,transcriber's ,notes ,italic text is enclosed in underscores1 while subscripts are preceded1 but not followed by an underscore4 ,other notes will be found at the end of this e,book4 ,,the ,,world ,,of ,,flying ,,saucers ,the ,world of ,flying ,saucers ,a ,,scientific ,,examination ,,of ,a ,,major ,,myth ,,of ,,the ,,space ,,age ,donald ,h4 ,menzel ,,and ,lyle ,g4 ,boyd ,,doubleday ,,company1 ,,inc41 ,,garden ,,city1 ,,new ,,york ,library of ,congress ,catalog ,card ,number #fc-abihi ,copyright #aifc by ,donald ,h4 ,menzel and ,lyle ,g4 ,boyd ,all rights reserved4 ,printed in the ,united ,states of ,america ,to ,,fred ,l4 ,,whipple1 whose studies have added much to our knowledge of meteors--which have furnished more than their share of ,u,f,os4 ,contents ,,preface xiii ,i4 ,,the ,,saucer ,,worlds #a ,,ufo ,reports and the ,air ,force--,the ,scientist's ,view--,the ,question of 8,evidence0--,various ,types of ,,ufo--,descriptions of ,u,f,os--,a 8,baedeker's ,guide0 to ,saucerdom ,,ii4 ,,lo6 #ac ,arnold's ,nine ,disks--,the ,great ,shaver ,mystery--,the ,maury ,island ,fragments--,science ,fiction ,adopts the ,saucers--,mirage or ,wave ,clouds8 ,,iii4 ,,air-,,borne ,,ufos3 ,,balloons ,,to ,,bubbles #ca ,the ,mantell ,tragedy--,a ,probable ,solution of the ,mantell ,case--,a ,radiosonde over ,virginia--,skyhook and ,pibal ,u,f,os--,the ,guantnamo 8,dogfight0--,the ,wallops ,island ,,ufo--,weather ,balloons and ,saucers--,plastic ,u,f,os and the 8,stack of ,coins0--,jets and ,contrails--,the ,killian ,case-- 444 ,and ,kites and ,soap ,bubbles ,,iv4 ,,the ,,spangled ,,heav',,ns3 ,,stars ,,and ,,planets #fj ,a ,mirage of ,sirius--,earth's ,distorting ,atmosphere--,the 8,whipping ,girl0 of ,saucerdom--,the ,ryan ,case--,venus as a ,morning ,star--,venus as an ,evening ,star--,the ,rotating ,lights of ,japan--,u,f,os and the ,opposition of ,mars--,the ,gorman 8,dogfight0--,only a ,balloon8--,jupiter through a ,jet ,trail ,v4 ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,sky3 ,,meteors ,,and ,,fireballs #hh ,stones from ,heaven--,meteor ,streams and ,showers--,the ,green ,fireballs--,meteors in the ,records--,fallacies about ,meteors--,facts about ,meteors--,unusual ,fireballs--,great ,meteor ,processions--,the ,chiles-,whitted ,sighting--,other ,flaming ,u,f,os ,,vi4 ,,living ,,lights #aah ,the ,luminous ,owls of ,norfolk--,things ,that ,glow in the ,dark--,sea ,gulls as ,u,f,os--,the ,lubbock ,lights--,the ,lubbock ,pictures--,other ,winged ,u,f,os--,the ,tremonton ,movies ,,vii4 ,,panic #acc ,growth of a ,panic--,the ,scoutmaster's ,,ufo--,monster in ,west ,virginia--,the ,panel of ,civilian ,scientists ,,viii4 ,,phantoms ,,on ,,radar #ade ,radar as a ,reporter--,the ,principle of ,radar--,weather and ,radar ,echoes--,the ,kinross ,case--,the 8,invasion0 of ,washington1 ,d4,c4--,radar ,experiments in ,washington--8,simultaneous0 ,radar-,visual ,reports--8,ghosts0 and 8,angels0 on ,radar--,the ,rapid ,city ,sighting ,,ix4 ,e-,m ,,and ,g-,,fields ,,in ,,ufo-,,land #agb ,stormy ,weather in ,texas--,the ,phenomenon of ,ball ,lightning--,e-,m and ,non-,e-,m ,saucers--,the ,saturnian ,visitors--,surveillance by ,flying ,eggs--,saucerdom's ,miraculous ,electromagnetic ,force--,effects and ,causes--8,g-,fields0 and ,,ufo ,propulsion--,the ,g-,field ,myth--,electricity1 ,magnetism1 and ,gravity ,x4 ,,contact6 #aih ,earthlings and ,extraterrestrials--,the 8,contactees0--,adamski's ,travels--,photography and the ,,ufo--,the ,isle of ,lovers ,hoax--,the ,trindade ,island ,saucer--,the ,brazilian ,naval ,ministry--,the ,icarai ,submarine ,hunting ,club--,the ,trindade ,photographs--,project ,ozma ,,xi4 ,,angel ,,hair1 ,,pancakes1 ,,etc4 #bai ,angel ,hair and ,spiders--,other ,varieties of ,angel ,hair--,the ,wisconsin ,pancakes--,the ,moon ,bridge--8,pieces of ,saucers0--,silver ,rain in ,brazil--,other ,mysterious ,fragments ,,xii4 ,,special ,,effects #bch ,the ,role of ,unusual ,coincidence--,the ,problem of ,unknown ,lights--,michigan's ,flying ,bird ,cage--,u,f,os from ,reflections--,sundogs in ,utah and ,france--,bright ,spots on ,films--,unfamiliar ,lights on ,planes--,inversions in ,california--,the ,chesapeake ,bay ,case--,a ,possible ,explanation of the ,nash-,fortenberry ,disks--,other ,u,f,os in 8,stack0 ,formation--,the ,tombaugh ,rectangles ,,xiii4 ,,investigators3 ,,air ,,force ,,and ,,civilian #bga ,official ,study of ,u,f,os--,civilian ,saucer ,groups--,,nicap--,the 8,conspiracy0 ,fantasy-,,ufo at ,sheffield ,lake1 ,ohio--8,the ,fitzgerald ,report0--,the ,open ,mind ,,appendix #bia ,,index #bie ,acknowledgments ,,plate ,i3 a1 ,the ,seattle ,times4 b1 ,a ,shell ,photo ,,plate ,,ii3 a1 ,smithsonian ,astrophysical ,observatory4 b1 ,wide ,world ,photo ,,plate ,,iii3 a1 ,smithsonian ,astrophysical ,observatory4 b1 ,gilberto ,vazquez1 ,el ,imparcial1 ,san ,juan1 ,puerto ,rico ,,plate ,,iv3 a1 ,wide ,world ,photo4 b1 ,wide ,world ,photo4 c1 ,david ,atlas1 ,air ,force ,cambridge ,research ,center1 ,bedford1 ,massachusetts ,,plate ,v3 a1 ,bernd ,t4 ,matthias and ,solomon ,j4 ,buchsbaum1 ,bell ,telephone ,laboratories4 b1 ,dr4 ,john ,c4 ,jensen1 ,nebraska ,wesleyan ,university ,,plate ,,vi3 a1 ,united ,press ,photo4 b1 ,united ,press ,photo ,,plate ,,vii3 a1 ,c4 ,l4 ,johnson4 b1 ,mrs4 ,william ,felton ,barrett ,,plate ,,viii3 a1 ,united ,press ,photo4 b1 ,wide ,world ,photo ,figure #ah4 ,courtesy ,true1 ,the ,man's ,magazine4 ,copyright #aieb1 ,fawcett ,publications1 ,inc4 ,drawings by ,cushing and ,nevell ,,preface ,both as scientists and as devotees of science fiction1 we have long been interested in space travel4 ,when reports of unidentified flying objects began to increase in the years between #aidg and #aieb1 one of us 7,d4,h4,m47 collected and studied the limited information available about the sightings4 ,he soon concluded 7with a slight feeling of disappointment67 that the flying saucers were not vehicles from other worlds but were only mundane objects and events of various kinds1 some of them commonplace1 some familiar chiefly to meteorologists1 physicists1 and astronomers4 ,at a conference with ,air ,force officials in ,washington in ,april #aieb1 he presented his idea that planetary mirages1 sundogs1 reflections1 and other astronomical1 atmospheric1 and optical phenomena probably accounted for a large percentage of the mysterious ,u,f,os4 ,this suggestion met with strong skepticism from some of the conferees who at that time were sympathetic to the interplanetary hypothesis and were1 of course1 better acquainted with military than with physical science4 ,other conferees1 however1 wished to consider and test the theories offered4 ,proof obviously required a knowledge of all the facts of a given sighting1 facts that often were not available to the public4 ,the ,air ,force therefore granted access to the file of ,,ufo cases4 ,at the same time1 since many of the cases were then classified as secret1 the ,air ,force imposed the condition that security regulations must be strictly observed4 ,d4,h4,m4 was then preparing a book to present his explanations of flying saucers4 ,acceptance of the ,air ,force offer1 with the accompanying restriction1 would have prevented his publishing analyses based on material in the files4 ,it would also have hindered any future public discussion of the ,,ufo problem4 ,for these reasons he felt compelled to decline the opportunity4 ,in the spring of #aiei as we began planning the present book1 we again requested permission to study the ,air ,force records of ,,ufo sightings4 ,this time the officials generously opened their files to us without restriction4 ,thus we have been able to include detailed studies of particular incidents1 to give the explanations found for most of them by ,air ,force investigators1 to explain the causes of some hitherto unsolved cases1 and to suggest highly probable solutions for several classic 8,unknowns40 ,to discuss each one of the thousands of unidentified flying objects reported during the last fifteen years is obviously impossible4 ,we have therefore chosen to describe the common types of sighting and to analyze some of the representative and most interesting cases in each category4 ,in general we have avoided using the names of the persons involved2 but when the names are well known to the flying-saucer public and have previously appeared in print1 we have felt no obligation to disguise them4 ,many persons have contributed to the material in this book4 ,members of the ,united ,states ,air ,force have generously helped us to collect the basic facts1 and have shown amazing patience in answering hundreds of small questions of detail4 ,in particular1 we wish to thank ,col4 ,philip ,g4 ,evans1 ,col4 ,edward ,h4 ,wynn1 ,lt4 ,col4 ,william ,t4 ,coleman1 ,lt4 ,col4 ,robert ,j4 ,friend1 ,lt4 ,col4 ,lawrence ,j4 ,tacker1 ,major ,carl ,r4 ,hart1 and ,sgt4 ,david ,moody4 ,others who have helped us in various ways include ,dr4 ,isaac ,asimov1 ,mr4 ,carleton ,atherton1 ,miss ,c4 ,m4 ,botley1 ,mr4 ,wilfred ,j4 ,chambers1 ,mr4 ,albert ,m4 ,chop1 ,dr4 ,leon ,davidson1 ,mr4 ,charles ,w4 ,dean1 ,mr4 ,john ,f4 ,gifford1 ,mr4 ,richard ,hall1 ,mr4 ,theodore ,hieatt1 ,prof4 ,seymour ,b4 ,hess1 ,prof4 ,j4 ,allen ,hynek1 ,dr4 ,luigi ,g4 ,jacchia1 ,mr4 ,craig ,l4 ,johnson1 ,dr4 ,urner ,liddell1 ,mr4 ,oscar ,main1 ,prof4 ,charles ,a4 ,maney1 ,dr4 ,richard ,e4 ,mc,crosky1 ,mr4 ,john ,w4 ,mc,lellan1 ,capt4 ,william ,b4 ,nash1 ,dr4 ,thornton ,w4 ,page1 ,dr4 ,vernon ,g4 ,plank1 the late ,dr4 ,h4 ,p4 ,robertson1 ,dr4 ,donald ,h4 ,robey1 ,dr4 ,carl ,sagan1 ,dr4 ,clyde ,w4 ,tombaugh1 ,mr4 ,john ,walkin1 ,prof4 ,fred ,l4 ,whipple1 and ,mr4 ,john ,g4 ,wolbach4 ,d4,h4,m4 ,l4,g4,b4 ,,the ,,world ,,of ,,flying ,,saucers ,chapter ,i ,,the ,,saucer ,,worlds ,thousands of reports of 8flying saucers10 8unidentified flying objects10 or 8,u,f,os0 have appeared in print during the last fifteen years4 ,although most of the things seen have later been explained as unusual but normal phenomena1 some enthusiasts continue to regard them as mysterious1 and thus help perpetuate the myth that the 8saucers0 are actually spaceships from other planets1 busily carrying out a patrol of the earth4 ,this saucer myth owes an unacknowledged debt to ,charles ,fort1 a talented reporter1 writer1 and self-appointed gadfly of science4 ,with a strong curiosity about the world of nature but without training in the disciplines of research1 ,fort liked to challenge scientists in general and astronomers in particular with tales of 8impossible0 happenings culled from books of folklore1 old journals1 and newspapers4 ,he mistrusted orthodox knowledge because1 he believed1 it smugly damned to oblivion all reports of marvels that it could not explain3 pyrogenic persons2 rains of fish1 frogs1 and stones2 accounts of telepathy1 teleportation1 the vanishing of human beings1 luminous objects in the sky4 ,although he never claimed that he believed the stories himself1 ,fort enjoyed collecting them and before his death in #aicb had completed four volumes of these anecdotes4 ,science-fiction writers have found an inexhaustible mine of ideas in ,the ,book of the ,damned1 ,new ,lands1 ,lo61 and ,wild ,talents1 which also provide the chief elements of the saucer myth3 8,unknown1 luminous things1 or beings1 have often been seen1 sometimes close to this earth1 and sometimes high in the sky4 ,it may be that some of them were living things that occasionally come from somewhere else in our existence1 but that others were lights on the vessels of explorers1 or voyagers1 from somewhere else40,i-#a ,these extraterrestrials may have been in communication with earthmen for many years1 ,fort suggested1 and they may sometimes kidnap and carry away human beings4 ,,ufo ,reports and the ,air ,force ,most flying-saucer reports have come from reliable citizens who have seen something extraordinary1 something they do not understand4 ,genuinely puzzled1 they often report the incident to the nearest ,air ,force base4 ,the evaluation of such cases is the responsibility of the ,united ,states ,air ,force4 ,since the beginning of the saucer scare in #aidg1 the chief investigating agency has been that at ,wright-,patterson ,air ,force ,base1 ,dayton1 ,ohio1 and has borne a succession of names--,project ,sign1 ,project ,grudge1 ,project ,blue ,book1 and the ,aerial ,phenomena ,group of the ,aerospace ,technical ,intelligence ,center1 usually known as ,,atic4 ,until recently this group operated under the jurisdiction of the ,assistant ,chief of ,staff1 ,intelligence4 ,on ,july #a1 #aifa1 it was transferred to the jurisdiction of the ,air ,force ,systems ,command4 ,to simplify discussion in this book1 however1 the group that investigates unidentified aerial phenomena is generally referred to as ,,atic4 ,in military parlance the phrase 8unidentified flying object10 abbreviated as ,,ufo1 is used to indicate any air-borne phenomenon that fails to identify itself to1 or to be identified by1 trained witnesses on the ground or in the air who are using visual or radar methods of observation4 ,created in the early days of the saucer era1 the term ,,ufo is unfortunately misleading because it seems to imply that the unknown is a solid material object4 ,many of them are not4 ,the more dramatic phrase 8flying saucer0 is similarly misleading because not all the unknowns are shaped like a saucer1 and not all of them are flying4 ,since no one has been able to devise a more accurate brief term that will apply to all reports in this category1 both 8,,ufo0 and 8flying saucer0 have remained in common use4 ,air ,force investigators and scientists have been able to account for almost every reported 8spaceship0 as the result of failure to identify some natural phenomenon4 ,some were the product of delusion or deliberate hoaxes4 ,a few remain technically 8,unknown0 because1 although the probable explanation is obvious1 too few facts are available to permit a positive identification4 ,no such report suggests the possibility that interplanetary craft are cruising in our skies4 ,the ,scientist's ,view ,if a spaceship from another planet should ever visit the earth1 no one would be more eager to acknowledge it than our government officials and our scientists4 ,all governments would feel their responsibility to protect the human race if necessary1 and to establish diplomatic relations with the alien race if possible4 ,the scientists would want to study1 analyze1 and try to understand the nature of both the ship and its occupants4 ,many persons1 sincerely believing that flying saucers do exist1 berate the investigator who denies their reality and characterize him as stupid1 willfully obtuse1 or intellectually dishonest because he does not accept the saucer reports at face value but weighs them by the same methods most of us use in weighing evidence in everyday life4 ,when told there's a horse in the bathtub1 for example1 the sensible man realizes that the alleged visitation1 while not impossible1 is extremely improbable4 ,therefore he does not immediately begin speculating on the color of the horse1 where it might have come from1 what its purpose may be1 and whether it will wreck the bathroom4 ,instead he adopts the scientific method and first goes to find out whether the horse is really there4 ,like ,fort1 some flying-saucer believers are consciously or unconsciously antagonistic to the scientific method and resent its restrictions as a child objects to discipline4 ,suggesting that a strictly logical approach deprives us of valuable truths about the nature of the universe1 and bluntly asserting that present-day physicists and astronomers have closed their minds to the possibility of new knowledge1 these enthusiasts imply that we should require less rigorous proof for the reality of saucers than for other types of physical phenomena4 ,because so many amateur investigators have misunderstood1 misrepresented1 and condemned the scientists' attitude1 the authors of this book 7asking the indulgence of their colleagues7 will briefly outline the principles a researcher ordinarily applies to the study of any new problem--the nature of radioactivity1 the cause of a disease1 or the origin of flying saucers4 ,the ,question of 8,evidence0 ,most physicists1 chemists1 biologists1 and astronomers will agree that life in some form probably exists in other parts of the galaxy4 ,these other life forms1 if they exist1 may or may not have a kind of intelligence similar to our own2 if they have1 we might or might not be able to recognize it4 ,such speculations1 while fascinating1 lie entirely in the realm of theory4 ,they are not facts and do not provide the slightest support to the often stated corollary that intelligent creatures do live on other planets and frequently visit the earth4 ,in approaching the spacecraft hypothesis1 the scientist asks first3 ,what facts are we trying to account for8 ,and second3 ,does the spacecraft theory account for these facts better than the normal explanations that are already available8 ,after studying hundreds of ,,ufo reports1 however1 he concludes that much of the startling 8proof0 that saucers are spacecraft is merely inference4 ,of the established facts1 none requires a new theory to account for it2 and no evidence exists that even faintly suggests1 to the expert1 that interplanetary visitors are involved4 ,in the study of ,,ufo phenomena this question of 8evidence0 is crucial4 ,the careful investigator tries always to distinguish sharply between an observed fact1 which is evidence1 and an interpretation of that fact1 which is not evidence no matter how reasonable it may seem4 ,as a simple analogy1 consider this situation3 ,a man is sitting in his living room late at night2 the rest of the family have gone to bed4 ,suddenly he is startled by a loud noise somewhere upstairs4 ,trying to account for the noise1 he thinks of various possible causes--a burglar1 the 8settling0 of the house1 a mouse in the wall1 someone dropping a shoe1 the wind rattling a door1 the sonic boom from a distant plane4 ,if1 without having further information1 he decides that any one of these is the true cause1 he is accepting a guess as though it were a fact4 ,the real cause of the noise may be one of these or it may be something else that he hasn't even thought of4 ,amateur investigators of ,u,f,os publish many reports which they characterize as absolute proof that spaceships exist4 ,the expert1 analyzing the same reports1 finds no proof at all because the actual facts and the interpretations of the witnesses are hopelessly confused4 ,an early ,,ufo case provides a typical example4 ,according to ,air ,force records,i-#b1 on the morning of ,december #f1 #aieb1 a ,b-#bi bomber was over the ,gulf of ,mexico returning from a training mission4 ,at #e3be ,a4,m4 the student radar operator1 using an uncalibrated set1 observed four bright blips 7radar jargon for bright spots on a radarscope2 such a spot indicates the presence of an object reflecting the radar pulses1 but does not reveal the nature or shape of the object74 ,the blips were apparently returns from objects about twenty miles away1 in no specific group1 which rapidly moved off the scope4 ,similar groups of fast-moving blips appeared at intervals during a period of about five minutes1 and appeared also on two auxiliary radarscopes4 ,after the first set was calibrated1 the blips reappeared2 none was observed after #e3ce ,a4,m4 ,from the radar data estimates of size and distance were made2 calculations based on these estimates indicated a probable speed of #ejjj to #ijjj miles an hour4 ,during the ten-minute period two visual observations were made1 lasting about three seconds1 which bore no obvious relation to the radar observations3 at the right of the plane one crewman saw a single blue-white streak going from front to rear under the wing1 and another crewman saw two flashes of blue-white light4 ,an explanation of the incident was not found immediately1 and ,,atic at first classified it as an ,unknown4 ,some saucer enthusiasts interpreted the facts to mean that several groups of saucers had been in the area1 machines flying so fast that they were visible only as blue-white streaks1 whose presence was confirmed by radar4 ,these conclusions were merely deductions from fact1 not observed facts4 ,the radarscope is not a camera and does not1 at least at present1 picture the shape or physical structure of the phenomenon it reports2 it shows only spots of light that change position and size4 ,similarly1 the blue-white streaks were mere flashes of light without size or shape4 ,in a later study of the evidence1 the ,air ,force experts recognized this incident as one of false targets on radar 7see ,chapter ,,viii74 ,the radar phantoms may have been caused by beacon returns triggered by another radar2 by variations in the atmosphere2 or1 if 8ducting0 conditions existed1 by reflections from objects that were far beyond the normal range of the radar set4 ,the blue-white flashes had no relation to the radar returns and were probably meteors2 the date corresponded with the beginning of the annual ,geminid shower 7see ,chapter ,v74 ,this ,gulf of ,mexico incident is neither complicated nor puzzling4 ,we mention it chiefly to illustrate why the saucer enthusiasts so often disagree with the conclusions reached by the ,air ,force experts4 ,the amateur assumes that the instrument operated faultlessly and detected a solid object2 he uses these assumptions to interpret the data1 uses the interpretation as fact1 and by this 8bootstrap0 process deludes himself into thinking he has proved what he assumed in the first place4 ,various ,types of ,,ufo ,a biologist trying to identify a group of unusual animals which are said to represent a new species begins by collecting all possible information about their appearance and behavior4 ,after he has determined their typical size1 shape1 color1 mode of reproduction1 manner of locomotion1 etc41 he compares these characteristics with those of animals of known species and eventually classifies the strange specimens4 ,in a similar way the professional investigator of ,,ufo phenomena begins by asking the question3 ,what is a typical unidentified flying object8 ,the published reports comprise a heterogeneous collection of facts1 fiction1 and guesses4 ,the investigator must first separate and discard accounts that are obvious hoaxes or delusions4 ,there are many of these4 ,the remaining material he divides into two classes4 ,the first includes statements made by competent1 careful witnesses1 describing what they have seen and heard--for example1 8,i saw a brilliant light moving swiftly without sound40 ,the second class includes statements of opinion or belief about the thing seen--for example1 8,the strange light obviously was controlled by intelligence40 ,putting aside this second class of material for the time being1 he looks at the information in the first and immediately faces an awkward conclusion3 apparently no 8typical0 flying saucer exists4 ,descriptions of ,u,f,os ,no two reports describe exactly the same kind of ,,ufo4 ,there are dozens of types of saucers1 resembling each other as little as turnips do comets4 ,hoping to find some consistent pattern1 the investigator opens his notebook and starts listing the data4 ,shape--,the flying saucer varies greatly in shape 7see ,figure #a74 ,at different times and places it may be a circular disk like a saucer1 often with a small protrusion in the center like the knob on a tea-kettle lid2 elliptical or bean-shaped like a flattened sphere2 a circular base supporting a dome-like superstructure2 a sphere surrounded by a central platform1 like ,saturn in its rings2 long and thin like a cigar2 a tapered sphere like a teardrop2 spindle-shaped1 with or without knobs on the ends2 or a double- or triple-decked form like a stack of plates4 ,size--,the saucer varies greatly in size4 ,estimated diameters range from #bj or #cj feet to several thousand4 ,while under observation it may instantaneously increase or decrease in size4 ,color--,the saucer varies greatly in color4 ,it may be white1 black1 gray1 red1 blue1 green1 pink1 yellow1 silver2 may be luminous or dull2 may be a solid color2 may be circled by a central band of different color2 may display flashing lights of various colors4 ,it may change color or luminosity while being observed4 ,motion--,the saucer displays a wide variety of motions4 ,it may travel very slowly2 very fast1 approaching the speed of light2 at jet speed2 at meteoric speed2 may hover motionless over one place4 ,at any speed it can instantaneously change velocity and direction of motion--can move horizontally1 vertically1 toward the observer1 away from the observer1 in a straight path1 a zigzag1 a spiral4 ,like the ,cheshire cat1 it can vanish instantly or slowly fade away4 ,means of propulsion--,unknown4 ,some saucers move in complete silence2 others produce noises3 a hiss1 a whistle1 a roar1 a thunderclap1 or a detonation like a sonic boom4 ,illustration3 ,figure #a4 ,shapes of various reported ,u,f,os4 ,incidence--,saucers may appear at any hour of the day or night1 but they appear most frequently in the hours before and after sunset1 and before and after sunrise4 ,their numbers may suddenly increase at certain places and certain times4 ,the objects can appear singly1 in random groups1 in groups showing a geometrical pattern4 ,a single object may split and multiply into a group1 or a group may merge into one4 ,saucers almost always appear in the air1 rarely on the earth's surface or in bodies of water4 ,they almost never come within touching distance of the observer4 ,the length of their stay varies greatly1 from about two seconds to two or three hours4 ,structure--,unknown4 ,a saucer may be visible or invisible to the observer2 visible to the human eye but not to the camera or radar2 visible to the camera or radar but not to the eye4 ,some obey the laws of gravity and inertia1 others do not4 ,purpose--,unknown4 ,no officials in the government1 the press1 the churches1 or the universities have received any attempt at communication4 ,no saucer has produced intelligible visible1 audible1 or radio signals4 ,long before finishing this tabulation the investigator realizes that he is not dealing with one thing but with many4 ,no single phenomenon could possibly display such infinite variety4 ,however1 before he starts trying to classify the descriptions and to explain them1 he takes a look at the second class of material--the conclusions offered by saucer enthusiasts4 ,leaving the realm of observation for that of interpretation1 he is suddenly catapulted into a world of fantasy4 ,a 8,baedeker's ,guide0 to ,saucerdom ,one of the commonest themes in science fiction is that of parallel universes--a number of nearly identical worlds coexisting in alternate space-time continua4 ,occasionally1 at a vulnerable spot1 the barrier between two of these worlds will dissolve so that they overlap near the point of contact4 ,after such an accident a man may find himself unhappily living two lives at once1 identical in some ways but so different in others that if one is real1 the other cannot be4 ,until the break is repaired and the incompatible worlds are safely separated once more1 the man exists in a state of desperate confusion and performs agonizing mental acrobatics1 trying to maintain a foothold in both worlds until he can decide which one is valid4 ,from the 8damned0 phenomena collected by ,charles ,fort1 plus the legends of ,atlantis1 ,mu1 and ,lemuria1 flying-saucer addicts have constructed a multiplicity of such alternate worlds4 ,although they differ in minor ways1 all are in direct conflict with the real world known to science4 ,let us ignore1 for the moment1 the descriptions given by the 8contactees0 7,chapter ,x7 and consider only the beliefs and_/or theories offered by serious proponents of the interplanetary theory and publicized by writers such as ,donald ,e4 ,keyhoe,i-#c1 ,i-#d1 ,i-#e ,aim ,michel,i-#f1 and ,morris ,k4 ,jessup,i-#g4 ,a 8,baedeker's ,guide0 to saucerdom based solely on statements and speculations in the books published by these investigators would portray a fantastic universe3,a ,a ,following common practice in scientific discussion1 we originally included the specific sources of important and_/or controversial ideas described in this book and1 for maximum accuracy1 often used the original phrasing of the several authors involved4 ,in this and certain other sections1 however1 we have been forced to abandon the more scholarly method of presentation because one author 7,major ,donald ,e4 ,keyhoe7 refused permission to quote from his works4 8,in saucerdom1 alien spacecraft continually visit the earth and have done so for centuries4 ,constructed and controlled by intelligent extraterrestrial beings1 the craft perhaps come from secret bases on artificial earth satellites2 on the moon2 on ,mars2 on ,venus2 on ,jupiter2 perhaps on the planets supposed to be orbiting the binary stars #fa ,cygni and #gj ,ophiuchi2 or from planets supposed to be in orbit around the stars ,tau ,ceti and ,epsilon ,eridani1 about eleven light-years distant from earth4 ,radio transmitters serving as beacons for space navigation may exist on both ,venus and ,jupiter4 8,these spacecraft can perform maneuvers that1 on earth1 are possible only for rays of light4 ,they fly at speeds of many thousands of miles an hour1 can reverse direction instantaneously at any speed1 ascend or descend vertically1 and hover motionless in the air4 ,they accomplish these feats perhaps by using the power of cosmic rays and by generating and manipulating artificial gravitational fields1 which they could also use to prevent the transmission of sound waves and to become invisible4 8,the extraterrestrial visitors may be explorers sent to study the earth1 descendants of a race living thousands of light-years away from the solar system4 ,they may be the ancestors of the human race1 which itself is a remnant of a colony established on earth thousands of years ago and then abandoned4 ,more than #cjj1jjj years ago the inhabitants of earth had found the secret of space travel1 and human beings mapped the earth by an aerial survey at least #ejjj years ago4 ,it is also possible that these craft come not from space but from time2 they may be earthmen of the future who have traveled backward through time to explore their own past4 8,the purpose of these visitors is still unknown4 ,they shun close contact with human beings1 rarely if ever land their ships1 and never allow close-up photographs1 perhaps because they are afraid of human savagery or are afraid of starting a panic4 ,nevertheless they attempt to signal to earthmen in various ways3 they have caused the production of gigantic letters of the alphabet ,u and ,z on earth radarscopes2 from a material that radiates light they have built an enormous letter ,w1 spanning more than #ajjj miles on the surface of ,mars2 they have sent out wireless signals in ,morse code to represent the letter ,s4 ,they may occasionally abduct earthmen in order to use them as language teachers4 8,although these visitors are probably not hostile to human beings1 they often manifest their presence in destructive ways4 ,they cause many airplane crashes2 seize and carry off ships1 human beings1 and airplanes2 destroy flocks of birds2 interfere with the operation of radio1 ,,tv1 gasoline and electric motors2 pelt the earth with rocks1 metal1 and strange organic substances2 create loud noises and detonations2 damage the windshields of cars2 set fire to highways2 hurl various types of missiles2 drop chunks of ice2 cause storms2 and cause radioactive rain4 8,one of the most peculiar features of saucerdom is the role played by government officials and scientists who1 knowing the space visitors are real1 yet deny their existence and unite in a gigantic conspiracy to deceive the public40 99 99 99 99 99 ,these excerpts from a hypothetical ,baedeker have summarized the ideas publicized by the most literate and most persuasive advocates of the saucer theory4 ,the chapters that follow will examine certain flying-saucer cases4 ,as the discussion continues and is able to account for specific ,u,f,os in terms of normal physical phenomena1 these anarchistic worlds of saucerdom will gradually dissolve and merge with reality as we know it--a world that holds many mysteries but is still subject to the laws of nature4 ,i-#a ,fort1 ,charles4 ,lo6 ,new ,york3 ,claude ,h4 ,kendall1 #aica4 ,i-#b ,air ,force ,files4 ,i-#c ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e4 ,the ,flying ,saucer ,conspiracy4 ,new ,york3 ,henry ,holt ,co41 #aiee4 ,i-#d ---- ,flying ,saucers from ,outer ,space4 ,new ,york3 ,henry ,holt ,co41 #aiec4 ,i-#e ---- ,flying ,saucers3 ,top ,secret4 ,new ,york3 ,g4 ,p4 ,putnam's ,sons1 #aifj4 ,i-#f ,michel1 ,a4 ,the ,truth about ,flying ,saucers4 ,new ,york3 ,criterion ,books1 ,inc41 #aief4 ,i-#g ,jessup1 ,m4 ,k4 ,the ,case for the ,,ufo4 ,new ,york3 ,citadel ,press1 #aiee4 ,chapter ,,ii ,,lo6 ,the overture to the ,flying ,saucer opera took place in the summer of #aidg1 presenting the main themes that were to develop with fantastic variations during the fifteen-year-long drama that followed3 mysterious apparitions in the sky1 alleged interplanetary visitors1 government investigators1 growing public excitement1 civilians who zealously encouraged the hysteria1 and1 as a climax1 an elaborate hoax that produced material 8evidence0 to prove the existence of spaceships4 ,arnold's ,nine ,disks ,the first man to report a flying saucer was a veteran pilot named ,kenneth ,arnold1 representative of a fire-control equipment firm in ,boise1 ,idaho4 ,on the afternoon of ,june #bd ,arnold was flying a private plane on his way from ,chehalis to ,yakima1 ,washington4 ,above the ,cascade ,mountains at about #ibjj feet1 he noticed a series of bright flashes in the sky off to his left4 ,looking for the cause1 he saw what appeared to be a formation of peculiar aircraft approaching ,mount ,rainier at fantastic speed4 ,there were nine very bright1 disk-shaped objects which he estimated to be twenty to twenty-five miles away1 forty-five to fifty feet long1 and traveling at a speed of almost #agjj miles an hour4 ,talking with a reporter that evening1 ,arnold said that the objects 8flew like a saucer would if you skipped it across the water40 ,in a later report to ,air ,force ,intelligence he stated3 8,they flew very close to the mountaintops1 directly south to southeast down the hogback of the range1 flying like geese in a diagonal1 chainlike line1 as if they were linked together4444 ,they were flat like a piepan and so shiny they reflected the sun like a mirror40,,ii-#a ,newspapers all over the country picked up the story and printed it under headlines describing flying pies1 flying piepans1 and flying saucers4 ,alert to the possibility that the objects might have been a new type of aircraft of ,russian origin1 investigators from ,military ,intelligence interviewed ,arnold and officials from ,air ,technical ,intelligence requested a report4 ,no one doubted ,arnold's word4 ,he was an experienced pilot1 a respected citizen1 and a careful observer4 ,nevertheless his description showed some inconsistencies that made it difficult to decide what the nine disks really were4 ,if they had actually been forty-five or fifty feet long1 they must have been much closer than he thought2 objects that size would not have been visible at a distance of twenty to twenty-five miles4 ,however1 if the estimated distance was correct1 then in order to be visible the objects must have been much larger1 at least #baj feet long4 ,one of the estimates must be wrong--but which one8 ,until that question was settled1 the computed speed was meaningless1 since to estimate the velocity of a moving object an observer must know either its true distance or its true size4 ,even after a careful study1 ,air ,force investigators could not identify the disks2 they might have been clouds1 a mirage1 or some kind of aircraft1 but no definite answer was possible from the evidence available4 ,predictably1 after so much publicity1 a rash of similar sightings broke out all over the country and continued for the rest of the summer4 ,during the hot months of the 8silly season10 newspapers are traditionally hospitable to tales of barnyard freaks1 sea serpents1 and man-bitten dogs4 ,such stories were now shoved aside as people in every state began to report unorthodox objects sailing through the sky--flying disks1 flying dimes1 flying ice-cream cones1 flying shoe heels1 and flying hubcaps4 ,seeing saucers became a national pastime1 but ,arnold1 who had reported the strange objects in all good faith1 resented the implied ridicule4 ,deluged with telephone calls and mail1 he resolved to keep silent in the future even if he should happen to see a ten-story building flying through the air4 ,in spite of the publicity1 the flying-saucer scare would probably have died with the first frost of autumn but for the efforts of a talented writer1 editor1 and publisher of science fiction1 ,raymond ,a4 ,palmer4 ,among the many letters ,arnold received was one from ,palmer1 then editor of ,amazing ,stories4 ,tired of being laughed at1 ,arnold found the tone of 8sincere interest0 so appealing that he answered the letter,,ii-#b4 ,after a second letter a week later1 he changed his mind about keeping silent and agreed to sell his story for publication4 ,under the title1 8,i ,did ,see the ,flying ,disks10 the article appeared in the first issue of a new magazine1 ,fate1 which published 8true stories of the strange1 the unusual1 the unknown40,,ii-#c ,although ,arnold was not a professional writer1 he had the assistance of an expert and produced a vivid1 clearly written story--,palmer had had unusual experience in helping fledgling authors tell their tales4 ,interesting differences between ,arnold's original statements and those in the magazine version demonstrate how much he must have owed to editorial help4 ,without it1 he might not have included certain colorful details that he had apparently overlooked earlier4 ,in his original reports1 for example1 he said that he had at first supposed the disks to be some type of experimental aircraft2 in the magazine version he added that1 even at the time1 the objects had given him 8an eerie feeling40 ,in the intervening months he had also remembered more about their shape 7see ,figure #b74 ,he no longer described them as saucerlike1 flat and shiny like piepans4 ,instead1 a drawing based on his revised account shows an object like the crescent moon with a sharp protrusion on the inner1 concave side and a dark1 mottled circle marking the center of the top surface4 ,furthermore1 he told the readers of ,fate1 one object had been darker than the others and of a slightly different form--a detail he had forgotten to mention to reporters1 to military officials1 to his friends1 or even to his wife4 ,arnold had never been much of a reader and was not a science-fiction fan1 but his interests were obviously widening4 ,the next two issues of ,fate carried other articles under his name4 ,palmer's growing influence is suggested by the titles3 8,are ,space ,visitors ,here80,,ii-#d and 8,phantom ,lights of ,nevada40,,ii-#e ,illustration3 ,figure #b4 ,arnold's flying saucers4 ,left1 as first described2 right1 as later sketched4 ,the ,great ,shaver ,mystery ,ray ,palmer lays claim to being 8the first flying saucer investigator0,,ii-#f1 although he frankly admits his debt to the writings of ,charles ,fort4 ,any full account of the saucer era must include the names of other enthusiasts such as ,adamski1 ,bethurum1 ,scully1 ,cramp1 ,keyhoe1 ,jessup1 ,michel1 and ,wilkins1 but none merits so much credit for keeping the saucers flying as does ,palmer4 ,he not only opened the pages of his magazines to the first saucer reports but also1 in the beginning1 paid the witnesses for their stories4 ,in #aidg ,palmer was the editor of ,amazing ,stories and ,fantastic ,adventures1 two of the great magazines of science fiction in which stories of spaceships and interplanetary travel have long been commonplace4 ,for several years he had been hinting to readers of these magazines that alien spaceships might actually be cruising in our skies1 but ,fate was the first magazine that seriously promoted the idea4 ,no man was better qualified to glimpse the dramatic possibilities of flying saucers4 ,born in ,wisconsin in #aiaj1 ,palmer had begun reading ,amazing ,stories soon after it started publication in #aibf4 ,turning to writing1 he showed the remarkable persistence that has characterized his life4 ,although he received #ajj rejections before he sold his second story1 he stubbornly kept on until he not only achieved success as an author but also1 in #aich1 became managing editor of ,amazing ,stories for the ,ziff-,davis ,publishing ,company4 ,under ,palmer's guidance1 8444 the entertainment side of science fiction took over4444 ,gone were the ponderous styles1 the verbiage1 the highly technical explanations of what mattered little in the first place4 ,the stories took on pace and excitement1 the characters in them were faced with human problems1 the dialogue was realistic44440,,ii-#g ,alert to the tastes of his readers1 ,palmer carried the magazine to new heights4 ,many science-fiction fans 7including the present authors7 still remember that golden age around #aidj when ,amazing came out every month with #adf pages full of startling1 fantastic1 wonderful stories of how life might be on other worlds and in other galaxies4 ,in ,january #aidd began the publishing drama that for a time changed the direction of ,amazing and heralded the advent of flying saucers4 ,the 8,discussions0 department that month included a letter captioned 8,an ,ancient ,language80 which introduced what came to be known both as the ,great ,shaver ,mystery and the ,great ,shaver ,hoax4 ,signed 8,s4 ,shaver10 the letter began3 8,sirs3 ,am sending you this in hopes you will insert in an issue to keep it from dying with me4 ,it would arouse a lot of discussion40,,ii-#h ,it did indeed4 ,the letter announced the discovery that words and syllables of the ancient ,atlantean language still exist in ,english today2 hence the legends of ,atlantis must be true and a 8wiser race than modern man0 must once have existed on the earth4 ,richard ,sharpe ,shaver was then living in ,barto1 ,pennsylvania1 and operated a welding machine in a war plant4 ,in writing to thank the editor for publishing his letter1 he enclosed a manuscript called 8,warning to ,future ,man0 which purported to give his memories of life in the fabled continent of ,lemuria4 ,the information had been preserved in 8thought records0 hidden in secret caves4 ,by 8telaug10 a kind of audio-visual telepathy1 he had begun to remember his forgotten past when1 through the noise of his welding machine1 he heard voices4 ,after visiting ,shaver and probing his 8memories10 ,palmer bought the story4 ,he didn't like the way it was written1 however1 so he rewrote it1 added material that expanded it to three times its original length,,ii-#i1 changed the title to 8,i ,remember ,lemuria10 and started advertising it well in advance of publication as a true story3 8,twelve thousand years ago the ,lemurians and the ,atlanteans disappeared from the ,earth4 ,where and why did they go80,,ii-#aj ,this story would show that ,newton and ,einstein were all wrong1 ,palmer promised1 and would reveal new concepts of gravity1 the nature of matter1 and the foundation for physical mathematics4 ,thus began the controversy that rocked the world of science fiction4 ,since ,palmer has affirmed that 8,flying saucers are a part of the ,shaver ,mystery--integrally so0,,ii-#aa1 we turn to the old files of ,amazing ,stories to trace their development4 ,the first of the ,shaver series1 8,i ,remember ,lemuria0 appeared in ,march #aide;,,ii-#ab1 along with 8,mantong1 ,the ,language of ,lemuria10 an article signed by both ,shaver and ,palmer1 and other stories followed quickly in succeeding issues of ,amazing4 ,the basic themes were shopworn--a jumble of ,fortean ideas1 ,plato's fables1 and mystic science--but when brightened by ,palmer's magic pencil1 they seemed fresh and exciting3 ,the earth had an ancient past1 now forgotten4 ,the lost continents of ,atlantis1 ,lemuria1 and ,mu had been colonized many thousands of years ago by superior beings from another planet who could travel through space by utilizing forces unknown to present-day earthmen4 ,eventually these noble aliens had been forced to abandon the earth to escape evil radiations coming from our sun1 but they had left descendants who still lived on earth in concealment in great subterranean cities that could be entered through certain caves4 ,the underground dwellers in the hidden world had retained all the secret powers of their ancestors4 ,they could communicate by thought transference1 could speak to earthmen by mental 8voices10 and could travel on beams of light because they understood the true nature of gravity and magnetism4 ,these creatures were divided into two opposing groups1 one good and one evil4 ,the dero 7detrimental robots7 were the bad guys and they caused all the unexplained accidents and misfortunes that happen to human beings4 ,the tero 7integrative robots7 were the good guys2 they warned earthmen of danger and tried to protect them from the destructive forces of the dero4 ,reader response to these fantasies was phenomenal4 ,fan mail zoomed from #dj or #ej to #bejj letters a month,,ii-#ac1 and the magazine's circulation increased by some #ej1jjj4 ,as the records of 8racial memory0 continued to appear1 connoisseurs of good science fiction began to cry 8,hoax60 but their protests had no effect4 ,thousands of new readers were buying the magazine and many of them were beginning to recall and report 8memories0 of their own4 ,since the 8,discussions0 columns could not take care of so many letters1 ,palmer opened a new department1 8,report from the ,forgotten ,past0,,ii-#ad1 and urged the readers to send in their personal experiences with the hidden world4 ,did they ever hear strange voices8 ,receive mysterious messages through the air8 ,suspect that they were being affected by strange rays8 ,feel that they had been put on earth for some special mission8 ,have dreams that they could not explain8 ,have a strong urge to explore caves8 ,have memories of other lives8 ,the editor was eager to learn of all such incidents4 ,through the ,shaver stories1 ,palmer was already promoting the idea that interplanetary craft do visit the earth3 8,there are many mysteries of the past that have intrigued investigators to an almost unbearable point4444 ,what were the glories of ,babylon8 ,what truth is there in the ,chinese legend of being the people of the ,moon1 and of coming to ,earth in rocket ships8 ,what was the mystery metal of the ,lemurians1 orichalcum8 ,what was the secret of their airships that walked on beams of light80,,ii-#ab ,when one correspondent informed him that space travel was possible 8if one travels through curves but not through angles10 ,palmer replied1 8,your editor is sincere--and he'd like to know everything you know4444 ,for instance1 please explain this space-travel business--about curves and not angles40,,ii-#ae ,for more than three years the columns of ,amazing continued to assert1 not as fiction but as fact1 that interplanetary travel is a present reality and that the laws of physics are not valid4 ,in a mystic mumbo jumbo the readers were told that the velocity of light1 for example1 was not the ultimate speed3 8,light speed is due to #8escape velocity' on the sun1 which is not large4 ,this speed is a constant to our measurement because the friction of exd1 which fills all space1 holds down any increase unless there is more impetus4 ,the escape velocity of light from a vaster sun than ours is higher1 but once again exd slows the light speed down to its constant by friction1 so that when it reaches the vicinity of our sun1 no appreciable difference is to be noted4 ,a body can travel at many times the exd constant1 under additional impetus1 such as rocket explosions4 ,a ship whose weight is reduced to a very little by reverse gravity beam can attain a great speed with a very small rocket40,,ii-#ab ,devotees of reasonable science fiction 7who include many leading scientists7 were writing angrily to ,palmer1 protesting that the ,shaver hoax had gone too far1 but their letters seemed only to amuse him3 8,there have been some odd reactions1 one of them being a promise by a fan group to #8expose' our #8hoax' 7which was a compliment1 by the way1 because it was termed the #8biggest ever attempted in modern science fiction history'74 ,we are waiting for this expose1 sic with interest--because we are curious to know how a hoax which is not a hoax can be exposed as a hoax4 ,we realize that a lot of our readers find it difficult to believe that we ourselves believe one single word of what ,mr4 ,shaver tells us in his stories1 but we'll keep on presenting the evidence as it comes in1 and you can judge for yourself40,,ii-#ad ,readers continued to object and many stopped buying the magazine1 but ,palmer persisted with ambiguous hints that spaceships were really here4 ,a full year before the first flying-saucer report he wrote3 8,if you don't think space ships visit the earth regularly1 as in this story #8,cult of the ,witch ,queen'1 then the files of ,charles ,fort and your editor's own files are something you should see4444 ,and if you think responsible parties in world governments are ignorant of the fact of space ships visiting earth1 you just don't think the way we do40,,ii-#af ,in succeeding months he became more and more explicit4 ,in ,september #aidf he told one correspondent1 8,as for space ships1 444 personally we believe these ships do visit the earth4 ,you1 or any observer1 would be inclined to call it something else if you did see one40,,ii-#ae ,in the spring of #aidg he replied to a reader who asked for concrete evidence that ,shaver's stories were true3 8444 the mystery is not just #8are there caves with dero and tero in them8' but it has to do with space ships1 other inhabited worlds1 and so on40,,ii-#ag ,in ,june #aidg1 the month the first flying saucers were reported1 the issue of ,amazing ,stories was an addict's dream,,ii-#ah4 ,the cover featured 8,the ,shaver ,mystery1 the ,most ,sensational ,true ,story ,ever ,told02 the four stories1 #ij1jjj words1 were all under the byline of ,richard ,s4 ,shaver4 ,the entire magazine--editorial comments1 discussion columns1 and most of the feature articles--was devoted to the