UFO 'science' investigations debunked

The Iron Skeptic
By Aaron Sakulich
Published: Thursday, September 23, 2004

If you're anything like I am, you would probably be overwhelmed with disgust and outrage at seeing an article about UFOs in the science and technology section of a newspaper. While on the one hand the details of "UFOlogy" don't belong in any reputable paper, a close look at the interaction between science and the investigation of UFO claims is very enlightening.

The first sightings of UFOs in America occurred around 1896. Hundreds of people from all across the country reported seeing objects that can be best described as "blimp-like." Long cigar-shaped dirigibles, some with wings or propellers, were reported hovering above every state in the union. This was before the experiments of the Wright brothers made air travel famous, and before the first practical heavier-than-air dirigibles, zeppelins or blimps had been made anywhere but Germany.

Scientists of the time, although racing to discover the secret of flight, did not pay much attention to this wave of sightings, and with good reason: Over time, a huge number of them proved to be hoaxes, misidentifications of regular phenomena, or ploys to increase tourism to certain small towns. There were even some silver-tongued gods of smooth-talking that managed to sucker thousands of dollars out of people with promises of rides in aircraft. With the exception of sociology, science really had no part in this wave.

What it did provide sociologists with was an example of mass hysteria. The prevailing feeling at the time was that some backwoods tinkerer would build a working aircraft in some remote shanty, and then unleash his invention on the world. This is, interestingly, what happened: two bicycle-makers from Ohio, Wilbur and Orville Wright, built the first functioning American airplane.

But as soon as this "lone inventor" theory was firmly implanted in the minds of the American populace, people began "seeing" UFOs and occasionally meeting their inventor, who took on the name Wilson over time. Wilson, like the Jersey Devil, never existed but is rather a unique slice of American mythology produced by overactive imaginations. The first wave of "modern" UFO sightings began in 1947 and would eventually involve scientists from every field. The first sighting was by a pilot who spotted a number of lights flying in V-formation over the Midwest. He reported it, the Air Force went to investigate, and the modern era of UFOs was launched.

The Air Force played a peculiar role in UFO investigations until the early 1970s. They were petrified that what people were reporting were actually Soviet weapons, so they investigated them with great zeal. As they investigated them, civilians such as Donald Keyhoe, an ex-marine major, began to take an interest. With increasing public interest, sightings increased until 1952 when the Pentagon was so swamped with UFO reports that military communications were disrupted. After the 1952 wave, the Air Force realized how dangerous UFOs were. Although they had no proof that they were Soviet superweapons, just the existence of the UFO problem could be used as a great propaganda tool by the Russians. Because of this, the Air Force classified all of their UFO investigations, set about trying to discredit the witness to such events, and explain away as much as they could. Their hopes were that interest in UFOs would die down and not give the Soviets any leverage over the imaginations of the American people.

The opposite happened. Donald Keyhoe founded the National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP.) He believed that the Air Force was trying not to prevent mass hysteria that could be disruptive during times of an actual Soviet attack, but was trying to hide the fact that UFOs were spaceships from other planets. NICAP, which had as its first board of directors a very distinguished group including several army officers and a naval Admiral, began lobbying for Congressional hearings. The Air Force was afraid that hearings would make it look incompetent or stir up public interest and create another "wave" of sightings, and worked feverishly against them. Project Sign, the original UFO investigation by the Air Force, became Project Grudge, which became Project Blue Book, which was little more than a PR move by the Air Force to assure people it was investigating and downplay interest.

In the mid-fifties, "contactees" who claimed to have been contacted by the crews of alien spaceships began to appear. It is these people who turned investigations of UFOs into a circus of insanity, and I think it fairly obvious that each and every one of these people is suffering from a mental disorder of one sort or another. But even here, scientists have a chance to learn: A psychologist or sociologist could write a lifetime of free meal tickets studying the special brand of insanity or greed in these people.

It was during this period in the late 1950s and early 1960s that science turned against itself. Previous to the cults that popped up around the contactees, the prevailing theory in the scientific community was that UFOs were some sort of as of yet undocumented natural phenomena: strange and rare weather patterns, exotic optical tricks being played on the eyes of the unsuspecting, and so forth. Pretty much everyone agreed that the UFOs-as-alien-spaceships idea was hogwash.

When the cult of contactees appeared, scientists were disgusted, and rightly so, but in trying to distance themselves from these madmen, they completely abandoned a field of research and turned upon themselves. Ridicule against anyone even suspected of being interested in UFOs was just as destructive to life and reputation as being accused of being a communist by Senator McCarthy. When Dr. James McDonald testified to congress that use of the Supersonic transport (SST) would decrease the ozone layer and cause 10,000 new cases of skin cancer in the US each year, Senator Ted Kennedy attacked him for having shown an interest in UFOs. He was laughed out of Congress, despite the fact that his claims about the SST had scientific background, and a short time later, his career in shambles, he took his life.

The only person to come through this unscathed was J. Allen Hynek. A well-regarded astrophysicist, he had begun in 1947 to help the Air Force investigate UFO claims. He was such a cautious, methodical man that it took him 20 years to change opinions and declare that the Air Force really wasn't investigating things properly, and that room for serious scientific study existed. In the end, Hynek was right. UFOs are certainly not Soviet superweapons, as sightings have continued past the demise of Russain communism, not to mention that the Russians, for a time, thought the UFOs they were spotting were American superweapons. A large portion of UFO sightings are surely misidentification of aircraft or weather balloons, or the erroneous spotting of planets, stars, or other astronautic phenomena.

