Is The Truth Out There, Still Unanswered?

UAP’s have been a mystery for over 75 years; enthusiasts, conspiracy theorists, movies, books, television series have all had their say, but still the question remains, “Is the truth still out there?”

The universe is vast and science's understanding and concepts are limited to the power of an astronomical instrument, the telescope. But this means of determining all there is to know about what and who may be out there must deal with another set of circumstances, the tremendous distances in space that is usually measured in light-years, and an ever-expanding universe. None of this, however, can quell the unrelenting need of earthlings to know, if there is in fact anyone else out there.     

In March of 1952, the United States Air Force began an investigation into Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), better known under the moniker of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO’s), called Project Blue Book. It concluded its analysis in December of 1969 without any conclusive evidence of the nature of the objects and the existence of extraterrestrial life. The primary intent of the investigation, however, was to determine if these sightings represented a threat to national security.

Project Blue Book revealed that over 12,000 sightings of UFOs were recorded and that most could be attributed to natural phenomena and conventional aircraft or in some cases secret reconnaissance planes like the U-2 and A-12. Investigations into UFOs did not begin with Blue Book. In 1947 Project Sign concluded that flying saucers were indeed of extraterrestrial origin, but this determination was later rejected by the USAF Chief of Staff at the time. Project Grudge in 1948 concluded that all sightings were of natural phenomena.

What has created a groundswell of curiosity and interest is an incident that occurred in 1947 in Roswell New Mexico. According to a press release by the Roswell Army Airfield, the government had recovered a flying disc. This explanation was immediately retracted by the same government, which attributed the incident to the crash of a weather balloon. The conspiracy theories lasted for a period of time, then abated. However, in the late 1970s the people’s interest once again manifested itself with a statement by a retired military colonel who in an interview stated the weather balloon explanation was a coverup.

It took about 75 years for this issue to reach a crescendo, after Projects Sign, Grudge, and Blue Book, and the Roswell Incident. In 2020, the investigation was finally incentivized by a provision in a Senate Report on intelligence to assess the threat level, if any, UAPs pose to the safety and security of the nation. This was followed by former President Trump’s request to analyze UAP and issue a report. I believe the Senate’s provision and presidential edict were the result of sightings in 2019, when Navy jets on a practice run spotted objects that were maneuvering and making course changes at considerable speeds that defied our known laws of physics.

In compliance with the Senate provision, on June 25, 2021 the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a nine-page report titled “Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.” The report is broken down into specific categories: Scope And Assumptions/ Executive Summary/ Available Reporting largely inconclusive/ UAP Probably Lack A Single Explanation/ UAP Threaten Flight Safety And, Possibly National Security/ Explaining UAP Will Require Analytic Collection And Resource Investment.  

Assumptions, largely inconclusive, probably, possibly, as you can see, the wording of the categories reveals how UAP’s are still a phenomenon filled with uncertainty. In the end it calls for further analysis and investment. The Executive Summary contains what we can consider the main thrust of the UAP issue. Having reviewed the report, I have selected several areas that are of interest and bear further scrutiny. 

* This report provides an overview for policymakers of the challenges associated with characterizing the potential threat posed by UAP, while also providing a means to develop relevant policies, processes, technologies, and the requisite training for military personnel.

*The lack of high-quality reporting hampers our ability to draw firm conclusions about the nature or intent.

* In a limited number of incidents, UAP reportedly appeared to exhibit unusual flight characteristics. These observations could be the results of sensor errors, spoofing (hoax), or observer misperception.

* Our analysis of the data supports the construct that if and when individual UAP incidents are resolved, they will fall into one of five potential explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, USG or U.S. industry development programs, foreign adversary systems, and a catchall “other” bin.

* There is also the possibility that based on certain sightings, and what appeared to be the sudden disappearance of the object from the pilot's view screen; this could indicate that the UAP was an interdimensional craft, capable of opening a vortex in the space-time continuum. [This last explanation was not in the report; it’s my own theory, is it that farfetched?]

Was it a waste of time, the Senate’s provision, the former president, and the months spent in preparing this report? Nothing conclusive, were you expecting something else, something otherworldly. I believe the report authors decided to come down on the side of caution, so as to avoid possible panic. The question still remains “Is the truth still out there?”