supernatural world of ,shaver4 ,but the end was near4 ,amazing published its last ,shaver story1 8,gods of ,venus10 in the summer of #aidh2 as far as the magazine was concerned1 the mystery was dead4 ,who or what killed it8 ,one version says that the publisher1 ,william ,b4 ,ziff1 ordered the series stopped because so many fans had quit buying the magazine4 ,palmer himself has given various explanations4 ,he stopped the stories1 he said at first1 when he realized that such material did not really belong in a fiction magazine4 ,later he explained that he killed the mystery because he intended to go into publishing for himself and didn't want to leave his successor to handle 8this hot potato40,,ii-#ai ,later still1 he implied that publishing the stories was dangerous2 that he had learned too much about the 8hidden world10 the sinister forces responsible for the plane crash that followed the ,tacoma hoax4 ,said ,palmer1 8,i wanted no more dead men on my hands40,,ii-#aa ,the ,maury ,island ,fragments ,the ,maury ,island ,mystery1 a complex and eventually tragic affair1 occurred near ,tacoma1 ,washington1 less than #ajj miles from the place where ,arnold had sighted the nine disks4 ,in this mystery1 too1 ,palmer was involved4 ,according to their story1 two harbor patrolmen named ,harold ,a4 ,dahl and ,fred ,l4 ,crisman on ,june #ca had observed a group of six flying disks that hovered over their boat near ,maury ,island and jammed their radio when they tried to notify the authorities4 ,one of the disks had seemed to be disabled1 had showered down lavalike metallic fragments that damaged the boat and killed the dog on board2 the disks had then disappeared but the fragments remained as proof of the visit4 ,the men also claimed to have taken some pictures that showed the six objects but were fogged as though by radiation4 ,back on shore1 they had not telephoned the newspapers nor had they notified any government officials4 ,instead1 they had mailed a box of the fragments to ,ray ,palmer1 to prove that they had actually seen an accident to a flying saucer,,ii-#bj4 ,crisman was no stranger to ,amazing ,stories4 ,a science-fiction fan1 he apparently had accepted the ,shaver stories as literal truth4 ,more than a year before the ,maury ,island episode he had written to ,palmer1 warning him that the knowledge contained in the ,shaver stories was too dangerous to print4 ,identifying himself as an ex-,air ,force pilot who had flown the ,hump1 ,crisman explained that when he was in ,burma1 he had been exploring a cave when a dero attacked him with a mysterious ray that made a hole the size of a dime in his arm4 ,palmer had kept up the correspondence,,ii-#ba and1 some months later1 received a telephone call from ,crisman1 then in ,texas3 for #bej1 said ,crisman1 he would descend into a cave and take some actual pictures of the mysterious underground machines that ,shaver had described4 ,the result of this offer is not known1 but in ,july #aidg ,palmer received another letter from ,crisman2 he had witnessed an accident to a flying saucer and was sending a box of the fragments as proof,,ii-#bb4 ,palmer considered buying the story for ,fate1 but first he asked ,arnold1 living close to the scene1 to investigate the tale4 ,arnold agreed4 ,thus the first man to report flying saucers became also a victim of the first flying-saucer hoax4 ,with an advance of #bjj for expenses1 ,arnold flew to ,tacoma and into a nightmare of mystery4 ,the two men were elusive1 their story full of discrepancies1 their manner evasive4 ,wondering at first whether the affair was a hoax1 ,arnold finally attributed the strange behavior of the men to their fear of hostile saucers4 ,alarmed1 he called in the help of ,army ,intelligence4 ,two officers arrived from ,hamilton ,air ,force ,base1 ,california1 and made a careful investigation4 ,they found that ,dahl and ,crisman were not 8harbor patrolmen0 but salvagers of floating lumber2 their boat was scarcely seaworthy and showed no evidence of major repairs2 they couldn't remember what they had done with the pictures they mentioned2 and although the saucer accident was supposed to have occurred nearly six weeks earlier1 they had never notified the authorities or even mentioned it to a reporter4 ,the only evidence offered for the truth of their tale was the collection of 8strange0 fragments which were later found to be slag from a local smelter plant4 ,similar fragments could be found by the ton on ,maury ,island,,ii-#bj4 ,the officers concluded that they had wasted their time on a flagrant hoax1 but the bewildered ,arnold insisted that they take some of the fragments for analysis4 ,unhappily1 on the way back to the base the plane crashed and although two passengers parachuted to safety1 both officers were killed4 ,at once fantastic rumors sprang up3 that the ,tacoma 8disks0 had been spaceships1 and that the beings who operated the craft had been forced to arrange the plane crash so that no one could analyze the fragments of their disabled spaceship4 ,arnold himself seemed to believe that the crash had resulted from extraplanetary sabotage1 but investigation showed a more ordinary cause4 ,a burned exhaust stack had set the left wing afire2 the blazing wing had then broken from the fuselage and torn off the plane's tail4 ,for a time government officials considered placing a charge of fraud against the two men who had started the unhappy chain of events4 ,after further questioning1 both had admitted that their 8sighting0 had been a hoax1 planned merely to make their story more salable1 but when first ,arnold and then ,military ,intelligence had entered the picture1 the hoax had simply gotten out of hand4 ,since the men obviously had never intended the tragic outcome and were not directly responsible for it1 the idea of prosecution was abandoned,,ii-#a4 ,science ,fiction ,adopts the ,saucers ,no longer editor of ,amazing1 ,palmer continued to promote the cause of flying saucers in the pages of ,fate4 ,during the early nineteen-fifties1 the boom years of science fiction1 he started other magazines--,search1 ,mystic ,universe1 ,other ,worlds ,science ,stories4 ,after a time1 ,fate began to concentrate on tales of the mystic and occult1 while ,other ,worlds eventually took over the flying-saucer theme4 ,starting as an orthodox magazine of science fiction1 ,other ,worlds flourished until the general slump in the market caused it to suspend publication4 ,revived after a time1 it has undergone several changes of editorial policy reflected in its changing names3 ,other ,worlds ,science ,stories1 ,flying ,saucers from ,,other ,,worlds1 ,,flying ,,saucers from ,other ,worlds1 ,flying ,saucers the ,magazine of ,space ,conquest1 and1 since the spring of #aifa when the magazine became pocket-size1 just ,flying ,saucers4 ,classic science fiction long ago vanished from its pages and all articles are 8true0 accounts of flying saucers and similar ,fortean incidents4 ,flying ,saucers is probably unique in modern publishing history4 ,issued monthly or bimonthly at a price of thirty-five cents1 the magazine does not pay its authors because1 as the editor explains1 8,flying ,saucers is not a commercial project40 ,published by ,palmer ,publications1 edited by ,palmer1 containing liberal amounts of editorial comment and at least one article by ,palmer1 a typical issue in #aifj;,,ii-#f contained sixty-six pages and carried a small number of advertisements for telescopes1 binoculars1 ,rosicrucian and similar mystic publications4 ,the remaining ads featured books and magazines issued by ,palmer ,publications1 ,amherst1 ,wisconsin2 books issued by ,amherst ,press1 also of ,amherst1 ,wisconsin2 ,saucerian ,books1 published under the aegis of ,gray ,barker1 a contributing editor to ,flying ,saucers4 8,austrogen10 described as a face cream or clay for skin ailments1 was obtainable from ,palmer at a dollar an ounce4 ,another ad recommended something 7the wording does not specify exactly what1 perhaps a powder87 that helps make good chili4 ,readers could buy this too1 from ,palmer1 for a dollar a pound or #c4ej for five pounds4 ,a combination dandruff remover1 itch preventer1 and restorer of hair color personally recommended by ,palmer sold for #e4jj a bottle1 number of ounces not specified4 ,the dandruff remover was also recommended by ,kenneth ,arnold1 whose flying disks had started the saucer epidemic4 ,arnold was advertising his 8,world ,society of ,flying ,saucer0 which would 8hold no meetings1 no minutes1 no by-laws1 no restrictions or regulations1 no records outside of actual membership1 no presidents1 no vice-presidents1 no secretary1 or board of directors40 ,for only #e4jj those who joined the society would receive twelve issues of ,flying ,saucers 7which if ordered from ,palmer ,publications would have cost #d4jj71 plus an official membership card4 ,arnold also offered for sale a crescent-shaped lapel pin in solid silver1 supposedly just like the 8original0 saucers he had sighted in #aidg2 and1 for the ladies1 the saucers in pendant form4 ,the addition of seven-point diamonds was optional4 ,the magazine has grown smaller1 but its main theme is still flying saucers1 which until recently have been interpreted as interplanetary vehicles4 ,in ,december #aiei1 however1,,ii-#bc ,palmer announced in a lead article that flying saucers were not from outer space after all2 instead1 they came from secret earth bases located under the north and the south poles4 ,the earth is actually shaped like a doughnut1 not like a pear1 he says1 and has openings at both poles where the saucer people reside4 ,whether they are manned by dero or tero he has not said4 ,in the autumn of #aifb1 ,arnold entered the arena of politics and was the ,republican nominee for lieutenant governor of ,idaho1 but lost4 ,shaver became a dairy farmer1 a ,wisconsin neighbor of ,palmer's1 but in science-fiction circles his name will never die4 ,recently he has been advertising the sale of alleged pre-,deluge and pre-,ice-,age 8art stones0 described as rare1 voluptuous1 exciting1 and usable as ornaments for wall or mantel1 or simply as book ends4 ,palmer has now revived the ,shaver ,mystery and is reprinting the entire series in book form 8with the fiction removed10 under the general title of ,the ,hidden ,world4 ,in advertising the new project he stated1 8,this magazine concerns flying saucers4 ,flying saucers are a part of the ,shaver mystery--integrally so40 ,he abandoned the stories in ,amazing1 he says1 not because an outraged publisher insisted1 but because he believed the stories to be true4 8,that is the true motive4 ,i was convinced that not only was there a #8hidden world1' but it was one of immense ramification1 and the caves of the dero1 flying saucers1 military espionage1 the political science of the world1 and even some phases of religion1 specifically those of the #8cult' variety1 were inextricably linked40 ,in announcing that he intended to end the secrecy that had existed for so long1 and to tell the truth after seventeen years of 8sugar-coating0 the facts1 he did not explain exactly why he feels it is safe to publish the 8truth0 now1 when it was not safe seventeen years ago4 ,he says only1 8444 there have been good reasons for the delay--had it been done from the beginning1 the pitfalls that would have crushed it could not have been avoided40,,ii-#aa ,at the tenth annual ,world ,science ,fiction ,convention1 held in ,chicago in ,september #aieb1 fans and fellow editors awarded to ,palmer a bronze plaque honoring him as a 8son of science fiction10,,ii-#bd a citation he fully merits4 ,as long as flying saucers continue to make good copy and sell magazines1 ,palmer will probably keep them soaring--whether their home bases are other planets or polar caves4 ,as one of his colleagues once commented3 8444 in these times of drab and unconvincing falsehood1 there is still something to be thankful for4 ,a ,palmer promotion has the touch of genius4 ,it has zing1 sparkle1 and true showmanship4 ,it can be spotted a mile away by the bright lights4 ,the thing to do is sit back and enjoy it40,,ii-#ai ,mirage or ,wave ,clouds8 ,what did ,kenneth ,arnold actually see1 that ,june afternoon in #aidg8 ,no absolutely certain answer is possible after so long a time4 ,the disks were probably a mirage 7see ,figure #c7 in which the peaks of the mountains seemed to float above the mountain chain,,ii-#be4 ,an alternative but much less probable explanation is that he observed orographic clouds1 a type unique to mountainous country1 which often appear to stand more or less motionless and can assume dramatic shapes4 8,grindstone0 clouds1 shaped like thick1 solid disks 7see ,plate ,ia71 are common phenomena in the valleys just east of the ,sierra ,nevada in ,california and in the mountainous regions of ,washington1 ,colorado1 and ,new ,mexico--areas where flying-saucer reports have tended to concentrate,,ii-#bf4 ,one of the most spectacular types of mountain cloud1 it closely resembles the 8pile d'assiettes0 or 8stack of plates0 formation in which the cloud assumes a flat1 round shape like a plate or a saucer1 and two or more are piled together in a neat stack1 as in ,plate ,ib,,ii-#bg4 ,another picture of a 8stack of plates0 7which some observers reported as a hovering flying saucer7 was made on ,may #ca1 #aiec1 near ,jindabyna1 ,snowy ,mountains1 ,new ,south ,wales1 and reproduced in ,weather in ,november #aied ,plate #dg4 ,the cloud formed over a tub-shaped depression in the mountains and remained stationary for more than an hour,,ii-#bh4 ,illustration3 ,figure #c4 ,mirage of mountain peaks4 ,top1 normal view of mountain chain2 bottom1 mirage in which some of the peaks seem to be detached and above the peaks1 like saucers4 ,such clouds reflect the undulations of lee waves formed in the atmosphere when stable currents of air flow over obstacles such as hills or mountains4 ,an up-and-down wave motion may be impressed upon the air1 provided that temperature and wind conditions are suitable4 ,as the air describes its wavelike path1 it alternately warms and cools1 the warming taking place as it sinks into the wave trough and the cooling as it ascends to the wave crest4 ,if the air is very dry1 the undulating current will not be visible to the eye1 although the updrafts and downdrafts will readily be felt by aircraft that chance to pass through them4 ,on the other hand1 if the air before entering the wave is moist enough1 the cooling in the wave crest will cause water droplets to condense and a cloud to appear4 ,in the vicinity of an isolated peak the cloud may assume the form of a cap covering the summit1 or it may be displaced slightly downwind and resemble a lens or disk4 ,not infrequently a series of lenticular clouds will appear1 trailing downwind at regular intervals of a few miles4 ,although these wave clouds are usually stationary1 they sometimes move at great speed1 especially when the air temperature is changing rapidly4 ,from a study of a remarkable photograph made in #aief1 ,r4 ,j4 ,reed of the ,university of ,washington has offered the suggestion that the disks ,arnold saw were actually wave clouds in rapid motion4 ,on the afternoon of ,december #bi1 #aief1 a photographer for the ,seattle ,times was on top of ,pigtail ,peak near ,white ,pass1 ,washington 7not far from the area where ,arnold's nine disks had appeared71 taking ski pictures for the rotogravure section of the ,sunday ,times4 ,the weather was beautiful4 ,down in the pass temperatures hovered near freezing1 but the slopes were warmed by sunlight that filtered down through thin cirrus clouds and raised the temperature to a balmy fifty degrees4 ,just at sunset a strange object suddenly appeared off toward the northeast horizon4 ,several skiers urged the photographer to take a picture of the 8flying saucer10 but since it was still far away and indistinct1 he waited4 ,the first object1 now followed by a second one1 moved rapidly toward ,mount ,rainier1 began to sharpen in outline1 and both were soon so clearly visible that he was able to snap his unusual picture4 ,the photograph shows two apparently solid1 disklike objects1 flattened1 brilliantly white but dark at the bottom1 apparently linked together by white streamers1 skimming toward the mountain peak 7,plate ,ia74 ,recognizing the close resemblance between the objects in the photograph and those ,arnold described1 ,reed made a full analysis of the weather conditions prevailing at the time the picture was taken4 ,from radiosonde data provided by the ,seattle-,tacoma ,airport1 he obtained measurements of the size of the clouds1 their height above the mountains1 wind directions1 and temperature and humidity at mountain height and cloud height4 ,obviously the pattern of weather conditions that prevailed that day was suitable for the formation of saucerlike clouds4 ,to test the hypothesis that ,arnold also had seen such clouds1 he then obtained records of the weather data for ,june #bd1 #aidg1 to determine whether atmospheric conditions on the two dates were basically similar4 8,to be comparable1 winds would have to be blowing from the north or northwest in ,mr4 ,arnold's case since the objects were sighted to the south and southeast of the peak4 ,the air would have to be dry at lower elevations and moisture would have to be spreading in at higher levels4 ,an inspection of the historical maps reveals that1 indeed1 all these conditions were met40,,ii-#bi ,reed concludes that1 although we can never know for certain1 the implication that the ,times photographer and ,kenneth ,arnold viewed essentially the same phenomenon seems 8inescapable40 ,this interesting hypothesis1 however1 requires the presence of undulating air currents and turbulence great enough to endanger a plane in flight4 ,since ,arnold specifically mentioned the smooth1 calm flying1 the mirage explanation remains the most probable one4 ,,ii-#a ,air ,force ,files4 ,,ii-#b ,arnold1 ,k41 and ,palmer1 ,r4 ,a4 ,the ,coming of the ,saucers4 ,amherst1 ,wisconsin3 privately printed1 #aieb4 ,,ii-#c ,fate1 ,vol4 ,i1 ,no4 #a 7,spring #aidh74 ,,ii-#d ,fate1 ,vol4 ,i1 ,no4 #b 7,summer #aidh74 ,,ii-#e ,fate1 ,vol4 ,i1 ,no4 #c 7,fall #aidh74 ,,ii-#f ,flying ,saucers1 ,the ,magazine of ,space ,conquest 7,june #aifj74 ,,ii-#g ,amazing ,stories1 ,vol4 ,,xxx1 ,no4 #d 7,april #aief74 ,,ii-#h ,amazing ,stories1 ,vol4 ,,xviii1 ,no4 #a 7,january #aidd74 ,,ii-#i ,amazing ,stories1 ,vol4 ,,xix1 ,no4 #d 7,december #aide74 ,,ii-#aj ,amazing ,stories1 ,vol4 ,,xviii1 ,no4 #e 7,december #aidd74 ,,ii-#aa ,flying ,saucers1 ,the ,magazine of ,space ,conquest 7,november #aifj74 ,,ii-#ab ,amazing ,stories1 ,vol4 ,,xix1 ,no4 #a 7,march #aide74 ,,ii-#ac ,palmer1 ,r4 ,a4 8,an ,open ,letter to ,paul ,fairman10 ,other ,worlds ,science ,stories 7,june #aieb71 pp4 #aea-ef4 ,,ii-#ad ,amazing ,stories1 ,vol4 ,,xix1 ,no4 #c 7,september #aide74 ,,ii-#ae ,amazing ,stories1 ,vol4 ,,xx1 ,no4 #f 7,september #aidf74 ,,ii-#af ,amazing ,stories1 ,vol4 ,,xx1 ,no4 #d 7,july #aidf74 ,,ii-#ag ,amazing ,stories1 ,vol4 ,,xxi1 ,no4 #b 7,february #aidg74 ,,ii-#ah ,amazing ,stories1 ,vol4 ,,xxi1 ,no4 #f 7,june #aidg74 ,,ii-#ai ,fairman1 ,p4 ,w4 8,personalities in ,science ,fiction10 ,if 7,may #aieb71 pp4 #fc-fg4 ,,ii-#bj ,ruppelt1 ,e4 ,j4 ,the ,report on ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,garden ,city1 ,new ,york3 ,doubleday ,co41 #aief4 ,,ii-#ba ,flying ,saucers1 ,the ,magazine of ,space ,conquest 7,december #aieh74 ,,ii-#bb ,flying ,saucers from ,other ,worlds 7,june #aieg74 ,,ii-#bc ,flying ,saucers1 ,the ,magazine of ,space ,conquest 7,december #aiei74 ,,ii-#bd ,other ,worlds 7,july #aiec74 ,,ii-#be ,tacker1 ,l4 ,j4 ,flying ,saucers and the ,u4 ,s4 ,air ,force4 ,princeton1 ,n4,j43 ,d4 ,van ,nostrand ,co41 #aifj4 ,,ii-#bf ,ives1 ,r4 ,l4 8,areas of ,occurrence of #8,grindstone' ,clouds10 ,weatherwise1 ,vol4 ,,xi 7#aieh71 p4 #bja4 ,,ii-#bg ,scorer1 ,r4 ,s4 8,lee ,waves in the ,atmosphere10 ,scientific ,american1 ,vol4 ,,cciv 7#aifa71 p4 #abd4 ,,ii-#bh ,kraus1 ,e4 ,b4 8,flying ,saucer80 ,weather 7,november #aied74 ,,ii-#bi ,reed1 ,r4 ,j4 8,flying ,saucers over ,mount ,rainier10 ,weatherwise1 ,vol4 ,,xi 7#aieh71 p4 #dc4 ,chapter ,,iii ,,air-,,borne ,,ufos3 ,,balloons ,,to ,,bubbles ,in the year #aidh the 8,skyhook0 balloons were an official secret4 ,these giant plastic bags1 shaped something like a teardrop1 a hundred feet and more in diameter1 were part of a classified research project sponsored by the ,united ,states ,navy1 and few except the researchers and technicians involved knew of their existence4 ,carrying cases of heavy instruments1 the balloons were launched from various ,air ,force bases to collect information about the atmosphere high above the earth1 the winds in the stratosphere1 and the incidence of cosmic rays4 ,soaring upward1 they traveled in courses determined by the winds and changed in direction and speed as they shifted from one wind stream to another4 ,even at heights of #fj1jjj feet these objects with their highly reflecting surfaces could be seen from the ground 7see ,figure #d74 ,such balloons were especially noticeable against dark-blue skies1 which are much more common in the western ,united ,states than in the eastern areas4 ,they could reach heights of #ajj1jjj feet1 higher than our planes could go4 ,once considered as a means for collecting information for ,military ,intelligence1 a task later assumed by the ,u-#b jets1 they could travel across the entire continent and even across the oceans4 ,if the plastic skin developed a leak1 the resulting loss of gas altered both the appearance and the behavior of the balloon2 if the leak became great enough the balloon shriveled and eventually fell to the earth4 ,at high altitudes where the cold was extreme1 the skin might become brittle and the balloon would burst into fragments to be dispersed by the winds and vanish4 ,illustration3 ,figure #d4 ,shapes of various balloons4 ,a1 ,skyhook at launching2 ,b1 ,skyhook at high altitude2 ,c1 radiosonde or pibal2 ,d1 balloon cluster2 ,e1 blimp or sausage-shaped balloon4 ,although these balloons were sometimes visible at distances of fifty or sixty miles and were very conspicuous1 officially they did not exist until #aiej when ,dr4 ,urner ,liddel of the ,office of ,naval ,research released the facts behind the ,skyhook balloon program4 ,he pointed out then that the balloons had given rise to many reports of flying saucers4 ,if the ,skyhook project had been public knowledge in #aidh and if information about their launching and movements had not been a matter of security1 a courageous pilot might still be alive today and the infant flying-saucer myth would have died long ago4 ,there can be little question that ,captain ,mantell crashed in trying to intercept a ,skyhook balloon1 an object he had never heard of4 ,the ,mantell ,tragedy ,the basic facts of the ,mantell case1 the second of the 8classic0,b ,,ufo sightings1 are familiar to all who have studied flying-saucer phenomena,,iii-#a1 p4 #ea4 ,early on the afternoon of ,january #g1 #aidh1 the ,kentucky ,state ,highway ,patrol received a large number of calls from the towns of ,maysville1 ,owensboro1 and ,irvington1 reporting a strange object moving west at high speed4 ,alerted by the police1 officials at ,godman ,air ,force ,base1 near ,ft4 ,knox1 began looking for the unknown craft4 ,they soon located the object but could not identify it4 ,watching it through binoculars1 various observers described its shape as circular1 like a teardrop1 or rounded and tapered like a parachute or an ice-cream cone4 ,at about #b3cj ,p4,m4 7all times in this account are ,e4,s4,t471 as they were discussing the object1 a flight of four ,p-#ea planes approached the base from the south4 ,led by ,captain ,thomas ,mantell1 the planes were being ferried from ,marietta ,air ,base1 ,georgia1 to ,standiford ,field near ,louisville4 ,the tower operator at ,godman thereupon radioed ,captain ,mantell for assistance3 ,b ,a 8classic0 in the literature of flying saucers is a particularly dramatic ,,ufo incident whose specific cause has not yet been found or1 if found1 cannot be absolutely proved from the evidence available4 ,lacking a completely airtight explanation1 official investigators classify the case as ,unknown4 ,saucer fans classify it as proof that flying saucers exist4 8,we have an object out south of ,godman here that we are unable to identify and we would like to know if you have gas enough and if so could you take a look for us if you will40 ,the ferry had been planned as a low-level flight and none of the planes had been serviced with oxygen4 ,captain ,mantell1 a combat pilot in ,world ,war ,,ii1 nevertheless agreed to help out3 8,roger4 ,i have the gas and ,i will take a look for you if you will give me the correct heading and any information you have on locating the object40 ,the talk between ,godman tower and ,captain ,mantell was not recorded and transmission was sometimes garbled4 ,although many persons heard the exchange of remarks during the next critical minutes and agreed on the general content1 no two remembered exactly the same words2 therefore the official reports,,iii-#b represent only the best possible reconstruction of the conversation that took place4 ,one plane1 short of fuel1 continued on to ,louisville4 ,the other three circled and began to climb4 ,at about #b3de ,mantell notified the tower that he was at about #ae1jjj feet3 8,i have an object in sight above and ahead of me1 and it appears to be moving at about half my speed or approximately #ahj miles an hour40 ,one of his wing men said3 8,what the hell are we looking for80 ,when ,godman asked ,mantell to describe the object1 he said3 8,it appears to be a metallic object1 or possibly a reflection of sun from a metallic object1 and it is of tremendous size4 ,i'm going to #bj1jjj feet40 ,the other two pilots1 who had seen nothing and were alarmed at flying so high without oxygen1 leveled off at #ae1jjj feet4 ,mantell was then above #bb1jjj feet and still climbing4 ,in ship-to-ship conversation he said that he would go to #be1jjj feet for about ten minutes1 then come down4 ,when all further attempts to call ,mantell went unanswered1 the other pilots discontinued the search and went on to their base2 although one returned after refueling and equipping himself with a mask and oxygen1 he found nothing in the area4 ,at about #c3ae ,mantell radioed that the object was 8directly ahead of me and slightly above1 and is now moving at about my speed or better4 ,i am trying to close in for a better look40 ,he did not call again4 ,less than an hour later searchers found the crashed plane4 ,mantell was dead4 ,his shattered watch had stopped at #c3ah4 ,during the period of search1 ground observers at ,godman ,field had been able to watch the ,,ufo1 gradually diminishing in size1 and about #c3ej it disappeared from view4 ,within a few minutes1 however1 observers farther south in ,kentucky and ,tennessee were reporting an unknown object in the sky4 ,a hundred rumors sprang up immediately after the tragedy3 that the ,,ufo was a ,russian missile2 was a weird machine from outer space that had deliberately or accidentally knocked the plane out of the air when it got too close2 that ,captain ,mantell's body was riddled with bullets2 that the plane had completely disintegrated before striking the ground2 that the wreckage was radioactive4 ,investigators rushed in to find the cause of the fatal crash and brought confusion with them4 ,some facts could be quickly established4 ,there were no bullet wounds4 ,the plane had not burned on impact and was not radioactive4 ,the left wing had come off while in the air and landed #ajj feet from the main crash area4 ,parts of the plane were scattered on a line north to south within six tenths of a mile of the central wreckage4 ,the emergency canopy lock was in place and apparently no attempt had been made to release it4 ,the throttle was set at one fourth open1 mixture control at 8,idle cut-off10 and prop control at 8,full increase r4p4m40 ,from this evidence investigators concluded that because of lack of oxygen ,mantell had lost consciousness at about #be1jjj feet1 while his plane continued to climb to about #cj1jjj feet2 leveling off1 it then began a gradual turn to the left because of engine torque1 and went into a spiraling dive that produced a speed and a structural stress greater than the plane could stand--the plane was 8red-lined0 7,air ,force jargon for the limit of safety7 at #ebe mph4 ,pilots who have flown the ,p-#ea in combat conditions have agreed with this conclusion and have suggested that1 as the plane fell1 ,mantell may have regained consciousness1 realized what was happening1 pulled the throttle back and tried to pull back on the control1 thus producing a stress so great that the wing was torn off and the plane then fell vertically4 ,as an immediate result of this tragic accident1 ,air ,force officials recommended that all pilots be briefed again on the use of oxygen and the effects of lack of oxygen4 ,new orders were issued2 that no pilot go above #ab1jjj feet without oxygen under any circumstances2 that no aircraft be cleared for cross-country flight unless it had been serviced with oxygen2 that classes in the use of oxygen start immediately for all pilots and crew members2 that all aircraft be equipped with oxygen2 and that all pilots carry mask1 helmet1 goggles1 and gloves on all flights4 ,the cause of the crash was known4 ,but investigators had still to solve the problem3 what was the unknown object that ,mantell had been chasing8 ,illustration3 ,figure #e4 ,,ufo sightings in the ,mantell case4 ,the broken line indicates the path a balloon would have followed4 ,an ,air ,force official had announced to the press that the unknown had been the planet ,venus4 ,this explanation1 while not impossible1 was not very probable4 ,the position of ,venus that afternoon had indeed been very close to that of the unknown object4 ,but with a stellar magnitude of -#c4d1 less than half its maximum brilliance1 in the daylight sky the planet would have been visible1 if at all1 only as an exceedingly small1 bright point of light4 ,furthermore this answer did not fit the pattern of sightings4 ,the accompanying map 7see ,figure #e7 of the ,ohio-,kentucky-,tennessee region illustrates the succession of events3 #a3ae ,p4,m41 ,maysville1 ,kentucky4 ,strange object sighted moving west4 #a3ce ,p4,m41 ,owensboro and ,irvington1 ,kentucky4 ,circular object sighted1 #bej to #cjj feet in diameter1 moving west4 ,shortly before #a3de ,p4,m41 ,godman ,air ,force ,base1 ,kentucky4 ,circular or parachute-shaped object sighted2 in view for about two hours1 slowly moving south4 #d3jj ,p4,m41 ,madisonville1 ,kentucky4 ,strange object2 through binoculars identified as a balloon4 #d3de ,p4,m41 ,nashville1 ,tennessee4 ,strange object sighted2 through binoculars identified as a balloon4 #e3jj ,p4,m41 ,lockbourne ,air ,force ,base1 ,columbus1 ,ohio4 ,round glowing amber object sighted on southwest horizon in horizontal flight2 in view about twenty minutes1 then disappeared below the horizon4 ,all but the last observation in this series suggested a balloon flight1 but a quick check with the weather stations in the area failed to turn up any record of a routine launching4 ,air ,force investigators knew about the ,skyhook project and could have obtained information on secret launchings1 even though it was classified4 ,but1 since many of the investigators in these early days of the saucer era were more than half convinced that the unknown had been an interplanetary vehicle1 they abandoned the inquiry at this point and officially labeled the case an ,unknown4 ,flying-saucer addicts pounced on this conclusion as proof that the object had actually been a spaceship1 that the ,air ,force knew it to be a spaceship and was deliberately concealing the news from the public4 ,a ,probable ,solution of the ,mantell ,case ,although the case remained unsolved for nearly four years1 the original analysis of the evidence1 carried out by ,dr4 ,j4 ,allen ,hynek1 scientific consultant for the ,air ,force1 made certain facts clear from the beginning4 ,the final sightings in ,ohio1 so inconsistent with the general pattern of the other observations1 obviously were not related to the reports from ,kentucky and ,tennessee4 ,the object seen at ,columbus had undoubtedly been the planet ,venus1 glowing brilliantly on the sunset horizon 7see ,chapter ,,iv74 ,but the object that traveled southwest over ,kentucky and ,tennessee had almost certainly not been ,venus4 ,at least two objects--balloons or other aircraft--must be involved4 ,it was possible1 though not probable1 that the unknown over ,godman ,field had been the planet ,venus1 or it might have been still a third object4 ,the senior author of this book1 after studying the facts available at the time and analyzing the weather conditions prevailing that winter afternoon1 suggested that the object could have been a 8mock sun0 created by ice crystals in the cirrus clouds at high altitudes,,iii-#c1 p4 #bb4 ,the final solution of these ,,ufo mysteries often depends on one key fact4 ,without it1 the puzzle may never be solved4 ,with it1 all the pieces fall into place4 ,the 8mock sun0 theory 7see p4 #bdd7 remained the most probable explanation until1 some time after the ,skyhook project had been declassified1 ,,atic investigators discovered the key fact3 ,at the time of the ,mantell crash1 the ,clinton ,county ,air ,force ,base1 in southern ,ohio1 had been a launching site for ,skyhook balloons4 ,unfortunately records for the day of ,captain ,mantell's death were not available1 and the men who had worked on the balloon project could no longer remember whether they had launched a ,skyhook on that particular day4 ,if an unacknowledged balloon had been in the area1 however1 only one more piece was needed to complete the puzzle3 ,what path would the balloon have followed8 ,the records at ,wright-,patterson ,field show that the winds that afternoon would have carried a balloon over exactly the course the ,,ufo followed3 from southern ,ohio west into ,kentucky4 ,it would have climbed rapidly and at about #ce1jjj feet would have entered the southward-flowing jet stream2 shifting direction1 the balloon would have traveled south at a high rate of speed1 still climbing4 ,somewhere south or southwest of ,godman ,field it would have climbed through the jet stream to enter a region of calm at about #fj1jjj feet2 slowing down1 it would have drifted south or southeast into ,tennessee4 ,of its fate after that we can only guess,,iii-#d1 p4 #ai4 ,without the ,skyhook records for the day in question1 this solution cannot be called absolutely certain4 ,but the chances of its being correct are overwhelmingly high--infinitely higher than the probability that ,mantell died while chasing a spaceship from another planet4 ,a ,radiosonde over ,virginia ,in the years that followed1 the pattern of sightings in the ,mantell case has often reappeared but1 fortunately1 without the same tragic outcome4 ,after each ,skyhook launching1 a flood of ,,ufo sightings came in to ,,atic from towns that lay under the path of the balloon4 ,the ,skyhook project sometimes was able to relocate a 8lost0 balloon by following newspaper reports of flying saucers4 ,by the summer of #aieb the existence of giant balloons was no longer classified information4 ,when on ,june #ae an unidentified flying object appeared over several towns in ,virginia and followed a course that closely resembled that of the ,mantell ,,ufo1 ,air ,force investigators recognized the pattern and began looking for a balloon as the probable explanation4 ,the reports were as follows,,iii-#a1 p4 #aib3 #c3dj ,p4,m41 ,unionville1 ,virginia4 ,very shiny object sighted at high altitude4 #d3bj ,p4,m41 ,gordonsville1 ,virginia4 ,round1 shiny object sighted in the southeast4 #d3be ,p4,m41 airliner near ,richmond1 ,virginia4 ,a silver sphere sighted at eleven o'clock high4 #d3dc ,p4,m41 south of ,gordonsville1 ,virginia4 ,jet pilot sighted and tried to intercept a round1 shiny sphere4 #e3dc ,p4,m41 south of ,gordonsville4 ,an ,air ,force jet pilot sighted and tried to intercept a shiny sphere2 at #ce1jjj feet the object was still above him4 #g3ce ,p4,m41 ,blackstone1 ,virginia4 ,a round1 shiny object with a golden glow sighted1 moving south4 #g3ei ,p4,m41 radio station at ,blackstone4 ,shiny object sighted4 #h3jj ,p4,m41 ,blackstone4 ,jets from ,langley ,air ,force ,base tried to intercept object4 #h3je ,p4,m41 object disappeared4 ,investigators first of all checked with officials at ,lowry ,air ,force ,base1 which served as a plotting center for all ,skyhook balloons1 but there were none in the ,east that day4 ,next they checked the possibility that the ,,ufo had been a weather balloon1 but nearby weather stations replied that none of their balloons could have been responsible for the sightings4 ,after calling other stations within a #aej-mile radius of ,gordonsville with negative results1 investigators called the weather station at ,pittsburgh1 ,pennsylvania4 ,a radiosonde 7a small balloon attached to an instrument for taking soundings in the upper atmosphere7 had been released that afternoon1 but had been lost about sixty miles southeast of the station when it apparently sprung a slow leak and leveled off at #fj1jjj feet4 ,the weather man at ,pittsburgh offered to plot its probable course as determined by the prevailing winds1 and soon telephoned ,dayton to report that the ,,ufo was probably their balloon4 ,southeast of ,pittsburgh above #ej1jjj feet there was a strong current of air that fed into a stronger southerly stream flowing parallel to the ,atlantic coast1 just east of the ,appalachian ,mountains4 ,the balloon would have floated along in this current like a log floating down a river1 and should have arrived in the neighborhood of ,gordonsville and ,blackstone in the late afternoon or early evening4 ,the ,,ufo had been sighted near ,gordonsville between #d3dc and #e3dc ,p4,m41 and near ,blackstone between #g3ce and #h3jj ,p4,m4 ,the unknown was thus clearly identified as the lost radiosonde4 ,skyhook and ,pibal ,u,f,os ,the year #aieb was a big year for experimental balloons--and for ,,ufo sightings4 ,weather balloons in clusters1 #ajj-;foot ,skyhooks1 radiosondes1 pibals 7pilot balloons sent up to show the direction and speed of the wind7 were released on schedule all over the continent4 ,launchings were recorded and the balloons were tracked1 as far as possible1 so that for any given day or area ,,atic could consult a map and try to correlate the position of a known balloon with that of a reported flying saucer4 ,when a balloon was lost1 any ,,ufo sightings it caused were not always easy to account for until--and unless--the balloon could be found again4 ,these spheres of gas vary in size from a few inches in diameter to some two hundred feet4 ,often they look and behave very unlike the popular concept of a 8normal0 balloon1 and under the right conditions they can fool even the most wary observer--particularly if he is more or less expecting to see something strange4 ,a man on the ground or even in a plane1 watching the maneuvers of an object some #bj1jjj to #ajj1jjj feet above him1 finds it impossible to make an accurate estimate of its true height1 diameter1 distance1 or speed4 ,strong windcurrents can change the orientation of the sphere1 and the particular angle of vision of the observer can make the object look wholly unlike a balloon4 ,it may assume the shape of a disk1 a lens1 a teardrop1 a parachute1 a sausage4 ,temperature inversions can produce a double image of a balloon so that it looks like a linked pair4 ,balloons released in pairs or clusters may seem to be traveling in formation under intelligent control4 ,sunlight1 moonlight1 or the lights of a city reflected from the surface may cause them to look white1 gray1 amber1 red1 silvery1 or metallic4 ,since balloons often carry a heavy instrument load1 they may give a radar return that indicates a solid object4 ,when balloons develop a leak1 they may drop some distance at high speed and then level off1 as though under intelligent control4 ,at the extreme cold of high altitudes they may burst and suddenly vanish4 ,high in the sky at morning and evening twilight they may appear to be self-luminous1 taking their light from the invisible sun just as our artificial satellites do4 ,they often travel high above the air lanes1 higher than any plane can go1 where varying wind streams may propel them at great velocities1 slow them until they seem to hover and be almost stationary1 abruptly change the direction of their motion so that they reverse course1 dive toward the earth1 or ascend rapidly into the sky4 ,at night all these illusions are magnified because the observer has fewer visible reference points by which to evaluate the true shape1 distance1 and type of motion of these wandering spheres4 ,they can deceive even the most hardheaded and able pilot4 ,the pilot is only human when he doubts that any balloon can fool him--until it does4 ,the ,guantnamo 8,dogfight0 ,an ,american ,navy pilot1 practicing night flying over the ,guantnamo ,city base in ,cuba on the night of ,september #bd1 #aieb1 engaged in a 8dogfight0 with a balloon that exhibited all the characteristics associated with this type of flying saucer4 ,it seemed to take evasive action1 deliberately elude the pilot1 make head-on passes1 and respond to every move of the plane with a countermove4 ,the pilot was at #djjj feet and slowly climbing when he spotted an orange light approaching the city from the east at #aj1jjj to #ae1jjj feet4 ,realizing that the object was not a ,navy plane1 he tried to intercept it1 but the light had started a left turn and he could get no closer than eight to ten miles4 ,the object appeared to be as large as a ,navy bomber and had a greenish tail five or six times the diameter of the light1 visible only intermittently4 ,when he reached #aj1jjj feet1 the light was still circling left and climbing in a ten- to fifteen-mile orbit4 ,to keep the nose of the relatively slow ,,tbm on the light required about #dj degrees of bank4 ,at #ab1jjj feet the light was still climbing faster than the plane2 the pilot then stopped climbing and reversed from a left to a right turn4 ,the light seemed also to reverse direction4 ,all attempts at interception seemed to be met by purposeful evasive action1 and the object seemed to be guided by intelligence4 ,when the pilot followed the light to the north1 it shifted to west1 then south1 at about #be1jjj feet4 ,suddenly it began to climb at an angle of approximately #fj degrees and at a terrific rate4 ,although it had been a large bright glow1 it now appeared as a very small red point which would have blended with the stars had it not been moving4 ,it then started a rapid descent4 ,by this time the pilot was over the base and headed northeast to intercept the light as it descended4 ,he described the ensuing 8dogfight0,,iii-#b3 8,the light appeared to level out rapidly1 and ,i missed it on the first run and started a tight port turn4 ,as ,i headed for a point that would give me a #ij-;degree collision course for the light1 it appeared to accelerate and crossed my bow at an incredible speed4 ,i immediately went into a tighter turn and the next intercept was the same except that ,i was almost on the light1 as it flashed from starboard to port4 ,at this close range nothing but the light could be seen1 and it was a brilliant white1 approximately fifteen feet in diameter4 ,after each run1 the light appeared to go out one-quarter to one-half mile1 and slowing in speed1 continuing in a port turn4 ,as ,i pulled out of the third run the light appeared to start another rapid descent towards ,caimanera4 ,this time ,i went into a steep dive to follow1 when the light appeared to shallow its dive and head towards the control tower4 ,my altitude was #fjjj to #hjjj feet1 descending at a speed of better than #bjj knots4 ,the light was below me and going at more than twice my speed4 ,as ,i approached the north shore of the ,bay1 at approximately #bjjj feet descending1 the light seemed to veer to port1 pass over the army dredge1 steady out on an easterly heading1 level out over the mangroves1 slow down rapidly over the cove 444 hover over the water momentarily1 and then fade from sight40 ,after the plane landed1 harbor police searched the area but found nothing4 ,when the pilot was informed that he had been fighting a lighted weather balloon1 released that night from the ,naval ,air ,station at ,guantnamo ,bay1 he may very naturally have felt incredulous4 ,instead of arguing1 however1 he helped carry out an experiment4 ,on the following night the station released another lighted balloon1 at about the same time1 and the pilot took off to try an intercept4 ,after comparing the experience with that of the night before1 he concluded that he had indeed fought a balloon3 8,many of the illusions seen on the previous night could be duplicated by maneuvering the plane appropriately4 ,i tracked the balloon to #ab1jjj feet and made runs on it from as far away as ten miles4 ,i could always intercept and pass it at any predetermined position1 as against the fact that ,i could not get close to the other light1 which at the time appeared to be moving away at each attempt at approach40 ,there were other differences1 too4 ,the rate of ascent was faster on the first night1 and the second balloon did not exhibit a tail4 ,discussion with members of the ,aerology ,department brought out the explanation of these differences4 ,the first night had been clear1 with a bright moon that transformed the accompanying light into a flickering tail4 ,on the second night the dew point was higher and the atmosphere was hazy so that no tail was visible1 the balloon looked smaller1 and showed an orange glow instead of a bright white4 ,the rapid climb of the first balloon could be attributed to a vertical air current1 or to an air layer of variable density1 or both4 ,a balloon often develops leaks at high altitudes and then descends to an intermediate altitude where the loss of gas and the denser atmosphere cause it to hover4 ,one wind balloon1 released earlier from the same base1 had developed a leak1 started spinning1 covered a horizontal distance of about a mile1 and then dropped into the water4 ,similarly1 the first balloon probably developed a large hole and fell very rapidly for a while until the loss of gas and the increase in atmospheric pressure caused it to shrink and close the hole1 slowing its descent4 ,some of his impressions1 he decided1 were the result of making tight turns at high speed3 8,the last fast descent could be due to the fact that ,i may have cut the balloon with my prop on the third run1 causing the light to fall free4 ,my last three-quarter turn was diving to port in a position northeast of the light1 which could have produced the illusion of the light arcing across ,caimanera and the ,bay and settling into the water4 ,the light's crossing from starboard to port could have been the result of my plane being in a vertical turn and the light descending straight down instead of going horizontally4 ,at the time of intercept ,i thought my wings to be almost level1 the light traveling in a flat circle1 but due to the afore-mentioned vertigo1 a pilot cannot rely on his senses to establish attitude40 ,the pilot concluded3 8,considering all the facts and an observation of known light on the night of the twenty-fifth1 it is my opinion that the light on the night of the twenty-fourth was a balloon1 with its accompanying light1 which had been released from the ,naval ,air ,station40,,iii-#b ,the ,wallops ,island ,,ufo ,perhaps the most spectacular 7and short-lived7 ,,ufo in history appeared at #f3ee ,p4,m4 ,e4,s4,t4 on ,april #a1 #aifj1 along the east coast4 ,a bright-yellow streak of fire shot up from the horizon into the eastern sky and slowly changed into a huge zigzag pattern4 ,with the streak of fire appeared a large reddish sphere1 reported by some observers to be as large as the full moon and many times brighter than a planet4 ,visible along the entire eastern seaboard1 the brilliant object slowly moved eastward1 followed by a trail of greenish sparks4 ,while still at high altitude out over the ,atlantic ,ocean1 it suddenly vanished--as though it had simply taken off into outer space4 ,switchboards in eastern cities were jammed as witnesses called newspapers1 universities1 and nearby observatories to report a comet1 a fireball1 or a flying saucer4 ,newspapers immediately printed a full explanation of this ,april ,fool's ,day apparition3 a scheduled but unannounced rocket launching from ,wallops ,island1 ,virginia4 ,the yellow fire was debris from the rocket1 reflecting the rays of the setting sun2 contrary winds in the upper atmosphere produced the zigzag form4 ,the luminous globe was a full-scale model of the ,echo satellite--an inflated balloon #ajj feet in diameter1 carried aloft by the rocket4 ,dry powder escaping through holes in the balloon produced the greenish tail4 ,the object had 8vanished0 when the balloon fell back into the earth's shadow and was thus no longer visible4 ,although the newspapers published a full explanation within a day or two1 some saucer enthusiasts continued to treat the apparition as a mystery4 ,in its ,special ,bulletin for ,may the ,national ,investigations ,committee on ,aerial ,phenomena 7see ,chapter ,,xiii7 included the incident under 8,recent ,,ufo ,sightings40 ,three months after the launching the organization conceded 7,,ufo ,investigator1 ,july-,august1 #aifj7 that the ,,ufo of ,april #a was probably the giant balloon sent up from ,wallops ,island4 ,on ,august #ab1 #aifj1 the counterpart of this balloon went into orbit and became the satellite ,echo1 which is still circling the earth1 shining like a star of the first magnitude near dawn or sunset4 ,weather ,balloons and ,saucers ,in the early years of the saucer era balloons accounted for some #be per cent of the unidentified flying objects reported to ,,atic4 ,the pattern of these sightings is unmistakable1 and the identity of balloon and ,,ufo is often certain--as certain as any evidence can be4 ,nevertheless many such identifications are resolutely rejected by the saucer enthusiasts4 ,it would be pointless to discuss all the ,,ufo reports of this class1 but we can summarize a few of the most famous4 ,in the winter of #aiec1 a flying saucer was reported to have circled around a ,b-#cf bomber and blinked a light as though signaling4 ,investigators from ,,atic determined the following