For centuries man has wondered on his position in the universe. Is he alone? Is he the divine creature? Is he descended from an ape, or a godly being? Finding its major roots just recently after World War II, the idea of extraterrestrial life existing and visiting our planet has held us captivated. The probability of alien visitors, although not entirely proven, is growing in acceptance due to an overwhelming amount of evidence, and public support.
The media has also had an effect upon the publicÆs opinion of UFOs. Starting in the late 50Æs, cheesy movies featuring larger than life monsters have created a feeling of foreboding towards the unknown. When combined with rampant UFO sightings, the public tried to calm its fears by inventing the "little green men form Mars" image (Orlando Sentinel 3/5/65). This image has remained popular still today, as expressed in many various cartoons. Although UFO sightings have dropped in number, and receive less coverage in business or news oriented periodicals, a new breed of coverage has emerged (Arvey 57). These new shows, such as "The
X-Files," are of a more rebellious than that of any seen before. Pointing out the governmentÆs plots and schemes, avoiding death at the hands of secret government hitmen, and proving the existence of extraterrestrial life, however farfetched, are quite regular. Though this image is good for publicity and ratings, the influence it holds on its viewers is somewhat detrimental to society. The more serious of these shows however, are presented in a somewhat biased, but news-like manner. These programs such as the popular "Sightings," give detailed reports of each incident, then attempting to link it to extraterrestrial motives.
As with any revolutionary change of thinking in society, there are those who jump at it with an incredible amount of ferocity (Daniken 78-80). These "theory throwers," will attempt to explain events in the most extravagant, unrealistic ways possible. These philosophies are rejected by the scientific community, and receive little credit from most UFO enthusiasts. Perhaps concepts of manÆs design are the most surprising of all. A great deal of these people hold the belief the man was genetically engineered by aliens in an attempt at creating a super "hybrid" race (Arvey 32). Also stemming from this belief are theories of government conspiracy. These include the formulation of an agreement between the worldÆs governments. This agreement is supposed to have banned the leaking of extraterrestrial occurrences in hopes of keeping the public from mass hysteria. From 1967-1968 the government conducted a report on UFOs. They stated that only 30% of sightings were unexplained, and that it was of no bother. This was higher than the Air Forces amount of unexplained events, therefore the report contradicted its predecessor (Rasmussen 73).
These "New Age" philosophies also reject the idea of God existing, and opt for an alien creator.
It was not until 1946 that the government began to take the UFOs seriously. It was in this year that Project Bluebook was initiated. Project Bluebook was a compilation and collection of UFO sightings and encounters (UFO). When this project was initiated, Robert J. Law was quoted as to having said:
"The trick will be, I think, to describe the project so that, to
the public it would appear a totally objective study, but, to
scientific community, would present the image of a group
of non-believers trying their best to be objective, but having
almost no expectation of finding a saucer."
Although the government investigations were able to explain a great deal of paranormal activity, there have always been the unexplained (Rasmussen 111). In this time period, however, not al people were looking to the stars for answers. Starting in the mid 50Æs and continuing still today is the secret weapons hypothesis. With the world just getting its hands on nuclear power, people began to believe that perhaps our government was developing some new weaponry or ship (Rasmussen 114). This theory has grown in popularity due to lack of trust in the former Soviet Union.
ManÆs involvement in the skies does go back much further than the 50Æs. Two hundred and fifty miles southwest of Lima, Peru, lies the Nazca Plateau. This plateau was once inhabited by a group of natives known as the Nazca. Over the course of their existence there, they carved over 13,000 curving lines into the plateau (Arvey 35). It is believed mainly that this task had a religious purpose; such as talking to their gods (Arvey 38). It was also suggested that these gods were aliens, and that these lines were used to guide in alien ships. This theory is not widely accepted due to the fact that these lines are too long, stretched out over more than a mile. All reported UFO ships have had the ability to travel vertically, thus not needing a mile long runway. However, the most widely accepted theory is that these lines were actually a calendar of some sort used to describe the winter and summer solstices (Arvey 37). This idea, although somewhat feasible, still has its problems. Why would a group of ancient men strive for decades to carve elaborate trenches into the floor of a rocky plateau? Could a calendar actually be that important? Foremost, how could these workers know what their design looked like? The shapes and figures formed by these lines are visible only at high altitudes. Author Mary Chatelaine believes that space beings were responsible for teaching earthlings to chart the skies, make calendars, and build pyramids (Arvey 33). The other theory that man perhaps was quite advanced in the past is also gaining ground (Arvey 44). When you consider what we do know about ancient man (bone fragments, pottery pieces, and deserted cities) you are faced with the fact that our knowledge is very limited. This theory could also explain the Mars "Face." The "Face" was photographed by an American space probe on a Martian reconnaissance mission. Scientists first seeing it deemed it to be a mixture of light and shadow (Arvey 43). The "Face" explanation that coincides with the advanced man theory is that Atlanteans mastered space travel, and left a sign on Mars for future generations (Arvey 43). Edward Grossinger was quoted as to having referred to it as "àa concrete object obviously carved from a Martian mesa in precise alignment to the sun and to surrounding structures" (Arvey 45). Hopefully continuing expeditions to Mars will help to unlock its secrets.
