ufologist J. Allen Hynek; stresses scientific investigations; large archives, including old NICAP files. The Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS is a privately-funded Unidentified flying object ( UFO) research group Josef Allen Hynek ( May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986) was a United States Astronomer, Professor, and ufologist
• Fund for UFO Research: Funds scientific UFO research; many consulting PhD scientists; does photoanalysis. The Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR is an Unidentified flying object (UFO research group based in Alexandria, Virginia.
• Victorian UFO Research Society (VUFORS) Circa 1957: The oldest and largest public UFO group in Australia.
• National Institute of Discovery Science (NIDS): Private, somewhat clandestine organization with insider government scientists and military people stressing scientific forensic analysis of UFO and paranormal phenomena. The National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDSci was a privately financed research organization based in Las Vegas Nevada, USA
• Phenomena Research Australia (PRA): This group has grew out of the Aeronautical Research Laboratory – Melbourne, Victoria c1949.
• Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, (CSICOP), a UFO and paranormal skeptics organization, which classifies ufology as a pseudoscience and claims all UFO reports are ultimately explainable as mundane phenomena or hoaxes. The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry ( CSI) formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal ( CSICOP) is a Paranormal is an Umbrella term used to describe unusual Phenomena or experiences that lack an obvious Scientific explanation Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the CSICOP is the largest and most prominent group of UFO skeptics and debunkers in the United States. In ordinary usage skepticism or scepticism ( Greek 'σκέπτομαι' skeptomai, to look about to consider see also spelling differences A debunker is an individual who discredits and exposes claims as being false exaggerated unscientific or pretentious
• UFO-Norge, a Norwegian project dedicated to collect all material on observations and physical traces of UFO activity in Norway. UFO-NORGE, founded in 1972 is a Norwegian national UFO research organisation Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional
• Centro Ufologico Nazionale (CUN), big Italian private centre directed by sociologist Dr. Roberto Pinotti, funded in Florence. Roberto Pinotti was born in Venice, Italy, in 1944 Sociologist, Journalist and Author; he is the main Italian scholar in Ufology Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany
• Centro Italiano Studi Ufologici (CISU), big Italian private centre directed by Dr. Edoardo Russo, originated by a branch of CUN, funded in Turin.
• EXO-X ufo research group, by Brazil
• Erich von Däniken's controversial theories (along with Peter Kolosimo), where he combines what he considers historical proof of extraterrestrial visits with a theory on extraterrestrial help in the evolution of humanity. Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (b Zofingen, Aargau, Switzerland, April 14 1935 is a controversial Swiss author best known for his books which present Peter Kolosimo, Pseudonym of Pier Domenico Colosimo (1922-1984 was an Italian journalist and writer Extraterrestrial life is Life originating outside of the Earth.
• UFO Casebook
• SOBEPS: Société Belge d'Etude des Phénomènes Spatiaux(1971-2007). SOBEPS is an acronym for Société Belge d'Etude des Phénomènes Spatiaux. This group gained fame to have investigated the Belgian Wave (see Black triangle incidents).
• Karla Turner
• Disclosure Project
• Malevolent Alien Abduction Research Organization
• Greater UFO Network (GUFON), privately funded organization with subchapters throughout western North America with close ties to numerous retired USAF officers. Dr Karla Turner (1947 – January 9 1996 was widely respected in the UFO community for her research on Alien abduction. The Disclosure Project is an organization started by Steven M
• National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), large database of sightings organized by state, date, etc. Online reporting forms.

Panel discussion on November 12, 2007

On November 12, 2007, Former Arizona Governor Fife Symington moderated a panel of former high-ranking government, aviation and military officials from seven countries at the National Press Club. Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. John Fife Symington III (born August 12, 1945 in New York City) was the Republican Governor of the U The National Press Club is one of the world's leading professional organizations for journalists ^{[43][44][45][46][47][48]}

Sources

• Sergey Litsak, Explanatory UFO Dictionary with Equivalents in Russian, English and German. ETS Publishing House and Polyglossum, Inc; ISBN 5-86455-063-9. Dictionary contains 853 articles.
• Roth, Christopher F. , "Ufology as Anthropology: Race, Extraterrestrials, and the Occult. " In E. T. Culture: Anthropology in Outerspaces, ed. by Debbora Battaglia. Durham, N. C. : Duke University Press, 2005.
• Peter A. Sturrock; The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence; Warner Books, 1999; ISBN 0-446-52565-0
• Jerome Eden; "The Desert Makers", Careywood, Idaho, PPCC, 1981, available from Flatlandbooks.
• Jerome Eden; "Scavengers From Space", Careywood, Idaho, PPCC, 1989, at present time out of print.

See also

• List of ufologists
• Australian ufology
• UFO conspiracy theory
• List of major UFO sightings. This is a list of UFO researchers from around the World. Asia China Wang Sichao, is currently working as a researcher Australian ufology refers to a historical series of Australian events and or activities pertaining to government departments civilian groups or individual Australians which A UFO conspiracy theory is any one of many often overlapping conspiracy theories which argue that Evidence of the reality of Unidentified flying objects This is a list of UFO sightings including cases of alleged alien sightings and abductions.
• Robertson Panel: CIA program initiated in 1952. The Robertson Panel was a committee commissioned by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1952 in response to widespread Unidentified Flying Object reports near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all

References

External links

• UFO Video and News Database
• Diana Palmer Hoyt, "UFOCRITIQUE: UFO's, Social Intelligence and the Condon Committee"; Master's Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 2000 read it online

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, better known as Virginia Tech, is a public land grant polytechnic University in

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