facts3 ,at #a3ac ,a4,m4 on ,february #f1 #aiec1 the pilot of a ,b-#cf plane bound for ,spokane1 ,washington1 was near ,rosalia when he sighted a round white light below him1 circling and rising at a speed estimated at #aej to #bjj knots as it proceeded on a southeast course4 ,the ,b-#cf made a sharp descending turn toward the light1 which was in view for a period of three to five minutes1 but the pilot could not identify it4 ,at #a ,a4,m41 thirteen minutes before the sighting1 the ,united ,states ,weather ,bureau station at ,fairchild ,air ,force ,base had released a pibal balloon4 ,winds aloft at altitudes of #gjjj to #aj1jjj feet were from the northwest with a speed of about fifty knots4 ,computations showed that the existing winds would have carried the balloon to the southeast1 and it would have been over ,rosalia1 which is #ab4e nautical miles southeast of ,fairchild ,air ,force ,base1 in about fifteen minutes4 ,the plane sighted the unknown near ,rosalia thirteen minutes after the launching4 ,the balloon carried white running lights which accounted for the blinking described1 and the circling climb of the ,,ufo is typical of a balloon's course4 ,thus all the evidence supports ,,atic's conclusion that the ,,ufo was a weather balloon,,iii-#b4 ,a similar sighting had occurred near ,hamilton ,air ,force ,base1 ,california1 on the afternoon of ,august #c1 #aieb--toward the end of the summer's saucer scare 7,chapter ,,vii7--when several pairs of saucers supposedly engaged in dramatic duels in full view of the base4 ,ample evidence supports the ,air ,force conclusion that the ,u,f,os were balloons4 ,the two objects were first seen at #d3ae ,p4,m4 ,ground observers at the ,air ,force base1 with the aid of binoculars1 described them as silver in color1 circular in shape1 #fj to #ajj feet in diameter1 and traveling from east to west at an estimated speed of #djj to #dej miles an hour4 ,one object was at about #ab1jjj feet1 the other at about #ah1jjj feet2 as they moved to the west a distance of about fifteen miles1 passing over the heads of the observers 7but not circling the base71 the higher object dived to about the level of the lower1 and they bobbed about each other for about an hour and a quarter4 ,toward the end of this period they were visible only intermittently because they were seen against the sun4 ,three additional pairs of objects 7a total of eight7 came into view fifteen to twenty miles west of the observers and1 buffeted by the winds1 appeared to carry on a dogfight2 momentarily they appeared in a 8diamond0 formation extending over an area of about four miles4 ,since the witnesses were looking into the sun at objects fifteen or twenty miles away1 they found it difficult to follow the course of any one for any length of time4 ,the objects looked like balloons1 behaved like balloons1 and weather balloons had been released in the area that day4 ,conclusion3 the saucers were weather balloons,,iii-#b4 ,a number of other publicized cases listed as 8,unknown0 were in all probability balloons4 ,since a probability1 however good1 is not the same as an established fact1 these sightings remain in the ,unknown category even though their actual explanation is reasonably certain4 ,such a case was that near ,hermanas1 ,new ,mexico1 which1 like that a few weeks earlier at ,hamilton ,air ,force ,base1 may have been stimulated by the #aieb saucer panic in ,washington 7,chapter ,,vii74 ,on ,august #bd1 #aieb1 an ,air ,force colonel was flying from ,california to ,georgia in an ,f-#hd-;,g plane at an air speed of about #bij miles an hour4 ,at #aj3ae ,a4,m4 ,m4,s4,t41 when near ,hermanas1 ,new ,mexico1 he observed two round1 silvery objects about six feet in diameter some two miles north of him and traveling east at high speed2 they showed no trail or exhaust4 ,during the three minutes they were in view1 one object suddenly began a right turn while the second accelerated rapidly2 they changed in shape and in color1 became elongated and gray1 and then disappeared4 ,a few minutes later over ,el ,paso1 ,texas1 he saw two similar silvery objects1 also traveling east4 ,during the ten minutes they were in view1 one object seemed to climb straight up for #bjjj or #cjjj feet1 followed immediately by the second one4 ,assuming that the same pair of objects was involved in both sightings1 the observer concluded that they were going much faster than any plane1 and reported the incident to ,,atic4 ,the behavior described is typical of that of balloons4 ,rising into a new wind stream1 they may move rapidly and change their orientation so that they look sausage-shaped instead of round2 reflecting the sun at a different angle1 they look gray rather than silver4 ,investigators checked with ,biggs ,air ,force ,base1 ,white ,sands1 and ,el ,paso ,international ,airport2 both ,white ,sands and ,el ,paso had released weather balloons at #h3jj that morning which had traveled southeast and burst some time before the sighting at ,hermanas4 ,since no single recorded balloon could account for the sighting1 it was listed as ,unknown,,iii-#b4 ,this inquiry can scarcely be called thorough4 ,no check seems to have been made at ,holloman ,air ,force ,base or at more distant bases whose weather balloons might well have traveled into the area4 ,the investigators apparently accepted the pilot's assumption that the objects in the two sightings were identical and were therefore traveling at incredible speeds2 yet there was no evidence to support the assumption4 ,it is far more probable that he was observing two sets of objects1 not one4 ,the estimates of size1 distance1 and speed are all uncertain because no fixed reference point existed4 ,the report does not state whether the objects seemed to be above or below the plane1 and does not give the exact heading of the objects4 ,the objects looked and behaved like balloons4 ,another possibility is that they were fragments from the balloons that had burst earlier4 ,but the explanation of this incident remains unknown because too few facts were determined4 ,plastic ,u,f,os and the 8,stack of ,coins0 ,a burst balloon has caused many a saucer scare1 but the invasion of ,farmington1 ,new ,mexico1 on ,saint ,patrick's ,day #aiej was one of the most dramatic4 ,the 8saucers0 began to fly about #aj3ae ,a4,m4 ,m4,s4,t41 and soon filled the air4 ,in numbers estimated from #ejj to thousands1 for the next hour the gleaming saucer-shaped objects soared over the town1 moving erratically at incredible speeds1 darting in and out among each other in what one writer has called 8the greatest exhibition of magnetic flight that has ever happened in this universe40,,iii-#f 7,see ,chapter ,,ix47 ,the explanation is more prosaic4 ,a ,skyhook balloon had been launched that morning from ,holloman ,air ,force ,base near ,white ,sands1 ,new ,mexico4 ,near ,farmington1 in the cold atmosphere at #fj1jjj feet the balloon had become brittle1 burst1 and disintegrated into hundreds of tiny pieces of plastic4 ,light as feathers1 shining in the sunlight1 they floated over the town and away,,iii-#a1 p4 #ajf4 ,a similar episode occurred on ,july #bg1 #aieb1 the day after the second ,washington 8invasion40 ,the dramatically named 8stack of coins0 sighting at ,manhattan ,beach1 ,california1 was reported by an aircraft engineer1 formerly a ,navy pilot1 and was confirmed by seven other witnesses4 ,at #f3ce ,p4,m4 ,p4,s4,t41 just before sunset1 a bright silvery object appeared high in the sky1 elliptical in shape and apparently solid4 ,the size was estimated to be about that of a dime held at arm's length4 ,as the observers watched1 it turned to the south and gracefully broke apart into seven smaller objects1 as smoothly as a stack of coins separating4 ,the three lead objects assumed a ,v position1 the others followed in two pairs1 and the whole formation then turned northeast and quickly disappeared4 ,,atic investigators1 still buried in a mass of equally spectacular reports1 could provide no solution to the mystery1 and another fleet of saucers had apparently been added to the summer's list4 ,immediately concluding that the objects were from outer space1 ,,ufo-philes pondered the meaning of the incident4 ,one author suggested that the disks might have been seven different ships that1 when first observed1 had been stacked like coins and attached to each other by some magnetic force1 so that all could be directed as one,,iii-#e4 ,this sighting has remained technically an unknown chiefly because the descriptions fail to give the necessary information4 ,what direction did the object come from8 ,how long was it in sight8 ,what balloons had been released in the area that day8 ,at what time8 ,what were the winds at high altitudes8 ,the winds at low levels were from the west1 and at altitudes from #bj1jjj to #ej1jjj feet they were from the east2 but what were they in the region above #gj1jjj feet1 the probable location of the object8 ,even without these facts1 a reasonable explanation can be offered3 the unknown was a radiosonde balloon that burst at a high altitude4 ,the sun was low on the western horizon4 ,a balloon at a great height reflects the sun brilliantly from its rubber or plastic skin and gleams like a giant metallic sphere4 ,these balloons usually soar to #gj1jjj to #ij1jjj feet before they burst from the cold4 ,the fragments then disperse in an impressively uniform pattern1 and may disappear quickly4 ,the radiosonde package and attached parachute fall rapidly at such heights4 ,they are not noticed by the witnesses because the chute usually does not open fully until after the package has fallen some distance into the beginning twilight near the earth's surface4 ,this explanation of the 8stack of coins0 cannot be proved1 of course1 but every detail of the incident is consistent with the behavior of a bursting balloon,,iii-#b4 ,jets and ,contrails ,weather balloons are not the only air-borne objects that have been mistaken for interplanetary craft4 ,flying saucers reported over ,durango1 ,colorado1 early in ,august #aieb turned out to be four ,t-#cc ,air ,force jets flying at #cj1jjj feet1 so high that no sound reached the ground4 ,a low-flying jet1 enveloped in an aura of cloud made by the jet itself1 can look like a strange object4 ,this condensation phenomenon1 called a contrail1 occurs when areas of low pressure develop on the wing surface2 the air cools by expansion in the slowly moving boundary layer in contact with the wing4 ,both the depth of the boundary layer and the drop in pressure increase with increasing air speed1 but each depends very closely on the aerodynamic qualities of the wing4 ,an excellent photograph of one such disk produced by a ,canberra jet was taken on ,february #d1 #aief1 along the coast of ,africa near ,accra on a morning when the condensation phenomenon occurred several times during air maneuvers4 ,the weather was fine1 the sky cloudless with a few patches of haze over the sea1 and visibility was more than eight miles4 ,during the display the air speed of the jets was usually too low or the air too dry for the aura to form4 8,but over the cliff edge where the sea-breeze was just beginning to break through in patches the air would be moist enough to condense about #a gm4 of water droplets in each cubic metre of air1 quite sufficient to produce the observed effect4 ,the effect is increased by higher speeds at the end of a dive 7when the angle of incidence of the aerofoil is least7 444 but it is likely that the patchy onset of the sea-breeze was the most important contributing factor40,,iii-#g ,a flying saucer reported from ,johannesburg1 ,south ,africa1 on ,april #aa1 #aieh1 belongs in this category4 ,hundreds of witnesses reported a mysterious starlike object maneuvering in the northern sky on three successive nights at speeds in excess of #bjjj miles an hour4 ,most observers agreed that 8,the ,thing0 could not have been any known aircraft because its speed was too great2 it sometimes hovered stationary in the air1 and repeatedly changed color from white to red to deep scarlet4 ,one member of an ,interplanetary ,club who watched it through binoculars described the ,,ufo as saucer-shaped1 with a rim like a soup plate around the edge4 ,members of the ,council for ,scientific and ,industrial ,research ,minitrack ,station1 near ,johannesburg1 were amused by the variety of reports on 8,the ,thing40 ,the mysterious object in the night skies was in fact a ,south ,african ,air ,force ,dakota aircraft1 flying back and forth so that the ,minitrack ,station could test the calibration of its tracking instruments4 ,in addition to the usual navigation lights1 the aircraft had carried a bright1 flashing light so that it could be photographed,,iii-#g;a4 ,a flight of bombers refueling in mid-air at night can be a startling spectacle and more than once has been reported as a gathering of flying saucers4 ,such an incident occurred in ,florida on ,october #ca1 #aiee1 when a disk jockey at ,gainesville broke into his radio program about ten o'clock in the evening to announce that flying saucers were over the station4 ,many of his listeners hurried out of their houses to look at the ,halloween visitors1 clearly visible in the night sky4 ,one reporter stated that he had seen four to six objects1 oblong in shape1 brilliantly glowing1 red and orange1 traveling soundlessly in a straight-line formation that later changed to a ,v,,iii-#h4 ,both the radio station and the police station were swamped with telephone calls from frightened citizens1 most of whom calmed down when they learned the explanation3 a flight of bombers had been refueling at an altitude of #cb1jjj feet4 ,the ,killian ,case ,the most famous ,,ufo sighting of this type is the ,killian case4 ,on the evening of ,february #bd1 #aiei1 an ,american ,airlines plane was flying from ,newark to ,detroit4 ,at about #h3de ,p4,m41 when the plane was near ,bradford1 ,pennsylvania1 the pilot1 ,captain ,killian1 noticed some puzzling lights above and to the left of his plane4 ,there seemed to be three1 their colors changing from yellow to light orange1 dimming and brightening in intensity and shifting their relative positions4 ,at first he supposed he was looking at the constellation ,orion1 for the lights had the same configuration as the stars in ,orion's 8belt10 but when the lights changed position and he could see ,orion itself in addition to the lights1 he discarded his first theory4 ,he considered the possibility of a jet tanker refueling operation1 but decided the lights were moving too slowly4 ,he couldn't think of any ordinary explanation--but he had long wondered what truth there was in the idea of flying saucers and had thought there must be something to it4 ,over the loud speaker he remarked to the passengers that ,american ,airlines had a special treat for them which they could see by looking out of the left windows4 ,he continued to watch the lights as he flew west toward ,detroit1 and radioed two other ,american ,airlines planes in the area4 ,learning that their pilots were also watching the unusual spectacle1 he notified ,air ,traffic ,control 7,,atc7 in ,detroit4 ,the lights remained in view for about forty minutes1 all the way to ,detroit1 and the pilot lost sight of them only when he began to let down through the haze for a landing4 ,reporters and photographers were waiting to interview him1 and next day's ,detroit ,times carried a banner headline1 8,mystery ,discs ,trail ,plane ,here10 over a picture of ,captain ,killian flanked by the plane's two pretty hostesses1 all three smiling as they held up to the camera three ordinary kitchen saucers,,iii-#i4 ,after checking with the ,detroit ,,atc1 who did not know of any scheduled refueling operation1 the pilot reported his experience to officials of ,american ,airlines1 and next day returned to ,new ,york where again he was besieged by reporters and photographers4 ,meanwhile1 following standard ,,cirvis procedure 7,communication ,instruction for ,reporting ,vital ,intelligence ,sighting from ,aircraft71 the manager of operations of ,american ,airlines reported the incident to ,,atic at ,wright-,patterson ,air ,force ,base4 ,in ,new ,york the day after the sighting ,captain ,killian gave a telephone interview to ,radio ,station ,,wchs1 ,charleston1 ,west ,virginia1 describing his experience4 ,following the customary procedure1 intelligence officers from ,mitchell ,air ,force ,base questioned him and filled out the usual report form,,iii-#b4 ,in the radio interview and in the talk with intelligence officers ,captain ,killian made the same statements he had made to ,american ,airlines officials3 he didn't know what the lights were1 and he couldn't tell how far away they had been because he didn't know their size or their altitude,,iii-#aj4 ,not for months had such a good flying-saucer story appeared1 and the newspapers made the most of it4 ,among the first to assert that the unknown lights had been flying saucers was the ,,ufo ,research ,committee of ,akron1 ,ohio 7see ,chapter ,,xiii74 ,members of the committee had received the news by telephone1 even before ,captain ,killian's plane landed at ,detroit1 from the pilot of a ,united ,airlines plane who had watched the lights on his flight to ,akron4 ,during the days following1 ,captain ,killian's copilot gave an interview on ,long ,john ,nebel's after-midnight radio program in ,new ,york4 ,captain ,killian himself described the ,u,f,os to members of a ,new ,york ,,ufo organization1 ,civilian ,saucer ,intelligence 7,,csi71 and appeared on several radio and ,,tv programs4 ,both saucer addicts and newsmen besieged ,air ,force representatives1 demanding an immediate explanation of the sighting4 ,finally1 on ,february #bh1 only two days after receiving the report from ,american ,airlines1 ,,atic yielded to public pressure and produced a tentative theory3 it was possible that the pilots might have sighted the stars of ,orion1 as ,captain ,killian had first suggested4 ,however1 the release added1 no definite conclusion could be reached until all the facts had been studied4 ,promptly rejecting the possibility that he might have been looking at ,orion1 ,captain ,killian stated in an interview with the ,new ,york ,herald ,tribune1 8,i am sure there are people on other planets and that they have solved the problem of space travel4444 ,i sincerely believe that their vehicles are coming close to earth40 ,while the saucer believers were keeping the story alive1 applauding ,captain ,killian and denouncing the ,air ,force1 the experts at ,,atic had been collecting facts and trying to analyze them4 ,the basic piece of evidence was ,captain ,killian's own report to ,american ,airlines1 made a few hours after the incident took place4 ,after describing the circumstances of the sighting1 the appearance and behavior of the lights1 the statement continues3 8,the only possible explanation other than flying saucers could be a jet-tanker refueling operation4 ,never having witnessed refueling operations at night1 ,i am not aware of the lighting of the jet tanker4 8,my air speed during this complete flight was #bej knots indicated4 ,i also do not know the air speed of tankers during operation if this could be so4 ,i contacted ,,atc to find out if they had any airplanes on a clearance and no three airplanes were given4 8,in summary1 it was difficult for me to believe they were jets because of low speed and configuration4 ,if they weren't jets ,i still don't know any more than ,i did before even though ,i watched them for forty minutes before4 ,due to the dark and strong lights ,i was not able to ascertain any size or shape4 ,the altitude of the objects was #cj degrees above my horizon4 ,distance away is unknown40,,iii-#b ,almost equally important was the evidence of other witnesses4 ,during the forty-minute period of observation1 the crews of five other planes1 all flying west in the ,pennsylvania-,ohio region1 had watched the lights for varying lengths of time4 ,several persons on the ground in and near ,akron had seen them between #i3ae and #i3cj4 ,air ,force investigators methodically gathered the facts and made their analysis and on ,march #af1 only twenty days after the sighting1 they released a summary to the press4 ,the mysterious lights belonged to normal terrestrial aircraft4 ,although ,,atc at ,detroit had apparently not had the information when first asked1 three ,b-#dg bombers of the ,strategic ,air ,command had been carrying out a night refueling operation from ,,kc-#ig tankers at the time and place reported4 ,the tanker has several groups of lights which1 from a distance1 can seem to be one or more lights1 and would have looked very much like the three objects described by ,captain ,killian4 ,such a refueling operation takes from about forty minutes to more than an hour4 ,captain ,killian had been flying at an altitude of #hejj feet1 and he had given the location of the unknowns as #cj degrees above his horizon2 this agreed with the position of the tankers1 which were operating at an altitude of #ag1jjj feet4 ,captain ,killian had been flying west at an indicated air speed of #bej knots2 the refueling tankers had also been flying west at a true air speed of #bcj knots 7ca4 #bgj mph74 ,since the courses of plane and tankers were roughly parallel1 the tankers had remained in view and would have arrived over ,akron at about #i3ae1 the time that ground observers reported the lights4 ,everything checked4 ,every detail of the incident was accounted for,,iii-#aa4 ,nevertheless the solution caused an explosion in the camps of the saucer enthusiasts1 who called it1 among other things1 imaginative4 ,forgetting that the 8,orion0 theory suggested immediately after the sighting had been only tentative1 ,,ufo addicts ridiculed it and asked why the experts had later offered a different explanation--which they greeted with equal ridicule,,iii-#ab4 ,captain ,killian1 too1 had apparently forgotten his first report4 ,on ,march #bd1 a month after the sighting1 in an interview by the ,long ,island ,daily ,press he stated that the things he saw could not have been tankers2 that he knew what ,b-#dg bombers and ,,kc-#ig tankers looked like1 and how they looked in operation at night 7,original statement to ,american ,airlines3 8,never having witnessed refueling operations at night1 ,i am not aware of the lighting of jet tankers407 ,also1 he told the ,daily ,press1 the objects he saw were at least triple the size of any known tanker or bomber4 7,original statement to ,american ,airlines3 8,due to the dark and strong lights ,i was not able to ascertain any size or shape407 ,furthermore1 he asserted1 the unknowns had been far too fast for a tanker1 and had moved at a speed of about #bjjj miles an hour4 7,original statement to ,american ,airlines3 8444 it was difficult for me to believe they were jets because of low speed407 ,in rejecting the ,air ,force explanation of this incident1 flying-saucer addicts ignored several embarrassing questions3 ,if ,captain ,killian actually saw interplanetary craft1 how did he fail to see the earthly aircraft operating at the same time and place8 ,if the unknowns moved at a speed of #bjjj miles an hour1 how did ,captain ,killian and the crews of several other planes1 flying at less than #cjj miles an hour1 keep the unknowns in sight for forty minutes8 ,in that length of time the ,u,f,os should have covered most of the distance to the ,pacific4 ,few persons1 given the facts by responsible officials1 would persist in denying the reality of the tankers and conjuring up a fleet of flying saucers to occupy the relevant cubic area of space4 ,to the true enthusiast1 however1 these refueling planes remain incontrovertible proof that spacecraft are among us4 444 ,and ,kites and ,soap ,bubbles ,objects need not be as large as ,skyhook balloons or jets to start a flying-saucer scare4 ,brightly illuminated advertising blimps have caused many ,,ufo reports4 ,unfamiliar circumstances or a faulty perspective can manufacture spaceships out of things as small as seeds1 spider webs1 scraps of paper1 or toy balloons4 ,in the autumn of #aidg1 during the first months of the saucer scare1 many such ,u,f,os were reported4 ,one experienced observer1 formerly a combat pilot1 reported a flying saucer overhead at a height he estimated as #ejjj feet4 ,more careful study showed that the object was at a height of only about #bej feet and was suspended from small balloons4 ,later he learned that1 as a joke1 some boys had launched a paper saucer carried by helium-filled toy balloons4 ,during this same period when everyone was talking about flying saucers1 spaceships reported over an ,iowa town one night turned out to be glowing bits of paper drifting from a fireplace chimney,,iii-#ac4 ,on ,march #af1 #aifa1 according to the ,british radio1 a resident of ,east ,suffolk reported to the police that he had seen a spaceship land in a nearby field4 ,investigators soon found the craft3 a fuel tank that had fallen from a passing plane4 ,a fleet of ,u,f,os appeared late one afternoon in ,july #aifa to an observer driving west along ,highway #ed from ,el ,paso1 ,texas1 to ,alamogordo1 ,new ,mexico4 ,it had been raining in the mountains1 and wind and dust storms had forced the driver to stop several times during his trip1 but now the sun was shining between patches of dark cloud in the western sky4 ,driving toward the outskirts of ,alamogordo1 he was startled to see a ,v-shaped formation of huge saucers flying directly toward him4 ,stopping his car1 he saw that they were glowing a deep red1 were moving at high speed1 and seemed to be as high as the clouds4 ,when they had reached a point nearly overhead1 they suddenly seemed to drop down toward the observer4 ,rapidly revising all his first estimates of size1 height1 and speed1 he recognized their true identity4 ,they were merely a group of tumbleweeds that had been carried aloft in the strong winds and were soaring past at a height of only #ajj feet4 ,illumination from the setting sun had produced their weird reddish glow4 ,a spectacular flying saucer hovered near the ,smithsonian satellite-observing station in ,curaao1 ,netherlands ,antilles1 on the night of ,october #ag1 #aifa4 ,the station crew observed it with binoculars1 by apogee telescope1 and photographed it with the ,baker-,nunn satellite camera4 ,a brilliantly glowing object1 it shone in the eastern sky1 moving erratically and fluctuating in brightness4 ,after watching it for nearly an hour and finding that the nearby airport could not observe the object1 the observers concluded that it must be less distant than it seemed1 and set out by car to try to get a closer look4 ,about a mile and a half from the station they stopped1 and solved the mystery4 ,a plantation manager and his servant stood in a field1 hanging on to one end of a #abjj-;foot kite string4 ,at the other end1 high in the sky1 soared a kite2 hanging from it was a lighted pressure lantern,,iii-#ad 7see ,plate ,i,ia74 ,in #aied malfunction of a sewage-disposal plant in western ,pennsylvania produced one of the most spectacular saucer reports on record4 ,an oversupply of detergent1 whipped by a stiff breeze1 foamed into a mountainous tower of bubbles4 ,a sudden gust of wind broke the tower and launched a colossal mass of bubbles as large as a ten-story building4 ,this brilliant1 scintillating1 super-giant bubble bath rose to great heights and drifted for miles4 ,widely reported as a ,,ufo1 this apparition was merely an unusual by-product of modern technology4 ,the ,u,f,os photographed over ,kentucky on ,july #g1 #aidg1 were probably vapor trails1 a less familiar sight then than now2 or they might possibly have been the smoke trails from an exploding meteor 7see ,plate ,i,ib74 ,a saucer incident that might have become a classic ,unknown occurred in ,denver at #aj ,a4,m4 on a summer's day in #aiej4 ,a man was sitting on the shady porch of his house1 reading4 ,beyond the porch roof the sun shone brightly4 ,glancing up from his book1 he was startled to see a formation of perhaps a dozen spherical objects1 shining iridescently1 traveling toward the distant mountains4 ,as he watched1 those in the front of the procession seemed to vanish instantly while others appeared out of nowhere to join the parade at the rear4 ,measuring their size against the mountain background1 he decided they were 8immense0 and they moved at fantastic speed1 covering the thirty or so miles to the mountains in a matter of five or six seconds4 ,too stunned to take action1 he was still numb from shock when he heard a faint 8,hello10 and looked up--to realize that the little girl across the street was blowing soap bubbles4 ,if the man had jumped up when he first saw the objects and had rushed into the house to telephone the nearest saucer club1 he might never have found out that the 8spaceships0 were only bubbles,,iii-#ae4 ,,iii-#a ,ruppelt1 ,e4 ,j4 ,the ,report on ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,garden ,city1 ,n4,y43 ,doubleday ,co41 #aief4 ,,iii-#b ,air ,force ,files4 ,,iii-#c ,menzel1 ,d4 ,h4 ,flying ,saucers4 ,cambridge1 ,mass43 ,harvard ,university ,press1 #aiec4 ,,iii-#d ,tacker1 ,l4 ,j4 ,flying ,saucers and the ,u4 ,s4 ,air ,force4 ,princeton1 ,n4,j43 ,d4 ,van ,nostrand ,co41 #aifj4 ,,iii-#e ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e4 ,flying ,saucers from ,outer ,space4 ,new ,york3 ,henry ,holt ,co41 #aiec4 ,,iii-#f ,scully1 ,f4 ,behind the ,flying ,saucers4 ,new ,york3 ,popular ,library1 ,inc41 #aiea1 p4 #add4 ,,iii-#g ,sarson1 ,p4 ,b4 8,aircraft ,condensation ,aura10 ,meteorological ,magazine1 ,london1 ,vol4 ,,lxxxv 7#aief71 p4 #bag4 ,,iii-#g;a ,johannesburg ,star1 ,april #ad1 #aieh4 ,,iii-#h ,case #adb1 ,,crifo ,orbit1 ,vol4 ,,ii 7,march #b1 #aief74 ,,iii-#i ,detroit ,times1 ,feb4 #be1 #aiei4 ,,iii-#aj ,barker1 ,g4 8,chasing the ,flying ,saucers10 ,flying ,saucers 7,july #aiei71 p4 #bd ff4 ,,iii-#aa ,kirsch1 ,f4 ,a4 8,air ,force ,right on ,killian #8,saucer'80 ,flying ,saucers 7,august #aifj71 p4 #ag ff4 ,,iii-#ab 8,report on ,unidentified ,flying ,objects ,observed ,feb4 #bd1 #aiei1 by ,american-,united ,airline ,pilots40 ,compiled by ,unidentified ,flying ,objects ,research ,committee1 ,akron1 ,ohio1 ,feb4 #bd1 #aifj4 ,,iii-#ac ,wylie1 ,c4 ,c4 ,speech ,popular ,astronomy1 ,vol4 ,,lvi 7#aidh71 p4 #bag4 ,,iii-#ad ,smithsonian ,astrophysical ,observatory1 ,the ,,sao ,news1 ,vol4 ,i1 ,no4 #f 7,november #aifa74 ,,iii-#ae ,dean1 ,c4 ,w4 ,personal communication4 ,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,spangled ,,heav',,ns3 ,,stars ,,and ,,planets ,shortly before dawn on ,march #c1 #aiee1 a spectacular flying saucer appeared over ,alaska4 ,the witness1 a civilian scientist with the rank of ,commander in the ,united ,states ,navy1 was returning from the ,north ,pole on the daily ,air ,force ,ptarmigan weather flight2 his mission had been to study the effect of the aurora on radio propagation1 for the ,department of ,defense4 ,he described his experience as follows3 ,a ,mirage of ,sirius 8,we were flying southwest of ,point ,barrow1 ,alaska1 not far from ,bering ,strait1 en route to ,eielson ,air ,force ,base in ,fairbanks1 and our course was roughly southeast4 ,the night was clear and the stars shone brilliantly4 ,i was looking out of the western bomb blister when suddenly ,i saw a bright object shoot in at tremendous speed from the horizon1 directly toward the plane4 ,at first ,i thought it was a meteor or a fireball and ,i instinctively ducked1 but the object came to a sudden skidding stop about #cjj feet away1 thereafter riding along with our plane and keeping pace with our speed4 ,i could scarcely believe my eyes4 ,the thing possessed green and red signal lights that flashed back and forth1 and something that looked like a lighted propeller on the top4 ,beyond question1 it was a flying saucer4 8,i wondered if the thing might be a hallucination1 brought on by fatigue4 ,after all1 we had been in the air almost seventeen hours4 ,i cleaned my spectacles and rubbed my eyes1 but the ,saucer was still there1 pacing the plane and bobbing up and down as the plane itself occasionally wove or dipped4 ,my next thought was to eliminate all possible chance that the thing was an internal reflection4 ,i pulled my fur parka up over my head and put my face smack against the bulging surface of the blister that formed the window4 ,thus shielded from all internal illumination1 ,i could still see the glowing object4 ,i next drew a pencil from my pocket and held it out at arm's length1 and was surprised to find that the glowing disk was somewhat smaller than the eraser4 ,i made a rapid calculation and concluded that if the sphere was actually #cjj feet away1 as it seemed1 then it was only a foot or two in diameter1 not much larger than a basketball4 ,my next thought was whether one of the radio parachutes had somehow or other got attached to the plane by the string4 ,these objects1 brilliantly lit by an electric light1 can be quite startling4 ,but it had been nearly half an hour since the last parachute release and the meteorologists were just getting ready to lower another through the trap4 ,i decided to call the meteorologist to look at the thing4 ,but before ,i could call out1 as if it had read my mind the object suddenly took off at top speed and disappeared4 ,now ,i was really concerned4 ,in less than two seconds the ,,ufo had vanished over the coast of ,siberia1 some #bjj miles away4 ,it must have been traveling at the fantastic speed of more than #ajj miles a second4 ,the ,korean ,war was over but our relations with the ,soviet ,union were still tense1 and ,i wondered if the object might be a secret ,russian missile on reconnaissance4 ,i kept my eyes glued to the point where the saucer had disappeared and suddenly1 a couple of minutes later1 it shot back toward the plane1 more brilliant and spectacular than the first time4 8,you can perhaps imagine my relief when ,i suddenly realized what the object was1 and at the same time realized that ,i had hit on the answer to a great many flying-saucer reports of a similar nature4 ,only someone familiar with the constellations could have identified the object4 ,it was a mirage of ,sirius1 the brightest star in the heavens4 ,actually ,sirius was slightly below the horizon at this time1 but the bending of the light had raised the image above the horizon and had diffused the beam into the saucerlike form4 ,the flashing red and green lights were common phenomena associated with star twinkling1 and the apparent structure1 including the whirling propeller1 resulted from distortion by the earth's atmosphere4 8,but why had the image taken off the way it did1 and then rushed back8 ,the moving plane of course was continually changing position relative to the ground features4 ,a mountain peak on the distant horizon had briefly come between the plane and the star1 obscuring the light4 ,the light was not cut off all at once1 however4 ,thus as the image dimmed it seemed to shrink1 as though it were racing away4 ,this temporary barrier also explained the sudden stops and starts and the tremendous instantaneous acceleration the object seemed to make at the instant it appeared4 ,the large atmospheric lens was simply focusing the light of the star in the general direction of the plane and thus it was centered with my eye4 ,that is why the object seemed to duplicate the motion of the plane4 8,i watched the object for several minutes after its return4 ,i was able to get full confirmation of this identification when the star rose over the western horizon2 it rose in the west because the southward motion of the plane more than compensated for the westward rotation of the star4 ,and as ,sirius came up from the horizon1 the #8flying saucer' sank back into the brilliant hemisphere of stars1 where it belonged40 7,the witness in this case was the senior author of this book47 ,sirius has inspired many ,,ufo reports4 ,on ,december #aj1 #aieb1 at #g3ae ,p4,m4 ,p4,s4,t41 the pilot and radar observer of an ,f-#id on routine patrol duty were over the town of ,odessa1 ,washington1 at about #bf1jjj feet when they saw a large white light in the east,,iv-#a4 ,dim reddish-white lights seemed to be coming from 8windows10 and no trail or exhaust was visible4 ,the pilot attempted to intercept but the object performed amazing feats--did a chandelle in front of the plane1 rushed away1 stopped1 and then made straight for the aircraft on a collision course at incredible speed4 ,the pilot banked away to avoid collision1 and afterward was not able to locate the object4 ,the radar man then got a brief return but soon lost contact4 ,although the visual and radar contacts had not coincided1 both men assumed that they referred to the same object,,iv-#b1 p4 #fe4 ,investigators suggested at first that the object might have been one of the ,telemuk balloons1 but this idea had to be discarded and the sighting was listed as ,unknown4 ,a review of the evidence by the present authors suggests a highly probable explanation4 ,above the low cloud cover at #cjjj feet the night was clear and moonless4 ,in the east1 ,sirius was just rising over the horizon at the exact bearing of the unknown object4 ,atmospheric refraction would have produced exactly the phenomenon described4 ,the same atmospheric conditions that caused the mirage of the star would have caused anomalous radar returns 7see ,chapter ,,viii74 ,earth's ,distorting ,atmosphere ,in everyday life we often look at familiar objects through a distorting medium4 ,houses and persons seen through a pane of poor window glass look peculiar and wrongly shaped1 and images of trees and clouds reflected in a pool or a stream of rippling water may continually shift and break1 but these distortions do not deceive us because we are used to them4 ,the child who stands before the crazy mirrors in an amusement park may laugh at himself for looking so fat or so thin1 so tall or so short4 ,knowing that the image is only a ludicrous approximation to his real appearance1 he is able to recognize himself without difficulty4 ,but a stranger1 placed so that he could see only the distorted image and not the person who made it could not make the necessary corrections and probably would not recognize the child if they met in the street4 ,like window glass1 water1 or mirrors1 a mere layer of air can distort an image4 ,for the astronomer1 the earth's atmosphere is a lifelong frustration4 ,acting as an imperfect lens1 it continually falsifies the true position1 color1 size1 and shape of the heavenly bodies he tries to study4 ,under certain conditions it can change the image of a star or a planet into an unrecognizable stranger4 ,when light enters the atmosphere1 the rays are bent or 8refracted0 so that the image is moved upward1 somewhere above the true position of the star 7see ,figure #f74 ,when we are admiring a sunset and think we are watching the very top rim of the sinking sun as it drops below the horizon1 we are actually seeing only its projected image4 ,the sun itself has already set1 but its light is bent upward by the air that clings to the earth's surface4 ,the greater the density of the air1 the greater the displacement of the image4 ,if there were no air at the earth's surface1 the sun would vanish and darkness would come instantaneously1 with no intervening period of twilight4 ,illustration3 ,figure #f4 ,bending of light by the atmosphere4 ,a star below the horizon is visible because refraction raises the image4 ,a star's light does not bend uniformly1 however4 ,light rays of different wave lengths bend at different angles1 so that when white light is scattered or 8dispersed0 into its component colors1 the blues and greens are bent more than the reds4 ,the density and the temperature of the air also affect the beam1 so that as a star's light travels from the thin upper atmosphere to the denser air near the earth1 the colors shift constantly and the star seems to twinkle1 flicker1 and change in color and brightness4 ,such changes are most noticeable when a star is low on the horizon at dawn or at dusk1 so that its light reaches us only after traveling through miles of dense atmosphere4 ,the sun displays these effects dramatically4 ,at sunrise and sunset its scattered light may illuminate the entire horizon4 ,clouds turn red and gold1 hills and the tops of buildings take on a ruddy glow1 and the entire sky may flame4 ,the red wave lengths remain1 while most of the blues and greens have been scattered out of the beam or may appear briefly at the top of the sun's disk1 as a 8green flash10 at the instant it sinks below the horizon4 ,similarly1 a star or planet observed low on the horizon at sunrise or sunset may appear extraordinarily large and brilliant4 ,it may seem to have structure1 showing an intense red glow at the bottom and bright blue at the top4 ,watching it1 the startled observer may see the object apparently in motion1 hovering1 pulsating1 and flashing red and green lights4 ,if he is so inclined1 he can easily interpret the image as a strange machine1 the red as the glow from an exhaust1 and the blue as the illumination system of an interplanetary craft4 ,illustration3 ,figure #g4 ,displacement of light image by temperature inversion4 ,normally the air is warmest at the surface of the earth and steadily gets colder at greater and greater heights4 ,sometimes this condition is reversed1 particularly in the broad deserts and prairies of the ,southwest1 where the changes between the day's heat and the night's cold may be sudden and extreme4 ,the ground cools off rapidly during the night and imparts this coldness to the layer of air immediately above4 ,thus the air may be warmer some distance above the ground4 ,when such a 8temperature inversion0 occurs1 light going through the air bends in a peculiar way 7see ,figure #g71 so that the image is displaced far more than normally4 ,the inversion may produce fuzzy or greatly distorted images1 and when there are several layers of alternating hot and cold air1 the effects may be spectacular4 ,at the boundaries between the layers the distortion and displacement increase greatly4 ,a star or a planet seen through such an atmosphere may display apparently violent motions1 peculiar shapes1 and fantastic color changes2 light clouds drifting over the bright stars may increase this illusion of motion,,iv-#c4 ,the rising or setting sun1 although actually below the horizon1 may project upward several images of itself1 one on the top of another1 to form a kind of ,chinese pagoda1 or a 8bell pepper40 ,and the twinkling top rung of the pagoda may simulate a whirling propeller4 ,the 8,whipping ,girl0 of ,saucerdom ,the planets are wanderers4 ,each day they move to a new position among the constellations4 ,astronomers and navigators have learned the paths of the planets and the positions of the brightest fixed stars1 but most of us1 when we look up at the night sky and see a brilliant stranger among the familiar star groups1 must cudgel our brains to account for it4 ,according to our dispositions1 we may consult a newspaper or telephone an observatory to find out the name of the intruder1 or we may conclude that the unknown is an alien spacecraft4 ,the planet ,venus has been chased at least once by patrolmen in a squad car1 has several times caused the scrambling of jet interceptors1 and has been named the culprit in so many ,,ufo mysteries that saucer enthusiasts somewhat cynically refer to it as 8the whipping girl0 of saucerdom4 ,the brightest of the planets and the closest to earth1 ,venus never moves more than #de degrees from the sun and thus is most often visible in our skies near sunrise or sunset1 preceding or following the sun4 ,the apparent size of the planet varies according to its distance from the earth and its phase4 ,when it is farthest from the earth1 the disk has a diameter of ten seconds2 at its closest1 the diameter has grown sixfold1 to sixty-four seconds4 ,the human eye and the ordinary camera see it as a brilliant white star4 ,being nearer the sun1 ,venus receives almost twice as much light from the sun as does the earth1 and when at greatest brilliance1 can be seen in the daytime sky4 ,viewed momentarily through rapidly moving cirrus clouds1 it may seem to be racing across the sky like a flying saucer1 but a longer look will reveal that the object is actually making very slow progress1 like a planet,,iv-#d4 ,to the airman in the cockpit of a plane1 the planet in the dawn sky can be a breathtaking sight4 ,as one veteran pilot has described the experience1 8,venus rose to signal me from the eastern horizon1 so brilliant and inconsistent in color1 changing at once from yellow to green to purple and then reversing the show1 that ,i thought for a time it was another aircraft equipped with special lighting devices4 ,but ,venus steadied in time1 proving its identity40,,iv-#e ,during the spring of #aief ,venus stimulated an unusual amount of flying-saucer excitement4 ,about #i3jj ,e4,s4,t4 on the nights of ,march #bj1 #ba1 and #bb1 dozens of persons in ,cincinnati1 ,ohio1 telephoned the newspapers and the local headquarters of ,civilian ,research ,interplanetary ,flying ,objects 7,,crifo71 to report an unidentified flying object that was burning 8like a beacon0 in the western sky4 ,a reporter for the ,cincinnati ,enquirer stated3 8,to the naked eye1 the object appeared to be an extraordinarily intense bluish white light 444 through binoculars1 the object appeared to be a compact galaxy of lights1 changing form as they revolved slowly4 ,at one point1 with binoculars set slightly out of focus1 it assumed the appearance of a diamond brooch ringed with emeralds turning lazily on an eccentric axis40 ,the object was visible for nearly an hour1 moved slowly to the northwest1 and disappeared4 ,astronomers quickly identified the unknown as ,venus4 ,to the saucer enthusiasts1 however1 it appeared as a low-flying luminous object with swept-back wings1 hovering in the west1 making no sound1 and displaying colors that changed from red to white4 ,while admitting that some of the reported sightings might have been ,venus1 the editor of ,orbit 7the official publication of ,,crifo7 argued that an object that changed shape and sparkled like diamonds and emeralds could not possibly be ,venus4 ,he stated 8that the public should know that out of seventeen ,,ufo reports received for a three day period1 ten were explainable as ,venus but six were not6 ,these stubborn six defied all conventional explanation40,,iv-#f ,while the fate of the seventeenth ,,ufo may require further explanation1 the flying saucer reports did not offer a real puzzle4 ,the time1 the position1 the colors1 and the apparent motions of the object were entirely consistent with those expected for the planet under the prevailing atmospheric conditions4 ,dr4 ,paul ,herget of the ,cincinnati ,observatory had easily identified the 8mysterious0 object4 ,he added that ,venus would continue to get brighter and brighter until the middle of ,may1 and that the number of ,u,f,os sighted would probably increase correspondingly4 ,he was right4 ,less than three weeks after the excitement in ,cincinnati1 ,venus inspired one of the most notorious 8,unknowns0 in the history of saucerdom1 one that evoked charges of fraud1 falsehood1 and conspiracy on a grand scale4 ,the ,ryan ,case ,an ,american ,airlines plane had just taken off on a flight from ,albany to ,syracuse1 ,new ,york1 on the night of ,april #h1 #aief4 ,the sky was clear with a very thin overcast4 ,at #aj3ae ,e4,s4,t41 while at about #fjjj feet over ,schenectady1 ,captain ,ryan and his first officer sighted an unidentified flying object and reported it to ,griffis ,air ,force ,base4 ,bright orange in color1 it glowed ahead of the plane in the northwestern sky4 ,at first it seemed to be traveling at great speed1 #hjj to #ajjj miles an hour4 ,then it appeared to slow down to the plane's speed1 about #bej miles an hour1 and thereafter kept a steady distance ahead4 ,the tower operators at the ,albany and ,watertown airports also saw the object1 as did the crews of four other plane flights1 who decided it was probably a star or a planet4 ,the shift supervisor on duty in the tower at ,griffis ,air ,force ,base1 alerted by ,captain ,ryan1 was able to observe the unknown through binoculars4 ,he described it as apparently round1 larger than any star1 at an estimated altitude of #cjjj or #djjj feet2 when first sighted it looked white with an orange tint but after about ten minutes changed to orange with a red tint4 ,during the twenty-three minutes he watched it1 the unknown slowly descended over the horizon4 ,interceptors from ,griffis ,air ,force ,base were scrambled 7,air ,force jargon meaning to take off and pursue as quickly as possible7 at #aj3dh and #aj3eb1 but returned to base without finding anything4 ,captain ,ryan1 having watched the object during most of the flight1 landed his plane at ,syracuse and made the customary report4 ,the newspaper accounts that followed caused a short-lived flying-saucer scare1 but when officials from ,,atic investigated they had no difficulty in solving the mystery4 ,the evidence was plain and unmistakable4 ,the object was the planet ,venus4 ,according to the reports of ,captain ,ryan and the other observers in the air and on the ground1 the object was low in the northwest2 estimates of its azimuth varied from #bij to #ccj degrees4 ,a plot of the planet's actual position at #aj3bj ,p4,m41 when the ,,ufo was first picked up by the tower operator at ,griffis ,air ,force ,base1 showed that ,venus was slightly above the horizon at an azimuth of #cja degrees1 and that it set at #cjd degrees at about #aj3db 7when allowance is made for the effects of atmospheric refraction7--the time the ,,ufo disappeared from the view of the ,griffis observers4 ,of the four other commercial and military pilots who reported the object1 all described it as essentially stationary1 and all positively identified it as ,venus4 ,in confirmation1 the glowing light reappeared the following night at the same time and position4 ,the intercepting jets had not been able to find the alleged ,,ufo because by the time they left the ground1 around #aj3ej1 the planet had already set,,iv-#a4 ,there the matter should have ended4 ,the puzzle was solved1 and forgotten by all but a few saucer addicts4 ,some twelve months later1 however1 ,major ,donald ,keyhoe reopened the case4 ,as the new ,director of the ,national ,investigations ,committee for ,aerial ,phenomena1 commonly known as ,,nicap 7see ,chapter ,,xiii71 he charged the ,air ,force with concealing the true facts of the incident1 and himself tried to get in