There are realistic ways to try to see how many advanced civilizations there are nearby.  Not by guessing, but by building space telescopes so strong that they could actually see the cloud tops and land masses of other earth-like planets around other stars.  The technology to do so is called interferometry.  By taking several small telescopes flying in sink hundreds of miles apart and combining their light into a central telescope, it can produce a telescope with a the exact same resolution as a telescope 100s of miles wide, not just 2.5 meters like Hubble.  Such technology exists and was even being planned for the latter part of the next decade by NASA until put on hold.  You want to talk about conspiracies?  Let's talk about the decided lack of funding for missions specifically to look for life on Mars and Europa (a moon of Jupiter with an ocean 60 miles deep under a layer of 10-mile thick ice).  The Spirit and Opportunity rovers are sure cute and rather useful but considering that Mars is the planet most likely to have once harbored microbial life, it’s a total shame we could not send something a bit more robust.  

Yes it is an alien invasion. That is why the government is bad. Note how it is bad, but not so bad that the people are intolerant. It has been that way since WWII.

If any UFO sightings are indeed not of this Earth why do we assume the craft is inhabited by organic lifeforms? Maybe their home command center operates on a budget.

The sightings are ourselves in time travel crafts from the future.....laughing at how stupid we are

A UFO is just that, and nothing more.  Unidentified Flying Object.  It is not identified as a particular object, is transiting the atmosphere (flying) and is presumed to be an object (as opposed to plasma).

Now, on that basis how about a good rational discussion.  I have seen objects that I could not identify and I am pretty good at aircraft recognition.  I have been fairly active as an amateur astronomer.  Does that mean I have seen LGM-bearing (Little Green Men) spaceships?  No, but neither does it mean I haven't.  To have certain knowledge in either case takes it out of the UFO status.

Chris, don't forget the era of "Better, Faster, Cheaper!"  Also, don't forget that you never get to pick more than two!!!

As for a conspiracy, to what purpose?  As an example, the NRA may be a conspiracy by gun and ammo manufacturers.  There is a purpose.  Any race that could traverse interstellar space and infiltrate a government would surely want a better run place than we are getting now.  Unless you believe they want the place crapped up with mercury, air pollution, greenhouse effects, depleted uranium, etc.  If they can live in those conditions they are better than I am!

Such an array of telescopes would be useful for thing that don't have anything to do with aliens.  Here's the thing: if we could examine every single star system within 1000 light years and determine somehow that there were no advanced civilizations on any of them, there would still be people who would say that it must be aliens from farther away, or it must be aliens we've missed, or it must be something other than what it is.

We love conspiracy theories.  Real science takes time, patience, and a whole lot of work.

On the good side, if we actually do discover another advanced civilization, it would be one of the most important events in the history of humanity - not because of any applications, but simply because of how it might alter our perception of our place in the cosmos.

Isn't it odd that with everybody and his/her brother carrying a camcorder, that there aren't a lot more UFO sightings? If they're really here (and I desperately wish they were), why don't we see them?

UFOs are real in the sense that there are unquestionably flying objects that have not been identified. However, even though there is no evidence against the existence of other intelligent species other places in the universe, there is no reason to believe that UFOs are related to extraterrestrial intelligence. The biggest argument against the theory that UFOs are caused by extraterrestrials visiting Earth is the wide discrepencies in the reports. During the European mercantile expansion of the 16th and 17th centuries, tall sailing ships came into the view of many preindustrial peoples who had not previously experienced anything like such vessels. Even if one's contacts were limited to preindustrial observers who had only seen tall ships offshore, these witnesses would have given a consistent account of what that had seen, in objective terms, even if their subjective interpretations varied. With UFOs, there is a broad range of objective events within the category of UFO sightings. Those who ask us to believe that these are sightings of extraterrestrial space ships are asking us to believe, not that a single space faring culture with a single space travelling technology is visiting us, but that a multitude of space faring cultures with multiple space travelling technologies are visiting us. In the absence of unambiguous evidence for visits by even one extraterrestrial culture, there is absolutely no basis for believing in visits by multiple extraterrestrial cultures. If UFOs were actually extraterrestrial space ships, one would expect more consistency from one UFO account to another. It is easier to believe that those UFOs sightings which are not frauds are, in actuality, attributable to a variety of mundane (but unidentified) causes which were, simply, not apparent to the observers.