Easter Island is approximately 2,500 miles west of Chile. Easter Island is also a providence of Chile, yet the government has very little influence on its occupants. Easter Island is famous for its large stone heads, which are lined up along its beaches, and look out to sea. Many of these faces, however, lie in ruin in the grassy hills before the beaches, never completed. In 1970, a scientist named Heyerdahl visited Easter Island in an attempt to unlock the secrets behind the facesÆ construction. His theory evolved after he and several dozen other men began to work at the same task as the islanders had hundreds of years ago. They found it very difficult, but possible. Unfortunately, his theory is not widely accepted due to lack of able bodied men on Easter Island (Daniken 129). So far in fact, no one has been able to discover why or how a few hundred scrawny Polynesians had carried six hundred statues for up to two miles.
When Easter Island was first visited by white men, the were amazed. The one thing that puzzled them was that the islanders were not able to read the wooden tablets they wore around their neck. When questioned about these tablets, they replied that only the Moais ( as they called them) were able to read them. These Moais were said to be strong in stature and wore big red rats (Daniken 132). The natives were also at a loss to explain the statues. Some of the theories on them are that perhaps they were used to signal the mysterious Moais to come back. After not returning, the natives became angry, quit their working, and destroyed some of the statues.
On July 4, 1947, just north of Roswell, New Mexico, at about 11:30 PM, several people attested to having seen a bright object streak through the sky. The most important of these being James Ragsdale and his lady friend Trudy Truelove. While they were driving north on Highway 48 out of Roswell, they saw an extremely bright object fly through the sky over their jeep, and crash. They decided to check it out the next day. The next morning, they went to the sight of the crash (Randle and Schmitt 3). They claim to have seen what appeared to be inhuman bodies lying among twisted and bent pieces of strange metal. Ragsdale examined the metal and found two types unlike anything he had ever seen. One type could be bent into any shape or form with much ease, yet would not tear, and was not in the least bit flimsy. The other metal could be bent, wadded up, or scratched, yet would return to its former shape within seconds (Randle and Schmitt 7). Ragsdale and Truelove began to put the metal into RagsdaleÆs jeep, while Truelove protested. Before they could finish, however, three large army trucks, an army wrecker, and several army jeeps all led by a 47Æ Ford carrying MPs arrived. Ragsdale and Truelove fled the scene unseen disposing of the metal pieces in the nearby woods (Randle and Schmitt 7-8). Unbeknownst to them, earlier that morning the owner of the land, Mac Bazel, local sheepherder, had called the Roswell Air Force Base. Later that day, around 1:30 PM, Glenn Dennis, a young mortician at Ballards Funeral Home received an anonymous call from a man who claimed to be a military official. He later said this about the call, "He was calling about what size, what type of caskets, and how small [were the] caskets that we could furnish that were hermetically sealed." At first, thought the call was a prank, but as it drew on, he began to take it seriously (Randle and Schmitt 11). On July 6, the press released a report about a "flying saucer" crash near the townÆs edge. Apparently, the "flying saucer" quote was given to the newspaper by a military liaison. Yet later, on July 9, 1947, the press release stated that their earlier report had been mistaken and that the government now claims that a weather balloon had crash landed (Randle and Schmitt 89). This release is directly contradicted by local fireman Dan DweyerÆs daughter. According to her, her father had come home on July 5 very excited. He said that he had been called out to a ranch to inspect a possible fire hazard by the military. She (Frankie Rowe) was quoted saying, "There were apparently three people in the craft, because he saw two body bags and one live personàa very small being about the size of a ten-year old boy," (Randle and Schmitt 17).