touch with ,captain ,ryan to obtain information to support the charge4 ,receiving no answer to letters or telephone calls1 ,major ,keyhoe then gave his story to certain government agencies4 ,using as evidence a newspaper account,,iv-#g and interpretations of ,captain ,ryan's remarks in a ,,tv interview1 ,,nicap alleged that the object sighted on ,april #h1 #aief1 had been a ,,ufo2 that the captain1 on orders from ,griffis ,air ,force ,base1 had abandoned his scheduled route to chase the unknown craft1 had lost it somewhere over ,lake ,ontario1 had then turned back and landed at ,syracuse and1 finally1 that his flight log must have been falsified to conceal the facts of this pursuit,,iv-#h4 ,the original question1 the identity of an unknown object1 was all but forgotten4 ,in letters1 telegrams1 and telephone calls to various officials of ,american ,airlines1 ,congress1 the ,air ,force1 the ,civil ,aeronautics ,board1 and the ,civil ,aviation ,authority1 ,,nicap requested an official investigation of the incident4 ,the first requests evoked no response but continued efforts were successful4 ,after hints of publicity and of possible senatorial interest1 the beleaguered agencies at last yielded to ,,nicap pressure and reopened the case4 ,captain ,ryan1 a reliable officer with twenty-three years' experience as a pilot1 was subjected to official interrogation4 ,busy government bureaus were forced to invest further time1 money1 and energy to confirm facts that had never been in doubt4 ,to the ,civil ,aviation ,authority 7,,caa71 ,captain ,ryan replied that he had observed an unidentified object1 but that he had not altered the course of his flight4 ,he repeated this explicit statement to officials of the ,civil ,aeronautics ,board 7,,cab7 and of ,american ,airlines4 ,airline records provided independent confirmation4 ,since the scheduled time of the flight between ,albany and ,syracuse had been #di minutes1 and the actual time elapsed on the night in question had been #dh minutes1 he could not possibly have spent time in making a detour over ,lake ,ontario as alleged4 ,these declarations1 according to ,,nicap1 were worthless4 ,they merely proved that ,captain ,ryan had given false answers to his questioners2 that the government agencies involved knew the answers were false2 and that a gigantic conspiracy existed to suppress the truth4 ,among those suggested as possible members,,iv-#h were the ,american ,airlines ,company1 the ,civil ,aeronautics ,board1 the ,civil ,aviation ,agency1 the ,united ,states ,air ,force1 and possibly even the ,central ,intelligence ,agency and the ,national ,security ,council6 ,saucer publications still list this sighting of ,venus as an ,unknown4 ,venus as a ,morning ,star ,one of the 8best0 ,u,f,os of the year #aiej appeared when ,venus performed in plain sight of the ,,atic offices at ,wright-,patterson ,air ,force ,base1 ,dayton1 ,ohio,,iv-#b1 p4 #ajc4 ,about midmorning on ,march #h a ,,twa plane1 coming in to land at ,dayton municipal airport1 was circling to get into the traffic pattern when both pilot and copilot noticed an extremely bright light hovering in the southeast4 ,much brighter and larger than a star1 it appeared and disappeared in the high1 thick1 scattered clouds4 ,the tower operators1 who also saw it1 immediately telephoned the ,ohio ,air ,national ,guard and officials at ,,atic4 ,within minutes the ,,ufo had attracted an audience of exceptionally well-qualified observers4 ,air ,force experts on unidentified flying objects watched it from the ground1 technicians studied returns on the radar screens at the laboratory at ,wright ,field1 and the pilots of two hastily scrambled ,f-#eas tried to intercept it4 ,the radar operators1 who reported returns from both ,,ufo and pursuit planes1 called the pilots and vectored them in toward the target4 ,both pilots could see the light at first1 but when they had climbed to about #ae1jjj feet they found themselves in clouds so thick that neither could see the other plane1 and the unknown was no longer visible4 ,since ground radar reported that the planes were getting closer to the target1 the pilots decided to continue1 on instruments1 but they separated to avoid the danger of colliding with each other4 ,in a few seconds they were deep in dense cloud4 ,flying conditions were far worse than they had expected and the planes were icing up fast4 ,nevertheless the pilots kept climbing until ground radar advised them that they were almost on target4 ,realizing that if a solid object actually were ahead of them they would hit it before they could see it1 the pilots immediately descended to below the clouds and circled1 hoping for a break in the overcast1 until ground radar reported that the target was fading fast4 ,the planes then landed4 ,when the clouds broke momentarily1 after about an hour1 the ,,ufo was not visible4 ,a conference took place at ,,atic that afternoon to discuss the identity of the mysterious light and the cause of the radar echoes4 ,a check showed that the position of the ,,ufo had been identical with that of ,venus4 ,the light1 the conference concluded1 had been ,venus4 ,one pilot later disagreed1 arguing that the light had not looked to him like a planet and that if the object had been ,venus it should have appeared1 but did not1 at the same time on the following day4 ,but the weather conditions the first day would have distorted the image and made it unlike the pale light of ,venus occasionally visible in the daytime4 ,it was not visible at all the following day because of different weather conditions4 ,the radar returns1 the investigators found1 had come from the ice-laden clouds and were unrelated to the light4 ,both planes had encountered unexpectedly severe icing conditions which increased as they approached the center of the cloud4 ,radar1 tracking their course during these moments1 had shown the planes approaching close to the unknown target4 ,all the evidence1 the radar experts agreed1 indicated that the unknown target was ice,,iv-#a4 ,venus as an ,evening ,star ,in the spring of #aiei ,venus again1 this time in the evening1 caused reports of flying saucers4 ,at #f3bj ,p4,m4 on ,march #ac1 a clear evening with visibility of about fifteen miles1 an unidentified flying object was sighted in the western sky near ,duluth1 ,minnesota,,iv-#a4 ,witnesses described its shape as tubular or round and its color as red1 orange1 green1 or white4 ,two interceptors of the ,air ,defense ,command were scrambled to investigate and headed for the object at top speeds1 but they could get no closer and eventually gave up the chase and landed4 ,military personnel at ground stations and in the air observed the object visually and picked up radar returns2 it disappeared1 after about thirty minutes1 by fading from sight4 ,although this spectacular unknown had seemed to keep pace with the aircraft1 at times rushing toward the planes on a collision course and at other times reversing direction and racing away1 all witnesses agreed that the object had remained at a magnetic bearing of approximately #cjj degrees4 ,the radar screen at the ground station had been photographed and the film was forwarded to ,,atic at ,dayton4 ,analysis showed that the echoes had not come from a real target but were 8angels0 caused by interference 7see ,chapter ,,viii74 ,some operators had reported sharp contacts1 others fuzzy2 on some sets the target had faded suddenly1 on others it rushed off the scope at incredible speeds4 ,contact was intermittent1 for short periods of from ten seconds to a minute1 and each new contact gave a different position for the target4 ,at the time of the sighting ,venus was just on the western horizon1 at the same position occupied by the unknown1 and probably would have been invisible except for the refraction by the earth's atmosphere4 ,layers of air with different temperatures had produced the apparent motion and changes in color4 ,the object had maintained the same size and relative position during the entire period of observation2 it disappeared by fading from sight1 sinking farther below the horizon4 ,the following night1 under similar atmospheric conditions1 the object reappeared in the same position4 ,the unknown was positively identified as ,venus4 ,venus was again reported as a ,,ufo on the night of ,october #ai1 #aiei1 in ,korea4 ,an observer reported a crescent-shaped silver object moving very slowly toward the west4 ,observing it for three hours and twenty minutes through the telescope of a transit1 he obtained very exact data on the bearing and altitude1 which provided the facts required for identification4 ,the object moved westward at a rate of approximately #ab degrees an hour1 a rate close to the rotational velocity of the earth and the apparent rotational velocity of the stars4 ,venus at the time occupied exactly the same position as the object1 and went below the horizon shortly after the reported sighting,,iv-#a4 ,the ,rotating ,lights of ,japan ,one of the most famous exploits of ,venus took place over ,japan and ,korea in ,december #aieb and ,january #aiec4 ,the resulting ,u,f,os1 publicized as 8,the ,rotating ,lights of ,japan10 were automatically identified as spaceships by saucerians4 ,noting the similarity to the 8foo balls0 often seen by airmen during ,world ,war ,,ii1 however1 ,dr4 ,menzel concluded that the lights were probably a type of foo ball1 8an exceptional mirage40,,iv-#i1 p4 #if ,the rotating cycle of colors suggested that the atmosphere was acting to break up and disperse the component colors of a luminous image1 displaced from its true position4 ,without precise information on the time1 position1 and direction of motion of the unknown1 this theory could not then be substantiated4 ,during the preparation of this book1 however1 the authors were able to examine the original data on file at ,,atic and to obtain the facts necessary for a complete solution4 ,the drama began on ,december #bi1 when ,u,f,os were reported at many points over northern ,honshu1 the main island of ,japan1 and continued with similar sightings1 particularly on ,january #i and ,january #ba4 ,on the evening of ,december #bi the pilot of an ,f-#hd-;,g plane1 engaged in local-area night flying1 overheard a radio-telephone conversation between another plane and a radar station on the ground reporting an unusual light in the western sky4 ,although the sky was thinly overcast at #hjjj to #aj1jjj feet1 he was far above the clouds1 flying in brilliant moonlight with a visibility of at least forty miles4 ,at #g3dh ,p4,m4 local time1 while at #bg1jjj feet1 he observed an unidentified object above and almost due west of his plane4 ,turning off all his lights to make sure that the object was not merely a reflection of his own canopy1 he climbed after the unknown and kept it in view for three minutes1 then lost it briefly4 ,he soon located it again at #ce1jjj feet1 when he seemed to be level with the object and tried to close in on it4 ,during this second sighting he observed it for about five minutes before the light disappeared in the west4 ,the pilot was a man of unusual experience1 in command of a fighter escort wing1 and well aware of the illusions a flyer can experience at night4 ,he was also a remarkably accurate and resourceful observer1 so that his report to ,intelligence investigators is a model of exact statement4 ,if all such reports were similarly precise and complete1 few ,u,f,os would remain unidentified and the civilian saucer groups would have to disband 7see ,chapter ,,xiii74 ,carefully separating what he observed from what he concluded1 the pilot stated that the object looked larger than the stars or any planet2 he assumed that it was circular1 but could not determine the actual shape4 ,he could not determine whether the object was silent or noisy because the noise of his own motors would have prevented his hearing any sound from the unknown4 ,the object seemed to show a cluster of lights1 red1 white1 and green1 which slowly rotated in a counterclockwise direction from east to west2 one complete cycle of revolution required a time estimated at four to eight seconds4 ,the shifting of the three colors during the cycle resembled the rotating colors in some jukeboxes1 and the effect was phenomenal4 8,as these colors rotated in the body of the object1 at times the entire body was one solid color1 either white1 green1 or red1 but in the process of completing a revolution the body was frequently fractionally red1 white1 or white-green1 plus the other possible combinations of the three colors40 ,also there seemed to be three beams of white light radiating out from the main body in straight shafts which1 unlike the colors1 did not change their relative positions but remained constant at positions of roughly #aa3jj1 #e3jj1 and #g3jj4 ,no phenomenon that might be an exhaust was observed4 ,as to motion and behavior1 the object seemed to travel exactly parallel to the plane and maintained a constant distance in spite of the pilot's attempts to intercept it at speeds of around #ejj miles an hour4 ,at no time did it execute any maneuvers except for a gradual change of direction during the two observations4 ,the sighting ended when the lights vanished in the west,,iv-#a4 ,these rotating lights were also seen by the crew of an ,f-#id interceptor who watched them for about forty minutes1 by the crew of a ,b-#bf bomber who watched them for about seven minutes1 and by various ground observers4 ,to make a positive identification1 the investigator must know the weather conditions1 the bearing of the observing aircraft1 and the position of the object4 ,atmospheric conditions were found to be conducive to the formation of mirages4 ,at the time of the first sighting on ,december #bi1 the observing plane was headed slightly to the east of north2 the ,,ufo was in the west1 apparently traveling north on a course parallel with that of the plane4 ,after the pilot lost sight of the object1 he circled and hunted and was flying slightly east of south when he again picked up the object1 which was still in the west4 ,a check of the astronomical situation showed that the sun had set about three hours before the sighting4 ,venus was following roughly three hours behind the sun and was extremely brilliant1 with a magnitude of nearly -#d4j4 ,at #g3dh ,p4,m41 when the pilot sighted the unknown1 the planet was about #c degrees above the western horizon4 ,when ,venus finally sank beneath the horizon and disappeared1 the 8unknown0 also vanished4 ,the similar ,u,f,os reported from ,japan during the same period1 on ,january #i and ,january #ba1 #aiec1 were also mirages of the planet ,venus4 ,the cases of 8,the ,rotating ,lights of ,japan0 in the ,air ,force file on ,u,f,os have now been shifted from the category 8,unknown0 to the category 8,solved40 ,in many other ,,ufo cases of the 8rotating lights0 variety1 the ,air ,force has positively identified the unknown as the planet ,jupiter4 ,u,f,os and the ,opposition of ,mars ,venus is not the only heavenly body to simulate a flying saucer4 ,jupiter and even ,mercury1 the smallest of the planets1 have inspired their share of ,u,f,os4 ,mars1 which can also be very bright1 has frequently been reported as a spaceship4 ,on ,june #ba1 #aieb1 an ,f-#dg aircraft was on routine patrol over the ,atomic ,energy ,commission installation at ,oak ,ridge1 ,tennessee1 when at #aj3eh ,p4,m4 a spotter from the ,ground ,observer ,corps informed the pilot that a slow-moving craft was moving in the area at very high altitude4 ,at about the same time the pilot observed a blinking white light1 of no definite shape and with no exhaust or trail1 apparently making passes at him4 ,for the next eighteen minutes the pilot tried vainly to intercept the unknown4 ,the plane was at #ae1jjj feet1 moving at about #bej knots4 ,as the pilot turned to meet the pass1 the ,,ufo would pull up some #djjj to #ejjj feet above the plane and then move in again4 ,when the plane reached #bb1jjj feet1 the ,,ufo appeared to make a final dive from #bh1jjj feet1 pulled back up to its previous altitude1 and then disappeared4 ,the pilot's reaction is indicated by his answer to one of the routine questions on the ,air ,force report form3 8,did you stop at any time during the sighting80 ,his reply read3 8,ha ,ha60 ,investigating the incident1 officials from ,,atic at first suspected that the object might have been a balloon1 released as a hoax2 only a few weeks earlier a crank had launched a flight of balloons near ,oak ,ridge and had been caught4 ,but after interviewing the witnesses1 the investigators concluded that the ,,ufo was far more probably the planet ,mars4 ,as so often happens1 however1 they could not convert the 8probable0 into a 8positive0 identification because they lacked one essential fact3 the bearing of the aircraft,,iv-#a4 ,some flying-saucer enthusiasts consider ,mars as the probable home port of many spaceships1 which allegedly visit the earth in particularly large numbers when ,mars is in opposition--the point in its path that is nearest the earth2 these ships supposedly seize the chance to hop over to earth when the distance between the two planets is at a minimum4 ,it is to be hoped that the ,martians1 if any1 are more competent navigators than the terrestrial saucerians who propose this theory4 ,no sensible ,martian would plan a journey scheduled to land him on earth during the few weeks when the two planets are closest4 ,traveling between ,mars and earth is not like jumping across a mountain stream where the banks remain stationary3 the jumper1 of course1 chooses the narrowest part of the stream and leaps across in a straight path4 ,but in space travel both planets are moving2 they travel in elliptical orbits of different sizes and at different speeds4 ,to reach earth1 the ,martian1 too1 must get into an elliptical orbit of a size and shape that will eventually intersect the earth's orbit4 ,according to calculations by terrestrial rocket experts1 the path that requires the least fuel is about #gce million miles long--some twenty times the distance between the two planets when they are closest4 ,to follow this course1 which takes #bfj days of travel1 the ,martian must leave #bfj days before the day that his ship and the earth will converge and meet at a particular position in space4 ,therefore he plans to blast off at a time when earth in its orbit is #gf degrees of arc behind ,mars in its orbit 7see ,figure #h74 ,by the time he lands on earth1 the planet ,mars is lagging #dd degrees of arc behind the earth,,iv-#aj4 ,any increase in ,,ufo reports that may occur when ,mars is in opposition should be attributed not to spaceships but to the heightened brilliance of the planet itself glowing in the night sky4 ,the ,gorman 8,dogfight0 ,one of the most puzzling of the classic saucer mysteries began on the evening of ,october #a1 #aidh1 when ,george ,f4 ,gorman1 manager of a construction company and a lieutenant in the ,north ,dakota ,air ,national ,guard1 was returning to ,fargo1 ,n4,d41 from a cross-country practice flight in an ,f-#ea fighter4 ,about #i3jj1 ,lieutenant ,gorman called the control tower at the local airport for landing instructions1 and asked the identity of a moving light that was blinking on and off in the air below him4 ,informed that a ,piper ,cub was coming in from the south1 he continued to circle1 and at #i3je again called in to report that he could see the ,cub below him at about #ajjj feet4 ,he could also see an unidentified light moving rapidly at about the same altitude4 ,illustration3 ,figure #h4 ,orbit of spaceship4 ,mars#a and earth#a1 positions of planets when ship leaves ,mars2 ,mars#b and earth#b1 positions when ship lands on earth4 ,the assistant traffic controller then walked to the south window of the tower and looked out4 ,he could see the ,cub in the air and1 a little above it1 a clear white light4 ,the light was moving swiftly to the north1 then shifted and continued in a straight line toward the northwest4 ,after watching it for several seconds1 he returned to his post4 ,a few minutes later ,gorman called the tower for the third time to say that he was going to try to close in on the unknown4 ,the traffic controller then stepped to the south window of the tower4 ,through his binoculars he could see a light moving rapidly over the field in a straight line toward the northwest4 ,it had no particular shape and was merely a clear white light about the size of a plane's tail lamp4 ,after a few seconds he returned and resumed communication with ,gorman4 ,the pilot of the ,cub glimpsed the light briefly as he was landing his plane4 ,he supposed it to be the tail light of another ship going very fast in a straight line in a westerly direction1 and was puzzled by the fact that an army plane seemed to be pursuing it4 ,after landing he delivered some bottles of ,coca-,cola to the tower operators and1 overhearing the conversation between them and ,gorman1 stepped to the balcony at the southeast corner of the tower to see what was happening4 ,from there he could see the light going west1 with the army plane after it4 ,the light shifted briefly to the southeast but almost immediately resumed its northwest course and disappeared after a few seconds4 ,lieutenant ,gorman1 meanwhile1 had begun a weird 8dogfight40 ,the ,,ufo seemed to be at an altitude of about #ajjj feet1 was traveling about #bej miles an hour1 and was blinking off and on4 ,as he approached1 the light banked to the left4 ,gorman dived after it but could not catch up4 ,the light then began to climb in a rapid turn4 ,attempting to turn with it1 ,gorman blacked out temporarily from the excessive speed4 ,continuing the chase1 this time at #ejjj to #gjjj feet ,gorman noticed that the light was now traveling fast1 apparently faster than the ,f-#ea could go1 so he began trying to cut it off in turns with his fighter at full power4 ,as the object circled to the left1 ,gorman cut back to the right for a head-on pass4 ,when collision seemed inevitable he dived and the light seemed to pass over his canopy at a distance of about #ejj feet4 ,according to the description he later gave the ,air ,force1 the unknown at this closest approach seemed to be a round white light1 somewhat flattened1 from six to eight inches in diameter--about a quarter the apparent size of the full moon4 ,gorman then made a climbing turn4 ,when he could see the light again it suddenly reversed direction and headed straight for the plane1 attempting to ram4 ,it was no longer blinking off and on but was a steady white4 ,just before collision it pulled up and ,gorman1 too1 pulled up4 ,the light went straight up1 with ,gorman following until1 at #ad1jjj feet1 his plane went into a power stall while the object circled some #bjjj feet above him4 ,as he resumed the battle1 the light seemed to retreat1 then attack4 ,gorman dodged and circled to the left to get in position for another intercept4 ,finally1 when these maneuvers had taken him some twenty-five miles southeast of ,fargo1 he was at #ad1jjj feet with the object below him at #aa1jjj feet4 ,he dived after it4 ,the ,,ufo turned and started a head-on pass1 then broke it off1 climbed straight up1 and disappeared4 ,the time was #i3bg4 ,gorman returned to the ,fargo airport and landed1 convinced that some intelligence had been controlling the actions of the unknown,,iv-#a4 ,with the memory of the ,mantell tragedy 7p4 #cc7 and the ,chiles-,whitted sighting 7see ,chapter ,v1 p4 #aji7 still fresh in mind1 officials from ,,atic arrived at ,fargo in less than twenty-four hours to investigate this new incident ,,iv-#b1 p4 #fc ff44 ,they carefully questioned ,lieutenant ,gorman and the three other witnesses1 but could find no obvious explanation4 ,no other aircraft had been in the neighborhood at the time of the sighting4 ,the weather had been clear1 visibility unlimited1 with some auroral activity in the northeast4 ,when tested with a control group of five other ,f-#eas that had flown during the same period1 ,gorman's plane showed no more radioactivity than did the control group--the slightly higher amount shown by all planes after flight4 ,gorman's report was confusing1 in parts1 and reconstructing the exact sequence of maneuvers by ,,ufo and plane proved impossible4 ,there were almost as many theories offered in explanation as there were investigators1 but eventually a reasonable solution did appear4 ,a lighted weather balloon had been released from the weather station at ,fargo at #h3ej1 ten minutes before ,lieutenant ,gorman's first call4 ,as observed from the station1 the balloon had traveled west and then northwest4 ,at #i3jj it would have been near the airport about where the unknown light was first reported4 ,a balloon could well have accounted for the events described in the first phases of the incident1 but less well for those in the last4 ,officially1 however1 the cause was listed as a lighted weather balloon,,iv-#b1 p4 #fg--;an answer that was not entirely satisfactory4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,i a4 ,grindstone clouds over ,mount ,rainier4 7,,chap4 ,,ii7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,i b4 ,a stack of plates near the ,maritime ,alps northeast of ,marseilles4 7,,chap4 ,,ii7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,ii a4 ,kite with lantern photographed at ,curaao1 ,b4,w4,i4 7,,chap4 ,,iii7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,ii b4 ,u,f,os over ,kentucky1 #aj3ce ,p4,m41 ,,cst1 ,july #g1 #aidg4 ,jet trails8 ,bolides8 7,,chap4 ,,iii7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iii a4 ,meteor trail4 7,,chap4 ,v7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iii b4 ,fireball over ,puerto ,rico1 ,january #ab1 #aidg4 7,,chap4 ,v7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv a4 ,coast ,guard photograph of ,u,f,os over ,salem1 ,massachusetts1 ,july #af1 #aieb4 7,,chap4 ,,vi7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv b4 ,,ufo near the village of ,arbleterre1 in northern ,france1 ,october #b1 #aied4 7,,chap4 ,,vi7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv c4 ,radar ghosts at ,salina1 ,kansas1 ,september #aj1 #aief4 7,,chap4 ,,viii7 ,only a ,balloon8 ,a review of the evidence1 made by the authors during the preparation of this book1 emphasized some puzzling inconsistencies4 ,lieutenant ,gorman had had the ,,ufo in view for about twenty-seven minutes4 ,during the first five or ten minutes it had traveled horizontally at low altitude in a fairly steady course4 ,then it had suddenly changed tactics1 had climbed to high altitude1 turned1 darted in and out1 and performed both evasive and aggressive actions4 ,the three witnesses on the ground1 however1 did not see the ,,ufo perform any of these combat maneuvers4 ,it had been traveling steadily north and northwest and had disappeared from view ten or fifteen minutes before the aerial dogfight ended4 ,these differences strongly suggested that two unknowns were involved in the sighting4 ,according to this theory1 the light seen by the ground observers was the weather balloon2 the light first seen over the airfield by ,gorman was also the weather balloon4 ,his adversary during the major part of the dogfight was a second unknown1 not a physical object but some kind of optical phenomenon1 very probably a mirage of the planet ,jupiter4 ,the reconstruction based on this theory would account for all the puzzling aspects of the case4 ,as first described by ,lieutenant ,gorman and by the three witnesses on the ground1 the light was small1 bright1 and clear2 no structure was visible2 it made no noise and left no trail or exhaust4 ,it was south of the control tower1 was traveling horizontally west and northwest1 seemingly at high speed1 on a straight course1 at low altitude4 ,on these points all the witnesses agreed4 ,they did not agree in their estimates of its actual distance and height--a fact that is not surprising when we consider the circumstances4 ,the night was clear and cloudless4 ,it was also dark4 ,the sun had set more than two hours earlier and there was no moonlight 7new moon on ,october #b74 ,on a dark night1 the height and distance 7and hence the speed7 of a moving light of unknown size are notoriously difficult to estimate4 ,according to ,lieutenant ,gorman1 the light when he first saw it was about #ajjj feet above the ground and #ajjj yards--a little more than mile--from his plane4 ,the three men on the ground saw the ,,ufo1 for a few seconds1 at different times during a period of less than ten minutes4 ,like ,gorman1 they were experienced airmen but they differed from him and from each other in their estimates4 ,according to the assistant traffic controller1 the altitude and distance from the control tower were #bjjj-bejj feet and #a-b miles4 ,according to the traffic controller1 they were #djjj-ejjj feet and mile2 according to the ,cub's pilot1 they were #ejjj-fjjj feet and #a mile4 ,in spite of the discrepancies1 these estimates are in general agreement and1 together with the details of the ,u,f,os appearance1 are consistent with the description of the weather balloon that had been released at #h3ej1 about ten or fifteen minutes before the ,,ufo was sighted from the ground4 ,the balloon carried a small white light1 moved west and then northwest1 was at low altitude and slowly climbing1 and would soon have disappeared from the view of ground observers4 ,the object that ,lieutenant ,gorman first saw and pursued was also the balloon1 climbing and turning4 ,as it bobbed and swayed in the air currents it would have seemed to blink off and on1 just as he reported4 ,underestimating its height and distance and overestimating its velocity as did the pilot in the ,cuban dogfight 7p4 #db71 he tried to follow its apparent climbing turn and1 as he stated1 blacked out briefly because of his excessive speed4 ,during this interval1 short as it may have been1 he of course lost track of the object4 ,shortly afterward1 when the ,,ufo passed over his canopy and he dived1 he again lost sight of the object4 ,when he resumed the chase he supposed that he had located the same object he had been following earlier--but the evidence suggests that he had picked up a different target4 ,the unknown was going much faster than before1 was at a much higher altitude1 and shone with a steady brilliance instead of blinking off and on4 ,in such a tense situation he could understandably have mistaken one strange light for another4 ,pursuing an apparently hostile unknown1 less than a year after the still mysterious death of ,mantell in a similar encounter1 he might justifiably have been frightened4 ,the most probable source of the second light is the planet ,jupiter4 ,the sun had set at #f3bd ,p4,m4 ,following some three hours behind the sun1 the planet had a magnitude of -#a4g and was thus brighter than ,sirius1 the brightest star4 ,shortly after #i3aj when the ,,ufo began its violent maneuvers 7the exact time is not known71 ,jupiter was very low in the southwest sky1 between two and three degrees above the horizon1 at a bearing of about #bca degrees4 ,the ,,ufo was also attacking from the southwest1 as is shown by ,gorman's tactics3 in trying to cut it off in circles to the left1 he gradually moved to the southeast4 ,the weather bureau records for that evening1 obtained from radiosonde observations1 show that temperature inversions existed both near the ground and at higher altitude4 ,thus conditions were ideal to produce a furiously twinkling planetary mirage4 ,when a planet is close to the horizon this twinkling1 together with the defocusing action of the earth's atmosphere1 can spread out the image so that it looks huge1 with an apparent diameter as great as ten minutes of arc4 ,under such conditions1 both the size and the intensity of the light fluctuate4 ,when they diminish1 the object seems to be racing away from the observer2 when they increase1 it seems to be rushing directly towards him on a collision course4 ,the peculiar lens-like action of the atmosphere makes the image seem to be1 not at infinity1 but only a few hundred feet away from the observer4 ,seen through the distorting atmospheric lens1 the image of ,jupiter could have performed exactly as ,gorman described3 it would have darted back and forth1 seemed to attack1 retreat1 and carry out the 8controlled0 maneuvers that actually depended partly on the movement of the plane itself4 ,gorman apparently assumed that he was dealing with a material object 7as indeed he was in the beginning71 and therefore did not consider the possibility that he was seeing merely an optical image4 ,the geographical situation would have helped produce the illusion4 ,fargo lies at an elevation of about #ijj feet and the land rises gradually to the west4 ,due west is ,bismarck at #afgj feet4 ,to the south lies a series of buttes1 some of them as high as #cejj feet4 ,thus in the southwest where ,jupiter was setting and where the ,,ufo attacked from1 the buttes would repeatedly have cut off the planet from view as ,gorman maneuvered1 so that the image would have seemed to race in and out and perform evasive actions1 just as did the mirage of ,sirius in ,alaska 7p4 #fj74 ,since ,jupiter was very low1 however1 the buttes served to conceal it from the observers on the ground4 ,illustration3 ,figure #i4 ,positions of refracted image of ,jupiter from #i3jj to #i3bi ,p4,m4 at ,fargo1 ,north ,dakota1 on ,october #a1 #aidh4 ,azimuth measured north through east4 ,the times involved provide the last piece of the puzzle4 ,the dogfight ended at about #i3bg4 ,the time of the geometrical setting of ,jupiter was #i3be4 ,the usual lag due to refraction is between two and three minutes 7see ,figure #i74 ,the planet therefore remained visible for about two minutes longer4 ,the image actually sank below the horizon and disappeared from view between #i3bg and #i3bh1 the same time that the ,,ufo climbed straight up into the sky and disappeared4 ,when ,jupiter vanished1 the unknown also vanished and did not return4 ,absolute proof of this solution is of course impossible4 ,nevertheless1 the description of the ,,ufo1 its behavior1 its direction1 its time of disappearance--all are consistent with its identification as ,jupiter4 ,the ,gorman case might reasonably be removed from the 8,balloon80 category and listed as 8,balloon plus planetary mirage40 ,jupiter through a ,jet ,trail ,venus1 ,mars1 and ,jupiter seen under unusual conditions can mystify even the most hardheaded witness4 ,unrecognized air turbulence and increased scattering of the light can easily create the illusion of a flying saucer4 ,an ex-army man1 a trained observer with a good knowledge of physics and optics1 reports the following unnerving experience,,iv-#aa4 8,on ,january #cj1 #aied1 my buddy and ,i had been fox hunting in southwestern ,indiana4 ,we hunted until well after sundown and headed for the car4 ,as we neared it1 a jet plane thundered through the darkening sky1 from north to south4 ,placing game and guns in the car1 ,i walked around it to see if the tires were ,,ok4 ,happening to glance skyward1 ,i let out a yell4 ,there it was1 and no mistaking it4 ,a flying saucer blazing in the sky4 ,a real illuminated spaceship4 ,only it wasn't moving1 just hanging in the sky4 ,football-shaped1 about as long as the apparent diameter of the full moon1 it showed red1 yellow1 and bluish green4 ,here he sketched a football shape1 glowing red knobs placed at the two ends1 yellow lights girdling the middle1 and yellow and green arcs curving between the two ends 7see ,figure #aj74 ,i carry an eight-power field glass when hunting and ,i immediately trained this on the celestial wonder4 ,the result was weird4 ,it seemed to be pulsating with a quivering1 twinkling light4 ,we watched it for some five minutes1 trying to figure out what we were seeing4 ,then the spaceship began to get smaller1 simply reducing in size without moving4 ,smaller and smaller it became and in another five minutes it suddenly contracted into a planet--,jupiter1 ,i believe it was4 ,jupiter was in the eastern sky #ej to #fj degrees above the horizon4 ,illustration3 ,figure #aj4 ,witness's sketch of ,jupiter seen through a jet trail4 8,when we realized what we were watching we began to try to figure out the #8why4' ,suddenly we realized we were looking directly through the path of the plane at the planet and our best guess was that the atmospheric turbulence and temperature change caused by the passage of the jet was to blame for the strange aberration we had witnessed4 ,and we wondered if refraction of the golden light could cause the reds1 greens1 and blues4 ,since neither of us uses snake-bite medicine in any form1 we figured our observations were about as substantial as our feeble scientific understanding would permit4 8,but anyway1 ,i found out how people may see flying saucers and be perfectly honest in their incomplete observations4 ,had a person inclined to the supernatural taken a good look1 jumped in his car1 and headed for home at high speed1 he would steadfastly have believed he had seen a flying saucer which was evidently observing the earth preparatory to an attack from outer space40 ,,iv-#a ,air ,force ,files4 ,,iv-#b ,ruppelt1 ,e4 ,j4 ,the ,report on ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,garden ,city1 ,n4,y43 ,doubleday ,co41 #aief4 ,,iv-#c ,tacker1 ,l4 ,j4 ,flying ,saucers and the ,u4 ,s4 ,air ,force4 ,princeton3 ,d4 ,van ,nostrand ,co41 #aifj1 p4 #ei4 ,,iv-#d ,payne-,gaposchkin1 ,c4 ,introduction to ,astronomy4 ,englewood ,cliffs1 ,n4,j42 ,prentice-,hall1 ,inc41 #aied4 ,,iv-#e ,gann1 ,e4 ,k4 ,fate ,is ,the ,hunter4 ,crest ,reprint1 ,new ,york3 ,fawcett ,publications1 ,inc41 #aifb1 p4 #agb4 ,,iv-#f ,case #aea1 ,,crifo ,orbit1 ,vol4 ,,iii 7,april #f1 #aief74 ,,iv-#g ,buffalo ,evening ,news1 ,april #aj1 #aief4 ,,iv-#h ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e4 ,flying ,saucers3 ,top ,secret4 ,new ,york3 ,g4 ,p4 ,putnam's ,sons1 #aifj4 ,,iv-#i ,menzel1 ,d4 ,h4 ,flying ,saucers4 ,cambridge1 ,mass43 ,harvard ,university ,press1 #aiec4 ,,iv-#aj ,ley1 ,w41 and von ,braun1 ,w4 ,the ,exploration of ,mars4 ,new ,york3 ,the ,viking ,press1 #aief4 ,,iv-#aa ,main1 ,o4 ,personal correspondence4 ,chapter ,v ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,sky3 ,,meteors ,,and ,,fireballs ,about one o'clock in the afternoon on ,november #cj1 #aied1 a spectacular meteor flared across the southeastern part of the ,united ,states and exploded4 ,many persons in ,alabama1 ,georgia1 and ,mississippi saw the bright flash high in the sky1 followed by a trail of smoke1 and heard three violent detonations4 ,over the town of ,sylacauga1 ,alabama1 a nine-pound fragment of the falling meteoric body crashed through the roof of a house1 bruised the left arm and hip of the unlucky resident1 and came to rest on the floor4 ,members of the ,american ,meteor ,society collected detailed descriptions of the event from many witnesses and added this daylight fireball to the official list of observed meteorite falls from which meteorites are recovered,v-#a1 p4 #abh4 ,,ufo addicts1 however1 apparently regarded both the meteor and its fragments as unnatural phenomena1 implied some doubt that the fragment was really a meteorite1 and characterized the incident as peculiar,v-#b4 ,to the astronomer who specializes in the study of meteors the only peculiar aspect of the episode is that saucer publications list so few mysterious ,u,f,os for that particular week when similar spectacular fireballs were almost a commonplace in the southeast states4 ,on ,november #bi a meteor flew over ,alabama at #e3cj ,p4,m41 and about two hours later another with a long trail soared over ,florida4 ,on ,november #cj at #e3jj ,p4,m41 a few hours after the fall at ,sylacauga1 another bright fireball flashed over ,alabama4 ,shortly before midnight the same night a meteor flamed over ,north ,carolina1 so brilliant that its copper-green light illuminated the interior of cars on the highway2 blue-green fire shot out above the treetops1 changed to magnesium white1 and then slowly faded4 ,detailed observations of all these appeared in the scientific journal ,meteoritics,v-#a1 p4 #abh4 ,stones from ,heaven ,until roughly a hundred and fifty years ago meteors and meteorites had the status of cosmic orphans1 unacknowledged members of the astronomical family4 ,few persons doubted the existence of the fixed stars1 the solar planets1 comets1 or even of 8new stars0 or novae1 but they rejected a natural explanation for meteors and interpreted them as falling stars1 flying dragons1 or fountains of fire in the sky4 ,most astronomers as well as laymen laughed at the recurrent idea that 8stones from heaven0 could fall on the earth4 ,then in #ahjc the ,french scientist ,j4 ,b4 ,biot described an extraordinary rain of meteorites that fell at ,l',aigle on ,april #bf,v-#c2 he convinced the ,french ,academy of ,sciences that the stones had indeed pelted from the sky during the great meteor display4 ,meteoritics is thus a relatively young science4 ,much remains to be learned about these cosmic visitors1 but certain basic facts have been established,v-#d4 ,meteors enter the earth's atmosphere continually1 by day as well as by night1 and they show great variety4 ,some are so brilliant that they are visible even in broad daylight4 ,some are so faint that even in darkness they can be seen only through a telescope4 ,others1 still fainter1 can be detected only by radar specially designed for this purpose4 ,because of the friction created when they penetrate the earth's atmosphere1 most meteors vaporize and vanish many miles above the ground4 ,we see them as only bright streaks of light1 quickly extinguished4 ,if the meteoric body is large enough1 has the right chemical constitution1 and enters the atmosphere at a favorable angle and velocity1 some of it may survive the journey and fall to the earth as a meteorite4 ,a distinct odor sometimes accompanies the fall--the smell of sulphur1 onions1 or cyanide4 ,about #dj1jjj tons of meteoritic material fall on the earth each day1 most of it in the form of fine dust4 ,the object may be a chunk of metal or stone the size of a pebble or a boulder1 or it may be a mass weighing several tons1 so enormous that it gouges out a crater at the place where it hits and comes to rest far beneath the earth's surface4 ,some meteors1 fortunately extremely rare1 apparently can strike the earth and devastate a large area but1 like the wind1 leave behind no physical trace4 ,according to present theory1 members of a regular shower are probably remnants of comets1 which have an icy structure1 and the minute bits of frozen debris vaporize in a flash of light high in the atmosphere4 ,meteors that survive to reach the earth as meteorites are thought to be fragments of asteroids1 or tiny planets4 ,meteorites vary so widely in their physical and chemical structure that they require a complex system of classification4 ,nevertheless the specialist can distinguish between a meteorite and earthly rocks and stones by laboratory tests,v-#e4 ,meteor ,streams and ,showers ,any clear night displays its quota of meteors4 ,but at certain times1 when the earth happens to collide with a stream of cosmic debris moving in an elliptical orbit1 a shower of meteors takes place4 7,for a list of the major night meteor streams1 see ,,table ,i47 ,most meteor streams probably result from the breakup of comets2 if the debris is distributed uniformly in the comet's orbit1 a meteor shower occurs each time the earth crosses the orbit4 ,for example1 the ,perseids1 fragments of ,comet #ahfb ,,iii1 have reappeared every ,august for more than #abjj years1 and the ,leonids1 debris of ,comet ,temple 7#ahff ,i71 regularly return around the third week in ,november4 ,like the ,taurids1 another dependable stream1 the ,leonids are notable for their brilliant fireballs1 which have deposited some of the largest meteorites ever found on the earth4 ,some regular showers produce great numbers of meteors at intervals of several years4 ,for nearly a millennium1 ,a4,d4 #ijb to #ahff1 a marked increase in the number of ,leonids occurred every thirty-three years4 ,the display in #ahcc was one of the most spectacular in history1 and witnesses said that the 8stars were falling0 as thick as snowflakes4 ,before the scheduled major shower of #ahii1 however1 the main stream was deflected by passing close to the planet ,jupiter and the periodic spectacle did not take place4 ,since then1 the ,leonids have been considered a 8lost0 stream1 but some members of the shower have continued to appear each ,november4 ,on ,november #af and #ag1 #aifa1 they produced an unexpectedly awesome display with many brilliant fireballs4 ,,table ,i ,,major ,,meteor ,,streams ---------------------------------------- -------------------------- ,name of ,dates of ,date of ,parent comet ,remarks stream occurrence maximum ---------------------------------------- -------------------------- ,quadrantids ,jan4 #a-d ,jan4 #c #ahfa ,i ,observed longer than #ajj years4 ,lyrids ,april #ai-bc ,april #ba ,observed longer than ,aquarids ,may #b-e ,may #d ,halley 7#ahce ,,iii7 #bejj years4 ,aquarids ,july #ad-;,aug4 ,july #cj #ai ,aquarids ,july #af-;,aug4 ,july #cj #be ,perseids ,july #bi-;,aug4 ,aug4 #ab #ahfb ,,iii ,observed #ag more than #abjj years4 ,capricornids ,aug4 #a-ba ,aug4 #ag #aidh n ,cygnids ,aug4 #i-bb ,aug4 #ag ,taurids ,sep4 #ae-;,dec4 ,nov4 #ab ,encke 7#aieg c7 #b ,draconids ,oct4 #i-aj ,oct4 #aj ,giacobini-,zinner #ac-year 7#aidf ,v7 period2 great showers in #aicc1 #aidf2 none in #aiei4 ,orionids ,oct4 #ah-bf ,oct4 #bb ,halley 7#ahce ,,iii7 ,leonids ,nov4 #ad-bj ,nov4 #ag ,temple-,tuttle ,observed 7#ahff ,i7 since ,a4,d4 #ijb4 ,geminids ,dec4 #g-ae ,dec4 #ad ,ursids ,dec4 #ag-bd ,dec4 #bb ,temple 7#aici ,x7 ,the close approach of a comet sometimes causes a fantastic shower of 8shooting stars10 and hundreds or even thousands may be counted in a single night4 ,at the approach of the debris of ,comet ,biela on ,november #bg1 #ahhe1 some #ge1jjj meteors were visible from a single place during a period of an hour4 ,irregularly occurring or sporadic meteors not associated with a known comet also occur and pelt the earth unexpectedly4 ,the ,green ,fireballs ,on the evening of ,september #ah1 #aied1 a group of astronomers and their wives from the observatory at ,sacramento ,peak1 ,new ,mexico1 were having a picnic at the ,white ,sands ,national ,monument1 near ,alamogordo4 ,in this great desert of pure white gypsum the air is extremely hot during the daytime but cools to a pleasant warmth after sunset4 ,supper finished1 the picnickers had taken off shoes and stockings to wade in the soft warm sand4 ,by #h3cj it was dark and some of the astronomers had already left but others 7including ,dr4 ,menzel7 had lingered to watch the stars1 which stand out sharply in the clear skies over the desert4 ,suddenly1 far to the north1 appeared an enormous green fireball4 ,of blinding brilliance1 it was moving slowly and majestically from east to west in a substantially horizontal path about seven degrees above the horizon1 leaving behind a luminous trail that persisted for at least fifteen minutes4 ,at about the same time thousands of other persons on the ground in ,new ,mexico and ,colorado1 as well as the crews of several planes in flight1 were observing the fireball4 ,it passed over a crowded football stadium in ,santa ,fe1 interfered with radio and ,,tv transmission as it appeared over ,albuquerque1 and over ,denver turned night into day4 ,a ,united ,airlines pilot at about #ae1jjj feet near ,laramie1 ,wyoming1 saw the blue-green ball crossing his course and for some ten minutes observed the luminous cloud it left behind,v-#f4 ,at almost the same instant1 the fireball was sighted in the ,bay of ,san ,francisco1 #ajjj miles away4 ,one publication cited this meteor as two separate ,u,f,os1 one flying over ,san ,francisco1 the other over ,new ,mexico and the ,southwest,v-#b4 ,when telephone calls swamped the newspaper offices1 reporters interviewed ,dr4 ,lincoln ,la ,paz of the ,institute of ,meteoritics at the ,university of ,new ,mexico4 ,although he had not observed this particular specimen1 he had seen similar green fireballs a few years earlier and he commented that this was no ordinary meteor but something unusual4 ,a new wave of ,,ufo excitement began to sweep the country4 ,were mysterious machines from outer space again patrolling ,new ,mexico8 ,the astronomers who had admired the fireball at ,white ,sands were amazed at the public reaction4 ,as professionals who had spent their lives in observing and analyzing astronomical phenomena1 they agreed that the object had been unusual in its slow movement1 its color1 and its brilliance4 ,but an unusual meteor is still only a meteor1 not a spaceship1 and they easily recognized it as a green fireball of the type that had appeared over the ,southwest a few years earlier4 ,the first epidemic of green fireballs had begun in early ,december #aidh1 and for nearly two months the brilliantly burning objects had appeared almost every night in the skies over ,new ,mexico,v-#g1 p4 #ga4 ,their apparent collision course startled plane crews in the air1 and their steady1 seemingly purposeful motion frightened observers on the ground4 ,the fireballs showed a family resemblance in their bright-green color1 their great size and brilliance1 their level flight path1 their noiseless disappearance1 and their failure to leave material fragments on the ground4 ,new ,mexico was a particularly sensitive area1 studded with military bases and research installations carrying out vital work in ballistics1 guided missiles1 atomic energy1 and space science in general4 ,since the unusual meteors seemed to be concentrating on ,new ,mexico1 ,air ,force ,intelligence had to face the question3 ,were the fireballs natural astronomical phenomena or were they experimental guided missiles from another country1 perhaps ,russia8 ,after consulting ,dr4 ,la ,paz and hearing his evaluation of the evidence1 the ,air ,force felt growing concern4 ,perhaps unconsciously influenced by the general hysteria of the past year1 ,dr4 ,la ,paz concluded that the objects were not meteors but must be 8something unusual0 because they differed from 8normal0 meteors in their color1 trajectory1 velocity1 size1 brilliance1 and apparent lack of fragments4 ,with very little knowledge of meteors and great faith in machines from outer space1 saucer enthusiasts reasoned that since the fireballs were not normal meteors they must be artificial objects4 ,since they were artificial1 they must be under intelligent control4 ,since they were intelligently controlled1 they must be unmanned missiles or manned vehicles launched from an alien spaceship hovering hundreds of miles above the earth whose purpose might or might not be destructive1 or they might be merely ranging devices sent as a warning to earthmen4 ,the ,air ,force was not particularly worried about interplanetary visitors1 but it was concerned with the possibility that the fireballs were man-made vehicles1 a potential danger to the country4 ,one scientist had suggested that the ,russians might have constructed a guided missile whose nose cone1 the final stage in a multistage rocket1 was made of ice and various other chemicals4 ,in re-entering the earth's atmosphere1 such a cone would burn up2 the vaporizing ices would account for the green color observed1 for the silent disappearance of the object1 and for the lack of material traces on the ground4 ,whatever the true explanation1 members of the ,air ,defense ,command could not afford to guess2 they had to know4 ,in mid-,february #aidi they assembled at ,los ,alamos a conference of military and intelligence officers1 physicists1 and astronomers1 to discuss the problem of the green fireballs4 ,after two days of studying the evidence1 most of the members agreed that the fireballs were meteors of an unusual type and1 as natural phenomena1 not a threat to national security4 ,to take care of the extremely remote chance that this conclusion might be wrong1 the conference turned over the problem to the scientists at ,air ,force ,cambridge ,research ,center which1 in the late summer1 organized ,project ,twinkle to equip and establish three cinetheodolite stations in ,new ,mexico4 ,fitted with a diffraction grating to split the spectrum into its component colors 7and thus identify the chemical elements present71 the cameras were to photograph and record the altitude1 size1 speed1 and spectrum of the luminous objects4 ,since the green fireballs1 meanwhile1 had all but vanished from the skies1 enthusiasm for the research project diminished4 ,only one camera 7designed by ,dr4 ,menzel7 was ever put into operation and it never found anything to photograph4 ,after two months of futile searching1 the ,air ,force finally abandoned ,project ,twinkle as a waste of time4 ,in the years following1 green fireballs occasionally appeared4 ,an astronomer observed one over ,lafayette1 ,colorado1 at #g3de ,p4,m4 on ,june #d1 #aiej4 ,one soared over the ,new ,england states and eastern ,canada on ,november #b1 #aiej1 and a year later1 on ,november #b1 #aiea1 a plane crew over ,texas sighted another which was dramatically publicized in ,life magazine1 and described in another publication as a missile that ejected flaming balls4 ,few other fireballs made the headlines until the one of ,september #ah1 #aied1 but even that caused only brief excitement and the ,air ,force expressed no alarm4 ,meteors in the ,records ,the ,american ,meteor ,society1 whose members specialize in the study of meteors and meteorites1 for years have collected reports of such phenomena4 ,from a large enough number of good descriptions of a given meteor1 astronomers can analyze the data mathematically and determine the meteor's radiant--the point in the heavens from which it seems to come4 ,the meteor is then identified by its radiant and given an ,,ams number4 ,for several years the data were published in ,meteoritics1 a journal issued jointly by the ,meteoritical ,society and the ,institute of ,meteoritics of the ,university of ,new ,mexico4 ,dr4 ,charles ,p4 ,olivier1 president of the ,american ,meteor ,society1 was a contributing editor4 ,the records in ,meteoritics for the years #aiej to #aiee list dozens of fireballs1 many of them green1 that were somehow overlooked by saucer enthusiasts4 ,on ,august #aa1 #aiej1 during the maximum of the ,perseid shower1 a blue-green fireball 7,,ams #bccf7 apparently oval- or cigar-shaped appeared over ,washington1 ,oregon1 and ,idaho at #g3cj ,p4,m4 and was reported by more than #ajj witnesses4 ,so brilliant that it showed a noticeable disk1 it flew in a horizontal path1 silently broke into three pieces1 and disappeared,v-#h1 p4 #cgi4 ,september #bj1 the same year1 was a big day for meteors4 ,at #a3ce ,a4,m4 a giant fireball 7,,ams #bcbf7 roared over southeastern ,illinois from north to south1 leaving a luminous train visible in five states and illuminating the sky and countryside from ,st4 ,louis to ,louisville and from ,memphis to ,knoxville4 ,the final detonation1 over western ,kentucky1 was heard over an area #ajjj miles square and shook buildings from ,paducah to ,memphis4 ,fragments showered farms over a twenty-five-mile area1 struck five buildings1 and penetrated one roof4 ,about fifty pounds of meteorites dropped in ,murray1 ,calloway ,county1 ,kentucky1 and are now in the ,smithsonian ,institution in ,washington4 ,that same night about #aj3de ,p4,m41 fireballs were reported by plane crews flying over a six-state area--,idaho1 ,wyoming1 ,utah1 ,colorado1 ,arizona1 and ,new ,mexico,v-#i1 p4 #aae4 ,similar fireballs that vanished without trace were reported on ,september #bh1 #aiec 7,,ams #bcca72 ,october #d1 #aiec 7,,ams #bccj72 ,may #ae1 #aied2 and ,october #bg1 #aied 7,,ams #bccg74 ,the green fireballs still appear now and then1 as they always have4 ,none of them has yet changed into a spaceship4 ,fallacies about ,meteors ,most flying-saucer enthusiasts still refuse to believe that the green fireballs were natural phenomena4 ,misinterpreting or distorting the statements made by professional astronomers1 they cite the unusual nature of these meteors as proof that they were not meteors at all but machines from another world4 ,advocates of this belief need more than a refresher course in logic2 they also need to learn some facts about meteors4 ,the space-vehicle interpretation rests on a series of mistaken beliefs and illogical conclusions about the nature and behavior of meteors4 ,these false premises may be summarized as follows3 #a4 ,color4 ,meteors do not contain copper2 since the peculiar shade of green shown by the green fireballs could come only from copper1 the fireballs were not meteors but spacecraft4 #b4 ,speed and trajectory4 ,meteors do not travel at a slow rate of speed and do not follow a horizontal path2 since the green fireballs did both1 they were not meteors but spacecraft4 #c4 ,size and brilliance4 ,meteors do not show such great size or brilliance as did the green fireballs1 which were therefore not meteors but spacecraft4 #d4 ,sound4 ,meteors produce a loud noise2 since the green fireballs moved silently1 they were not meteors but spacecraft4 #e4 ,fragments4 ,meteors deposit material fragments on the earth which can be located if the investigator maps the flight path and makes a search2 since the green fireballs left no fragments1 they were not meteors but spacecraft4 ,in the pages that follow we shall attempt to correct each of these mistaken ideas in turn1 to present the actual facts known to astronomers1 and to show clearly that the green fireballs were not spacecraft1 but meteors4 ,facts about ,meteors #a4 ,color4 ,copper-green meteors are not a new phenomenon4 ,this unusual shade of green is only one of the many possible colors that meteors may display--white1 green1 blue1 yellow1 orange1 red1 and all shades in between4 ,descriptions received by the ,meteoritical ,society include adjectives such as bright-green1 copper-green1 blue-green1 fiery white1 green-white1 orange1 blue1 yellowish1 silver1 red-orange4 ,perceptions of color vary greatly among different observers1 so that several witnesses may choose different words for the color of the same object4 ,the most common adjective used is 8brilliant02 an observer who has only a few seconds to look at the object often has real difficulty in deciding just what color accompanied the brilliance4 ,very common phrases are blue-green1 greenish-white1 orange-yellow1 orange-red1 greenish-yellow1 yellow-green4 ,both the chemical structure and the velocity of the meteoric body help determine its apparent color4 ,as the burning object plunges through the atmosphere and vaporizes1 the chemical elements produce their typical colors4 ,at higher velocities1 atmospheric friction heats the body to higher temperatures and whitens the color2 as the body slows down and becomes less hot1 it is apt to appear redder4 ,in a few instances astronomers have been able to photograph the color spectrum of a meteor in flight1 to analyze the spectral lines and determine exactly what elements were present,v-#aj4 ,as a rule1 however1 the chemical content must be found from a laboratory analysis of recovered meteorites4 ,some meteors do contain traces of copper1 and free nodules of pure copper have been found in several meteorites ,v-#e1 p4 #ha4 ,magnesium occurs in fairly high percentages in most meteorites and the amount is unusually high in green meteors,v-#aa4 ,it produces a color almost identical with that from copper4 ,seeing the green of a vaporizing meteor1 no observer could tell whether the color came from copper or from magnesium unless he could photograph the spectrum or make a chemical analysis of the meteorite4 ,the color displayed by the ,new ,mexico fireballs may have come from copper1 but more probably from magnesium4 ,another possible source is frozen nitrogen4 ,laboratory experiments relating to problems of satellite re-entry,v-#ab have shown that when frozen nitrogen vaporizes1 it emits a brilliant green glow whose wave length is almost identical with that of the ,new ,mexico fireballs1 as judged from the paintings made by witnesses4 ,one of the prevailing theories suggests that meteors of this type may be icy 8cometoids0--cometary debris1 chunks of ice1 and frozen gases 7including nitrogen7 at very low temperatures4 ,when they enter the earth's atmosphere and are slowed down to speeds of several hundred miles an hour1 they become heated and vaporize1 and the surface alternately melts and refreezes2 the vaporizing nitrogen would produce the green color seen in the fireballs4 ,such a process would account for the color1 the short lifetime1 and the lack of fragments of the ,new ,mexico meteors4 ,to summarize3 ,meteors can exhibit the particular green color shown by the ,new ,mexico fireballs4 ,it can result from copper1 magnesium1 or frozen nitrogen1 which can normally occur in meteors4 #b4 ,speed and trajectory4 ,meteors vary widely in their velocities and flight paths4 ,they plunge from space into the earth's atmosphere at speeds estimated to range from seven to forty-five miles a second relative to the earth--from #be1jjj to more than #aej1jjj miles per hour4 ,members of a particular meteor stream usually show a characteristic velocity4 ,the ,perseids1 for example1 travel at high speed1 some thirty-six miles a second1 while the ,geminids saunter in at a mere twenty-one miles a second4 ,most of these 8falling stars0 become visible to us when they have descended to around sixty or seventy miles above the earth4 ,flashing down in a steep path1 they usually burn up and vanish by the time they have fallen to around fifty or forty miles4 ,the larger the meteor's body1 the longer its life and the lower its point of disappearance4 ,most meteors maintain a straight course as they descend toward earth4 ,a typical path is that photographed by ,smithsonian astronomers in ,new ,mexico on the night of ,november #bc1 #aifj 7see ,plate ,i,i,ia74 ,some fireballs have been reported to change course after exploding4 ,more probably1 the witness is actually observing the shifting pattern of the smoke cloud left by the meteor4 ,the ,puerto ,rico fireball of ,january #ab1 #aidg1 left an erratic trail of this type1 which was photographed ten to twenty minutes after the meteor had disappeared 7see ,plate ,i,i,ib74 ,the original entrance velocity1 angle of entry1 size1 and chemical structure all influence the shape of a meteor's path and its time of survival4 ,the apparent angle of descent as seen by the observer depends on the distance and the direction the object is moving relative to the observer4 ,when the meteor travels parallel to the observer's line of sight1 it seems much slower than when it passes the line of sight at right angles4 ,the greater the distance between the observer and the meteor1 the slower its apparent motion,v-#ac4 ,some meteors move very slowly2 traveling at an almost leisurely rate1 they soar through the sky on a long1 level path almost parallel with the earth4 ,the slow fireballs in the great meteor procession of #aiac maintained a horizontal course over a distance of several thousand miles1 from western ,canada to ,brazil,v-#ad4 ,astronomical records show that green meteors are usually slow4 ,some #bcj persons reported to the ,american ,meteor ,society that on ,november #bh1 #aiec1 at #f3cj ,p4,m41 a fireball moved slowly through the sky from ,massachusetts to ,pennsylvania4 ,described as blue-white-green1 changing to orange-yellow-red1 it was huge1 disk-shaped1 and vanished silently without depositing fragments ,v-#a1 p4 #bgc4 ,on ,may #ae1 #aied1 at #aa3bb ,p4,m41 more than #ajj persons observed 7and reported7 a slow-moving fireball1 blue-green changing to red1 of luminosity so great that it woke sleeping people4 ,toward the end of its course it seemed to stop1 spiraled a couple of times1 and then simply vanished without leaving fragments ,v-#h1 p4 #ccf4 ,to summarize3 ,meteors can travel at low velocities and in apparently horizontal paths4 #c4 ,size and brilliance4 ,giant meteors of great luminosity have been recorded throughout history4 ,some fireballs have been visible to observers throughout an area of thousands of square miles4 ,typical descriptions are3 dazzling1 like an airplane falling in flames1 bigger than the full moon1 of blinding brilliance1 so bright it turned night into day1 like the headlight of a locomotive1 as big as the setting sun but three times as brilliant4 ,the luminosity does not depend on the actual size of the meteoric body4 ,a fragment no larger than a pinhead can create a brilliant flash as it vanishes4 ,a spectacular fireball that lights up the country over hundreds of miles may have a small body that burns up completely miles above the earth4 ,a larger body can survive longer1 so that it continues to flare for several seconds or more4 ,the larger1 long-lasting fireballs may explode into smaller fragments and cascades of sparks4 ,in exploding1 they can produce a luminous cloud of particles that remains visible for fifteen or twenty minutes and then peppers the ground with meteorites that fall like hail or buckshot4 ,a giant fireball can deposit chunks of metal weighing a ton or more like those found in ,mexico1 or can leave a truly enormous body that penetrates the ground and carves out a great crater like those in ,arizona and ,texas4 ,to summarize3 ,huge fireballs of great brilliance are not new4 #d4 ,sound4 ,some meteors produce noise2 others do not4 ,most meteors silently vaporize high above the earth4 ,when one does reach the ground1 it may strike with no noise but the faint thud of its impact4 ,shooting through the air1 it sometimes makes weak noises that have been described as rumbling1 crackling1 rustling1 whistling1 or hissing4 ,meteors sometimes explode with one or more crashing detonations that rattle or even break windows4 ,the noise has been described as like a heavy clap of thunder1 the explosion of a volcano1 or a whir as if a million bumblebees had been disturbed4 ,the noise from the explosion of the ,siberian meteor in #aijh was heard over a distance of #fjj miles1 and the shock registered as an earthquake in ,england4 ,many meteors1 like the ,pennsylvania fireball of ,january #bi1 #aieb1 7,,ams #bcbh7 are completely silent4 ,this blue-green object1 so large that it showed a definite disk1 was reported to the ,american ,meteor ,society by more than #djj witnesses from ,maine to ,virginia and from ,new ,york to ,ohio2 none of the observers heard any noise ,v-#a1 p4 #bfd4 ,to summarize3 ,some meteors end with a bang1 but most of them don't even whimper4 #e4 ,fragments4 ,most meteors burn up high in the atmosphere4 ,a few1 if they are large enough in size 7at least ten to twenty pounds7 and tough enough in structure1 survive to reach the earth as stony or metallic fragments4 ,marked differences characterize the various meteor streams4 ,the ,taurids 7maximum ,november #ab7 are relatively rigid structures1 unusually tough1 and show little tendency to break up in their flight4 ,the many ,taurid fireballs show that fairly large bodies have survived4 ,the ,geminids 7maximum ,december #ad7 are of average strength but appear to be very dense1 while the ,draconids 7,october #aj7 are featherlike and fragile1 with low density4 ,some of the most brilliant fireballs may be structures of ice and frozen gases which quickly vaporize on reaching the earth and hence leave no detectable fragments4 ,the fiery object that struck ,siberia in #aijh may have been such an 8icy cometoid02 although it devastated an area of hundreds of square miles and uprooted or knocked down some eighty million trees1 it apparently left no physical trace,v-#ae4 ,if some of the physical body does survive to reach the earth's surface1 finding it is still a problem4 ,recovery is rare even when the fall occurs in daylight over well-populated country and the flight path can be charted from the accounts of reliable witnesses4 ,when the fall occurs at night1 recovery is even rarer,v-#e4 ,after dark1 even experienced observers find it difficult to judge true directions and distances1 and they may plot a place of fall that is many miles from the actual point of impact4 ,meteoriticists know that there is small chance of finding meteorites that fall at night except in regions where most of the land is under cultivation4 ,in the fifty years between #ahih and #aidh1 of forty-eight recoveries from observed meteorite falls in the ,united ,states1 only seven were made from falls occurring after #h ,p4,m4,v-#e4 ,recovery depends on many factors3 the number of persons who saw the event1 the accuracy of their estimates of distance and direction1 the size of the meteorites1 the patience of the searchers1 the time and money available for the search1 and1 most important of all1 just plain luck4 ,the ,norton ,county fall of ,february #ah1 #aidh1 illustrates both the detective work and the luck required4 ,at about #d3ef ,p4,m4 ,c4,s4,t4 a brilliant detonating fireball soared over an area including ,kansas1 ,nebraska1 ,colorado1 ,oklahoma1 and ,texas1 and left a large white cloud that was visible for about an hour afterward4 ,newspapers publicized the phenomenon as a flying saucer and a few excited witnesses agreed4 ,one man affirmed that shortly before the explosion the strange craft hovered over his yard at eye level1 belching fire and showering sparks1 then suddenly took off1 climbing fast1 and exploded4 ,meteoriticists at once recognized the characteristic pattern of an exploding meteor and determined to find the remains4 ,from newspaper reports and personal interviews with the witnesses1 ,h4 ,h4 ,nininger of the ,american ,meteorite ,museum in ,arizona plotted the path and determined that the probable point of explosion was thirteen miles west and three miles north of ,norton1 ,kansas,v-#af4 ,from similar investigations1 ,lincoln ,la ,paz of the ,institute of ,meteoritics in ,new ,mexico determined the probable place of impact as an area eight miles long and four miles wide1 about thirty-two square miles1 on the ,kansas-,nebraska line4 ,during the ,easter vacation a field-survey party from ,new ,mexico drove north into ,kansas to hunt for the meteorite1 but blizzards and snow-blocked roads stopped the work4 ,a second search1 begun on ,april #bg1 suggested that the main mass of the meteorite must have fallen somewhere in ,furnas ,county1 ,nebraska4 ,when persistent hunting failed to reveal it1 the searchers moved south into ,kansas1 where a farmer had found a strange stone that smelled of sulphur and contained metallic specks4 ,although many stony meteorites of various weights turned up in this area1 the main mass remained hidden until ,july #c when a farmer located it1 by accident1 in a field that the official party had already examined and abandoned some three months earlier4 ,this meteorite1 although it weighed more than a ton and had dug out a six-foot crater in the ground1 had eluded the hunters because 8at the time of the fall the only dwelling close to the point of impact was unoccupied and 444 the impact occurred in a field so overgrown with weeds and stubble that even the large crater made by the record-breaking main mass of the fall was finally located only when by chance a caterpillar tractor started to fall into it40,v-#ag ,to find these meteorites1 several highly trained searchers had spent days of effort1 made a number of field surveys1 driven more than #aj1jjj miles1 and interviewed hundreds of persons who observed the flight of the fireball4 ,even so1 they counted themselves lucky because many 8meteorites of such composition and structure1 although large enough to produce spectacular light and sound effects in the intermediate layers of the atmosphere1 might disintegrate so completely during transit through the denser lower atmosphere that only dust would survive to reach the earth40 ,the green fireballs of ,new ,mexico were silent2 they were probably icy structures and hence produced no meteorites4 ,even if they had1 locating the place of fall would have been nearly impossible because the meteors appeared at night in a sparsely populated area4 ,to summarize3 ,many meteors do not leave fragments4 ,even when they do1 finding the meteorite requires luck as well as hard work4 ,unusual ,fireballs ,the officers and crewmen of a plane in flight have a front-row seat at the drama of the heavens1 where astronomical events seem doubly vivid against the dark night sky4 ,the pilot has been trained to recognize the major constellations1 the brightest stars1 and ordinary phenomena such as meteors and the ,aurora ,borealis4 ,as a rule1 however1 he limits his study to the needs of the job4 ,the few who have an astronomer's intimate acquaintance with the heavens have often made valuable contributions to our knowledge4 ,comet #aieg;d was first observed by an airman and ,comet #aidhl was discovered by a pilot flying from the ,fiji ,islands to ,australia4 ,comet ,wilson1 discovered on ,july #bc1 #aifa 7and reported to the ,air ,force by some persons as a ,,ufo71 was first recognized by ,a4 ,stewart ,wilson1 navigator on a ,pan ,american flight over the ,pacific4 ,all members of the crew were skilled and experienced fliers1 but he alone was equipped to see the significance of the intruder in the constellation ,gemini,v-#ah4 ,one of the most fantastic apparitions to confront a pilot is a group of luminous objects flaming through the air in more or less geometrical formation4 ,the objects often seem to be heading directly toward the plane on a collision course but1 as though under intelligent control1 seem to veer off at the last possible instant and then disappear at incredible speed4 ,the pilot usually recognizes this frightening phenomenon as an exploding meteor or a cluster of fireballs4 ,occasionally the sight is so extraordinary that he insists it could not have been a mere meteor but must have been some weird spacecraft4 ,airmen of unquestioned competence have made this mistake1 sometimes because they more than half believed in extraterrestrial visitors1 but more often because they knew less than they supposed about meteors4 ,in trying to identify the alarming objects approaching his plane1 the pilot often thinks first of a meteor1 then rejects the idea with some form of the remark1 8,whatever it was1 it was certainly not a meteor2 ,i've seen meteors and ,i can't be fooled40 ,he usually adds that no meteor could travel so fast 7or so slowly7 as the one he saw2 so high 7or so low72 could have such a color2 steer so 8obvious0 a collision course2 fly as part of so orderly a group2 move in so level 7or so steeply angled7 a path2 maintain so steady a course2 change course so abruptly2 move so silently2 or create so loud a detonation4 ,such an incident occurred on a ,pan ,american flight from ,new ,york to ,san ,juan early on the morning of ,march #i1 #aieg4 ,at about #c3cj ,a4,m4 when the plane was off ,jacksonville1 ,florida1 the pilot and the flight engineer saw a burning1 greenish-white1 round object coming out of nowhere1 seemingly only a half mile away and headed across their nose on a direct collision course,v-#ai4 ,in such a situation a plane's captain cannot waste time in analyzing what he sees1 but must act4 ,in a violent evasive move he put the plane into a climb of about #aejj feet1 during which several passengers were thrown out of their seats and injured4 ,at the same moment the crews of at least seven other flights within an area of #cjj miles were reporting the same object4 ,one witness saw it split in two and the fiery rear section drop away4 ,about an hour earlier1 the pilot of another plane in the area had seen the breakup of a similar meteor but had not reported it4 ,in spite of all the evidence that the unknown was a normal meteor1 breaking apart as many meteors do1 the ,pan ,american pilot1 8having seen thousands of meteors10 could not accept the object as a natural phenomenon although he did realize1 after he heard the other reports1 that he had greatly underestimated its distance4 ,the object showed all the characteristics of a typical fireball1 but the flying-saucer cultists have still tried to convert this undoubted meteor into an unknown object4 ,the number of meteors reported as flying saucers or spaceships has diminished in the last few years1 but the ,air ,force has continued to investigate all doubtful or puzzling sightings to determine whether they in any way represent a possible threat to the nation's security4 ,every sure identification of a ,,ufo as merely a meteor1 not a ballistic missile1 brings a certain amount of relief4 ,a typical case1 successfully solved1 is that of ,june #bj1 #aiei4 ,about #b3ae ,a4,m4 the pilot of a ,united ,airlines flight over the ,pacific reported by radio to ,flight ,operations that he had observed an apparent rocket firing about thirty-five miles west of the plane position2 radar detected the presence of a surface vessel at about the same position4 ,the pilot first noticed a flash of light1 then the entire sky lighted up and he saw four round1 fiery globules1 of an intense bluish-white color1 with no tails4 ,flying two by two in a straight line1 they made no sound and disappeared after about two seconds4 ,the weather was clear and calm1 the visibility excellent4 ,the copilot1 sitting at the right1 saw only the first flash1 but the pilot of another plane some #abj miles to the west reported seeing the same objects at the same time,v-#ai4 ,because this sighting occurred in a very sensitive area where military officials were expecting a ,russian test firing of an ,,icbm1 the ,air ,force made an exhaustive study of this report and identified the object as a meteor4 ,their evaluation proceeded as follows3 ,the ,united ,airlines pilot estimated the distance of the objects as only about thirty miles and their rate of travel as about #ae degrees in two seconds4 ,these figures indicated a velocity of approximately #ad1ejj miles per hour1 about the speed of a ballistic missile4 ,but the relatively low altitude1 the flat trajectory1 and the fact that a visible 8power plant0 was apparently still operating at this stage of flight ruled out the possibility of a missile4 ,however1 if the observer had underestimated the distance and the objects were actually hundreds of miles away1 then the data would indicate a speed of about #ej1jjj miles an hour1 in the range of meteor velocities4 ,the descriptions given closely matched that of the classic fireball1 whose colors range over white1 blue1 green1 red1 and yellow1 and whose luminosity may be as great as -#c magnitudes4 ,the ,air ,force concluded that the object sighted was1 in all probability1 a meteor4 ,a similar sighting1 which saucer enthusiasts have publicized as a brilliantly lighted ,,ufo that appeared to hold a definite course1 occurred at #c3jb ,a4,m4 on ,july #aa1 #aiei1 also over the ,pacific,v-#ai4 ,the pilot of a ,pan ,american ,airlines flight reported that a mysterious bright object accompanied at its left by four smaller lights had approached his plane at 8inconceivable speed10 made a sharp right turn1 and then disappeared4 ,the objects seemed to be flying evenly spaced in formation1 and the pilot1 who had never seen anything like it in all his years of flying1 told the newspapers1 8,i'm a believer1 now40 ,the official investigation began immediately4 ,four other commercial flights had reported seeing the object at the same time4 ,in each case1 the pilot stated that the objects seemed to head straight at his plane at high speed on a collision course1 then made a #ij-;degree turn and disappeared4 ,the various reports1 however1 showed significant disagreements4 ,some witnesses gave the color as white1 some as orange-yellow4 ,of the several pilots1 each gave a different description of the 8formation03 a big light with four smaller lights flying at the left2 a big light surrounded by a cluster of six or seven smaller lights2 a big light followed by four smaller lights2 a big light in the center of a rectangle formed by four smaller lights4 ,of the five pilots who made official reports1 one said the phenomenon was definitely not a meteor1 two said it could have been a meteor1 and two did not venture an opinion4 ,the pilots of several other flights stated1 on landing1 that they too had seen the object but had not radioed a report because they assumed it to be a meteor4 ,after mapping and correlating all the observations1 ,,atic completed the analysis and released the result to the press on ,july #ad1 only three days after the sighting1 a remarkably efficient piece of work4 ,conclusion3 the object was a fireball,v-#bj4 ,the literature of flying saucers contains dozens of similar incidents that fit perfectly into the meteor pattern4 ,pointing to this list of 8unidentified0 flying objects1 saucer addicts still abuse the ,air ,force for concealing the 8fact0 that these ,u,f,os are actually spaceships6 ,great ,meteor ,processions ,even more dramatic than the ordinary exploding meteor whose fragments naturally fall into a pattern around it1 a cluster of fireballs or a great procession of meteors occasionally startles the world4 ,on ,december #ba1 #ahgf1 about #h3de ,p4,m4 such a swarm of fireballs appeared over ,kansas and disappeared some three minutes later over ,pennsylvania1 having traveled the thousand-mile distance at a velocity of #bj1jjj to #be1jjj miles an hour4 ,hundreds of persons in ,kansas1 ,missouri1 ,illinois1 ,indiana1 ,ohio1 and ,pennsylvania saw the display1 which included nearly #ajj separate fireballs2 the leader was more brilliant than the full moon and many of the followers were brighter than ,venus or ,jupiter4 ,perhaps fortunately for the nerves of the public1 the most recent such display occurred before the saucers began to fly 7,march #bd1 #aicc74 ,this cluster of fireballs was visible chiefly in the skies over ,new ,mexico and left a great cloud that was visible for at least three hours4 ,the most spectacular of such formations was the great meteor procession of ,february #i1 #aiac4 ,at about #i3je in the evening the leader or leaders appeared in the sky over western ,canada1 their fiery red bodies followed by long streaming tails4 ,these immense fireballs showed no tendency to fall toward the earth but1 like the green fireballs of ,new ,mexico1 8moved forward on a perfectly horizontal path with peculiar1 majestic1 dignified deliberation10 and disappeared in the distance to the southwest4 ,no description can surpass that given by ,professor ,chant,v-#ba who spent two weeks in locating and interviewing many of the witnesses4 8,before the astonishment aroused by this first meteor had subsided1 other bodies were seen coming from the northwest1 emerging from precisely the same place as the first one4 ,onward they moved1 at the same deliberate pace1 in twos or threes or fours1 with tails streaming behind1 though not so long nor so bright as in the first case4 ,they all traversed the same path and were headed for the same point in the southeastern sky4 8,gradually the bodies became smaller1 until the last ones were but red sparks1 some of which were snuffed out before they reached their destination4 ,several report that near the middle of the great procession was a fine large star without a tail1 and that a similar body brought up the rear4 8,to most observers the outstanding feature of the phenomenon was the slow1 majestic motion of the bodies2 and almost equally remarkable was the perfect formation which they retained4 ,many compared them to a fleet of airships1 with lights on either side and forward and aft2444 ,others1 again1 likened them to great battleships1 attended by cruisers or destroyers40 ,no other recorded meteors have persisted for so great a distance4 ,thousands of persons saw this great procession as it soared over ,saskatchewan1 central ,canada1 ,toronto and the ,great ,lakes region1 ,new ,york and ,pennsylvania1 the shipping lanes from ,new ,york to ,bermuda1 and on over the ,south ,atlantic1 where before it vanished it was observed by ships as far south as ,brazil--a distance of some #ejjj miles1 one fifth of the earth's circumference4 ,the descriptions do not vary significantly and they all mention the slow1 level flight1 parallel to the earth's surface4 ,some astronomers have suggested that these unusual meteors may have been a group of natural satellites deflected by the earth's gravitation1 slowing down and finally disintegrating as they made their final revolution,v-#ad4 ,but if the ,,ufo cult had existed in #aiac1 the flying-saucer enthusiasts would probably have regarded the fireball procession as a fleet of spaceships1 and would have speculated on the problem of what planet dispatched them and for what purpose4 ,the ,chiles-,whitted ,sighting ,the ,chiles-,whitted ,,ufo1 sighted on ,july #bd1 #aidh1 is one of the most publicized of the classics4 ,although the object appeared1 passed1 and vanished in an interval of roughly ten seconds1 and the descriptions given by the three witnesses differed on several vital points1 ,dr4 ,j4 ,allen ,hynek1 astronomer consultant to ,,atic1 in his report of ,april #cj1 #aidi1 identified it as an undoubted meteor4 ,nevertheless1 not until #aiei did the ,air ,force officially accept this solution1 and the literature of saucerdom still cites the incident as indisputable proof of alien spaceships4 ,on the evening of ,july #bc an ,eastern ,airlines ,,dc-#c took off from ,houston1 ,texas1 en route for ,boston1 with an experienced pilot and copilot in the cockpit4 ,by #b3dj ,a4,m4 ,c4,d4,s4,t4 ,july #bd the plane was a few miles southwest of ,montgomery1 ,alabama1 flying at an altitude of #ejjj feet4 ,the night was clear1 and a bright moon just four days past full shone through a layer of broken clouds about #ajjj feet above the plane4 ,at #b3de ,a4,m4 the pilot1 ,captain ,c4 ,s4 ,chiles1 noticed a dull red glow some distance ahead1 approaching from a little above and to the right of the plane4 ,he remarked to his copilot1 ,lieutenant ,j4 ,b4 ,whitted1 8,look1 here comes a new ,army jet job40,v-#ai ,in the next few seconds1 however1 he changed his mind about the identity of the object4 ,as both men watched1 the brilliantly glowing unknown continued to approach with incredible swiftness1 apparently on a collision course2 it seemed to veer slightly1 passed the plane on the right almost level with and parallel to the flight path1 then seemed to pull up sharply and disappear into the clouds4 ,captain ,chiles estimated that the object was in sight for about ten seconds4 ,the one passenger who was awake1 sitting at the right of the cabin1 saw the light for only an instant as it flashed by4 ,the brief impressions of these three witnesses were the sole foundation for newspaper stories that the plane had narrowly escaped collision with a spaceship4 ,in their official report both pilots agreed on the general appearance of the ,,ufo3 it looked like a wingless aircraft with no fins or protruding surfaces1 was cigar-shaped1 about #ajj feet long1 and about twice the diameter of a ,b-#bi superfortress4 ,it seemed to have two rows of windows through which glowed a very bright light1 brilliant as a magnesium flare4 ,an intense dark-blue glow like a blue fluorescent factory light shone at the bottom along the entire length1 and red-orange flames shot out from the rear to a distance of some fifty feet4 ,neither man heard any sound and neither saw any occupants4 ,in their original report to ,,atic both men agreed that 8no disturbance was felt from the air waves1 nor was there any prop wash or mechanical disturbance when the object passed40 ,the third witness1 the passenger1 did not report any turbulence or rocking of the plane4 ,some of the later versions of the incident gloss over these facts1 however1 and thus exaggerate the startling nature of the sighting4 ,one account subtly implies the presence of a pilot in the ,,ufo and several state that1 as the object passed1 the plane hit turbulent air,v-#g1 p4 #fa or was 8rocked0 by the ,,ufo,v-#bj1 p4 #ba4 ,like most eyewitness descriptions of a startling event1 the testimony of the three men differed4 ,chiles stated that at the front of the ,,ufo was a lighted pilot compartment or cockpit with a 8snout0 similar to a radar pole1 and that a kind of nozzle projected from the rear from which the flames fanned out to a width of twenty or thirty feet4 ,whitted did not see a cockpit1 a snout1 or a rear nozzle2 he thought the flames flared out from the entire rear and were never any wider than the width of the ,,ufo itself4 ,the third witness1 the passenger1 saw no shape or form1 only an intensely brilliant streak of light that appeared and vanished before he was able to focus his eyes4 ,as responsible officers1 both pilots had obviously tried to separate the observed phenomena from their interpretation4 ,they differed widely on the estimated distance of the ,,ufo 7the passenger did not offer an estimate74 ,chiles thought it passed them with a margin of only about #gjj feet1 but ,whitted believed the distance to be more than ten times greater1 about a mile and a half4 ,however1 when we remember that these men had the ,,ufo in sight for only a small fraction of a minute and that their study of the side view 78windows10 8cockpit10 etc47 must have been limited to the instant of passing1 these disagreements are not remarkable4 ,when ,captain ,chiles and ,lieutenant ,whitted reported their frightening experience1 the ,air ,force made a prompt investigation4 ,since ,captain ,chiles explicitly stated his belief that the ,,ufo was under intelligent control1 the case required careful consideration4 ,a check of the air traffic showed that no other planes had been in the area at the time1 so the object could not have been a normal aircraft4 ,furthermore1 other equally reliable witnesses reported seeing unusually bright meteors in the ,southeast that night4 ,since the bare physical description of the ,,ufo1 apart from the inferences made1 was identical with that of a fireball1 ,dr4 ,hynek concluded that it was an unusually bright meteor4 ,but the climate at ,,atic that summer was not friendly to a prosaic explanation4 ,remembering the tragic death of ,captain ,mantell some six months earlier while he was chasing a ,,ufo1 then unidentified 7p4 #cc71 some officials were more than half ready to believe in invading space fleets as the answer to every puzzling phenomenon in the sky4 ,they rejected the fireball explanation4 ,instead of accepting the ,chiles-,whitted ,,ufo as a meteor1 they identified the other two meteors seen that night as ,u,f,os6 ,and yet the evidence is overwhelming that the ,,ufo was a fireball4 ,the major meteor showers that occur on schedule every year have accounted for hundreds of alleged ,u,f,os over the last fifteen years4 ,several of these showers begin in mid-,july2 thus ,july #bd falls in a period of greatly increased meteor activity1 when the earth is moving through the ,aquarid streams and is encountering the forerunners of the ,perseids4 ,all during the year1 and particularly during these weeks of shower meteors1 amateur astronomers throughout the country spend many evenings watching the sky1 counting meteors1 mapping their paths1 and reporting the data to various observatories4 ,on an average night outside the shower periods1 if there are few clouds and no moon1 an experienced watcher may count about half a dozen meteors in an hour's time1 but during a shower he usually sees many more4 ,for the week of ,july #bc to #cj1 #aidh1 the records of the ,american ,meteor ,society1 the ,harvard ,college ,observatory1 and the ,flower and ,cook ,observatory show that1 in spite of the interference of a bright moon1 large numbers of meteors were counted and the paths of many of them were mapped and plotted4 ,the reports from the ,southeast for that week have particular interest for the ,chiles-,whitted case4 ,a regular observer in ,alabama counted fifteen meteors in one hour's watching on the evening of ,july #bd1 and twenty-one in two hours the following night,v-#bb4 ,on the evening of ,july #bf he apparently took a holiday1 but many other persons saw a huge fireball that flashed over ,north ,carolina and ,tennessee at #i3cf ,p4,m4 ,e4,s4,t42 its radiant 7,,ams #bcbb71 plotted from many reports1 showed it to be a member of the ,delta ,aquarid stream1 then approaching its maximum4 ,early on the morning of ,july #bg another fireball soared over ,tennessee and apparently exploded,v-#bc4 ,on the night of ,july #bh the ,alabama watcher recorded fifteen meteors1 from which he obtained the radiants ,,ams #cbfi1 #cbgj1 and #cbga,v-#i1 p4 #eba4 ,these facts alone--the occurrence of scheduled showers and the number of well-plotted meteors observed during the period--point strongly to the probability that the ,chiles-,whitted ,,ufo was a meteor4 ,the probability becomes virtual certainty when we examine the available records for the night of ,july #bc and morning of ,july #bd1 the period when this particular ,,ufo appeared4 ,the watcher in ,alabama was not on duty1 but another observer in ,iowa counted fourteen meteors in one hour,v-#bb1 more than double the rate for an average night4 ,about an hour before the ,,ufo appeared in ,alabama1 ground observers at ,robins ,air ,force ,base near ,macon1 ,georgia1 reported an unusually bright meteor going from north to south4 ,a few minutes before the ,alabama sighting1 two ,air ,force officers flying between ,blackstone1 ,virginia1 and ,gainsborough1 ,north ,carolina1 reported an unusually bright meteor traveling in a southerly direction4 ,when ,chiles and ,whitted observed their ,,ufo1 its appearance and manner of motion were identical with those of many other bright meteors but the pilots1 startled by the sudden apparition1 misinterpreted what they saw4 ,they probably overestimated the length of time the meteor was in view and they almost certainly underestimated the distance4 ,meteors notoriously mislead even the experienced observer1 who often sees them disappearing 8just behind the next hill10 when they may actually be fifty or a hundred miles away4 ,although the night was moonlit and clear except for broken clouds1 the witnesses had no fixed reference point by which to determine either distance or size4 ,there can be no doubt that ,chiles and ,whitted misinterpreted the appearance of an unusually brilliant meteor1 its body glowing to white 7the momentarily persisting luminous train of a meteor often has a veined or fibrous structure that could easily have suggested the 8lighted window0 and 8cockpit07 and blue incandescence 7the glowing 8undercarriage07 as it rushed through the atmosphere some fifty miles or more away1 shooting off flaming gases 7the 8exhaust07 and vaporizing from the friction of the atmosphere4 ,flashing beyond their range of vision 78pulling up into the clouds071 it probably burned and disintegrated before it reached the earth4 ,this fresh analysis1 based on meteor records for ,july #aidh1 has led ,,atic finally to remove the ,chiles-,whitted ,,ufo from the category of ,unknowns and1 as ,dr4 ,hynek suggested originally1 add it to the file of recorded meteors4 ,a more recent sighting that closely resembled the ,chiles-,whitted incident occurred on the evening of ,january #h1 #aiei1 and was promptly reported to ,,atic ,v-#ai4 ,two ,air ,force pilots were flying in a ,c-#de type of aircraft from ,phillipsburg to ,brookville1 ,pennsylvania1 at an altitude of #hjjj feet4 ,the night was clear and moonless4 ,at #f3ad ,p4,m4 ,e4,s4,t4 they observed what appeared to be a brilliantly lighted solid object rushing toward them4 ,bluish green in color1 shaped roughly like a teardrop and about #bjj feet in diameter1 it made no audible sound4 ,glowing like a small sun1 it seemed to be flying level with the aircraft1 less than a mile away and headed straight for the plane4 ,the frightened pilot jerked on the controls in an attempt to dodge the object1 but almost before the plane could respond the unknown had disappeared4 ,it had been in sight about three seconds4 ,in his official report he estimated that the object had been the size of a pool ball held at arm's length and that it had been not more than a mile away4 ,the copilot1 however1 did not agree4 ,a man with special training and unusual experience in the study of ,u,f,os1 he estimated the object to be the size of the head of a pin held at arm's length and the distance to be at least #cjj miles4 ,the extreme brilliance of the object against the night sky1 he thought1 had made it seem larger4 ,in his opinion1 supported by ,air ,force investigation1 the unknown had been a fireball at least fifty miles high that had burned out and vanished as they watched4 ,as in the ,chiles-,whitted case1 ground observers also saw the object and thus provided independent confirmation of the analysis4 ,a member of the ,ohio ,state ,university reported to the ,harvard ,college ,observatory that on the night of ,january #h1 at approximately #f3ae ,p4,m4 ,e4,s4,t41 he had watched a brilliant bluish-white meteor streak across the sky over ,columbus and vanish within a few seconds4 ,the fireball must indeed have been high and spectacular to be visible at the same moment from points nearly #cjj miles apart4 ,other ,flaming ,u,f,os ,not all spectacular ,u,f,os are meteors1 of course1 any more than they are all planets or balloons or rockets4 ,sudden brilliant illuminations of the night sky can have any one of a dozen or more explanations4 ,the atmosphere is crowded with potential ,unknowns1 more than at any time in man's history4 ,the air surrounding our planet plays host not only to meteors and fireballs1 birds and insects1 but also to military and commercial planes1 private planes1 jets1 helicopters1 weather balloons1 experimental rockets1 and an ever-growing number of artificial satellites4 ,an ear-shattering detonation that rattles a house or breaks a window may come from an exploding fireball or it may come from a jet penetrating the sound barrier4 ,without an exact knowledge of all the circumstances1 only the foolhardy would attempt to say positively what caused any given unusual aerial phenomenon4 ,let us consider a sighting that might have received various wrong interpretations and would probably have become one of the most famous of the ,u,f,os cited by saucerdom1 had investigators lacked full information4 ,shortly after midnight one spring morning reliable witnesses on the east coast1 particularly in ,connecticut and ,long ,island1 reported a brilliant bluish-white object flying at high altitude and incredible speed4 ,as it flashed overhead1 it changed color to become reddish1 and several smaller objects apparently detached themselves from the main body and followed it in orderly fashion4 ,about five minutes later more than fifteen ships in the ,caribbean area observed similar objects soaring overhead but the reports varied in many details4 ,ship number two saw brilliant short flames darting about behind the main body1 which had a long1 tapered tail4 ,ship number four saw a flaming white object more brilliant than the full moon4 ,ship number seven reported a flaming green ball followed by a group of several small objects4 ,ship number nine observed at least fifteen smaller objects that suddenly separated from the main body and fell into formation behind it4 ,ship number eleven saw an object with a trail several miles long1 brilliant as a peacock's tail1 so luminous that the deck and sea around were bathed in pale light as the mass crossed overhead4 ,ship number twelve reported1 8,the main body appeared to have a blue-white head1 then a short dark space before the glowing orange-yellow tail4 ,twenty-seven separate particles were actually counted as they appeared in the main plume4 ,each followed the main body and each developed its own glowing tail on leaving it40 ,the main body was several times brighter than ,venus1 while the offshoots were each twice the magnitude of ,sirius4 ,one observer described it as round on top and bright blue-white1 while the lower half1 which was emitting sparks1 seemed to be flattened and reddish in color4 ,during this period of less than five minutes1 similar objects were observed from the ground by witnesses in the ,virgin ,islands4 ,one man in ,martinique saw a luminous green globe1 brighter than ,venus1 followed at a slight distance by a flaming red1 enormously long1 cigar-shaped object4 ,observers in ,barbados saw two huge objects followed by from twelve to eighteen 8offspring0 shaped like the main body2 some of the offspring subdivided to form two small cometlike objects4 ,the object disappeared into a cloud bank and vanished4 ,no observations were reported from areas farther south4 ,these unidentified objects were reported over an area stretching from ,connecticut to the coast of ,british ,guiana1 a distance of about #bgjj miles4 ,they flew in a straight course4 ,all of the objects were noiseless4 ,they were remarkably brilliant4 ,they seemed to have one or more leaders1 to discharge smaller objects1 and to fly in formation4 ,they maintained a substantially horizontal path1 and only the last observers1 who saw the things disappear into the cloud bank1 noted any tendency