I've witnessed UFOs myself. Unfortunately, none of them stayed that way. I eventually found out what each one really was. Having grown up in Roswell, I guess I've always been a little more curious about UFOs. But I'm also very sceptical about most sightings. I hear a lot about government coverups and conspiracies. Having spent 21 years in the Air Force I can tell you that it's almost impossible to keep a secret for very long. I personally don't believe we will ever be visited by alien creatures due to the vast distances involved with space travel and with the extreme remoteness of our planet. But if they do eventually show up, I just hope they're friendly.

uh you guys sound crazy. Those telescopes would cost billions upon billions and in the end is it worth knowing there are other earthlike planets. I think we know that by now. Right now we should concentrate on getting earth back on track. Our government has some tough decisions ahead and we should make sure they don't screw up. Spening billions on telescopes just won't due right now. As much as I'd love to explore deep space it's just not worth it.

For every credible sighting there are going to be hundreds of misidentified meteors, aircraft, etc., and it's just the nature of the subject.  You take the good with the bad and filter as best as you can. Skeptics are necessary filters.

When something truly unexplainable is reported people start looking at the sky and report that the planet Venus is hovering over their neighbors house.  Skeptics then take these misidentifications and paint all sightings as equally erroneous.

Misidentifications can cause clogs.

Sometimes filters clog, too.

the gOverMent is controld byth ALIENS!  What isity ou DOnt unDerstan!d

Help, iam been HELD prisnoER by lookalikes from the planet Albatron!

the reel donald rumsFEld

I forget the original argument, but I think it went something like (pull out your calculators):

With an avg. (just say, for argument's sake) of 150 billion stars per galaxy and (I think at last count) upty-billions of galaxies, even if the probability of a civilized species evolving capable of space flight were only 0.0000001% (plug that into your upty-trillions number on your calculator), then some HAVE EVOLVED.  The problem?  Where are they?  There should at least be probes and possibly automated research stations.  We are alone.  So far...

Your link to http://www.dailygrail.com/node/4133 in the other thread seems to be pretty damning of the entire O'Hare incident. At this point, it just doesn't seem like there's anything that needs to be explained.

Chris as potentially life altering as an interferometric telescope array has the potential to be for all mankind, it's just not going to be funded because the money is needed for more important things like keeping the U.S. addicted to oil and rebuilding below sea level cities that keep getting flooded. I think Robert Byrd needs a new Hog Belly Museum constructed right away. Science will have to wait.

here's my take.  I think that people do indeed misjudge a lot of space junk as UFO's.

I'm a trained Navy observer and have stood many a watch on a ship out at sea.  My training taught me all about the effects of light bending around the planet (why the moon looks bigger on the horizon) and what to look for when identifying other flying craft.  

I've seen the O'Hare images and pulled them into Photoshop.  They have no artifacts that would suggest fraud.  I've seen four images from four different angles.  That makes three people so far taking images, with one person taking two.  My point?  It would have to really be a slow day at the office for me to put forth the effort to fake the images we are seeing using three cell phone cameras and work in an image of the little gray disc that I saw in them.  Indeed, I can make one of these ships in Blender or Maya in mere seconds and paste into the images and blow them out on the Internet.

But why?

O'Hare has plenty of business already, so they don't need the hassle of UFOs making the FAA and NORAD nervous.  

I think that our little blue planet has been screaming our existence in every direction since the early part of the 20th century when the first high power transmissions were made. (did anyone pay attention to  "Contact"?)

Why is it so hard for people to realize that extraterrestrials have taken more of interest in us because we are making ourselves known?

It's like me shining a flashlight at you from fifteen miles away from your vessel at sea....we might not be able to communicate perfectly, but you know I'm there and you might go my direction just to see what was shining the light! 

The O'Hare incident is the best of them. Many good witnesses from different angles saying the same thing.  Too bad there are no really good photos (at least not yet). Then again, again photos can be easily faked these days.

No way its weather phenomena. The FAA and UAL should have just said "we don't know what it was", but I can certainly understand why they'd want to deflect interest from the whole affair.

mr boyle, u sound like some of those people that get on tv and tell the people that ufos are swamp gas or venus, please take your head out of the sand long enough to look around, its sad sir that so many people have been seeing these wonderous craft for many years and they are treated like they are insane or delusional, and yes sir they are craft, who they are, i dont have a clue, but i do know they are as real as the car in the driveway, and yes sir i know this for a FACT..........

I believe you are totally right.  A lot of sightings in the sky can be attributed to space debris.  But there is always the story of 'that one' that has intrigue on its side

I think that religion has a big part to do with why we are not pushing our technological potential to find other life further in space.

How would life on other planets explain the existence, if any, of God. Let science do its part and let's find out if we are alone or not (I think not).

UFO's are interesting, but the most unlikely of all possible explainations is that they are alien spacecrafts.  The fact that people see something that is unexplained does not give us the excuse to propose a complex and improbable explaination.