There are several theories as to what could have happened at Roswell, besides a UFO crash. In the April issue of Fate, occultist John Keel claimed to have solved to Roswell mystery 20 years earlier. He believed that the material found was from a disabled Japanese balloon bomb. The government, discovering what it was, began to worry that the US people would lose faith in their governmentÆs ability to protect them. That would explain why they covered up with the weather balloon story, which finds little acceptance. If it had in fact been a bomb, then the "American Invulnerability" would be debunked (Randle and Schmitt 113). Another idea has to do with the secret weapon theory that had found its roots in this time period. Some believe that the craft was a downed V-2 rocket prototype. It is said that this prototype was a German-American hybrid, incorporating the best from both. The government was afraid of this leaking for the same reason that they would not have wanted the Japanese to know about the completion of the atom bomb. It was Ron Schaffner who developed this hypothesis after doing extensive research on V-2 rocket construction (Randle and Schmitt 120). Those who believe that the Roswell incident was not a secret rocket, balloon bomb, or weather balloon, have plenty of evidence to suggest that there were bodies present at the wreck. In addition to the testimonies of retired military personelle, many civilian experts, and bystanders, there are the autopsy reports. On July 2, 1979, a researcher named Stringfield received a typewritten statement and a copy of the autopsy report from one of the doctors who performed the autopsy in early 1950. After reading the report, Stringfield came to the conclusion that the being described were, "clearly not human," (Randle and Schmitt 58).
The acronym UFO means unidentified flying objet. It is also take to mean any aerial phenomena not readily explainable (UFO 129). Meteors, planets, rockets, stars, artificial satellites, and weather balloons are often the explanations behind UFOs (UFO 17). The theory, however, that UFOs come from outer space is called the extraterrestrial hypothesis. The only problem with this theory is the distance involved in interstellar travel. Another hypothesis on the nature of UFOs is the demonic forces hypothesis. It states that the UFOs represent demons coming to earth for the final battle between good and evil (Rasmussen 112). The not-so-widely accepted theory is that of hallucination/dream. Its major debunker is that mass hallucinations would have to be fairly common. The final hypothesis on UFO sightings is the null hypothesis, which states that they simply donÆt exist (Rasmussen 114).
There are three types of sightings. First comes the Close Encounter of the First Kind. In this setting, a UFO is seen at close range, but does not interact with its environment (Arvey 54). This type is the most common (Arvey 55). Next are the Close Encounters of the Second Kind. The UFO interacts with its environment, animals frightened, humans may have minor burns or clouded thinking, engines stall, headlights dim, or home appliances stop working (Arvey 55). The last type is the Close Encounter of the Third Kind. In this last type, aliens may be seen in or near a UFO, abductions may occur (Arvey 55).
There are many explanations for what can appear to be a flying saucer. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, a type of cloud called lenticular forms itself into a large spherical shape, thus looking entirely like a UFO (UFO). There is also ball lightning. There are four states of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma (Arvey 62). When a gas loses or gains electrons (is ionized) it becomes plasma. On earth, plasma only occurs in the upper stratosphere when lightning strikes between thunderclouds in the lower atmosphere. Atmospheric electricity in the form of plasma is called ball lightning. Ball lightning can explain most UFO sightings. It can be red, orange, white, blue,
or yellow. It is also shaped like a sphere, and seems to burn.
On July 13, 1969 in Iowa at the Barr family beanfield, a large rotating, orange, glowing, oval-shaped object with a double row of lights across the middle hovered, then set down for a few moments. After it took off, the ground was depressed and burnt (Rasmussen 77). Incidents like this are not so incredibly rare as one might suspect to see in the west. Animal mutilations are also more common today than ever before. An animal mutilation is when a cow or horse in a farmland setting is found dead with vital organs removed, blood drained, and skin and eyes surgically removed. The most famous mutilation was of an appaloosa pony named Snippy on Sept. 15, 1967. Reported missing just a few days earlier, Snippy was found skinned with bleached bones around his shoulders and head. His vital organs were also removed, as was his blood. When authorities searched, they found no tracks, no evidence, and no blood anywhere near him (Rasmussen 68).