to descend4 ,no fragments were ever found1 and all witnesses agreed that the objects were not like meteors4 ,if all the observers were describing the same single phenomenon1 it was flying at the incredible speed of more than #af1jjj miles an hour4 ,what was it8 ,with only these facts to build on1 an investigator might interpret the sightings according to his own prejudices3 an invasion fleet from another planet making a reconnaissance in force1 the mother ships discharging the smaller craft at intervals2 a mass hallucination2 a peculiar meteoric display4 ,without knowledge of one essential fact1 some hundreds of landsmen and seamen in the ,united ,states1 the ,caribbean islands1 and the ,british ,west ,indies might now feel firmly convinced that they had witnessed a genuine 8,unknown40 ,the date was ,april #ad1 #aieh4 ,the privileged observers had witnessed the death of ,sputnik ,,ii1 the ,russian satellite launched on ,november #c1 #aieg,v-#bd4 ,the ,,ufo reports inspired by this event presented no problem to the ,air ,force4 ,all information on the re-entry of artificial satellites is immediately accessible to ,,atic4 ,whenever a reported ,,ufo shows any possible resemblance to a falling satellite1 ,air ,force investigators check at once with ,spacetrack4 ,astronomers who had been tracking this satellite as it circled the earth had predicted more than a month in advance that it would spiral toward the earth and fall sometime between ,april #ab and ,april #ae4 ,a few days before the actual event they had refined their estimate and predicted the time of the fall within a few hours4 ,v-#a ,meteoritics1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 #aied4 ,v-#b ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e4 ,the ,flying ,saucer ,conspiracy4 ,new ,york3 ,henry ,holt ,co41 #aiee4 ,v-#c ,biot1 ,j4 ,b4 8,account of a ,fire-ball which ,fell in the ,neighborhood of ,laigle40 ,philosophical ,magazine1 ,vol4 ,,xvi 7#ahjc71 pp4 #bbd-bh4 ,v-#d ,whipple1 ,f4,l41 and ,hawkins1 ,g4 ,s4 8,meteors10 ,handbuch der ,physik1 ,vol4 ,,lii 7#aiei71 pp4 #eai-fd4 ,v-#e ,nininger1 ,h4 ,h4 ,out of the ,sky4 ,university of ,denver ,press1 #aieb2 ,new ,york3 ,dover ,publications1 #aiei4 ,v-#f ,menzel1 ,d4 ,h4 ,personal files4 ,v-#g ,ruppelt1 ,e4 ,j4 ,the ,report on ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,garden ,city1 ,n4,y43 ,doubleday ,co41 #aief4 ,v-#h ,meteoritics1 ,vol4 ,,iii1 #aiee4 ,v-#i ,meteoritics1 ,vol4 ,i1 #aiec4 ,v-#aj ,millman1 ,p4 ,m41 and ,halliday1 ,i4 8,the ,near-,infra-,red ,spectrum of ,meteors10 ,journal of ,planetary and ,space ,science1 ,vol4 ,v 7#aifa71 pp4 #acg-dj4 ,v-#aa ,millman1 ,p4 ,m4 8,an ,analysis of ,meteor ,spectra10 ,annals of ,harvard ,college ,observatory1 ,vol4 ,,lxxxii1 ,nos4 #f and #g 7#aiag-cg71 pp4 #aac-gg4 ,v-#ab ,robey1 ,d4 ,h4 8,an ,hypothesis on the ,slow ,moving ,green ,fireballs10 ,journal of the ,british ,interplanetary ,society1 ,vol4 ,,xvii 7#aiei-fj71 pp4 #cih-daa4 ,v-#ac ,krinov1 ,e4 ,l4 ,principles of ,meteoritics4 ,new ,york3 ,pergamon ,press1 #aifj4 ,v-#ad ,o',keefe1 ,j4 ,a4 8,tektites and the ,cyrillid ,shower10 ,sky and ,telescope1 ,vol4 ,,xxi 7#aifa71 p4 #d4 ,v-#ae ,fesenkov1 ,v4 ,g4 8,cloudiness of the ,atmosphere ,produced by the ,fall of the ,tunguska ,meteorite of ,june #cj1 #aijh10 ,meteoritika1 ,vol4 ,,vi 7#aidi71 p4 #h4 ,v-#af ,nininger1 ,h4 ,h4 8,tracing the ,norton1 ,kansas1 ,meteorite ,fall10 ,sky and ,telescope1 ,vol4 ,,vii 7#aidh71 p4 #bid4 ,v-#ag ,la ,paz1 ,l4 8,the ,achondritic ,shower of ,february #ah1 #aidh10 ,publications of the ,astronomical ,society of the ,pacific1 ,vol4 ,,lxi 7#aidi71 p4 #fc4 ,v-#ah ,wilson1 ,a4 ,s4 ,letter ,sky and ,telescope1 ,vol4 ,,xxii 7#aifa71 p4 #c4 ,v-#ai ,air ,force ,files4 ,v-#bj ,tacker1 ,l4 ,j4 ,flying ,saucers and the ,u4 ,s4 ,air ,force4 ,princeton1 ,n4 ,j43 ,d4 ,van ,nostrand ,co41 #aifj4 ,v-#ba ,chant1 ,c4 ,a4 8,an ,extraordinary ,meteoric ,display10 ,journal of the ,royal ,astronomical ,society of ,canada1 ,vol4 ,,vii 7#aiac71 pp4 #ade-bae4 ,v-#bb ,olivier1 ,c4 ,p4 8,tables of ,hourly ,rates ,based ,upon ,american ,meteor ,society ,data40 ,interim ,report ,no4 #bh1 ,harvard ,university ,radio ,meteor ,research ,program 7,may #aieh74 ,v-#bc ,whipple1 ,f4 ,l4 ,personal files4 ,v-#bd ,jacchia1 ,l4 ,g4 8,the ,descent of ,satellite #aieg ,beta ,one10 ,smithsonian ,astrophysical ,observatory1 ,special ,report ,no4 #ae1 ,july #bj1 #aieh4 ,chapter ,,vi ,,living ,,lights ,a gamekeeper in ,norfolk1 ,england1 in the year #ahig observed the flight of an unusual luminous object4 ,according to his story1 he was 8444 out one very dark night stopping up fox-earths4 ,while ,i was so engaged ,i saw a very bright blue light pass close to my face and was very much startled as ,i saw it going away from me 444 ,i put it down as some insect40 ,after the mysterious light reappeared a few nights later1 the gamekeeper prudently began carrying his gun and eventually he managed a shot at the light4 ,to his amazement he brought down 8a poor old half-starved barn owl1 ,tyto alba1 whose body continued to glow for some hours after death40,,vi-#a ,the ,luminous ,owls of ,norfolk ,some ten years later1 on the night of ,february #c1 #aijg1 another ,englishman and his son while taking a walk observed a similar luminous phenomenon4 ,apparently about a quarter of a mile away1 it moved horizontally over a course several hundred yards in length1 reversed direction1 then rose into the air to the height of forty feet or more4 8,it then descended and again went through the same evolutions many times4 ,the light was slightly reddish in the centre1 and resembled a carriage lamp for which we at first mistook it4 ,we watched it for twenty minutes and were quite at a loss to ascertain its cause4 8,on ,december #ast1 #aijg1 when again reaching the top of ,twyford ,hill1 ,i noticed what ,i took to be the lamp of a motor bicycle moving rapidly along the ,bintree road to the south4 ,the light suddenly stopped1 rose into the air above the trees and retraced its course4 ,this it did several times1 sometimes rising twenty to forty feet into the air1 and then rapidly descending4 ,i called my groom and his wife from their cottage a few hundred yards away1 and they watched it with me for several minutes4 ,i then went to my house about half a mile off1 and from one of the attic windows watched it with my son and three servants for a short time44440 ,the mysterious light appeared frequently for a period of weeks1 maneuvering silently1 its luminosity sometimes so great that 8it literally lighted up the branches of the trees as it flew past them40 ,attempts to identify it through a telescope were unsuccessful but eventually one observer was lucky enough to hear a sound as the light soared past1 and at once identified it by its unique call as a white owl1 ,strix flammea,,vi-#b4 ,if these sightings had occurred half a century later1 the witnesses might well have called them flying saucers4 ,things ,that ,glow in the ,dark ,the luminous owls of ,norfolk have appeared at intervals since #ahff to frighten the superstitious and puzzle the naturalist1 but ornithologists managed to solve the mystery some years ago,,vi-#c4 ,the birds acquire their temporary luminosity from contact with a common fungus1 ,armillaria mellea1 popularly known as 8honey-tuft40 ,this mushroom1 which mycophagists prize for its delicious flavor1 grows in large clumps on dead trees and stumps4 ,the dark-brown cap is rough1 with fibrous scales1 while the white gills are hooked or toothed at the end and the spores are white4 ,the dense white lacework of the root system or mycelium1 which gives off a phosphorescent light1 may permeate the entire tree and extend even into the fibers at the base of the tree4 ,wood infested with the fungus can glow in the dark1 sometimes so brightly that a man could read his watch by its light4 ,many of the tales of fox fire1 corpse candles1 and lanternmen undoubtedly come from glimpses of this fungoid phosphorescence4 ,owls that seek refuge in the dark interiors of hollow trees during the daytime may brush against the veins of the mycelium1 which adheres to the feathered body4 ,flitting about at night1 the luminous bird becomes the dancing flame of the will o' the wisp4 ,other luminous mushrooms abound in woods1 swamps1 and marshy areas4 ,decaying1 they may produce an unearthly light and can give off a peculiarly unpleasant odor4 ,unexpectedly seeing and smelling a bird touched with the substance1 on a dark night1 a witness might well feel bewildered and even frightened4 ,polyporus sulfureus1 which grows in dense masses on dead trees1 often phosphoresces brilliantly in the early stages of its decay1 as does ,clytocobe illudens1 the jack o' lantern4 ,in the tropics these fungi may produce enough light to read by4 ,birds1 insects1 and animals that brush against them can carry away some of the luminous material and thus1 for a time1 appear to be luminous themselves4 ,most of us recognize fireflies1 lightning bugs1 or glowworms--which are not worms but beetles4 ,the wingless females must creep on the surface of ground or branch1 but the winged males flit through the air4 ,these sparkling creatures form part of the diet of birds and bats1 and when carried aloft to be consumed in flight can make one more mysterious1 swiftly moving light to frighten the apprehensive4 ,the earth teems with other self-luminous organisms such as frogs' eggs1 which most of us have never seen and would not recognize4 ,luminous parasites sometimes live in the feathers of birds and make them glow4 ,the plumage of the great blue heron1 a ,north ,american bird1 can emit a pale light sometimes known as the birds's 8lantern0 because it is supposed to help him while fishing4 ,fish or meat when decaying can become infected with luminous bacteria and thus shine brilliantly in the dark4 ,the sea is filled with phosphorescent fish and plants which help perpetuate tales of sea serpents4 ,some waters in the ,caribbean contain so dense a population of phosphorescent algae that a bird1 dipping its wings to snatch a meal1 will glow for minutes after it soars again into the air4 ,these luminous birds1 innocently fishing for dinner1 probably account for many reports that flying saucers come and go from underwater,,vi-#d4 ,many of the erratically behaving ,u,f,os observed at night over wooded areas1 swamps1 and marshes have undoubtedly been one of these will o' the wisps--winged creatures glowing with borrowed fire4 ,unfortunately proof of this explanation is rarely possible4 ,before the startled observer can recover his wits the flitting 8saucer0 has gone1 taking with it the evidence of its identity4 ,fear of the unknown is not confined to ,homo sapiens4 ,a news item published in ,england a few years ago reveals that the animal kingdom1 too1 may have its ghosts4 ,under the headline1 ,owl ,attacks ,luminous ,man1 the article reads3 8,a ,bournemouth long-distance runner1 ,ken ,baily1 was attacked by an owl last night when he was running through the centre of ,bournemouth in a luminous track suit4 ,the bird ripped the front of his suit before it flew back into the trees4 8,baily said afterwards3 #8,i heard it hooting before it attacked4 ,the suit is luminous so that motorists can see me1 but if it attracts owls like this ,i'd rather take a chance with the traffic4'0,,vi-#e ,sea ,gulls as ,u,f,os ,early in the afternoon of ,december #aj1 #aida1 three days after the attack on ,pearl ,harbor1 a research technician standing at the fourth-floor window of a laboratory in ,boston saw a number of bright objects maneuvering high in the sky and slowly descending over the city4 ,making a quick guess at their distance1 size1 and speed1 he concluded that the objects were parachutes1 the first of a ,japanese invasion4 ,only after they had dropped to the level of a nearby church spire was he able to gain the right perspective1 correct his estimates1 and identify the objects as sea gulls drifting down with the winds4 ,a decade later1 the public was no longer worried about danger from ,japan but was concerned about possible invasion from outer space4 ,sea gulls flashing in the sun were interpreted not as parachutes but as flying saucers4 ,many luminous ,u,f,os have in fact been ordinary living creatures1 normal inhabitants of the earth--owls that had acquired a temporary luminosity1 sea gulls reflecting the sunlight1 flights of birds reflecting the lights of a town4 ,but in trying to identify them1 the witness is influenced by the pattern of his time4 ,in #ahig and #aijg the world seemed reasonably secure4 ,observers of mysterious lights made fairly accurate estimates of their distance and size and compared them to familiar1 everyday things--an insect and a carriage lamp4 ,in #aida1 three days after ,pearl ,harbor1 the world was at war and the observer's imagination1 stimulated by a hundred rumors of imminent ,japanese invasion1 transformed cruising sea gulls into parachutes4 ,by #aiej1 when space travel had become at least a theoretical possibility and scientists were discussing ways to reach the moon1 uneasy persons fantastically overestimated the height and size of mysterious lights in the sky and sometimes saw birds as spaceships from another planet4 ,a well-publicized incident took place on the morning of ,july #af1 #aieb1 when a ,coast ,guard photographer at ,salem1 ,massachusetts1 happened to glance out of a window and see four bright1 egg-shaped objects moving in the sky4 ,grabbing his camera1 he managed to take a picture before the objects were lost from view4 ,according to some saucer enthusiasts1 certain reproductions of the photograph show typical ,u,f,os shaped like two saucers arranged face to face1 as though joined by a ring at the mid-line,,vi-#f4 ,the official ,coast ,guard photograph however1 shows merely four bright1 fuzzy-edged blurs arranged in a rough ,v formation4 ,only imagination could convert these spots of light into spaceships4 ,many readers of this book have probably seen similar objects gleaming briefly in the sun1 mysterious for the moment1 and then identified them as gulls or airplanes when a shift in orientation cut down the reflection4 ,on the morning of the ,coast ,guard photograph the day was exceptionally clear1 the sun extremely bright1 and the sky a deep blue unusual on the ,massachusetts coast4 ,under these circumstances1 objects reflecting the sun look larger and brighter than normal4 ,because the picture was taken with a dirty lens through a window1 the images were further distorted4 ,since the ,u,f,os did not produce highlights on the tops of the cars in the foreground1 as luminous objects overhead would have done1 they were probably not in the sky at all4 ,elaborate ,air ,force experiments with photo-flood lamps showed that the images were reflections in the window glass from an interior light source behind the camera 7see ,plate ,i,va74 ,weird and frightening apparitions do occur2 ,air ,force files bulge with reports suggesting that unfamiliar objects are moving around us day and night1 by land1 sea1 and air4 ,imagination endows them with life or turns them into mysterious1 saucer-shaped craft manned by creatures from ,mars1 ,venus1 or even from some planet of a star beyond our solar system4 ,the ,,ufo photographed over ,france on ,october #b1 #aied 7a weekend when every ,french village was reporting saucers by the dozen71 shows no details and might be almost anything3 a bird1 a balloon1 a cloud of gossamer1 the sun1 a plane1 or merely the result of a lens defect 7see ,plate ,i,vb74 ,how many of the ,u,f,os listed in the saucer publications originate from birds1 insects1 and animals we cannot know1 but the number must be large4 ,most of us have only a sketchy acquaintance with the non-human forms of life that share the earth with us4 ,seeing an unfamiliar creature suddenly1 or a familiar creature under unusual circumstances1 we often imagine it to be whatever we most fear--vengeful spirits of the departed1 fire-breathing dragons1 devils1 parachutes1 or flying saucers4 ,the ,lubbock ,lights ,the luminous objects sighted in ,texas during the last week of ,august1 #aiea1 would probably have been explained and forgotten in a week's time1 except for the publication of alleged photographs of the unknowns4 ,this complication converted a simple incident into a conglomerate of puzzles which1 though actually unrelated1 were lumped together to form a classic ,unknown4 ,the most detailed published account of this case,,vi-#g1 p4 #acc ff4 contains a number of statements that differ in detail from those in the official files4 ,when discrepancies exist1 the facts as given in this chapter are those in the original ,air ,force reports,,vi-#h4 ,the ,saturday night of ,august #be1 #aiea1 was uncomfortably hot in the ,southwest1 and many persons spent the evening in the relative coolness out of doors4 ,in the town of ,lubbock1 a professor of geology was sitting in his yard with two guests1 fellow members of the faculty1 discussing micrometeorites and counting meteors1 which for several nights had been more numerous than usual4 ,the sky was clear and cloudless and seeing conditions were ideal4 ,about #i3bj the men noticed a group of fifteen to twenty lights passing silently overhead1 going from north to south4 ,they were obviously not meteors or planes1 but disappeared too quickly to be identified4 ,about an hour later a second group of lights appeared1 forming a rough semicircle or crescent like a string of beads4 ,shortly before midnight a third group soared overhead in a random pattern 7see ,figure #aa74 ,illustration3 ,figure #aa4 ,schematic sketch of lights observed by the professors at ,lubbock1 ,texas4 ,left1 pattern in the first and third sightings2 right1 pattern in the second sighting4 ,trying to account for the phenomenon1 the men agreed that all three flights had appeared suddenly1 not gradually1 in about the same part of the sky4 ,only the second had shown any sort of pattern1 all had moved silently from north to south1 their luminosity was not constant but had varied in intensity1 and all had disappeared suddenly1 not gradually1 at about the same point in the sky4 ,the men did not agree on the color1 which they described as yellowish to white1 with a soft glow4 ,the lights had passed too swiftly for the men to locate them in relation to specific stars and there were no clouds in the sky2 thus they had no known reference points by which to judge altitude1 distance1 or size4 ,since the lights had apparently moved over about #cj degrees of sky in one second1 however1 and the observers estimated the altitude as #ejjj to #ej1jjj feet1 the unknowns must have had an enormous size and an incredible speed of from #ahjj to #ah1jjj miles an hour--typical flying saucers4 ,understandably curious1 the host telephoned the managing editor of the local newspaper1 the ,lubbock ,evening ,avalanche1 hoping that a printed account would elicit more information from other persons who had noticed the mysterious lights4 ,the report appeared in the ,sunday paper1 ,august #bf1 but in the days that followed1 no reader responded4 ,then on ,friday ,august #ca1 five days after the original story had appeared and apparently died1 it suddenly came to life4 ,a college freshman who occasionally sold news photographs to the ,lubbock paper brought in five pictures of a group of mysterious lights he had photographed the night before4 ,he had been lying in bed next to an open window1 he explained1 and shortly before midnight he had observed a formation of brilliant lights moving rapidly across the sky4 ,grabbing his camera1 a ,kodak #ce-mm41 he had rushed out into the yard and1 after a brief wait1 had been able to photograph two similar flights that raced overhead a few minutes apart4 ,each light had been brighter than ,venus1 they had maintained a perfect ,v formation1 and had sped from horizon to horizon in a mere four or five seconds4 ,yet this amazing apparition had apparently gone unnoticed by all except the lucky amateur4 ,fearing a hoax1 both the editor and the staff photographer hesitated but1 since the negatives displayed no obvious evidence of fraud1 they finally bought and printed the pictures and distributed them over the country through the ,united ,press4 ,people all over the nation could now argue the question3 ,what were the ,lubbock lights8 ,a few said flying saucers4 ,many ,texans said ducks1 plover1 or other migratory fowl4 ,but the things in the pictures didn't look like birds2 and if they weren't birds1 what were they8 ,some persons bluntly called them a hoax4 ,impelled perhaps by the growing publicity1 the staff photographer of the ,evening ,avalanche several times tried to duplicate the pictures by photographing flights of birds at night4 ,he allowed himself better equipment--a ,speedgraphic camera loaded with a tungsten ,,asa #hj film1 and a ,,ge no4 #bb flashbulb in a concentrating reflector4 ,opening the camera to f #d4g at #a_/aj second1 he went up to the roof of the newspaper building to try his luck4 ,after a brief wait he was able to photograph a flock of birds that appeared high overhead1 reflecting the mercury-vapor lights of the street1 flying noiselessly in a 8ragged0 ,v formation1 but the image on the negative proved too faint for use4 ,the next night he tried again1 using a ,kodak ,reflex set at f #c4e1 ,super ,,xx film1 at #a_/aj second1 plus the flashbulb and concentrating reflector4 ,the birds appeared on schedule1 but again the images proved too faint for use4 ,the experimenter concluded1 probably correctly1 that the amateur must have photographed something much brighter than birds4 ,not until late ,october1 nearly two months after the original incident1 did the ,air ,force receive official notice of the mystery at ,lubbock1 and ,captain ,ruppelt of ,,atic arrived to interview witnesses in ,lubbock and the neighboring towns of ,lamessa1 ,brownfield1 and ,big ,spring4 ,he quickly discovered that he had two mysteries to solve instead of one since1 according to the witnesses who had started all the excitement1 the objects shown in the pictures were wholly unlike the luminous phenomena observed by the three professors4 ,the pictured lights formed a perfectly geometrical1 flat ,v1 while the original objects had formed a random pattern4 ,furthermore the pictures showed brilliant1 sharply outlined lights as intense as unshaded electric bulbs1 while the original objects had been softly glowing4 ,meanwhile the professors themselves had been trying to solve their own mystery4 ,during ,september and ,october they had observed at least a dozen similar flights1 and in an attempt to obtain the true altitude of the objects they had organized a field survey1 operating in the country to achieve better seeing conditions4 ,two groups of observers were stationed at two different points1 a measured distance apart1 with radio communication between the two4 ,by making simultaneous observations1 they hoped to calculate the true height of the objects and thus obtain accurate estimates of size and speed4 ,this well-planned experiment failed because the lights never appeared to the watchers in the country even on nights when they were clearly visible in the town4 ,nevertheless the scientists did establish one fact3 the altitude could not be as high as #ej1jjj feet1 their original estimate4 ,an astronomer in the group1 calculating from the few data available1 showed that the height must have been only #bjjj to #cjjj feet1 less than a tenth of the first estimate4 ,continuing his investigation1 ,captain ,ruppelt found that other persons had seen the lights on the night of ,august #be--;and identified them4 ,at ,brownfield1 ,texas1 some thirty miles from ,lubbock1 a rancher and his wife had been sitting in their back yard when they noticed a group of fifteen to twenty lights flying overhead from north to south1 silently1 in no particular formation4 ,they appeared to be very high and had 8a kind of glow1 a little bigger than a star40 ,some time later a second group flew over4 ,when a third group appeared1 flying lower1 he could see that they were birds2 as they moved on to the south and one of the birds emitted a cry1 he recognized the familiar call of the plover4 ,plover have a wing span of a foot and their oily white breasts form an excellent surface for reflecting the lights beneath them4 ,like most old-time residents of the area1 the rancher was accustomed to the yearly exodus of migratory fowl4 ,traveling at night in groups of six to twenty1 they usually flew at #ajjj feet or lower at a maximum speed of about fifty miles an hour in the weeks from late ,august to mid-,november4 ,the rancher had read about the professors' sighting1 which sounded exactly like his own4 ,it would have baffled him1 too1 he said1 if he had not gotten a good look when the third flight circled the house and if he had not happened to hear the single call4 ,another resident reported1 much later1 that he had often seen such lights and recognized them as birds4 ,one night he had noticed 8a formation of ducks pass over so low that you could actually see the whole bodies with their shiny white undersides glowing40 ,at other times he had seen ducks flying at low altitudes with only the undersides glowing and creating an illusion of objects moving very fast at a high altitude,,vi-#i4 ,in spite of the overwhelming evidence that the original objects had been birds1 probably plover1 reflecting the city's lights1 ,captain ,ruppelt chose to regard them as mysterious and listed the professors' sighting as an ,unknown4 ,several years later he wrote that a natural explanation did exist but1 for some reason1 he had promised not to divulge it,,vi-#g1 p4 #aej4 ,still later1 he asserted without amplification that the lights had been night-flying moths reflecting the bluish green of mercury-vapor street lights,,vi-#aj1 p4 #bgf--;a surprising anticlimax1 in view of his earlier secrecy4 ,in a reanalysis of the facts made in #aiei1 ,major 7now ,lieutenant ,colonel7 ,r4 ,j4 ,friend of ,,atic and ,dr4 ,j4 ,allen ,hynek1 science consultant1 determined beyond doubt that the objects had been plover4 ,the ,lubbock ,pictures ,the problem of the photographs remained4 ,in ,dayton1 ,air ,force experts studied the four available negatives4 ,the photographer had used a ,kodak #ce-mm4 camera1 lens at #c4e1 ,plus-,x film1 and an exposure time of #a_/aj second4 ,the negatives were badly scratched and dirty from much handling4 ,according to the photographer's story1 each flight of unknowns had moved from horizon to horizon in four to five seconds and had passed directly overhead2 he had 8panned0 his camera with the movement of the objects and had managed to snap two pictures during one flight and three during the next4 ,analysis yielded no suggestion that the negatives had been tampered with but they offered no clue to the background1 identity1 height1 distance1 or speed of the things shown4 ,the images themselves1 however1 aroused some doubts4 ,each frame showed twenty bright spots against a uniform dark background4 ,no trace of stars or starlight could be found1 although the sky that night had been clear and cloudless4 ,the spots showed evidence of slight motion during the exposure but the amount of blurring was amazingly slight1 considering the speed with which the photographer claimed to have moved his ,kodak4 ,professional cameramen tried repeatedly to duplicate the performance1 but failed4 ,the most successful try produced only two pictures1 badly blurred1 in four seconds4 ,the most crucial discrepancy between negatives and story1 however1 was revealed by the pattern of the spots1 which formed a flat ,v4 ,the orientation of the ,v was the same on all the negatives4 ,if the formation had actually passed directly overhead and the photographer had panned with it1 as he claimed1 then he must have taken all his pictures either as the lights approached him or as they receded4 ,if he had taken two successive pictures1 one as the formation approached and the next as it receded1 the ,v would have reversed position in the second picture--,v would have changed to --unless he had managed to stand on his head while taking the second picture4 ,and if he had actually taken all his pictures either as the lights approached or as they receded1 he had performed the incredible feat of obtaining two clear1 sharp photographs1 while panning1 in a mere two seconds4 ,although these facts suggested that the explanation given for the pictures was at least highly improbable1 ,air ,force experts refrained from labeling them frauds4 ,professional photographers can undoubtedly make various guesses as to how the pictures were made and the possible identity of the ,v of bright spots1 but proof is impossible4 ,in the ,air ,force files they remain in the category of ,unknowns4 ,other ,winged ,u,f,os ,during the era of the saucers1 winged creatures were responsible for many ,,ufo stories4 ,but winged creatures do not stay put1 and in flying away they usually take with them the evidence that the alleged spaceships were actually only birds or insects4 ,one such incident occurred at ,downey1 ,california1 on ,may #bi1 #aiea4 ,late in the afternoon three technical writers for ,north ,american ,aviation were standing outdoors chatting and looking at the sky when suddenly they noticed about thirty glowing1 meteorlike objects moving in the east1 about #de degrees above the horizon4 ,they made no sound and left no trail4 ,emitting an intense electric-blue light1 the objects made fantastic right-angled turns and swept across the sky in an undulating vertical formation1 apparently covering about #ij degrees of sky in about #be seconds4 ,the diameters of the objects were estimated at #cj feet and the speed at #agjj miles an hour,,vi-#aa4 ,many persons concluded that the unknowns must be interplanetary in origin because1 as ,life magazine commented1 no natural object hurtling at such a speed could execute a right-angled turn1 and no known machine could fly so fast without making a sound or leaving a trail4 ,no one could quarrel with this statement1 but it has no obvious relation to the incident in question4 ,technical writers are not necessarily trained observers1 and these witnesses had no way to make a reliable estimate of the height of the objects4 ,without an accurate estimate of at least one quantity--true altitude1 true size1 or true speed--the others are meaningless4 ,the unknowns were probably birds1 but they could equally well have been butterflies1 bits of paper1 or merely ashes blowing over the two-story building4 ,winged creatures sometimes avoid the interplanetary label only by staying in sight long enough to be examined4 ,about sundown on ,may #ai1 #aiee1 switchboards at police stations in the ,los ,angeles area were swamped by telephone calls reporting a fleet of silvery flying saucers1 changing formation with incredible speeds 8as if playing tag in the sky40 ,one witness1 however1 had the presence of mind to get out his binoculars and look at the objects2 they were birds with dark wing tips4 ,thinking they might be geese1 he called the ,state ,division of ,fish and ,game1 which identified the 8saucers0 as a flock of ,pelicanus erythrorhynchos1 an inland species of pelican that float on the prevailing wind currents,,vi-#ab4 ,sometimes an observer identifies such objects correctly1 but later begins to doubt his own judgment4 ,about #g3cj in the evening of ,august #bf1 #aief1 a man driving along a highway in ,california noticed a flock of about nine small birds flying northward1 dark against the blue sky4 ,in a random group1 they moved freely among themselves as birds do but continued in a northern direction4 ,the witness watched the birds as carefully as possible1 but the intermittent glimpses possible when a man is driving a car did not allow him to make good estimates of their size or height4 ,nevertheless1 he guessed at their distance and calculated that they covered an arc of #fj degrees in five seconds1 which would mean a speed of about #ajjj miles an hour4 ,instead of questioning the accuracy of his estimate1 for some reason he doubted his first identification4 ,if the objects could fly #ajjj miles an hour1 he reasoned1 then they were not birds after all1 and must be flying saucers6,,vi-#ac ,the ,tremonton ,movies ,one of the most famous controversies resulting from a flight of birds centered on the ,tremonton1 ,utah1 films of ,u,f,os4 ,on the morning of ,july #b1 #aieb1 a ,navy photographer and his family were on their way to ,california1 driving near the town of ,tremonton1 ,utah1 not far from the ,great ,salt ,lake4 ,at about #aa3aj ,a4,m4 the man's wife noticed something unusual in the sky4 ,stopping the car1 the man observed about a dozen shiny1 disklike objects 8milling around the sky in a rough formation40 ,getting out his movie camera1 a ,bell and ,howell #af-mm4 equipped with a #c-;inch telephoto lens1 he started photographing the group4 ,just before it disappeared toward the west1 one object left the main group and headed east4 ,the photographer obtained about forty feet of film before the objects vanished4 ,after developing the film1 he sent it to the ,air ,force for evaluation1 together with his opinion that the objects had been huge and had traveled at very high altitude at supersonic speeds4 ,this was only an impression1 however1 for as he told investigators from ,,atic3 8,there was no reference point in the sky and it was impossible for me to make any estimate of speed1 size1 altitude1 or distance40,,vi-#h ,the pictures are of such poor quality and show so little that even the most enthusiastic home-movie fan today would hesitate to show them to his friends4 ,only a stimulated imagination could suggest that the moving objects are anything but very badly photographed birds4 ,the movies show nothing that can be recognized--merely bright blurs of light moving at random4 ,their luminosity is not constant1 and the spots fade out and then become bright again4 ,the frames include no clouds1 no trees1 no house1 no hill--no known reference point by which to calculate the altitude1 size1 or distance of the moving lights4 ,after exhaustive study the photographic experts concluded that the negatives had not been tampered with and that1 unlike the ,lubbock stills1 the pictures had been made exactly as described4 ,but pictures of what8 ,the objects were not balloons and not planes4 ,at the time1 the experts also rejected the theory that they might be birds because1 in their mistaken opinion1 birds could not produce such bright reflections4 ,if the ,tremonton movies contained no proof that the objects were birds1 still less did they contain proof that they were round machines from outer space1 and ,,atic finally classified the sighting as 8,unknown40 ,later1 however1 ,captain ,ruppelt noted the strong resemblance to sea gulls he observed 8riding a thermal0 in the sky above ,san ,francisco4 ,they were 8so high that you couldn't see them until they banked just a certain way2 then they appeared to be a bright white flash1 much larger than one would expect from sea gulls40 ,,vi-#aj1 p4 #bij ,air ,force investigators later concluded that the famous ,tremonton movies show merely the large white gulls that soar near ,utah's ,great ,salt ,lake4 ,the objects were photographed shortly before noon on a hot summer's day1 against a deep-blue sky without any clouds to obscure the high sun4 ,the fading and brightening of the lights1 their individual motion within the group1 and the one object that suddenly left the group1 all are consistent with the behavior of a flock of birds1 probably gulls1 whose plumage is reflecting the sun4 ,the glossy feathers of these birds can flash as brilliantly as a satiny metal surface as they circle and change position with respect to the sun4 ,the birds can be dazzling against the clear1 dark-blue sky of the western states4 ,so brilliant is the flash that it wholly obscures the object that is reflecting the light4 ,like many other puzzling ,,ufo reports1 the objects in the ,tremonton movies were living lights--a case for the ornithologist rather than the ,air ,force4 ,a bright light moving erratically as it crossed and recrossed the field of view caused an experienced pilot and copilot to execute violent and evasive maneuvers in a flight over the dark ,pacific4,,vi-#ad ,the errant ,,ufo proved to be only a firefly inadvertently trapped between the panes of the double windshield4 ,,vi-#a ,rolfe1 ,f4 ,eastern ,daily ,press1 ,january #af1 #aijh4 ,,vi-#b ,purdy1 ,r4 ,j4 8,the occasional luminosity of the ,white ,owl 7,strix flammea710 ,transactions of the ,norfolk and ,norwich ,naturalists ,society1 ,vol4 ,,viii 7#aijd-aiji71 p4 #edg4 ,,vi-#c ,gurney1 ,j4 ,h4 ,the ,zoologist1 ,no4 #hjb 7,april #aijh71 p4 #aba4 ,,vi-#d ,boston ,traveller1 ,oct4 #cj1 #aifa4 ,,vi-#e ,london ,daily ,telegraph1 ,november #h1 #aieh4 ,,vi-#f ,maney1 ,c4 ,a41 and ,hall1 ,r4 ,the ,challenge of ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,washington1 ,d4,c41 #aifa4 ,,vi-#g ,ruppelt1 ,e4 ,j4 ,the ,report on ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,garden ,city1 ,n4,y43 ,doubleday ,co41 #aief4 ,,vi-#h ,air ,force ,files4 ,,vi-#i ,menzel1 ,d4 ,h4 ,personal files4 ,,vi-#aj ,ruppelt1 ,e4 ,j4 ,the ,report on ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,garden ,city1 ,n4,y43 ,doubleday ,co41 reprint1 #aifj4 ,,vi-#aa ,life magazine1 ,april #g1 #aieb4 ,,vi-#ab ,los ,angeles ,times1 ,may #ba1 #aiee4 ,,vi-#ac ,case #bja1 ,,crifo ,orbit1 ,vol4 ,,iii 7,oct4 #e1 #aief74 ,,vi-#ad ,major ,william ,t4 ,coleman4 ,personal communication4 ,chapter ,,vii ,,panic ,the summer of #aieb1 the period that ,captain ,ruppelt called 8the big flap10 offers a history of the ,,ufo mania in capsule form4 ,if the newspapers were to be believed1 the heavens were crowded with armadas of spaceships both visible and invisible4 ,there was even a monster story to add spice to the tales4 ,yet the panic was largely an artificial creation4 ,all spring the nation's movie-goers had been flocking to see a well-made thriller1 ,the ,day the ,earth ,stood ,still1 in which a mysterious glowing object appears in the sky over ,washington1 ,d4,c41 and lands in the middle of the city4 ,the object proves to be a flying saucer from another planet1 whose inhabitants want only to help the human race4 ,looking something like a huge poached egg1 a hump in the center sloping down to a circular rim1 the pictured vehicle offered a dramatic example to anyone in the mood to see a spaceship but not quite sure how it should look4 ,in fact1 many of the saucers described in the months and years following were obviously based on this model4 ,the summer's hysteria was also nurtured by the fears of some ,air ,force investigators who were convinced that ,u,f,os were intelligently controlled craft originating outside the earth,,vii-#a1 p4 #bhf4 ,although these officials realized that whenever an unusually good saucer story appeared in the papers the number of sightings increased sharply in the days following1 they apparently did not consider the possibility that the increase resulted from the power of suggestion4 ,this apprehensive attitude1 plus three publications in the spring of #aieb1 made the summer's panic almost inevitable4 ,growth of a ,panic ,on ,april #d ,life magazine published an article whose title might well have alarmed the most stolid3 8,have ,we ,visitors from ,outer ,space80 ,presenting ten 8insoluble0 cases1 the article managed to suggest without exactly saying so that interplanetary visitors were among us4 ,the very next day1 ,april #e1 the ,air ,force announced a new directive1 ordering the commanding officers of all ,air ,force installations to make immediate1 high-priority reports of all ,,ufo sightings in their areas,,vii-#a1 p4 #agh4 ,reasonably inferring from the ,life article and from the new directive that ,defense officials were concerned by the threat of ,u,f,os1 newspapers gave space to all tales of flying saucers4 ,look magazine then jumped on the bandwagon and on ,june #bd published an article1 8,hunt for the ,flying ,saucers60 ,the public responded enthusiastically4 ,hypnotized by the prestige of these magazines1 whose saucer articles seemed to have the support of the ,air ,force1 thousands of well-intentioned but poorly equipped observers joined in the hunt1 watched the skies1 and began to cry 8,tally-ho60 at every streak of light4 ,nature cooperated4 ,as in every summer1 she offered a rich display of regular meteor showers4 ,by mid-,july ,aquarids in large numbers are streaking through the sky1 to continue into mid-,august1 and by the beginning of ,august the ,perseids have arrived to join the summer's parade4 ,the records of the ,american ,meteor ,society reflect this rise in the number of meteors4 ,in the nights from ,july #aj to #ca1 #aieb1 five observers stationed in ,california1 ,oregon1 ,missouri1 ,iowa1 and ,long ,island1 ,new ,york1 counted a total of more than #bjjj meteors in some eighty-five hours of watching4 ,the smallest number reported by a single observer in any one hour was nine2 the highest was fifty,,vii-#b4 ,nature not only offered dramatic fireworks in the sky2 she also produced exactly the right conditions for viewing them4 ,during ,june and ,july an unprecedented heat wave lay over the entire ,east1 driving sweltering citizens out of doors to savor the relative coolness of the night air4 ,furthermore1 the nights were dark4 ,the moon began to wane on ,july #g1 and until nearly the end of the month there was little moonlight to dim the brilliance of the meteors flashing through the heavens4 ,no wonder that frightened people hunting for saucers should have had so little trouble finding them1 when the sky seemed to be teeming with ,u,f,os4 ,by the middle of ,july the nine-man investigating force at ,,atic was all but buried in saucer reports--more than forty a day1 far too many to handle either promptly or adequately4 ,only a very lengthy history of the saucer era could describe and account for each one of the hundreds of ,u,f,os reported during those weeks4 ,a few of the most publicized incidents are listed here3 ,july #b4 ,a group of ,u,f,os photographed with a movie camera near ,tremonton1 ,utah 7p4 #acj74 ,july #e4 ,a ,,ufo reported over an atomic plant at ,hanford1 ,washington4 7,a ,skyhook balloon47,,vii-#a1 p4 #bjc ,july #g4 ,flying saucer reported by hundreds of persons in the ,pacific ,northwest4 7,this spectacular daytime meteor was visible for a distance of #ejj miles on either side of its path and was reported from ,washington1 ,idaho1 ,montana1 ,oregon1 ,california1 ,nevada1 ,utah1 and ,wyoming4 ,it made no sound and was so brilliant that observers called it the 8,sunshine ,fireball407,,vii-#c ,july #ab4 ,a flying saucer1 glowing blue-white1 was reported over ,indiana4 7,another fine meteor47,,vii-#a1 p4 #bjc ,july #ac-ah4 ,flying saucers reported from all states in the ,union4 7,observers for the ,american ,meteor ,society counted an average of fifteen meteors per hour on those nights47 ,july #ad4 ,a group of saucers over ,chesapeake ,bay and ,norfolk1 ,virginia 7p4 #bef74 ,july #af4 ,saucers photographed by ,coast ,guardsman1 ,salem1 ,massachusetts 7p4 #abb74 ,the sighting hysteria was approaching the critical mass1 and no special wisdom was required to see that an explosion was inevitable4 ,the only question was3 ,where would it occur8 ,the panic finally reached its climax in the nation's capital3 ,july #ai4 ,flying saucers 7invisible7 invade ,washington1 ,d4,c4 7,see ,chapter ,,viii47 ,july #bf4 ,saucers again invade ,washington 7p4 #aee74 ,july #bg4 ,saucers over ,manhattan ,beach1 ,california 7p4 #di74 ,july #bi4 ,saucers over ,port ,huron1 ,michigan 7p4 #afj74 ,august #a4 ,saucer over ,bellefontaine1 ,ohio 7p4 #afb74 ,most of these and hundreds of other ,u,f,os were eventually identified as meteors1 stars1 balloons1 jet planes1 birds1 searchlights1 and radar angels4 ,about the only aerial phenomenon that was not mistaken for a flying saucer during these weeks of panic was the planet ,venus4 ,until the end of ,august it was too near the sun to be visible4 ,the ,scoutmaster's ,,ufo ,true to the pattern set during #aidg1 the first summer of the saucers1 the panic of #aieb did not end without an elaborate hoax and a good monster story4 ,the famous 8,scoutmaster0 incident occurred at ,west ,palm ,beach1 ,florida1 on the night of ,august #ai,,vii-#a1 p4 #bbi4 ,according to the report given the ,intelligence officer at the local air base1 the scoutmaster 7an ex-,marine7 had offered to drive four of the boys to their homes at the close of the evening's meeting4 ,while traveling over a country road bordered by scrub pine and palmetto thickets1 he had noticed some mysterious lights among the pines and decided he must investigate4 ,leaving the frightened boys in the car with instructions to go for help if he had not returned in fifteen minutes1 he took his machete and two flashlights and bravely set off into the dangerous woods4 ,he was found some time later by the boys1 the constable1 and the deputy sheriff1 and was apparently terrified4 ,when he entered the woods1 he said1 he noticed a peculiar odor and felt an oppressive sensation of heat4 ,on looking up1 he saw hovering above him a dark circular object with a turretlike dome in the middle1 so large that it blotted out most of the sky4 ,when he went closer1 a door opened1 a ball of fire emerged and drifted toward him1 enveloped him1 and rendered him unconscious4 ,he called on the boys to confirm the presence of the strange lights and the huge machine1 and as further proof he exhibited burns in his cap and on his face and arms4 ,since scoutmasters are traditionally upright citizens1 the story seemed to merit attention4 ,investigators from ,,atic visited the scene1 interviewed all persons concerned1 and sent the cap and the machete to ,dayton for analysis4 ,very soon1 however1 the drama began to fall apart4 ,the scoutmaster1 after being interviewed by ,air ,force investigators1 assumed an aura of mystery and stated publicly that he had been warned not to talk4 ,at the same time he hired a press agent and offered to sell his story to the newspapers4 ,a study of the landscape showed that the boys could not have seen any 8machine0 from the road4 ,the townspeople did not consider the woods dangerous4 ,aircraft preparing to land at the airport regularly flew over the area in question with their landing lights on2 to a person on the road1 the lights might seem to be flitting through the woods4 ,furthermore the study showed that the scene had been set in advance for a frightening incident4 ,as they drove along the lonely road1 the scoutmaster had been talking about flying saucers and1 after he stopped the car1 had warned the boys that they might need to go for help4 ,the man's reputation for veracity1 too1 began to melt away1 and one townsman remarked that if the scoutmaster claimed that the sun was shining1 he'd look up to see for himself before accepting the statement4 ,the knife and cap showed no radioactivity4 ,the laboratory report from the ,federal ,bureau of ,investigation showed that the burn on the cap was made by a cigarette1 and the 8burns0 on the hand and arm proved to be only superficial scorching of the hair and could easily have been produced by the flame of a kitchen match4 ,this investigation cost the usual amount of time and money1 but it was unquestionably a hoax,,vii-#d4 ,monster in ,west ,virginia ,the final incident in the summer's panic occurred on the evening of ,september #ab when a family group near the town of ,sutton1 ,west ,virginia1 saw a flaming object flash across the sky and apparently land on a nearby hill4 ,taking their flashlights1 they set out to investigate and1 on reaching the hill1 smelled an unpleasant odor4 ,when they turned on their flashlights1 they stated1 they saw two red eyes glaring at them2 a huge monster1 ten feet tall1 breathing fire1 with a bright-green body and a blood-red face1 waddled toward them1 and they turned and ran,,vii-#e4 ,air ,force investigators concluded immediately that the flaming object first seen was the meteor observed that night by thousands of persons in ,virginia and ,west ,virginia and reported officially to various observatories4 ,what the frightened family saw when they reached the hilltop and flashed the light was probably the glowing eyes or body of some mundane creature of the woods4 ,a local group of civilian saucer investigators rejected this explanation1 as usual1 and after making its own study concluded that the monster story could very well have been true6 ,the monster is now enshrined in ,west ,virginia history,,vii-#e1 and forms the subject of a new ballad written by ,cindy ,coy and set to the tune of 8,sweet ,betsy from ,pike40 ,one verse and the chorus will suffice3 ,the size of the phantom was a sight to behold1 ,green eyes and red face1 so the story was told4 ,it floated in air with fingers of flame4 ,it was gone with a hiss just as quick as it came4 ,chorus3 ,oh1 ,phantom of ,flatwoods1 from ,moon or from ,mars1 ,maybe from ,god and not from the stars1 ,please tell us why you fly o'er our trees ,the end of the world or an omen of peace8 ,the ,panel of ,civilian ,scientists ,when after three months of constant threat no flying saucers had yet tried to invade the country1 the acute phase of the panic subsided4 ,nevertheless1 responsible officials in the ,department of ,defense were uneasy1 and ,air ,defense was particularly worried by the problem of the radar phantoms1 whose cause was not fully understood 7see ,chapter ,,viii74 ,even if ,u,f,os proved to be normal phenomena1 other very real dangers existed in the situation4 ,if the public believed in the possibility of extraterrestrial antagonists1 a clever enemy on earth simply by fabricating a few incidents could easily induce a mass hysteria that might paralyze the country4 ,also1 if the number of saucer reports should be greatly multiplied by some artificial stimulus1 their sheer numbers would clog communication channels1 interfere with the ,early ,warning ,system1 and at a time of imminent attack from another part of the globe might cause a disastrous three- or four-hour delay in the activation of the ,air ,force network4 ,government officials1 uncertain of the facts1 were reluctant to decide or to state whether there was or was not convincing evidence of extraterrestrial surveillance4 ,to clear up the potentially explosive atmosphere1 the ,office of ,scientific ,intelligence 7,,osi71 under the ,central ,intelligence ,agency1 decided to consult outstanding civilian experts and invited certain eminent