I project that -- like before -- response to this post will be most massive.

Even if Mr. Boyle appears to be on the DE-BUNKER side of science, he may yet be capable of learning truth.

Now, THIS is getting very interesting.... .... ....

Normally, the mother-ships remain in orbit and launch their 30-Ft to 70-Ft diameter scout ships from space. That they are launching within our atmosphere, closer to
the surface, displays a boldness and willingness to be observed.

I, personally, believe that open contact is impending and imminent.

[Rod has copied and pasted the text from a Web page into his original message. To save on space, here's a link to the Web page instead ... AB]

http://www.nationalufocenter.com/artman/publish/article_127.php

who said they were aliens, everyone forgets about brown, telsa, farnsworth, and a few others the government would rather u didnt know about...

GW,

Check out

http://xzonenation.blogspot.com/2007/
01/ohare-swiss-cheese-ufo-sighting.html

Cosmic log pointed us in that direction once before.

One of the busiest airports on the whole planet and only 12 people see it, all of them employees of one airline?  There were no reports to any government agency about this alleged incident?  No jets scrambled?  What's up?  This has all the signs of a hoax.  Five years from now, the UFOlogists will be reporting this as one of the all time best examples of "scientific evidence" for alien visitors.

Rod..yeah just like the second coming is imminent but never happens.

 the ohare ufo sighting is very significant, since pilots, ground personnel are witnesses.

anybody who paid atention in high school,  knows  the laws of inertia,  now the craft at ohare took off with such a instant acceleration that  the craft itself, plus any inhabitant, would have to been ripped to little little pieces. the fact that this did not happen proves without any doubt, that in order to do that, u need to be able to manipulate gravity, and such time/space itself,.

as such the craft either was alien in origin, or that we have the technology to manipulate gravity/time/space, and a energy source that can end global warming.

in fact this is  the very reason the feds hide the alien presence and this tech, (not public panic or some ), cause then they have to admit they have and had this tech for decades, but then the big corporation  oil,  gas that run president and the white house couldnt sell their oil any more, fair and square

jim jimmerson- Telescopes are worth it for broadening our knowledge.  What we spend on telescopes is insignificant to what we spend on each of cigarettes, video games, slot machines or illegal drugs.  

We will have to leave this nest someday, hopefully before we foul it and it would be best to understand our environment.

By the way, the odds are very slim of having another technological civilization exisiting at the same time and close enough to visit or communicate. The odds are that we should miss each other by a few billion years and a few million galaxies distance.  Sorry, no interstellar visitors.  No gas stations or grocery stores between here and there.

jim jimmerson said:
uh you guys sound crazy. Those telescopes would cost billions upon billions and in the end is it worth knowing there are other earthlike planets. I think we know that by now. Right now we should concentrate on getting earth back on track. Our government has some tough decisions ahead and we should make sure they don't screw up. Spening billions on telescopes just won't due right now. As much as I'd love to explore deep space it's just not worth it.

I say jim, think for a moment. One-we don't know that "they are there or here." Some of us suspect and many of us dearly wish. Two-our sense of our place and of our effect on it has been the subject of debate for centuries at least. Any suggestion that a useful solution is immanent is not supported by observation. Three-our government does not have tough decisions to make; you and I do. After all, they are in positions of authority because we elected them to represent our wishes in the task of crafting and interpreting and administrating the Law.

It may be instructive to review not only the parts of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and their parent documents but to read slowly and with attention those other parts that form the skeleton on which the flesh of freedom takes form. One of my personal favorites is the list of charges against King George that are detailed in the Declaration of Independence; it provides the rationale for the ultimate purpose of the writers' intent and understanding of this rationale is necessary to the preservation of life, liberty and all that follows.

Please pay attention and review history frequently.

FallableFiend, yeah I've read all the reports and the criticism, including your link (a pretty shallow assessment, IMO). Criticizing Davenport's initial skepticism and the lengths of observation of each witness? Like they're all supposed to look up at the same time? Read the actual reports, including two new ones which just surfaced - one from a baggage handler, and from woman in a parking lot. The first report was actually posted on the web the day after the sighting:

http://tinyurl.com/yt5vzs

And you think it was a hoax? A collusion between managers in the tower, pilots, and baggage handlers? Now that's a conspiracy theory. I don't know what it was, but there were too many good witnesses, and it sure wasn't the weather.

Am I seeing things? Or did Rod post two identical pictures of a "mothership" -- one taken over Greenland and the other over somewhere on the planet Mars? Good grief! Those darn aliens have perfected the ability to be in two places at once. Talk about Heisenberg!