The government, it seems, is attempting to cover up the existence of UFOs. On January 18, 1978 the CIA concluded that UFOs posed no threat to National Security (Rasmussen 41). They also concluded that other nations might possibly use false UFO reports on order to cover up an attack (Rasmussen 42). It was the CIAÆs decisions on the matter of UFOs that led Donald Keyhoe [later established the National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena in Oct. of 1956 (Rasmussen 45)] who in 1953 coined the grand plot theory. It stated that our government was allied with UFOs, and trading people for technology.
The major problem people have with UFOs being spacecraft from another planet is that of interstellar travel. Even traveling at the speed of light, it would take us 120 years to reach the closest galaxy, Alpha Centauri. As particles approach the speed of light, however, they become smaller, and time slows down to them (Daniken 21). Furthermore, terrestrial years are irrelevant as far as passengers on an interstellar flight are concerned (Daniken 19). Yet then people begin to wonder how could we possibly break the barrier of lightspeed, what about Einstein? EinsteinÆs theory on speed is only true if one "starts from the premise that spaceships of the future will have to be launched with the energy of millions of gallons of fuel" (Daniken 20). Even beyond this though, man can argue that he is always breaking the bonds set on him by his ancestors. "At sometime or other, the technical feasibility of every new idea vitally affecting the life of mankind was not proven," (Daniken 14). It was in fact the world famous periodical Nature, that once commented that space rockets wouldnÆt come around until shortly before man died (Daniken 14). The fuel problem of propelling a craft into space at near-light speeds could be solved by the use of tachyon particles (Daniken 22). While traveling through space at high speeds, a single particle could punch directly through a shipÆs armor. In order to combat this problem, an electromagnetic bubble would be erected around the ship (Daniken 19).
The chance of life other than ourselves in the universe is much larger than most believe. In fact, most people do not like the idea that another intelligence might exist because it would destroy the "lord of creation" view they have of themselves (Daniken 22). If the popular theory that the key to the generation of life in the universe is the combination of adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine, then the universe is literally teeming with life (Daniken 15). Combined with the probability of intelligent growth (based on our planetÆs ratio of sentient to non), fifty million civilizations have been calculated to possibly exist in our galaxy (Daniken 15). What would it take for any of these civilizations to develop interstellar travel, 75, maybe only a hundred years head start if only loosely based on our growth. What are the chances that we were first?
UFO abductions occur only in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The signs of abductions can be unexplainable rashes, loss of memory, or a blank spot in your memory (Rasmussen 98). Regression therapy, or hypnosis, can be used to determine the truth in a person who claims to have been abducted (Rasmussen 98). However, the subconscious mind while under hypnosis is capable of inventing colorful details from material seen while conscious, to describe imaginary events (Rasmussen 108). From this standpoint, regression therapy is not very dependable on a standalone basis (Rasmussen 109). This was proven in 1977 when two UFO researchers tested several patients on falsified events (Rasmussen 108). Mental health professionals can usually determine if hypnotic statements are based on dreams, planted memories, or real experiences (Rasmussen 109).
When people have been abducted they mostly remember the tests, if anything at all. They also talk of alien communicating messages telepathically to them (Rasmussen 99). The first thing that they communicate is always a soothing message of peace, telling the abductee to be calm. These aliens sometimes have messages on earthÆs current condition, and tell the person that something must be done. Perhaps the most famous abduction case is that of Travis Walton. Walton was a freelance lumberjack who worked with four of his friends. On the night on Nov. 5, 1975 around 6:15 PM, he and his friends were driving home after a day of work. They became aware of a glow in the sky, and drove to investigate, thinking it to be a fire. When they arrived at the source, they claim to have seen a disc floating approximately twenty feet from the ground. Walton exited the car, and stood beneath the ship. His friends testified that he was struck by a beam of energy, and thrown onto his back. They left thinking he was dead, and fearing for their own lives. Three days later Walton showed up in the middle of the night , naked, at a gas station. His story was later made popular by a movie titled Fire in the Sky.
There is indeed a great deal of information out there on UFOs. Although a lot of it is either fake, or explainable, there is always the unexplainable. It is the unexplainable that drives man forward, to mature. With the probability of an alien species so high, how can one believe that we are alone. The road to the truth is quite rough, and full of potholes and sidetracks. Eventually, though, the existence of UFOs will be proven if they exist. Of they do not, man will continue to blame whatever mystifies him on "the little green men".