scientists to study and evaluate the evidence4 ,for this purpose ,air ,force investigators assembled the complete data on the cases they considered most significant4 ,they also prepared1 on their own initiative1 an unofficial report setting forth the evidence which1 in the opinion of several investigators1 proved conclusively that ,u,f,os were interplanetary objects operating under intelligent control4 ,after a preliminary meeting late in ,november #aieb1 the panel met on ,january #ab1 #aiec1 to begin their study4 ,the chairman was the late ,dr4 ,h4 ,p4 ,robertson1 mathematician and physicist1 of the ,california ,institute of ,technology at ,pasadena4 ,the other members were ,dr4 ,luis ,w4 ,alvarez1 physicist1 of the ,university of ,california at ,berkeley2 ,dr4 ,lloyd ,v4 ,berkner1 an expert on radio propagation2 ,dr4 ,samuel ,a4 ,goudsmit1 physicist1 of ,brookhaven ,national ,laboratory2 and ,dr4 ,thornton ,w4 ,page1 astronomer1 of ,johns ,hopkins ,university1 ,baltimore4 ,also present were several officers of the ,,osi4 ,to avoid possible bias1 ,air ,force officers who had actively worked on ,,ufo cases and civilians who were closely identified with such studies were not asked to attend4 ,the cases studied included all the 8classics10 such as the ,tremonton and other movies1 the ,mantell and ,gorman affairs1 the radar sightings at ,washington1 ,d4,c41 as well as other less well-known reports4 ,one incident that particularly engaged the attention of the panel1 and would probably have become a famous classic except that ,air ,force investigators had kept it a strict secret1 was the sighting at ,presque ,isle ,air ,force ,base in northern ,maine4 ,on ,october #aj1 #aieb1 at about #aj ,p4,m4 ,e4,s4,t41 a group of weather observers had noticed a bright-orange object hovering low on the eastern horizon and had set up a theodolite to measure its altitude and bearing4 ,as the glowing unknown slowly rose higher above the horizon and seemed to come closer1 it appeared through the telescope of the theodolite as a circular disk accompanied by four flickering green lights1 two on each side4 ,alarmed by this spectacular phenomenon1 the observers called the ,air ,force ,base at ,limestone1 some twenty miles north and east1 to ask whether the object was visible there4 ,it was4 ,setting up a theodolite1 the ,limestone observers measured the height and bearing1 and both groups of observers sent the recorded data to ,,atic4 ,illustration3 ,figure #ab;a4 ,the ,presque ,isle sighting from two stations2 the erroneous determination of ,north at ,limestone seems to indicate a nearby ,,ufo4 ,here was the kind of situation the investigators had been hoping for3 simultaneous observations of a single object1 made from two different stations a known distance apart4 ,calculations based on the altitudes and bearings reported by the two stations yielded fantastic results4 ,in a plot of the data 7shown schematically in ,figure #ab;a7 the prolonged lines intersected1 indicating a group of unknowns hovering #ajj miles above the earth and more than #ej miles off the ,maine coast1 of tremendous size and moving at high speed4 ,concluding that the objects must have come from outer space1 or were possibly a new type of orbiting vehicle of ,russian origin1 the ,air ,force had promptly clamped down the security lid4 ,when ,,atic's science consultant1 ,dr4 ,j4 ,allen ,hynek1 looked at the data1 he just as promptly disagreed with these ideas and clearly identified the unknown as the planet ,jupiter1 which had risen at #f3jc ,p4,m4 ,e4,s4,t4 and at #aj3jj was the brightest object in the eastern sky4 ,the believers in the extraterrestrial theory were then in the majority at ,,atic1 however4 ,they had refused to accept the identification1 and submitted the ,presque ,isle sighting to the panel as a prize example of ,,ufo surveillance4 ,illustration3 ,figure #ab;b4 ,the ,presque ,isle sighting from two stations2 the corrected determination of ,north indicates ,jupiter at infinity4 ,the panel members quickly disposed of the case4 ,the measurements reported from ,presque ,isle obviously pointed directly to the planet ,jupiter1 not a mere #ajj but millions of miles beyond the earth4 ,if a constant correction was applied to the bearings from ,limestone1 they also agreed with ,jupiter's position4 ,careless use of the theodolite had produced an error in the data4 ,to measure the angle of an object above the horizon1 the observer has only to make sure that the theodolite is level1 but to measure the bearing he must align it with true north1 a direction that cannot be determined by guesswork4 ,the ,limestone observers had made a mistake in determining true north and had thus obtained a wrong bearing for the unknown4 ,when the corrected data were plotted 7shown schematically in ,figure #ab;b7 the prolonged lines were parallel1 and both pointed squarely to the planet ,jupiter at infinity4 ,the orange light was unquestionably ,jupiter1 and the accompanying green lights were its four bright satellites twinkling through the layers of the earth's atmosphere4 ,amazed that this uncomplicated case1 already explained by ,dr4 ,hynek1 should have been offered as evidence for the extraterrestrial origin of ,u,f,os1 the panel extended its investigation to the original observers at ,presque ,isle4 ,the witnesses there were bewildered by the inquiry2 they had checked the object when it appeared again on the night of ,october #aa1 they said1 and had then identified it as the planet ,jupiter1 but they had not thought it necessary to notify the ,air ,force6,,vii-#d ,for five long days the panel worked1 analyzing every available bit of evidence as it related to four alternative theories3 #a7 that ,u,f,os were a supersecret device of some sort being developed by the ,united ,states2 #b7 that ,u,f,os were a supersecret device being developed by some foreign power2 #c7 that ,u,f,os were normal phenomena wrongly interpreted2 and #d7 that ,u,f,os came from other planets4 ,as the panel succeeded in explaining one after another of the fifty or so submitted cases1 or was able to suggest a highly probable solution in terms of normal physical phenomena1 the members reached their conclusion4 ,theory number one they rejected with complete certainty2 they were #ih per cent certain that theory number two was wrong1 and #ii per cent sure that number four was also incorrect 7scientists are reluctant to accept any negative belief with absolute certainty74 ,the document submitted unofficially by ,,atic investigators they also rejected for lack of evidence4 ,all the facts1 they decided1 supported theory number three1 that the reported ,u,f,os were merely natural phenomena1 wrongly interpreted,,vii-#f4 ,the panel delivered this evaluation to the ,office of ,scientific ,intelligence1 together with a recommendation that government agencies should immediately abandon the policy of secrecy regarding ,,ufo reports and should make public all the facts in every case4 ,unfortunately this recommendation was not followed4 ,the report included some rather caustic comments on the general inadequacy of the investigative techniques that had been used4 ,as one of the members remarked unofficially1 trying to get to the bottom of some of the sightings was like cutting treacle4 ,the panel report with its blunt criticisms was of course not intended for public release and1 understandably1 was kept classified4 ,although the ,,osi had asked for an expert opinion1 some ,air ,force and government officials were unwilling to accept the verdict when they got it1 and flatly refused to believe that ,u,f,os were normal phenomena,,vii-#g4 ,when echoes of their disagreement escaped the security screen1 civilian saucer enthusiasts concluded with some justification that ,air ,force officials were 8covering up40 ,they were4 ,they were not hiding any proof that flying saucers came from outer space1 however1 as the saucer addicts charged1 but were merely trying to conceal their own confusion and the panel's criticisms4 ,as one member of the panel later stated to a correspondent1 the explanation of ,,ufo beliefs 8lies in a logical defect4 ,it is this3 ,u,f,os form a class of all celestial observations that cannot be immediately explained4 ,there is no other truly common feature2 some manifestations are optical1 others are detected by radar2 some are points1 others circular1 others patterned2 some are seen by night1 others by day1 etc4 ,the implication that they are somehow related is a false one1 as we know from the large proportion positively identified after the fact 7what relation is there between ,venus and a meteorological balloon874 ,calling all unidentified objects in the sky #8flying saucers' or even ,u,f,os 7,venus doesn't #8fly' in any proper sense of the word7 is like calling any word ,i cannot understand #8,greek4' ,the class of all words ,i cannot understand would scarcely form a single language4 ,therefore1 the explanation of ,u,f,os as a class is simply that they are not a uniform class but a hodge-podge of widely disparate1 partly described phenomena that were seen in the sky40,,vii-#h ,not until ,april #i1 #aieh1 did the ,air ,force make public the internal recommendation made by the panel some five years earlier4 ,if the entire study had been released earlier1 with a full statement of the facts and the analyses made by the panel1 it might have ended the saucer scare at once4 ,instead the ,,ufo hysteria continued1 with periods of remission1 and is still dying a slow and lingering death4 ,,vii-#a ,ruppelt1 ,e4 ,j4 ,the ,report on ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,garden ,city1 ,n4,y43 ,doubleday ,co41 #aief4 ,,vii-#b ,olivier1 ,c4 ,p4 8,tables of ,hourly ,rates ,based upon ,american ,meteor ,society ,data40 ,interim ,report ,no4 #bh1 ,harvard ,university ,radio ,meteor ,research ,program 7,may #aieh74 ,,vii-#c ,sky and ,telescope1 ,vol4 ,,xi 7#aieb71 p4 #cab4 ,,vii-#d ,air ,force ,files4 ,,vii-#e ,barker1 ,g4 ,they ,knew ,too ,much about ,flying ,saucers4 ,new ,york3 ,university ,books1 ,inc41 #aief4 ,,vii-#f ,robertson1 ,h4 ,p4 ,personal files4 ,,vii-#g ,chop1 ,a4 ,m4 ,personal communication4 ,,vii-#h ,page1 ,t4 ,w4 ,personal files4 ,chapter ,,viii ,,phantoms ,,on ,,radar ,the evidence of radar1 according to the saucer enthusiasts1 provides final proof that alien spaceships indeed patrol our skies4 ,because radar is an electronic device1 it allegedly cannot be fooled by mirages1 reflections1 or peculiar weather conditions4 ,if radar records an echo from an unidentified object and1 at about the same time1 a human witness reports a puzzling light in the sky1 the believers proclaim that the unprejudiced testimony of science has confirmed the presence of a solid flying saucer4 ,sometimes a radarscope reports unidentified objects at a time when observers on the ground and in search planes cannot see anything unusual in the sky4 ,the believers then conclude not that radar evidence can be misinterpreted1 but that the operators of the flying saucers may somehow be able to make both themselves and their ships invisible6,,viii-#a ,radar as a ,reporter ,any ,,ufo investigator who presumes to evaluate electronic evidence should have much more than an amateur's knowledge of the nature and behavior of radar4 ,correct interpretation of the signals requires training1 experience1 skill1 and an expert's acquaintance with the peculiarities of the set under varying conditions4 ,but even the expert does not yet understand the causes of all the phenomena that can appear4 ,he is limited by our still incomplete knowledge of dynamic meteorology--precise information about the composition of the atmosphere and how it interacts with microwaves4 ,with proper instrumentation and first-rate operators1 radar can correctly report the approximate direction1 distance1 altitude1 and rate of motion of objects within its range4 ,if the returns are misinterpreted1 however1 radar can seem to give false reports4 ,illustration3 ,figure #ac4 ,schematic view of radar targets on successive sweeps of the antenna4 ,radar is not a ,,tv camera or a photographic lens4 ,it does not1 at least at present1 produce a picture of the physical appearance1 shape1 size1 or color of the thing it detects4 ,the scope shows only tiny spots of light on the flat surface of a screen4 ,a pointer something like a clock hand continually sweeps around the dial at a given speed4 ,a complete rotation may take from two to fifteen seconds1 depending on the type of the set4 ,this sweep hand keeps pace with the rotation of the radar antenna as it scans the sky by sending out radio pulses4 ,when they encounter a solid object1 they bounce off and return to the set as echoes which show as 8blips10 or spots of light1 on the radarscope4 ,the operator must interpret these spots and try to identify them as planes1 helicopters1 balloons1 ships1 mountains1 clouds1 birds1 storms1 hurricanes1 or phantom echoes of various kinds4 ,safe commercial flying depends on the accuracy of these identifications1 as does the security of the country in periods of international tension4 ,radar only reports4 ,it does not interpret4 ,if the sweep hand on successive rotations shows a spot of light apparently moving from position ,a to position ,b1 to ,c1 to ,d1 the operator generally concludes that the blips represent a single object that is moving at a certain speed in a certain direction 7see ,figure #ac74 ,if successive sweeps show a spot of light that remains at position ,a1 he usually concludes that it represents a stationary object4 ,if the blip moves a very great distance in the interval between two sweeps or seems to jump erratically from one position to another1 an amateur might interpret it as a spacecraft flying at incredible velocity--a flying saucer4 ,but an expert would probably conclude1 especially under certain weather conditions1 that the scope was picking up echoes from two or more separate objects1 one reflecting briefly at position ,a1 another at position ,b1 and so on4 ,the ,principle of ,radar ,radar is an electronic assembly far too complex for detailed description here1 but its basic principle is simple4 ,it is merely an echo machine that reflects radio waves instead of sound waves4 ,to illustrate by a rough analogy1 let us imagine that a man is standing in the middle of an open field on a very dark night4 ,he wants to find out something of the contours of the surrounding country but his only tools are a compass1 a watch with luminous dial and hands1 and a large megaphone4 ,he raises the megaphone to his lips1 points it directly north1 and gives a sharp and piercing call3 8,hi60 ,he now cups his hand to his ear and listens for an echo4 ,hearing no reply1 he deduces that in the north there are no hills1 tall buildings1 or other obstructions that might have produced an echo4 ,changing his position1 he turns to the east and tries the experiment again4 ,after an interval his call returns as a faint echo3 8,hi60 ,the time elapsed between call and echo1 according to his watch1 is ten seconds4 ,his call has taken five seconds to reach the object and five seconds more to return4 ,since he knows that sound travels at the rate of about #ajjj feet a second1 he deduces that an obstruction lies in the east1 about #ejjj feet away4 ,slowly changing position1 he repeats his call at various points around the compass4 ,some echoes take longer to return than others1 indicating more distant objects4 ,other echoes come back in a fraction of a second1 showing an object very close4 ,thus he gradually constructs a mental map of the surrounding terrain4 ,radar detects and locates objects in a similar way1 by reflecting sharp pulses of radio waves4 ,but spurious echoes1 which sometimes deceive the operator1 can also appear on the scope4 ,these 8anomalous0 or abnormal returns may have one of several causes1 including the nature of the radar mechanism itself4 ,to help explain this1 let us go back to our analogy of the man in the open field4 ,let us suppose that the man has mechanized his device4 ,to ease the strain on his vocal cords1 he has built a megaphone with a record-playing device4 ,the megaphone rotates automatically and sends out a recorded 8,hi60 once every twenty seconds1 as regular as clockwork4 ,to increase the sensitivity of his hearing1 he wears ear trumpets that point in the same direction as the megaphone4 ,this procedure is more effective than cupping his ears and eliminates some of the extraneous noise that might come in from the rear and the sides4 ,with this improved equipment the man now repeats his experiment4 ,as before1 he gets no signal from the north4 ,when he turns to the east he gets an echo after ten seconds1 just as he did during his first experiment4 ,as he continues to turn slowly1 like a minute hand on a clock dial1 he mentally maps the positions of the echoes as distances along the hand from the center of the dial1 and compares this new map with the crude one he constructed earlier4 ,basically the two agree4 ,but wait6 ,from the southwest he hears a new echo that did not occur in his earlier experiment4 ,it returns after two seconds and thus apparently comes from an obstruction #ajjj feet away4 ,puzzled1 the man decides to walk toward the object and check his observation4 ,after he has covered half the distance he stops1 sends out a call1 and listens for the echo4 ,the indicated distance to the echo-producing object is now #ejj feet1 just as he calculated4 ,and so he goes on1 checking at intervals4 ,when he has covered #iij feet he knows that he should reach the obstruction at any moment and to avoid colliding with it in the darkness he proceeds with extreme caution--#iie1 #iif1 #iig1 #iih1 #iii feet4 ,he puts out his hand1 expecting to touch a building or a stone wall1 and warily takes the last step4 ,but he finds no structure of any kind1 merely level ground4 ,and at the same moment he finds to his astonishment that he can no longer detect the echoes he had been following4 ,what has happened8 ,has his equipment been malfunctioning8 ,or was the unknown structure perhaps a vehicle from outer space that waited until he was practically touching it and then rose silently in an enormous burst of speed and vanished8 ,the man checks and finds that his equipment is functioning perfectly1 since he can still pick up echoes from the terrain he had mapped earlier4 ,he then walks back ten feet and listens once more for an echo from the phantom structure4 ,again he gets a signal1 apparently from an obstruction just ten feet ahead4 ,has the mysterious object suddenly returned8 ,but how could it have done so without disturbing the atmosphere or making a noise8 ,by this time our man is frightened as well as puzzled1 but he boldly decides to make one more experiment4 ,he walks again to the point where the obstruction should be4 ,signaling again to the southwest1 he now gets a faint echo apparently from a distance of #aj1jjj feet4 ,tired as he is1 he starts walking toward this new obstruction and eventually reaches his goal4 ,he now finds the true source of the returns--a high hill that rises abruptly from the plain4 ,the hill is #aj1jjj feet away from the position indicated by the original series of echoes1 and #aa1jjj feet away from the place he stood when he first sent out the signals4 ,finally the man figures out the explanation4 ,when he made his first experiment1 with primitive equipment1 he had given one sharp shout and then waited for a long time for the signal to return2 thus there was never any uncertainty about the source of the echo4 ,the time that elapsed between shout and return had clearly indicated the distance of the echo-producing object4 ,but the improved automatic equipment of the second experiment produced a train of signals going out continuously at regular intervals1 twenty seconds apart4 ,therefore when the sound waves encountered a definite object1 a train of echoes began coming back1 twenty seconds apart4 ,an object at a distance of #aj1jjj feet would return an echo in twenty seconds2 another object at a distance of #aa1jjj feet would return an echo in twenty-two seconds4 ,but an echo from this second object would reach the listener at exactly the same time as an echo from an object only #ajjj feet away4 ,he now understands why he seemed to detect a structure at a distance of #ajjj feet which disappeared as he approached and then reappeared #aj1jjj feet farther away4 ,in fact1 the object that returned the misinterpreted echo could have been #bj1jjj or #cj1jjj or #dj1jjj feet farther away--any multiple of #aj1jjj feet4 ,large numbers of signals were returning every twenty seconds4 ,the man had no way of deciding for certain whether a particular echo came from the most recent signal and therefore indicated a relatively close object1 or whether it came from an earlier signal and therefore from a more distant object4 ,broadening his experiment our man eventually learned other characteristics of these echoes4 ,he found that on the average day he was rarely plagued by this uncertainty in identifying the returns4 ,the second-round echoes were very weak1 almost undetectable1 and therefore caused no major problem4 ,but on other days1 under different weather conditions1 sound tended to travel long distances without losing much in intensity4 ,on such days the echoes were often confusing4 ,weather and ,radar ,echoes ,radar is an echo machine that reflects radio waves instead of sound waves4 ,instead of traveling at the speed of sound1 about #ajjj feet a second1 radio waves travel at the velocity of light1 #ahf1jjj miles a second4 ,successive pulses go out at very short intervals1 perhaps one one-thousandth of a second apart1 so that each pulse is followed by another just #ahf miles behind it4 ,if the operator gets a return from an object that is apparently at a distance of #be miles1 he must sometimes allow for the possibility that he is getting a secondary echo and that the actual distance may be different4 ,the object that produces the echo may be at a distance of #be plus #ahf miles1 or #be plus twice #ahf miles1 or #be plus any other whole-number multiple of #ahf miles4 ,under ordinary circumstances1 the reflections from very distant targets rarely confuse the operator4 ,the curvature of the earth tends to shield the radiation1 and the distance factor alone reduces the intensity to a negligible value4 ,but weather can cause peculiar returns4 ,a layer of warm air above cooler air at the earth's surface has much the same effect on radio waves that it has on light waves4 ,a temperature inversion can produce radar 8mirages0--commonly called 8phantoms10 8ghosts10 or 8angels40 ,relatively small amounts of warm air1 even mere warm bubbles in a layer of colder air1 will suffice4 ,when the scope records a series of blips1 the operator ordinarily assumes that all are returns from a single object4 ,if inversions of temperature or humidity exist in the atmosphere1 however1 the series of returns may represent several different ground objects rather than a single object in the sky4 ,since these inversion layers do not remain fixed but move1 change1 and shimmer1 on one sweep the radar may reflect one ground object and on the next sweep some fifteen seconds later may reflect a totally different ground object five or six miles away from the first4 ,an inexperienced operator might conclude1 wrongly1 that both echoes came from a single object that had traveled five miles in a fraction of a minute 7see ,figure #ad74 ,similar mistakes in identity have caused many reports of radar flying saucers4 ,illustration3 ,figure #ad4 ,deflection of radar beams by temperature inversion4 ,top1 radar picks up ground target4 ,bottom1 on next sweep1 radar picks up different ground target1 which seems to indicate a fast-moving ,,ufo4 ,such a radar incident occurred at one of our defense installations in ,alaska early in the morning of ,january #bb1 #aieb,,viii-#b4 ,shortly after midnight a bright target appeared on the radarscope1 moving down from the northeast1 fairly high1 and apparently traveling at about #aejj miles an hour4 ,unidentified targets require particularly prompt investigation in this sensitive area so close to ,siberia4 ,within minutes an ,f-#id jet was moving in from a fighter base #ajj miles to the south2 two other jets were scrambled at intervals and vectored in toward the unknown target by ground radar4 ,when radar switched to short range1 however1 it always lost both the target and the pursuit plane1 even though both were close to the radar site4 ,the first jet could find nothing in the air1 and no echoes appeared on its radar4 ,the second jet saw nothing in the air1 but its radar recorded a brief1 weak echo to the right at about #bh1jjj feet4 ,the echo faded immediately1 returned briefly1 and then disappeared as the jet closed in4 ,the third jet1 after cruising the area for ten minutes without detecting anything visually or on radar1 suddenly got a strong radar return from an apparently stationary target just as it passed over the ground radar site4 ,the pilot made three direct runs on the unknown4 ,each time he broke off the intercept when he got within #bjj yards of the target position as shown on his radar1 for fear of collision4 ,at no time did he see anything at the supposed location of the target4 7,this experience is somewhat analogous to that of our man who used echoing sound waves to locate a solid structure only to find1 on reaching the indicated spot1 that the structure was not there47 ,captain ,roy ,james1 chief of the radar section of ,,atic1 examined all the data and the scanty weather reports then available for this ,alaskan area1 and concluded that the targets were ghost returns probably from the ground1 caused by peculiar atmospheric conditions--the same conditions that had interfered with normal operation of the ground radar4 ,although ground structures are scarce in that part of ,alaska1 they do exist1 and so do mountains4 ,the analysis was undoubtedly correct1 even though knowledge of the location and movement of the temperature inversion was too imprecise for the analyst to plot and locate the true target that produced the reflections,,viii-#c1 p4 #afg4 ,some of the nation's most brilliant physicists have carried out fundamental research into the behavior of microwaves under varying conditions4 ,the technical nature of these investigations makes them difficult to describe in ordinary language1 but they provide vital information for the expert4 ,one such study has specifically attacked the problem of radar images that perform rapid and erratic maneuvers at close range and seem to overtake1 fly parallel with1 or almost collide with the pursuing aircraft4 ,such returns may be caused by the 8non-isotropic secondary scattering of energy0 7that is1 the radio waves are not reflected in a uniform manner7 from an airplane to a ground object1 or from ground object to plane4 ,under appropriate weather conditions the plane itself causes the puzzling echoes1 so that the velocity and movement of the radar 8saucer0 depend directly on those of the plane4 ,when the aircraft is the first of the two scatterers1 the radar saucer always appears at the same bearing as the plane1 and is always farther away from the detecting radar than is the plane4 ,thus the path of the phantom always lies outside the path of the aircraft1 and when the jet performs a #cfj-;degree turn1 the phantom also turns1 on an outside path4 ,however1 if the jet happens to fly directly over the ground object that is reflecting the energy1 then the observing radar will see the images of the jet and the phantom flying on what seems to be a collision course4 ,conversely1 when the ground object is the first of the two scatterers1 the saucer phantom always occurs at the same bearing as the ground object1 and the distance to the phantom is always greater than to the ground object4 ,if the aircraft crosses the radial line from radar to ground object1 at a range exceeding the range to the object1 then the echoes from plane and saucer almost merge at the point of crossing1 in a 8near collision40 ,but if the plane flies 8this side0 of the object1 then the plane and saucer will never be closer together than the distance between plane and ground object at the point of crossing4 ,a height-finding radar1 trained on the pursuing plane1 would show the phantom saucer apparently diving toward or climbing away from the plane1 attacking and retreating at very high velocities,,viii-#d4 ,the ,kinross ,case ,some such mechanism probably explains the radar returns reported in the ,kinross case1 which some saucer publications cite as a proved instance in which a flying saucer attacked a plane4 ,on the night of ,november #bc1 #aiec1 an ,air ,force jet was scrambled from ,kinross ,air ,force ,base1 ,michigan1 to intercept an unidentified plane observed on radar4 ,the jet successfully accomplished its mission and identified the unknown as a ,dakota1 a ,canadian ,c-#dg4 ,on its return to the base1 however1 the ,air ,force jet crashed into ,lake ,michigan and1 as often happens when a plane crashes into deep water and the exact place of the crash is not known1 no wreckage was ever found4 ,as the ground radar at ,kinross had tracked the returning jet1 the scope had picked up a phantom echo in the neighborhood of the jet2 the two blips had seemed to merge just as both went off the scope4 ,since the crash was not reported as a ,,ufo incident and did not involve any question of unidentified flying objects1 ,,atic was not asked to investigate the problem4 ,the office of the ,deputy ,inspector ,general for ,safety carried out a thorough inquiry and concluded that the crash had been an aircraft accident1 probably caused by the pilot's suffering an attack of vertigo4 ,as for the two blips shown by radar1 the night had been a stormy one and atmospheric conditions had been conducive to abnormal returns4 ,the phantom echo had almost certainly been a secondary reflection produced by the jet itself1 and it thus merged with the return from the jet and vanished with it when the plane hit the water4 ,solely on the basis of this radar phantom1 some civilian saucer groups have tried to transform the ,kinross crash into a ,,ufo mystery with ,air ,force investigators as the villains1 and have suggested that the ghost blip represented an alien spacecraft that happened to be cruising over ,lake ,michigan that night and attacked the jet for one of two reasons3 #a7 ,the saucer might have tried to avoid close contact with the jet by employing a 8reversed ,g-field beam0 7see ,chapter ,,ix72 colliding with this beam as with a stone wall1 the jet crashed4 #b7 ,the saucer might have used the ,g-field to scoop the plane out of the air and take it aboard the spacecraft2 the captured pilot might have been needed to teach the ,english language to his alien captors4 ,the 8,invasion0 of ,washington1 ,d4,c4 ,the most famous of the radar phantoms are those that 8invaded0 ,washington1 ,d4,c41 on the nights of ,july #ai and ,july #bf1 #aieb1 and terrified a large number of radar operators1 pilots1 and ,air ,force officials who in a more normal emotional climate would have recognized the 8invisible0 flying saucers for what they were--radar angels produced by weather conditions,,viii-#b4 ,all during ,july the eastern seaboard had suffered an unprecedented drought and heat wave4 ,lack of cloud cover produced intensely hot days and rapid radiative cooling of the earth's surface at night4 ,this situation1 combined with the prevailing light winds1 was ideal for the formation of low-level temperature inversions during the hours of darkness,,viii-#e4 ,the hundreds of flying saucers reported during the summer 7,chapter ,,vii7 had produced a state of near-panic which entered its acute phase on ,july #ai1 at #aa3dj ,p4,m4 ,e4,d4,s4,t41 when a group of seven unidentified targets appeared on the radarscope of the ,air ,route ,traffic ,control 7,,artc7 at the ,washington ,national ,airport,,viii-#c1 p4 #bji ff44 ,similar targets that moved erratically1 appearing and disappearing1 were observed on the radars of the control tower and of nearby ,andrews ,air ,force ,base4 ,if the blips were to be accepted at face value1 then a host of aerial objects had invaded ,washington and were cruising over the ,white ,house and the ,capitol4 ,traffic control notified the pilots of commercial flights in the area to keep alert for unidentified aircraft4 ,some pilots reported unusual echoes on their plane radars1 some reported only normal returns1 and two pilots reported unexplained lights in the neighborhood indicated by radar4 ,nobody saw any strange aircraft4 ,after several requests from ,,artc 7which unaccountably did not notify officials in the ,air ,force ,intelligence that an 8invasion0 was taking place71 a jet interceptor finally arrived about dawn to search the area but found nothing4 ,meanwhile the targets had vanished from the radarscopes4 ,next day the report flashed all over the world that a fleet of flying saucers had invaded ,washington1 and public tension became almost tangible4 ,was the earth doomed8 ,the terror reached its climax on ,july #bf1 just a week after the first incident1 when at #aj3cj ,p4,m41 ,e4,d4,s4,t41 the same radar operators who had observed the first 8invasion0 picked up another group of mysterious blips on their screens4 ,the host of unknowns had apparently formed a ring around the city of ,washington and the surrounding countryside4 ,this time ,air ,force ,intelligence officers were notified4 ,they raced to the airport to see the radarscopes for themselves1 and concluded that real saucers must be in the sky4 ,all commercial air traffic was then diverted from ,washington1 reporters and photographers were barred from the radar room1 and ,air ,force jets took to the air to defend the nation4 ,but against what8 ,the enemy1 if there1 was invisible4 ,one pilot saw a bright light that vanished when he began to chase it2 later1 his radar showed a return that faded after a few seconds1 but he could not find a visual target4 ,in the hours between midnight and dawn1 jet interceptors scoured the skies looking for mysterious objects that produced returns on ground radar but not on plane radar1 and were invisible to the human eye4 ,they found nothing4 ,one pilot who flew this mission1 accompanied by a copilot who was also a radar officer1 later described his experience3 8,for a period of #a hours the ,b-#be was vectored at altitudes varying from #a1jjj to #d1jjj feet ,,msl to the objects observed on the ground radar screen4 ,the airplane flew circles around stationary blips1 flew through and along with their formations1 paralleled their flight1 and was observed in the radar screen to pass directly over1 under1 or through an angel4 ,at all times the echo return of the aircraft caused a brighter return on the screen than the angel4 ,the radar height finder was not operating during this mission1 so exact altitudes of the blips could not be determined4 8,no unidentified objects were observed by me or the crew during the flight4 ,at #bcjj ,e4,d4,s4,t4 all angels disappeared from the radar screen and screen detection returned to normal40,,viii-#f ,by dawn this fantastic war of the angels had ended and the post-mortems had begun4 ,one radar expert who kept his head in spite of the hysteria was ,captain ,roy ,james of ,,atic1 who immediately recognized the targets as caused by weather4 ,a civilian expert on radio propagation1 when consulted1 correctly identified the phantoms and explained how they were produced,,viii-#g1 ,,viii-#g;a4 ,general ,samford1 then in charge of the ,,ufo investigation1 concurred4 ,but most newspapers and many government officials1 influenced by the general excitement1 ignored the conclusions of the experts4 ,saucer enthusiasts regarded the phenomena as a real invasion from space1 and alleged that the ,air ,force was covering up the truth4 ,weeks passed before the facts of the incidents could be separated from the fancies4 ,three ground radars had observed unusual targets on the nights of the 8invasion40 ,only once1 however1 did all three observe what was apparently the same target1 and that for a few seconds only4 ,the unusual radar echoes had no visual counterpart--nobody had seen or heard a spaceship4 ,a few pilots had reported unidentified lights1 but the ,washington area at night displays thousands of lights1 and even an unexplained light is far from being a spaceship4 ,one pilot who took part in this phantom war reported that1 again and again1 ground radar had vectored him in toward a target that proved to be a steamboat making a moonlight trip on the ,potomac6 ,radar ,experiments in ,washington ,immediately after the ,washington crisis1 the ,technical ,development and ,evaluation ,center of the ,civil ,aeronautics ,authority was assigned the problem of finding out exactly what had produced the radar returns4 ,investigation showed that the phantoms were not a new or unusual phenomenon4 ,they had appeared on the ,washington radars on many nights before the first 8invasion10 appeared twice during the week between the two1 and many times after the second4 ,abnormal returns are commonplace during the hot summer months when temperature inversions and inequalities in the moisture of the air are most frequent4 ,on the nights of ,july #ai and #bf the ,weather ,bureau at ,washington recorded small temperature inversions and an abnormal distribution of moisture in the atmosphere1 conditions that regularly produce radar angels4 ,the experts also carried out a series of experiments in the ,washington area on several nights in ,august when conditions of temperature and humidity closely resembled those on the 8invasion0 nights4 ,during these experiments unidentified targets appeared in profusion on the radar screens4 ,the first observation period began on the evening of ,august #ac1 #aieb4 ,at about #i ,p4,m4 ,e4,d4,s4,t41 suddenly 8a group of seven strong stationary targets became visible in an area about fifteen miles north-northeast of the radar antenna4 ,during the next two or three antenna revolutions1 the area on the scope between ,washington and ,baltimore became heavily sprinkled with stationary targets in a belt about six miles wide4 ,a group of additional targets became visible in an area approximately ten to fifteen miles south of the radar antenna4 ,this was evidence of the beginning of a temperature inversion40,,viii-#f ,two temperature inversions were involved1 one just above the earth's surface1 and one at about #hjjj feet4 ,the investigators concluded that the unidentified targets observed on ,washington ,,mew 7,microwave ,early ,warning7 and other radar in the summer of #aieb were to be attributed to secondary reflections of the radar beam1 caused primarily by temperature inversions,,viii-#e4 ,saucer enthusiasts protested 7and still insist7 that the inversions were not large enough to produce radar anomalies1 revealing how superficial was their acquaintance with radar4 ,although pronounced temperature inversions are responsible for the superior and inferior mirages resulting from the bending of light rays1 large inversions are not required to produce the mirages resulting from the refractive bending of radio waves4 ,at radar frequencies1 refraction is influenced by both temperature differences and the distribution of water vapor in the atmosphere4 ,a pronounced drop in moisture content at higher altitudes can easily cause radar rays to bend earthward and pick up ground targets1 even though temperature conditions in the lower atmosphere are entirely normal4 ,in ,december #aieb1 ,true magazine published a sensational article that attacked the ,air ,force findings1 insisted that the radar echoes had been caused by strange machines and1 in effect1 accused the official investigators of releasing an explanation they knew to be at variance with the facts shown by radar,,viii-#h4 ,dr4 ,vernon ,g4 ,plank1 now at the ,aerophysics ,laboratory of the ,air ,force ,cambridge ,research ,center1 was at that time ,radar ,meteorologist at ,walpole1 ,massachusetts4 ,a specialist in the science of radar1 ,dr4 ,plank had made a detailed study of the refractive conditions prevailing over ,washington for ,july #bj and #ba1 #aieb4 ,in a letter 7which was never published7 to the editor of ,true1 he pointed out that the saucer theory of the ,washington radar returns had no basis in fact4 ,the material given in the letter merits quotation3 8,the regular ,washington radiosonde observations1 when converted into refractive index terms1 reveal that a very marked superrefractive condition 7a condition favorable to earthward bending of radar rays7 prevailed in the lower atmosphere during this period4 ,the cause of this superrefractive condition was primarily the rapid decrease of water vapor with altitude4 8,although this superrefractive layer was not quite intense enough to cause the radar rays to be bent completely back to earth1 the rays would be very markedly bent downward from their normal position4 ,from past experience with other situations of this type it is to be expected that certain regions in this layer might be considerably more superrefractive than others1 or that particular terrain features1 such as rivers or small bodies of water1 might create local1 transitory conditions favorable to extreme superrefraction or even reflection4 ,another factor to consider is that whereas such local anomalies are usually due to moisture1 localized temperature effects may also create or help create such intense superrefractive regions4 ,therefore1 it would not be at all surprising that such local anomalies1 when superimposed on the generally superrefractive layer already existing over ,washington1 could create a situation conducive to radar echoes of the type observed4 8,under such conditions the general ground clutter referred to in the ,keyhoe article would not be present and the radarscope would only show echoes whenever and #8wherever' 7qualified below7 a favorable superrefractive region occurred4 ,as the radar ray has to travel from the radar set to the particular region of refraction and thence onward to the ground1 the scope echoes created by such disturbances would occur at an indicated range of roughly twice the disturbance range4 8,even slow air movements within a localized disturbance 7one sufficiently intense to bend the ray into the ground7 would be translated into enormous movements of the echo over the scope face4 ,both lateral and radial movements could be expected and disappearance of echo between sweeps would not be surprising4 8,of course1 the optical effects noted in conjunction with the radar echoes would depend upon temperature effects4 ,however1 the lack of a temperature inversion in the type of data referred to by ,mr4 ,keyhoe does not preclude the possibility that extremely sharp and localized inversions existed over the area1 perhaps in close association or in conjunction with the regions causing the radar echo4 ,the ,weather ,bureau data cited are not sufficiently accurate nor do the instruments used in obtaining the data have a sufficiently rapid response to measure such small inversions4 ,also1 such data are usually obtained at only two definite periods during each day4 8,as the distance between ,andrews ,,afb and the ,washington ,national ,airport is only some few miles1 the refractive effects of a given disturbance might appear to be quite similar1 and the position of the resulting ground echo on the two sets might coincide to a fair degree of approximation4 ,however1 as information about the degree of accuracy maintained in plotting echo position is not available to me1 ,i cannot comment with any degree of intelligence4 ,it does seem though1 that with the observed echo speeds and radical direction changes1 as well as the echo appearance and disappearance phenomena1 that accurate scope coordination between the separate fields would be extremely difficult40,,viii-#i 8,simultaneous0 ,radar-,visual ,reports ,on the night of ,july #bi1 three days after the second ,washington crisis1 the radar installation of the ,air ,defense ,command post near ,port ,huron1 ,michigan1 had been tracking three ,f-#ids as they made practice runs on a ,b-#be bomber4 ,at #i3dj ,p4,m4 ,c4,s4,t41 ground control picked up an unidentified target moving from north to south at a speed of about #fbe miles an hour4 ,the operators notified the pilot of one of the ,f-#ids and vectored him in for an attempted intercept4 ,the plane's radar did not show the reported target1 but when the plane had climbed to a height of #ba1jjj feet1 both the pilot and his radar man saw a brilliant multicolored light1 many times larger than a star1 close to the northern horizon4 ,at the same time the plane's radar picked up an echo in the north2 it disappeared after thirty seconds1 although the light was still visible dead ahead4 ,as the pilot began the chase1 the light changed color from bluish white to reddish and slowly diminished in size as though it were moving away4 ,the pilot pursued the light for about half an hour without gaining on it1 and eventually had to return to base4 ,the ground radar1 meanwhile1 had been trying to keep track of events in the sky4 ,when the chase began1 the target appearing on ground radar had first made a #ahj-;degree turn and reversed direction from south to north2 it had then moved erratically1 doubling its speed instantaneously1 and then slowing down4 ,it once seemed to reach a speed of about #adjj miles an hour1 then slowed to about #cjj mph1 and disappeared from the scope shortly after the plane had returned to base,,viii-#b4 ,to many persons this incident seemed a simultaneous visual and radar sighting of a single unknown object but the ,air ,force soon demolished this theory4 ,a study of the facts revealed that the movement of the radar target and that of the mysterious light had not coincided4 ,the radar target had traveled from north to south1 had then reversed direction1 had slowed down1 speeded up1 and moved erratically4 ,the light1 however1 had remained steadily in the north1 diminishing in size and brilliance but not vanishing4 ,it behaved1 in fact1 like the image of a star or a planet seen through turbulent atmosphere 7see ,chapter ,,iv74 ,for several nights before the sighting1 many residents in this part of ,michigan had noticed a similar light that appeared in the northern sky each evening at about the same time and place1 displaying various changing colors4 ,the investigators were able to identify the shining unknown as the star ,capella4 ,the position of the lights coincided with that of the star for that time1 date1 and latitude4 ,capella was at lower culmination--that is1 at the lowest point of its swing around the pole star1 just skirting the horizon where its spectacular blue1 yellow1 and red twinkling is familiar to astronomers of the region4 ,the pilot's description1 and the fact that he could get no closer to it even after a thirty-minute chase1 confirmed this identification4 ,neither the brief blip that appeared on the plane's radar nor the erratic returns picked up by ground radar had any relation to the star2 they were merely phantom returns caused by weather conditions,,viii-#b4 ,like this ,michigan sighting1 many ,,ufo problems are difficult to solve because they result from more than one cause4 ,the observations seem at first glance to refer to a single phenomenon1 although actually two or more unrelated phenomena are involved4 ,on ,august #a1 #aieb1 two days after the ,michigan incident1 such a puzzle arose with an impressive radar-visual-photographic sighting near ,bellefontaine1 ,ohio,,viii-#b4 ,at #aj3de ,a4,m4 ,c4,d4,s4,t41 the radar operator at the ,air ,defense ,command post picked up an unidentified target north of ,dayton1 moving southwest at a speed of about #ebe miles an hour4 ,two jets from ,wright-,patterson ,air ,force ,base were scrambled for an intercept and were vectored in by ground control4 ,since the ground radar was not equipped with height-finding devices1 however1 the operator could not direct the pilots to a specific altitude2 he could only tell them whether they were nearer to or farther from the target4 ,when the jets had reached #cj1jjj feet1 ground radar informed them that they were almost on target1 which was still moving southwest at the same speed4 ,a few seconds later1 the returns from the jets and the ,,ufo blended on the radarscope and the operator advised the pilots that they would have to continue the search visually4 ,at this moment1 unfortunately1 the ground radar suddenly failed4 ,soon after communication between ground and air had ended1 the lead pilot observed a silver-colored sphere several thousand feet above him4 ,both jets went after it but although they climbed to their maximum altitude1 #dj1jjj feet1 neither could get close enough to identify the object1 which was still some #cj1jjj feet above them4 ,one pilot1 however1 managed to expose several feet of film with his gun camera4 ,at the same moment the warning light on his gunsight radar blinked on to indicate it detected a solid object4 ,at this point the jets broke off the intercept and started back to ,wright-,patterson ,field4 ,both pilots then realized that1 although they had been chasing an unknown for some ten minutes1 they were still northwest of the base in almost the same area where they had started the intercept4 ,this surprising fact seemed to indicate that the unknown had slowed down from its original speed of #ebe miles an hour1 to hover in the sky nearly motionless4 ,in flying saucer circles1 this series of events was regarded as an iron-clad case of a physically material ,,ufo observed simultaneously by radar1 the human eye1 and the camera4 ,after sifting the evidence1 ,,atic investigators eventually found the more prosaic though complicated solution to the puzzle3 #a7 ,the object picked up on ground radar had actually been a jet plane1 flying out of ,cleveland4 ,it had not been identified immediately because the ,bellefontaine station had not received its flight plan4 ,at #aj3de that morning the jet had been north of ,dayton1 flying at low altitude on a southwest heading1 at a speed of around #ebe miles an hour--the exact time1 position1 and speed of the radar unknown4 #b7 ,the pilots of the interceptors never saw this jet4 ,what they saw1 what their gun radar detected1 and what their gun camera photographed was a twenty-foot radiosonde balloon that had been released from ,wright-,patterson ,air ,force ,base that morning shortly before the sighting4 ,ground radar1 on the other hand1 never picked up the balloon4 #c7 ,the chief reason for the confusion