"Now that's a conspiracy theory. I don't know what it was, but there were too many good witnesses, and it sure wasn't the weather."

Well, your link is a much more careful analysis.  The fellow just reads a kook's book and admits to a sudden interest in these sorts of things.  I had said before in other threads that the sensationalism of our culture and lazy magical thinking induce some people to see imaginary things that they expect to see.  You've just unwittingly added a critical piece to the puzzle.  Thanks.

The *ONLY* people who saw this thing (and I've passed through O'Hare a number of times ... it's *really* busy) were 12 people all of whom worked for the same company.  One member had just read a kooky book that he put some credence in - and was primed to see "something."

ok to be honest, and probably ridiculed, my uncle and his wife, saw one of these craft hovering just over some trees next to thier house, this was back in the early 80s, they where so close to it they could have hit it with a rock if they had wanted to, it was about 35 feet across, lights going around the bottom, 1 white light in the center, and made absolutely no sound, when it changed directions there was a flash of light, at one point in the encounter it moved so far away you couldn't tell it from the stars, and i'm talking seconds to move that far, they have video of the tree tops taken a day or so later, they where burnt to a crisp, anyway there it is, i guess seeing is believing.........

any ideas as to what was seen around the nasa tether experiment, life forms? ships? ice? sure was alot of things moveing out there......

You should check out www.thephoenixligts.net for info on the AZ mass sighting of '97, when thousands saw something extraordinary - a mile wide and silent object with lights glide right over their heads - throughout the state for many hours. 10 years later this awesome event is still unexplained - and gaining momentum as a true unknown.

The interesting point being missed for the best part. The hot topic at present is the spaceship and we as a collective think we are seeing them everywhere even if we are not! Forget about it, leave it all behind make our beautiful world a great place to live at every moment. Focus on whats important, what truly inspires you. This spaceship is about to take off!

David Laurence, why assume that aliens would build  probes which were unsophisticated?  If humans can conceive of probes, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence, then it is only a matter of time until we'll be sending robust, intelligent, and self replicating probes into the universe which have the capability of far outlasting our species.  Human Exobiologists already weigh the risks of polluting Mars and Europa with terrestrial microbes.  It is not unreasonable to posit that a hypothetical advanced alien species may have already considered these risks and have taken a non interference approach.  These artificial intelligences could observe life on other planets sereptitiously over the course of millions of years. Conversely, other hypothetical aliens may be engaged in a high tech diaspora.  The latter is more disturbing to contemplate.

Many UFO sightings can be attributed to stars, planets, gas and space debris.  The others are probably just secret aircraft.  If you look at the history of the planes developed or flown in Area 51 you will see that the saucer shaped UFO's were under development at that time or with the latest sightings of the light in the sky moving in ways no aircraft known at that time could move...um anyone seen the new jet put into service this year fly?  The chances that life exists on other worlds is very high as stated above, however the chances that any of those civilizations are actually able to traverse the space between our plants is very very very very very low.

I saw and HEARD a UFO in 1978. I believe they travel through worm holes. I was one and a half miles away when I encountered it. If you want to hear the whole story, let me know here.

Why did only a small group see it at a busy airport? If the "O'Hare UFO" was small, nearby, and short lived, then possibly that small group of employees were the only ones in the right place at the right time to see it.

It is also possible that it only looked mysterious from their particular vantage point, others seeing it from a different angle dismissed it as an ordinary everyday object.

UFOs are by nature "unidentified". Those people that insist they must be "extraterrestrial" and add fictional details to the reports reveal more about themselves and their psychology than about the alleged UFOs.

Randy,

"...traverse the space between our plants is very very very very very low."

Based on 21th century science I would tend to agree with you.  But that's the problem here...maybe we're just as blissfully ignorant about the "true" science of interstellar space travel as we have been so many times in the past with every other discipline of science, medicine, etc...

Given the appropriate technology, interdimensional travel may be possible and commonplace.  

I saw a UFO once, but i was on acid at the time.

So, here we are, caught in this paradox of the mind.
People have made millions off of this since Hollywood picked up on it and did... "The DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL".

I believe there could be a correlation between modern UFO lore and Hollywood..a collusion that began in 1947.  These pictures are really baloney.
Even that video SUCKS!! Could be anything.

The only things that hit the media are these "Close Encounters Of the Third Kind" sightings...extraordinary things.