A larger portion surely fall under the category of hallucinations, the products of diseased minds, and hoaxes. Nonetheless, there are still a large number of cases that go unsolved and uninvestigated. Scientists are squandering opportunities to explore the unexplained, possibly discovering new meteorological phenomena, new chemical or biological phenomena (once, even swamp gas was not understood) or, at the very least, a better understanding of the workings and depravities of the human mind.

No one is better suited to investigating UFOs than scientists, and, as a whole, no group has ever neglected the duty of their chosen livelihoods more than scientists have in refusing to treat such matters with an impartial investigation.

Aaron Sakulich is a senior majoring in materials science and engineering.
Media Credit: The Triangle
(link)

Debunked? Is that not just a way of saying the author does not believe in UFOs and is voicing that? I find it most amusing when skeptics use this term, it's as if their skepticism alone is adequate proof for the contrary.

Where is the authors research and proof for the various claims he makes? You said it "debunks" science investigations of UFO's? There is not a single scientific investigation in UFO's analysed here?

The author also does not consider the pre-flight UFO sightings. There is actually little objective material for me to make an informed decision. It reads more like an opinion of a skeptic. I think it is fair to say, this article(?) has been debunked.

[edit on 23-9-2004 by Indigo_Child]

I'm gonna say just 2 things. First, there is a huge difference between evidence and proof. Second, it only takes one legit sighting or encounter, out of the tens of thousands of "hoaxes" to make it all real.

who took on the name Wilson over time. Wilson, like the Jersey Devil, never existed but is rather a unique slice of American mythology

Was the Jersey Devil anything like the Spring Heeled Jack?
I just love a good Spring Heeled Jack story.

a huge number of them proved to be hoaxes

What about the number NOT proven to be hoaxes...

the Air Force classified all of their UFO investigations, set about trying to discredit the witness to such events, and explain away as much as they could.

Does this sound like scientific method to you? Not to me...

It is these people who turned investigations of UFOs into a circus of insanity, and I think it fairly obvious that each and every one of these people is suffering from a mental disorder of one sort or another.

Here the author is trying to present his sole opinion as a supporting arguement... THAT much is the only thing that is OBVIOUS, hehe...

Pretty much everyone agreed that the UFOs-as-alien-spaceships idea was hogwash.

A gross generalization. There are many documented scientists who did not think it was "hogwash", and many authentic documents prove this.

A large portion of UFO sightings are surely misidentification of aircraft or weather balloons, or the erroneous spotting of planets, stars, or other astronautic phenomena.

Again, the author is attempting to use his sole opinion as a supporting argument.

A larger portion surely fall under the category of hallucinations, the products of diseased minds, and hoaxes.

And yet again... The author is very SURE of himself,

No one is better suited to investigating UFOs than scientists, and, as a whole, no group has ever neglected the duty of their chosen livelihoods more than scientists have in refusing to treat such matters with an impartial investigation

This is my favorite, his closing argument actually supports the CONTRARY of his opinion! He states that scientists have neglected their duties in investigating UFOs. So, if there has been no impartial scientific investigation, how then, can he come to a scientific conclusion? Simple, he hasn't. All he's come to is his own OPINION. Debunked? Hardly....

Originally posted by Gazrok
This is my favorite, his closing argument actually supports the CONTRARY of his opinion! He states that scientists have neglected their duties in investigating UFOs. So, if there has been no impartial scientific investigation, how then, can he come to a scientific conclusion? Simple, he hasn't. All he's come to is his own OPINION. Debunked? Hardly....

I think a few names need to reread the title of the article. As the article�s title implies, he thinks that official UFO investigations were neglected and worthy of saying they were �debunked�. Confusing title, I had to think it over...

I don�t know what�s funnier. The reactions that people are giving to an article that basically says something positive, that the investigations that have taken place have been improperly maintained, or the article itself. I�m glad you got a laugh too Gazrok.

he thinks that official UFO investigations were neglected

No, I actually did realize this...

The thing is, he USES that argument to support his own ideas that ufos are SURELY this, and SURELY that, and EVERYONE who sees them is somehow mentally ill....and this somehow debunks UFOs....

I realize that he is unhappy with the way scientists have investigated UFOs, yet he then states his "beliefs" of what UFOs are, and uses decidedly "unscientific" means to do so. I guess that's what's so laughable, hehe.....

[edit on 24-9-2004 by Gazrok]

The author of the article might want to take a class on history or mythology instead of dry science. Troy was discovered by an amateur after science relegated it to the fairy-tale bin.


Too much stuff of legend to believe something is NOT there. From fire-breathing dragons to Hindu air battles, Hopi stories of another world to Chinese legends of giants, Nazca lines of Peru to Admiral Byrd throwing away his reputation championing an entrance to an inner world:

FLIGHT LOG: BASE CAMP ARCTIC, 2/19/1947
0910 Hours- Vast Ice and snow below, note coloration of yellowish
nature, and disperse in a linear pattern. Altering course foe a
better examination of this color pattern below, note reddish or
purple color also. Circle this area two full turns and return to
assigned compass heading. Position check made again to base camp,
and relay information concerning colorations in the Ice and snow
below.

30/12/56: FINAL ENTRY:

These last few years elapsed since 1947 have not been kind...I
now make my final entry in this singular diary. In closing, I
must state that I have faithfully kept this matter secret as
directed all these years. It has been completely against my
values of moral right. Now, I seem to sense the long night
coming on and this secret will not die with me, but as all truth
shall, it will triumph and so it shall.

True or not, the following statement is irrefutably true:

there are those among you who would destroy your very world rather than relinquish their power as they know it

What is truth?

If we had spent half the resources we did investigating Clintons sex activities instead on investigating scientificallly, UFOs, we might have had an answer by now.

Well, at least PUBLICALLY. Im sure behind the scenes, however......