I once saw something maybe 6 years ago I could not readily explain however, it didn't have the fancy dancy things worthy of a media thing.  A small white dot bee-lining across the sky at constant velocity for about 20 seconds with no discerable lines of plane or helicopter until it was out of sight.  I estimate it was travelling at 3 - 6 hundred miles/ hr.  But SO WHAT?  It wasn't doing all those fancy things that the media reports.

In 1957 while watching for the Russian Sputnik about 8 of us were standing in the road looking too the skies. I was about 8 years old at that time. A huge gold object (typical saucers description) flew over our house about TV antenna high, 50 feet etc. As we watched it in silence, it moved 90 degrees. I ran through the back yard to watch it disappear. It was not gas, balloon, or anything other than what we saw. It was awesome. WOF

I have enjoyed reading this blog but have not submitted anything thus far. For those who believe/insist these "UFO's" are government or military made, I applaud you for still believing in governmental systems that to many are clearly flawed and in danger of truly destroying life as we know it. On the other hand I can see why some hesitate to immediately jump onto the "visited by an alien species bandwagon." Has anyone noticed that many UFO reports - including the one by John Lear ...

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2003/11/02.html

... portray these craft as hostile towards the governments? Could it be that if they are alien or time-travellers or whatever that they are here to assist those who wish to create a better world? Who among us has not thought this planet could use a little improvement? And who has not had the thought that he or she was only one and therefor incapable of making any real difference. Perhaps we are creating help? Whoever and whatever "they" are, maybe it is time to claim who WE are in the scheme...

Whether you believe in UFO's or not everyone has to agree that something is going on and has been for some years. There have been many credible reports by pilots, air traffic controllers, law enforcement officers and military personel. People we trust with our lives. Thousands of people have claimed to see UFO's and even if they are not real or are attributable to natural or man made phenomenon it definitely demands a better response and investigation from science than what we have had so far. Goverment disinformation, denial, discrediting witnesses and top secret documents does not happen for swamp gas or the planet Venus. The explanation that the vast distances of space prohibit contact from other planets doesnt fly either. At various times scientists believed that the Earth was flat, the Earth was the center of the Universe, the sound barrier could never be broken, that diseases stemmed from imbalances of bodily humours instead of viruses and bacteria, etc. If we are currently unable to go faster than the speed of light why does this mean that no other more advanced race has found a way to do it? Or found a way around that problem? This subject demands a fair, unbiased investigation from science and an open honest account from the government on what they know. Too many people have claimed to see these things to just dismiss it any more. Whatever they are we need to find out one way or the other.

THEEEEEIIIIR HEEEERRRREEEE

This past friday 02/02/2007 I was surfing thru the channels and happen to stop on the MSNBC and there was an discussion going on  about whether UFO's are real or not. Mr Nye the science guy was one of the gentlemen participating. He was pretty much skeptical which I can sincerely understand. Anyway one of the filmed sitings ( 5 yellowish lights in a triangle formation against a back drop of blue sky with some green foliage in the lower right side of the film) These are the very same images thet I had observed in the sky when I was with the army on training manuvers in the desert approximately 20 miles north west of El Paso Texas. The sun had just set and it was still daylght. The objects appeared to be above El Paso or some wheres in between or farther past. They were just hovering in one spot when I seen them and in about 2 or 3 seconds they started to move towards the west then abruptly accelerated at a very high speed and disappeared. I always wondered what these were and hoped someone could someday get some positive proof. I always thoght that they were five separate objects, but after watching a show on TV about UFO sightings some time last year I now believe that this was a single object. I surmse that if this is a real craft of some kind, that it is using a stealth technology and that possibly incertain operational situations it is not accomplishing the job that it was designed for. Since` the scientist claim that the universe has been in existence for over 18 billion years, is it not possible that intelegent life has developed many millions or a billion years ahead of us. That maybe they are baby sitting how we progress in our technology so as not to destroy the universe with the destructive ways of the human race.  Now that I have seen these objects with my own eyes 46 years ago in 1960 and seen the same thing that someone else has taken moving pictures of, thoroughly has convinced me that contact with other beings has already happened, probably as far back as our history goes. If there are real beings involved They must be friendly to us, so far. Weird anyway. Maybe the science guys can solve this someday. But they probably need to find out what kind of a sign language to use in order to communicate, kind of like the old westerns.

Then again are ufo's really of ET origin, I mean there is a large amount of realistic evidence pointing to the fact that large parts of the conspiracy of ufo and alien stuff could be a coverup for advanced propulsion systems based upon what the germans where developing around WW2, what about the "foo fighters" of legend. Its a coincidence that the first major reports and sighting started in the US just after WW2. Researchers like Townsend T Brown worked on the Biefield-Brown effect for example, dig and you will be surprised what you find...

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