was that ground radar did not have a height-finding device4 ,when the operator notified the pilots that his scope showed a blending of the returns produced by the pursuit jets and by the unknown1 neither he nor the pilots had any way to tell whether the unknown was directly above or directly below the pursuing jets4 ,at #cj1jjj feet the pilots were too high to see the ,cleveland jet far below them4 ,but they did see the balloon above them and naturally assumed that it was the object they were supposed to be chasing4 #d7 ,since the ground radar stopped functioning at this point1 the operator could no longer track the course of the unknown or of the interceptors4 ,if the radar had been working1 he would have seen that the target continued on to the southwest while the interceptors were searching in a different area to the north4 #e7 ,the photographs confirmed this reconstruction of a complicated series of events4 ,the pictures obtained by the gun camera displayed a round1 indistinct blur4 ,analysis showed that the size of the object was that of a twenty-foot sphere--a balloon--photographed from a distance of #cj1jjj feet4 8,ghosts0 and 8,angels0 on ,radar ,every experienced radar man has observed blips on his scope that he cannot account for,,viii-#d1 but he recognizes many characteristics of these 8ghosts0 or 8angels40 ,they often come from an apparently clear and normal sky4 ,they are usually concentrated in the lower atmosphere1 are weak in character1 and last only a short time4 ,although they may occur at any time of the year1 they appear most often on summer nights in calm weather,,viii-#aj4 ,summer atmospheric conditions1 in which the air is relatively quiet but varies in temperature and moisture content1 have an adverse effect on radio and radar transmission and produce many of these ghost returns4 ,the uneven distribution of temperature and humidity in the atmosphere is only one of the many possible causes of the radar angels often labeled as saucers,,viii-#aa1 ,,viii-#ab4 ,these ghosts may be produced by peculiar atmospheric conditions1 back and forward scatter of radio waves,,viii-#ac1 smoke1 wind-carried debris1 moisture-laden clouds1 ice crystals in clouds or air1 lightning1 meteors1 the ,aurora ,borealis1 birds1 insects1 bats1 electronic reflections from the moon1 flares on the sun1 or by 8chaff0 or 8window0 7foil dropped from airplanes74 ,a radar operator once picked up a group of phantom echoes that seemed to form the letters 8,,gi0 which1 according to the scope1 apparently stretched over a distance of about eighty miles4 ,he tracked them for two hours1 but gave up trying to interpret the message when he learned that it was produced by chaff dropped from an ,air ,force plane during an experiment4 ,an extremely unusual pattern of 8angels0 7see ,plate ,i,vc7 appeared on the radarscope at ,schilling ,air ,force ,base at ,salina1 ,kansas1 on ,september #aj1 #aief1 and was attributed to forward scatter from atmospheric eddies to ground targets and back,,viii-#ac4 ,many radar angels are caused by insects and birds4 ,their detection on sensitive1 high-resolution1 ,q-1 ,k-1 and ,x-band radars has been verified both observationally and theoretically4 ,since a radar set surveys a very large volume of the atmosphere and maps it on a relatively small dial1 a surprisingly small concentration of insects can cause appreciable clutter on the scope4 ,on sets such as the #j4hf-;cm ,,tpq-#f 7,cloud ,base and ,top ,indicator71 a single insect of detectable size in a volume of #ajj1jjj cubic feet of air is enough to fill the scope with return,,viii-#d4 ,since the guilty insect would be invisible both to ground observers and to the crew of pursuing jets1 a flying-saucer report inspired by the radar echoes would remain forever an 8,unknown40 ,birds can cause substantial echoes on many radars4 ,large birds at a distance of ten miles can give signals equivalent to those from a medium-sized aircraft at a distance of fifty miles2 in fact1 even the fading and fluctuation resemble those of aircraft echoes4 ,on radar1 a sea gull may cause a return equivalent to that of a quart of water flying around4 ,the radar cross section of the blip may be several times larger than the geometric cross section of the bird1 so that a single adult sea gull at a distance of twenty nautical miles gives a very large radar return4 ,as few as eight birds per square mile can completely fill a ,,ppi 7,planned ,position ,indicator7 scope with return,,viii-#ad4 ,if conditions were exactly right1 the birds might be visible to an observer and the source of the angel would thus be explained4 ,but if no one happened to see the birds1 the 8mysterious0 returns could serve as a basis for still another report of invisible flying saucers4 ,birds have also been responsible for some of the 8ring0 angels that have been interpreted as fleets of invisible spaceships4 ,in ,september #aiec several radar sites in ,england picked up unidentified objects apparently encircling the city of ,london4 ,they performed peculiar maneuvers including1 according to one saucer publication1 the formation of the letters ,z and ,u of the ,english alphabet4 ,how the correct orientation of this invisible sky writing was determined has never been explained4 ,if the letters are turned top to bottom1 back to front1 or rotated #ij or #ahj degrees1 they take on new meanings4 ,scholars might well argue about whether the first giant symbol should be interpreted as a ,roman ,z1 a ,roman ,n1 a ,greek 1 or a ,russian 2 and whether the second symbol should be read as a ,roman ,u1 a ,greek 1 the mathematical symbol standing for 8is contained in10 or a ,roman ,c lying on its side4 ,on the scope1 ring angels produce outwardly expanding rings and arcs that sometimes move on and off the screen at incredible speeds4 ,such echoes have been a fairly common phenomenon in ,england since #aidj and #aida,,viii-#ae1 and experimental research has shown that many of those occurring at dawn or at dusk are caused by flocks of starlings4 ,at dawn thousands of starlings leave the roost in waves at intervals of about half a minute4 ,the birds in each wave are often closely packed in a tight circle or semicircle as the wave ascends4 ,all are flying outward1 dispersing in all directions1 so that the ring diffuses rapidly on the radar screen and disappears1 but is followed almost at once by a new ring4 ,at dusk the birds may return separately to the roost during the course of an hour4 ,sometimes1 however1 they assemble first in a field some distance from the roost2 they finally take off at the same time as a group and head for the roost in a single giant wave1 causing a tremendously impressive but quickly vanishing angel on the radarscope4 ,ring echoes observed at ,texarkana1 ,arkansas1 have been traced to the movements of red-winged blackbirds4 ,thousands of birds flying out from a common roosting ground a few minutes before sunrise show up on the ,,ppi scope as an expanding ring that grows broader and more diffuse with time until the composite echo breaks into individual ones and fades at a distance of twelve to thirty-five miles,,viii-#af4 ,other types of ring angels have been observed on radarscopes1 but the causes are not yet fully understood,,viii-#ag1 ,,viii-#ah4 ,recognizing the true character of these radar angels and spurious reflections has tremendous importance for the security of the ,united ,states4 ,our ,early ,warning ,system1 designed to notify ,air ,defense of imminent attacks by intercontinental ballistic missiles1 has already had troubles with such radar ghosts4 ,on ,october #e1 #aifj1 a signal from ,thule1 ,greenland1 to the ,north ,american ,air ,defense ,command flashed the warning1 8,massive ,,icbm attack is underway40 ,the ,canadian officer in charge had only seventeen minutes in which to decide whether to order several hundred bombers of the ,strategic ,air ,command to retaliate against the ,,ussr or to push the button that would cause our long-range missiles with atomic warheads to come roaring out of their underground sites4 ,he immediately asked ,washington3 ,where was ,khrushchev8 ,khrushchev was in ,new ,york at the ,united ,nations3 the officer did not push the button that would have set the world at war4 ,later1 he learned that radar beams reflected from the moon had produced the terrifying angels4 ,this incident is only one of the reasons why the ,air ,force continues to be interested in radar ,u,f,os4 ,failure to identify them correctly could threaten the effectiveness of our patrol system4 ,the ,rapid ,city ,sighting ,one of the most complex incidents in saucer history occurred early in ,august #aiec near ,rapid ,city1 ,south ,dakota4 ,like the sightings the previous year at ,bellefontaine1 ,ohio1 and ,port ,huron1 ,michigan1 the presence of a ,,ufo seemed to be confirmed by several types of evidence4 ,trained civilian and military personnel on the ground and in the air observed an unknown visually and by radar4 ,the blips on the ground radarscope were photographed and a plane's gun camera took a picture4 ,if a similar incident were to occur today1 ,air ,force investigators would probably find the answer without difficulty4 ,in #aiec1 however1 they were less experienced and finally classified the case as 8one of the best0 ,unknowns4 ,it is clearly impossible to solve the mystery with absolute certainty after nearly ten years1 because vital information is lacking4 ,the original records are no longer on file4 ,few details are available except those in ,ruppelt's sketchy summary,,viii-#c1 p4 #cjc ff41 and some of these are inaccurate3 the town of ,black ,hawk1 for example1 is not west1 but northwest1 of ,rapid ,city4 ,although many questions of fact must therefore remain unanswered--exact times1 directions1 sequence of events--we offer here a highly probable explanation4 ,the first report came at #h3je ,p4,m4 ,m4,s4,t4 when a spotter for the ,ground ,observer ,corps in the town of ,black ,hawk telephoned the ,air ,defense ,command post near ,rapid ,city1 approximately ten miles southeast of ,black ,hawk1 to report an extremely bright light hovering low on the horizon to the northeast4 ,the radar operators at ,ellsworth ,air ,force ,base had been working with a jet patrol flying west of the base4 ,after receiving the phone call1 they shifted the scope to scan the northeast quadrant of the sky and picked up an unidentified target moving slowly at about #af1jjj feet4 ,although the controller wondered at first whether the target might have been due to weather1 he decided after a few minutes that it was well defined1 solid1 and bright4 ,since the ground spotter had a visual target and the traffic controller had a radar target1 he telephoned to compare notes on positions2 as they were talking1 the spotter interrupted the conversation to say that the light was beginning to move southwest toward ,rapid ,city4 ,checking the radarscope and finding a fast-moving target the controller sent two of his men running outside to look at the sky4 ,after a few seconds they reported that they could see a large bluish-white light moving toward them from the northeast4 ,it made 8a wide sweep0 around ,rapid ,city and then returned to a stationary position in the northeast where it had first appeared4 7,unfortunately the account does not state clearly whether the 8wide sweep0 was observed visually or on radar47 ,by this time all the witnesses were greatly excited by the ,,ufo4 ,the master sergeant couldn't decide what to do next because he kept thinking1 8,they're bigger than all of us60 but the traffic controller notified the ,f-#hd patrolling in the west and asked for an intercept4 ,the pilot soon found the light1 which was still stationary4 ,he began the chase1 but when he had approached to within an estimated three miles1 the light rapidly began to retreat4 ,he continued the chase directly north for #abj miles 7during which both the jet and the ,,ufo went off the ground scope7 but he could not gain on the object4 ,running short of fuel1 he turned back toward the base4 ,the ground scope soon picked him up again and1 a few seconds later1 picked up an unknown target apparently trailing the jet by ten or fifteen miles4 ,a second jet then took to the air1 located the light1 and began the pursuit4 ,like the first pilot1 he could not close the distance between him and the receding ,,ufo4 ,after performing various tests to convince himself that he wasn't chasing a reflection1 he finally turned on his radar gun camera4 ,after a few seconds the red light blinked on1 indicating a solid object ahead4 ,the pilot thereupon asked permission to break off the intercept and1 having taken a photograph1 returned to base4 ,as before1 the ground scope picked up the returning jet but this time the ,,ufo did not reappear on the scope4 ,the controller then called officials at the filter center at ,fargo1 ,north ,dakota4 ,they had not received any ,,ufo reports2 a few minutes later1 however1 they called back to say that spotter posts between the two cities1 on a southwest-northeast line1 had indeed seen a bluish-white light4 ,investigators from ,,atic arrived promptly but they were not able to explain the sighting4 ,even the photographs showed nothing useful4 ,conclusion3 unknown4 ,the incident remained unexplained chiefly because the investigators1 like the witnesses1 apparently assumed that a single unidentified flying object accounted for all the phenomena observed that evening4 ,although the available evidence is somewhat confusing1 a careful study shows that1 on the contrary1 the visual and the radar targets could not have been the same4 ,when the ground spotter first reported the ,,ufo1 she described it as a stationary light low on the horizon4 ,the radarscope1 however1 showed a target that was moving slowly1 at an altitude of about #af1jjj feet4 ,some minutes later1 when the visual target did begin to move1 the radar target speeded up4 ,this was the only instance in which the movements of the two seemed to be roughly parallel4 ,but in the excitement that followed1 all the witnesses assumed that the two targets were identical4 ,the published account,,viii-#c1 p4 #cjc ff4 does not distinguish clearly between the actions of the light and the movements of the blips on the radarscope4 ,let us begin by reviewing the facts about the visual target4 ,according to the witnesses on the ground1 it was a brilliant bluish-white light that appeared on the northeast horizon and remained stationary during most of the period it was observed4 ,at one time it seemed to advance rapidly toward the witnesses1 make a wide sweep around ,rapid ,city1 which was a few miles away from the observers1 and then return to its original position4 ,according to the witnesses in the air1 the light did not remain stationary but retreated from the pursuing plane and followed the returning plane1 duplicating the plane's speed and keeping the distance between them constant4 ,the pilots based this interpretation1 evidently1 on the fact that the light did not vary in size or brilliance and thus seemed to pace the plane4 ,these descriptions all point to the same answer3 that the light was a star or a planet4 ,since it was infinitely distant1 the jets could not get any closer to it and at ground levels the image was distorted by peculiar atmospheric conditions4 ,mars had been absent from the night sky for months1 and ,mercury1 ,venus1 and ,jupiter were then morning stars2 therefore the unknown could not have been a planet4 ,however1 the bright star ,capella was on the northeast horizon at a declination of plus #df degrees and would have been visible from both ,fargo and ,rapid ,city4 ,a check of the ,weather ,bureau records shows that the night was clear and dark4 ,the sun had set about an hour before the sighting began1 and at that time in the evening there was no moonlight because the moon was in its last quarter4 ,visibility was about thirty-five miles and the wind was from the northeast1 about four meters per second4 ,there was a marked temperature inversion--#i degrees--at ground levels4 ,such an inversion could easily account for the erratic motions reported for the light4 ,there can be little doubt that the visual target was the star ,capella4 ,the radar targets also were clearly the result of weather1 just as the air-traffic controller had suspected when he first looked at the scope4 ,conditions were ideal--a calm1 clear1 warm summer night--for phantom echoes4 ,the first radar target1 moving southwest1 was probably a return from some ground object4 ,when the jet took to the air1 the scope showed a different kind of ,,ufo target1 one that echoed the movements of the plane itself--retreating from the pursuer1 advancing when the pursuer turned back--and was always farther away from the ground station than the plane itself4 ,although saucer enthusiasts interpret these maneuvers as proof that the phantom was under intelligent control1 radar experts recognize the familiar pattern in which a ghost echo is actually a return from the plane itself4 ,because of the temperature inversions the radar pulses do not return directly from the plane to the ground receiver but are deflected from the plane to the ground1 then back to the plane1 and thence on to the ground scope4 ,the phantom echo always occurs from the same direction as the aircraft and is always 8on the other side0 of the plane 7see p4 #aec74 ,this explanation also accounts for the evidence of the jet's gun camera4 ,the photographs taken showed nothing1 although the radar warning light indicated a solid object ahead4 ,after the pilot had switched on the set1 however1 there had been a brief delay before the red signal blinked on4 ,during this interval the plane had not come any closer to the unknown light1 but the radio waves had scattered from plane to ground and back to plane so that the gun radar did indeed detect a solid object--the plane itself6 ,in short1 the evidence supports our conclusion that an image of the star ,capella1 distorted by the atmospheric conditions produced by a strong temperature inversion1 accounted for the visual sightings2 and that radar echoes from the pursuing jets1 deflected by the same temperature inversion1 accounted for the phantom targets on the ground radarscope and the gun radar4 ,,viii-#a ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e4 ,the ,flying ,saucer ,conspiracy4 ,new ,york3 ,henry ,holt ,co41 #aiee4 ,,viii-#b ,air ,force ,files4 ,,viii-#c ,ruppelt1 ,e4 ,j4 ,the ,report on ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,garden ,city1 ,n4,y43 ,doubleday ,co41 #aief4 ,,viii-#d ,plank1 ,v4 ,g4 8,spurious ,echoes on ,radar1 ,a ,survey40 ,astia ,document ,no4 ,,ad-#baedgj1 ,,afcrc-,,tr-#ei-baj 7,may #aiei74 ,,viii-#e ,borden1 ,r4 ,c41 and ,vickers1 ,t4 ,k4 8,a ,preliminary ,study of ,unidentified ,targets ,observed on ,air ,traffic ,control ,radars40 ,technical ,development ,report ,no4 #ahj1 ,civil ,aeronautics ,administration1 ,technical ,development and ,evaluation ,center1 ,indianapolis1 ,indiana 7,may #aiec74 ,,viii-#f 8,radar ,objects ,over ,washington10 ,air ,weather ,service ,bulletin 7,september #aied71 pp4 #eb-eg4 ,,viii-#g ,menzel1 ,d4 ,h4 ,elementary ,manual of ,radio ,propagation4 ,englewood ,cliffs1 ,n4,j43 ,prentice-,hall1 ,inc41 #aidh4 ,,viii-#g;a ---- 8,why ,flying ,saucers ,show ,up on ,radar40 ,look magazine 7,september #i1 #aieb74 ,,viii-#h ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e4 8,what ,radar ,tells about ,flying ,saucers40 ,true magazine 7,december #aieb71 p4 #be ff4 ,,viii-#i ,plank1 ,v4 ,g4 ,personal communication4 ,,viii-#aj ,withrow1 ,s4 ,r4 8,angels on ,radar ,scopes10 ,air ,weather ,service ,bulletin 7,september #aied71 pp4 #dh-ea4 ,,viii-#aa ,atlas1 ,d4 8,radar ,studies of ,meteorological #8,angel' ,echoes10 ,journal of ,atmospheric and ,terrestrial ,physics1 ,vol4 ,,xv 7#aiei71 pp4 #bfb-hg4 ,,viii-#ab ---- 8,possible ,key to the ,dilemma of ,meteorological #8,angel' ,echoes10 ,journal of ,meteorology1 ,vol4 ,,xvii 7#aifj71 pp4 #ie-ajc4 ,,viii-#ac ---- 8,sub-horizon ,radar ,echoes by ,scatter ,propagation10 ,journal of ,geophysical ,research1 ,vol4 ,,lxiv 7#aiei71 pp4 #abje-ah4 ,,viii-#ad ,richardson1 ,r4 ,e42 ,stacey1 ,j4 ,m42 ,kohler1 ,h4 ,m42 and ,naka1 ,f4 ,r41 8,radar ,observations of ,birds10 ,proceedings of the ,seventh ,weather ,radar ,conference 7,november #aieh74 ,,viii-#ae ,harper1 ,w4 ,g4 8,angels on ,centimetric ,radars ,caused by ,birds10 ,nature1 ,vol4 ,,clxxx 7#aieg71 p4 #hdg4 ,,viii-#af ,ligda1 ,m4 ,g4 ,h4 8,radar ,observations of ,blackbird ,flights10 ,texas ,journal of ,science 7,december #aieh74 ,,viii-#ag ,holzer1 ,r41 and ,smith1 ,w4 7,eds471 ,proceedings on the ,conference on ,atmospheric ,electricity1 ,geophysics ,research ,directorate1 ,air ,force ,cambridge ,research ,center1 ,,afcrc-,,tr-#ee-bbb 7,december #aiee74 ,,viii-#ah ,eastwood1 ,e2 ,bell1 ,j4 ,d42 and ,phelp1 ,n4 ,r4 8#8,ring ,angels' over ,southeast ,england10 ,nature1 ,vol4 ,,clxxxiii 7#aiei71 pp4 #agei-fj4 ,chapter ,,ix ,e-,m ,,and ,g-,,fields ,,in ,,ufo-,,land ,the phenomenon of magnetism has always fascinated both scientists and laymen4 ,paracelsus believed that he could use a magnet to draw disease out from a person1 transfer it to the ground1 and thus cure the patient4 ,later practitioners believed that a sick person could regain his health by sleeping with head and feet oriented north to south so as to be in line with the earth's magnetic poles4 ,laputa1 the saucer-shaped floating island visited by ,gulliver in his travels1 was propelled by the attracting or repelling forces of a large magnet imbedded in the center of the island4 ,in recent years magnetism has similarly been called on to account for some of the peculiar maneuvers allegedly performed by ,u,f,os4 ,in the world of flying saucers an all-purpose electromagnetic 7,e-,m7 force1 unknown to earth scientists1 is supposed to be able to produce light and heat1 disturb a compass1 render an object radioactive1 stop a wrist watch without damaging the man who wears it1 interfere with the functioning of radio and ,,tv sets1 turn out the lights of automobiles1 stop the action of gasoline engines1 and aid in the creating of artificial gravitational fields 7,g-fields7 around extraterrestrial spaceships4 ,u,f,os equipped with ,e-,m powers have occasionally been reported in ,france since #aied;,,ix-#a1 but they had rarely appeared in the ,united ,states until late in #aieg when freak weather in ,texas1 plus the birth of the space age1 started a new wave of flying-saucer incidents4 ,few spectacular ,u,f,os had appeared since the #aieb panic 7,chapter ,,vii7 and the average citizen had almost forgotten about flying saucers4 ,then on ,october #d1 #aieg1 when ,sputnik ,i went into orbit and opened the door to outer space1 people once more began to watch the heavens uneasily4 ,uneasiness became alarm a month later when1 with ,american satellites still sitting on the launching pad1 ,sputnik ,,ii roared into space4 ,a ball of fire floating over a field in western ,texas provided the small stimulus needed to turn alarm into hysteria1 and for several weeks people tended to see spaceships in every cloud and every unfamiliar light in the sky4 ,the reasoning seemed to be that if man with his limited powers could launch satellites to orbit the planet1 why shouldn't interplanetary ships already be visiting the earth8 ,in the months of ,november and ,december the ,air ,force received more ,,ufo reports than during the entire ten months preceding1 and the reports had their highest frequency in the single week following ,november #b;,,ix-#b4 ,for a period of about eight days1 if all the stories were true1 our skies were crowded with flying saucers4 ,spaceships with electromagnetic powers roved from the ,dominican ,republic to ,alaska2 they stopped automobiles1 turned off headlights1 jammed radios and stopped clocks in cars1 blurred ,,tv sets in the home1 dimmed the cabin lights in airplanes1 and altered a speedometer to register a dangerously high speed instead of the legal sixty miles per hour4 7,whether the driver in question offered this novel defense to a judge in traffic court is unknown47 ,police in squad cars pursued ,u,f,os in ,elmwood ,park1 ,illinois2 ,danville1 ,illinois2 and ,hammond1 ,indiana4 ,in ,brazil1 an orange-colored1 whistling ,,ufo hovered near ,fort ,itaipu and first caused a temporary failure of the lights1 then knocked out the generating plant for several moments4 ,a driver in ,santa ,fe1 ,new ,mexico1 saw a ,,ufo that not only stalled his car but also stopped the dashboard clock and the driver's own wrist watch4 ,a driver in western ,texas saw a ,,ufo that1 not content with stopping the engine and radio of his car1 also magnetized the right half of the bumper and a part of the fender4 ,one driver reported that his car and those of several other motorists had stalled near ,cortez1 ,colorado2 he had not thought of looking at the sky1 but any saucer enthusiast could have told him that a ,,ufo must have been hovering there4 ,in addition to these special models equipped with ,medusa-like powers1 other spaceships allegedly landed briefly at the military installation at ,white ,sands1 ,new ,mexico2 harassed a ,united ,states ,coast ,guard ship in the ,gulf of ,mexico2 landed in ,ohio and raised the radioactivity level of the ground2 and stopped in ,nebraska for repairs4 ,stormy ,weather in ,texas ,the new type of ,,ufo with electromagnetic 7,e-,m7 powers first attracted notice in this country by allegedly appearing near ,levelland1 ,texas1 on the night of ,november #b1 #aieg1 a few hours before ,sputnik ,,ii went into orbit4 ,a small town with a population of about #hjjj1 ,levelland lies on the plains of western ,texas about sixty miles from ,plainview1 site of a famous meteor shower1 and only twenty-five miles from ,lubbock1 which a few years earlier had gained national fame with its 8,lubbock lights0 7p4 #abc74 ,the region is normally an arid one1 but at the beginning of ,november it was experiencing unusual weather--electrical storms and rain 7the month proved to be the wettest ever recorded in western ,texas74 ,about #aa3ae that ,saturday night1 a farmworker named ,pedro ,saucedo 7or ,saucido7 with his friend ,joe ,palaz 7also given in various printed accounts as ,palav1 ,salav1 ,salaz1 ,salvaz7 was driving home from ,levelland4 ,a few miles northwest of the town he had turned off ,route #aaf into a side road1 when both men noticed a flash of light in a field at the right4 ,evidently unalarmed1 he continued driving and talking until suddenly the engine died and the lights went out4 ,while trying to restart the motor1 ,saucedo 7the similarity between 8,saucedo0 and 8saucer0 presents a diverting coincidence7 glimpsed over his left shoulder something that looked like a flaming ball or a fiery tornado drifting rapidly toward the truck4 ,a veteran of combat in ,korea1 ,saucedo reacted instantaneously to the blazing unknown4 ,as he described the experience later that night1 8,i jumped out of the truck and hit the dirt because ,i was afraid4 ,i called to ,joe but he didn't get out4 ,the thing passed directly over my truck with a great sound and a rush of wind4 ,it sounded like thunder and my truck rocked from the flash4444 ,i felt a lot of heat40 ,crawling out and seeing the object disappear in the direction of ,levelland1 he restarted the engine and drove back to ,levelland to report the incident to the sheriff,,ix-#b4 ,the sheriff was soon receiving reports from other persons who had been driving in the same area at about the same time4 ,they said that they1 too1 had seen a blazing object which they described as a 8flying egg0 or 8egg-shaped fireball40 ,their cars1 like ,saucedo's1 had stalled and then restarted when the object disappeared4 ,a number of townspeople telephoned the authorities to report bright flashes in the sky1 and the police comment that 8everyone who called was very excited0,,ix-#c was probably an understatement4 ,under headlines such as 8,mystery ,object ,stalls ,autos in ,west ,texas10 these stories hit newspapers all over the nation4 ,the news spread fast4 ,all day ,sunday dozens of persons in ,texas and ,new ,mexico were relating that they1 too1 had seen fiery objects and flashes of light in the sky the night before4 ,an amazingly large number of citizens seem to have been out late that stormy ,saturday night1 but apparently none of them noticed any ordinary lightning--only phantom 8somethings0 variously described as a burning mass1 a big light1 an egg-shaped object #bjj feet long lighted up as though it were on fire1 something like neon lights1 objects that were red1 glowing1 brilliant1 fiery1 bluish-green1 or pulsating green4 ,not surprisingly1 with all this publicity1 the original incident quickly began to take on new dimensions4 ,saucedo amplified his first statements and recalled that the object had been 8torpedo-shaped10 8like a rocket1 but much larger10 and that lights on the object had seemed to be winking on and off,,ix-#d4 ,for days the ,russian satellites had to share the spotlight with the ,american flying eggs1 while both amateur and professional investigators tried to solve the mystery4 ,the proponents of ,u,f,os deduced the presence of a flying saucer with ,e-,m powers4 ,various astronomers1 when urged by newsmen1 reluctantly advanced off-the-cuff theories based on the meager printed accounts4 ,dr4 ,la ,paz1 of the ,institute of ,meteoritics in ,new ,mexico1 suggested that the things seen at ,levelland might have been fireballs4 ,a reporter assigned to the ,harvard-,smithsonian ,observatories to cover ,moonwatch observations of the new ,sputnik gave a sketchy summary of the incident to ,dr4 ,menzel1 who also concluded that ,saucedo might have seen an unusually bright meteor and1 startled by its brilliance1 might accidentally have killed the engine4 ,lacking news of ,sputnik ,,ii1 the reporter sent in a facetious story asserting that1 according to the director of the ,harvard ,college ,observatory1 the flying eggs were mirages that so frightened the drivers that they reacted by pressing a 8nervous foot0 on the accelerator and killing the engine4 ,when the weather conditions at ,levelland became known1 of course1 the meteor theory was immediately discarded4 ,dr4 ,nininger1 of the ,american ,meteorite ,museum in ,arizona1 made the best guess of all3 ,saucedo had observed an example of that rare phenomenon1 ball lightning,,ix-#e4 ,within a few days an ,air ,force investigator visited ,levelland to study the incident4 ,members of civilian saucer groups complained later that1 since he spent only seven hours in the area1 he had obviously not taken the problem seriously and could not have found the correct solution4 ,even seventy hours of labor1 however1 could not have produced a clearer picture4 ,saucedo had unquestionably had a frightening experience1 very much as he originally described it4 ,but as in many ,,ufo sightings1 most of the other reports had been stimulated chiefly by the general excitement4 ,three persons1 not 8dozens10 had seen the phenomenon near the ground4 ,from ten to fifteen others 7including the sheriff7 had not observed it at close quarters but had merely seen brilliant flashes of light in the sky4 ,after studying the weather reports and the descriptions given by the various witnesses1 the ,air ,force issued an explanation1 unfortunately ambiguous because it omitted the necessary word 8either10 stating that the phenomenon observed at ,levelland had been 8ball lightning or ,st4 ,elmo's fire40 ,supporters of the saucer theory seized on this ambiguity to protest1 correctly1 that ball lightning and ,st4 ,elmo's fire are two different phenomena4 ,they went on to conclude by some process of peculiar logic that neither ball lightning nor ,st4 ,elmo's fire was involved and that the phenomenon had actually been a flying saucer4 ,saucer publications have printed thousands of words to support this argument4 ,the evidence1 however1 leads to an overwhelming probability3 the fiery unknown at ,levelland was ball lightning4 ,the ,phenomenon of ,ball ,lightning ,most of us know very little about lightning4 ,on the average1 it causes some #ahj deaths each year4 ,many persons when caught outdoors by a thunderstorm run to shelter under a tree1 not realizing that the tree itself offers the most attractive target to the electrically charged clouds overhead4 ,even the scientists who make a special study of the phenomenon still have much to learn about the conditions that produce lightning and its various manifestations,,ix-#f4 ,the most familiar type is the lightning we see in stormy weather2 it flashes in brilliant zigzags from zenith to horizon1 darts from cloud to cloud1 or strikes like a javelin toward earth4 ,at night1 particularly in the country where no city lights mask its brilliance1 lightning can be a frightening elemental force4 ,a form popularly called 8heat0 or 8sheet0 lightning is a familiar1 almost playful phenomenon in the midwest and southwest1 although comparatively rare on the east coast4 ,in hot1 humid weather it flares intermittently near the horizon1 noiseless because the luminous 8sheets0 are merely reflections of an ordinary zigzag flash that is too far away to be heard4 8,bead lightning0 has also been reported1 appearing as a chain of spheroids that gradually fade away as they discharge4 ,a spectacular display of 8pinched lightning10 an even rarer phenomenon 7see ,plate ,va71 was photographed in late ,august #aifa at ,los ,alamos1 ,new ,mexico1 during a severe thunderstorm,,ix-#g4 ,ball lightning1 which seems to be commoner in ,europe than in ,north ,america 7just as tornadoes are commoner in ,north ,america than in ,europe7 is so little understood that some scientists have doubted its reality4 ,in recent years1 laboratory research has added much to our knowledge of ball lightning and ,soviet scientists in particular have studied it as a possible weapon against enemy planes,,ix-#h4 ,ball lightning is usually described as a luminous ball whose diameter ranges from a few inches to several feet2 the color may be red to orange or blue to white4 ,these lightning balls appear most frequently toward the end of an electrical storm when the air is highly ionized1 often just after a nearby lightning flash4 ,they look and act like solid objects4 ,they can hang motionless or drift in the air1 glide along telephone wires or fences1 roll down chimneys and across the floor to radio or ,,tv sets1 float a few inches above the ground or high in the sky4 ,the ball persists as an entity for a time ranging from several seconds to many minutes2 it may then evaporate noiselessly1 or may disappear with an explosive noise and a force that can damage nearby objects,,ix-#h;a4 ,one of the few existing photographs of ball lightning was taken at ,lincoln1 ,nebraska1 on ,august #cj1 #aicj 7see ,plate ,vb74 ,american1 ,european1 and ,soviet scientists have suggested various theories1 none of them entirely satisfactory1 to explain the formation of ball lightning,,ix-#i1 ,,ix-#aj1 ,,ix-#aa4 ,these evanescent fiery globes probably represent some sort of continuous electric current perhaps held together by its own magnetic field1 like the fabled hoop snake that could roll along the ground by holding its tail in its mouth4 ,in #aich the pilot of a ,,boac plane en route to ,iraq1 flying in dense cloud and rain at #hejj feet1 reported that a ball of fire had entered the rear cabin and burst with a loud explosion4 ,one or two minutes later it 7or another lightning ball7 entered the cockpit through the window which was open for visibility1 singed the hair and eyebrows of the pilot1 then bounced on through the forward passenger cabin and into the rear cabin1 where it again exploded,,ix-#ab4 ,similar incidents have been reported by ,soviet pilots4 ,in the summer of #aief1 a ,soviet transport plane flying at about #aj1jjj feet was struck by ball lightning during a very rough flight through a stormy cold front4 ,a fiery red-orange ball ten to fifteen inches in diameter appeared in front of the aircraft1 swerved to the left1 struck the left propeller and exploded with a loud detonation and a blinding white flash4 ,the intense electrical discharge destroyed radio communication between the plane and the ground and disabled the radio compass4 ,in attempting to disconnect the antenna1 the radio operator received an electric shock4 ,when the plane landed and was examined1 one of the blades of the left propeller was found to be slightly damaged and a small fused area and a deposit of soot were found on the edge of the airfoil a few inches from its end,,ix-#ac4 ,a similar case occurred in ,december #aief1 when a ,soviet jet had entered a storm cloud and was climbing through it4 ,as the plane reached the top of the cloud1 at an altitude of #ab1jjj to #ae1jjj feet1 ball lightning suddenly appeared a short distance ahead and to the right of the plane1 and exploded with a dull but piercing noise and a blinding flash2 the ball then broke into a series of beads4 ,although one of the engines close to the ball died at the instant of the explosion1 the crew were able to start it again and the flight continued normally4 ,after landing and finding no mechanical damage1 they concluded that the engine had failed temporarily because the explosion had formed a region of intense rarefied air that deprived the engine of oxygen,,ix-#ac4 ,ball lightning has often been reported near the ground1 as in the ,levelland case4 ,in the summer of #aicd ,mr4 ,durward1 a ,british meteorologist1 while driving along the bank of a lake observed the phenomenon3 8,it began to rain heavily1 with slight or moderate thunder and lightning4 ,his son1 a boy of twelve1 was opening the iron gates1 spaced at intervals on this road1 and found one difficult to open4 ,mr4 ,durward1 while walking the short distance from the motor-car to the gate to assist his son1 saw among the pine trees on his left what looked like a ball of fire about #ab in4 in diameter moving towards them4 ,it struck the iron gatepost farthest from the latch4 ,there was no noise1 but the boy1 who had his hand on the latch1 gave a yell2 for the next few hours he was unable to lower his arm40,,ix-#ab ,in ,levelland the night of ,november #b conditions were ideal for the formation of ball lightning4 ,for several days the area had been experiencing freak weather1 and on the night in question had been visited by rain1 thunderstorms1 and lightning4 ,shortly before the glowing sphere approached the truck1 the two men had noticed a lightning flash in a nearby field4 ,the original description of the phenomenon--a 8flaming ball0 or a 8fiery tornado0 that floated toward and over the truck and detonated with light and heat--fits the classic picture of ball lightning4 ,the truck's engine may have died for one of several reasons4 ,the rain during the evening could have seeped under the hood and soaked the ignition or dampened the spark plugs4 ,the feed line may have been clogged4 ,or the region of highly rarefied air created by the ball lightning may temporarily have deprived the engine of oxygen4 ,of the other drivers near ,levelland that night who reported having trouble with balky motors and seeing a blazing object like an egg-shaped fireball1 three probably saw ball lightning4 ,others1 after hearing ,saucedo's frightening story1 perhaps unconsciously dramatized their own experiences and magnified ordinary lightning flashes into attacking fiery objects4 ,it is significant that although the night was stormy1 only ,saucedo reported seeing the ordinary lightning that normally accompanies a thunderstorm4 ,since ball lightning is short-lived and cannot be preserved as tangible evidence1 its appearance in ,levelland on the night of ,november #b can never be absolutely proved1 even though this explanation fits all the facts--facts that in themselves do not warrant so lengthy a study4 ,only the saucer proponents could have converted so trivial a series of events--a few stalled automobiles1 balls of flame in the sky at the end of a thunderstorm--into a national mystery4 ,ball lightning doubtless accounts for other ,,ufo reports1 such as the phenomenon observed at ,lock ,raven ,dam on ,october #bf1 #aieh1 when two men returning late at night from a fishing trip saw a flaming ball hovering above the superstructure of a bridge2 the ball exploded with a loud noise and a brilliant white flash and disappeared4 ,e-,m and ,non-,e-,m ,saucers ,the next ,u,f,os reported in this series belonged to the old-fashioned1 non-,e-,m variety4 ,from ,white ,sands ,proving ,grounds near ,alamogordo1 ,new ,mexico1 came a report that military police1 while patrolling the up-range in a jeep about #b3cj ,sunday morning 7a few hours after the ,saucedo incident71 had seen a brilliant reddish-orange light1 shaped like an egg1 hovering in the sky4 ,from its apparent distance 7two to three miles away7 and apparent size 7as large as a grapefruit held at arm's length71 the men deduced that it was a huge object1 #ge to #ajj yards in diameter,,ix-#b4 ,after remaining motionless for about three minutes1 it descended toward the ground and disappeared4 7,according to some versions1 it later rose into the sky and then disappeared47 ,members of another jeep patrol soon matched this tale with the report that on ,sunday night about eight o'clock they had seen a bright1 glowing object hovering in the sky but1 instead of landing1 it suddenly climbed until it got so far up it looked like a star4 ,both jeeps1 it should be noted1 continued to function normally4 ,officials at ,white ,sands soon dampened the excitement4 ,the description of the light that appeared at #b3cj ,a4,m4 included certain doubtful factors4 ,the night had been overcast and so dark that the stars were not visible1 although the cloud cover was broken at intervals4 ,since the sighting had not included any object of known distance or known size for comparison1 the estimates of the ,,ufo's distance and size were of no value4 ,the light might have been small and close2 it might equally well have been huge and far away4 ,under the circumstances1 the most probable explanation was that the men had glimpsed the moon 7then roughly half full7 through broken clouds1 and that the apparent movement was an illusion produced by the moving clouds4 ,the ,sunday evening ,,ufo was unquestionably the planet ,venus4 ,then nearly at maximum brilliance1 it was a conspicuous object in the western sky after sunset and inspired many saucer reports during this week of anxiety4 ,the ,white ,sands incidents had reached the papers1 however1 and contributed to the general hysteria4 ,by ,monday afternoon1 flying eggs were allegedly stopping automobiles as far north as ,canada1 but the ,southwest continued to hold the center of the ,,ufo stage against all competition4 ,on ,monday night1 ,november #d1 the ,alamogordo1 ,new ,mexico1 radio station broadcast a dramatic interview with an engineer from ,holloman ,air ,force ,base1 ,new ,mexico1 describing his sighting of an ,e-,m-radiating ,,ufo at least #ejj feet long4 ,about one o'clock on ,monday afternoon1 ,mr4 ,x stated1 he was returning to base after a weekend in ,el ,paso,,ix-#d4 ,while driving along a desert stretch of ,u4 ,s4 ,highway #ed near the town of ,orogrande1 he noticed a group of cars stopped ahead of him1 their passengers standing in the road1 pointing at the sky4 ,looking up1 he saw an iridescent egg-shaped object at least #ejj feet long--more than twice the size of the ,u,f,os reported in the preceding two days4 ,as it approached1 the flying egg exerted a force that killed the engine of his car1 generated a wave of heat that gave him a bad burn1 and demonstrated a startling new characteristic3 it silenced the radio in his car4 7,during the next few days1 reports of similar encounters usually included a jammed radio47 ,when the ,,ufo took off toward the mountains and disappeared1 ,mr4 ,x started his car again and drove on into ,alamogordo to the home of a friend1 ,mrs4 ,coral ,lorenzen4 ,one of the most zealous amateur investigators of ,,ufo reports1 ,mrs4 ,lorenzen had founded the ,aerial ,phenomena ,research ,organization 7,,apro7 7see ,chapter ,,xiii7 in ,january #aieb1 and from #aied to #aief had been employed at ,holloman ,air ,force ,base4 ,after listening to ,mr4 ,x's story and examining the notes he had scribbled during the sighting 7unfortunately they proved to be illegible1 but for some reason no one has ever suggested that the pen or pencil was also hexed by the ,,ufo71 she hurried him down to the local radio station where he made the taped interview that was broadcast later that evening4 ,a daylight visit by an ,e-,m flying egg #ejj feet in length would supposedly have attracted the attention of many witnesses4 ,air ,force investigators could find only one3 ,mr4 ,x4 ,according to his testimony1 the passengers of several automobiles 7his estimate of the number of cars varied from time to time but he eventually settled on ten7 had stood in the road watching the unknown object4 ,a persistent search by ,air ,force officials failed to locate any one of these persons4 ,the witness showed no sign of the burns he allegedly suffered4 ,in short1 the only evidence to support his story was ,mr4 ,x's own and the authorities sensibly concluded that the incident was either a hoax or a hallucination1 inspired by newspaper publicity about ,levelland's flying eggs4 ,tuesday morning's chief contribution to the ,,ufo epidemic was not to be laughed off so easily1 for it was made by trained military personnel4 ,at #e3aj ,a4,m4 on ,november #e1 the ,coast ,guard cutter ,sebago1 traveling north in the ,gulf of ,mexico1 detected an erratically maneuvering ,,ufo on the radarscope4 ,the swiftly moving object would race across and off the scope1 only to reappear almost immediately from another direction and position and again move off the scope at incredible speed4 ,after ten minutes the radar target vanished1 but watchers on the deck glimpsed a glowing object1 brilliant as a planet2 it streaked across the sky just above the northwest horizon and vanished4 ,the unknown radar targets then returned and continued to fill the scope with their incredible movements until #e3cg1 when they finally disappeared and did not return4 ,this mystery1 too1 yielded to orderly investigation4 ,air ,force radar experts made a detailed analysis of the data and positively identified the mysterious returns4 ,they had not come from the complex air traffic overhead1 as had first been suggested1 nor from a fantastically maneuverable spaceship4 ,they were merely false targets produced by the weather conditions 7see ,chapter ,,viii74 ,the brilliant light that flashed across the sky was not reported by the radarscope and had no relation to the radar returns4 ,in view for a few seconds at most1 brilliant in the morning twilight 7the sun rose some fifty minutes later71 the flash of light was probably a distant meteor--,november is rich in meteor displays4 ,the ,saturnian ,visitors ,tuesday evening while the nation was still wondering about the flying eggs in ,new ,mexico and the invisible ,u,f,os that buzzed the ,sebago1 welcome comic relief appeared4 ,a man named ,schmidt1 a grain buyer1 announced that during the afternoon he had visited with the crew of a flying saucer that had landed to make repairs4 ,while driving in the country near ,kearney1 ,nebraska1 he said1 he had noticed a bright flash about a quarter of a mile away4 ,going closer to investigate1 he perceived a huge silvery ship a hundred feet long1 thirty feet wide1 and fourteen feet high1 which had landed in a dry river bed4 ,the motor of his car then died4 ,he got out and was walking toward the ship when a light shot out and paralyzed him4 ,the ship opened and two men emerged4 ,after searching him for concealed weapons1 they released him from paralysis and invited him into the ship1 where he spent half an hour chatting with these strangers and their female companions1 mostly in ,high ,german and ,english4 7,he knew that they came from outer space but not until some weeks later1 when they paid him a second visit1 did he discover that they were natives of the planet ,saturn47,,ix-#ad ,after he left the ship it rose straight up into the sky and disappeared1 while he hurried back to town to report to the sheriff1 to broadcast an account of his experience over the local radio1 and to give his story to the newspapers4 ,it is perhaps a measure of the panic level that week that local officials actually examined the ground at the 8landing0 site1 looking for evidence4 ,they found none4 ,the four 8hydraulic rams0 that allegedly supported the huge machine had left no imprint on the sand of the dry river bed4 ,traces of oil found on the ground were tested chemically and proved to be the same brand that the witness carried in the trunk of his car4 ,gaining national notoriety from this incident1 ,schmidt soon became a popular lecturer at flying-saucer clubs1 thrilling the audience with tales of later visits from the ,saturnians and his journeys in their spaceship to the ,arctic ,circle1 through the waters under the ,north ,pole1 and even into outer space4 ,a year or so later his extraterrestrial friends allegedly tipped him off to the location of certain valuable minerals on earth1 including veins of quartz that had the desirable property of curing cancer4 ,to mine this quartz and thus make it available to humanity1 he enlisted the sympathy and financial aid of a number of lonely1 wealthy widows4 ,some of these ladies eventually came to believe that they had been the victims of fraud and1 in #aifa1 a ,california jury agreed with them4 ,the ,saturnians apparently have not yet reappeared to help their friend out of his difficulties4 ,surveillance by ,flying ,eggs ,wednesday ,november #f was relatively calm on the ,,ufo front1 although automobile engines died1 radios malfunctioned1 and ,,tv screens blurred at about the time that lights were reported in the sky in ,texas1 ,new ,mexico1 ,illinois1 and ,canada4 ,accounts received later by saucer organizations stated that on ,tuesday 7or ,wednesday7 night an orange-colored1 whistling1 ,e-,m type of ,,ufo had hovered near ,fort ,itaipu in ,brazil1 caused a temporary failure of the electric lights1 and then knocked out the generating plant for several moments4 ,since the alleged visitation occurred in a foreign country it was not1 of course1 open to study by the ,united ,states ,air ,force4 ,in any case investigation would have been difficult1 since the report failed to include such facts as the exact time of appearance1 position1 and direction of movement of the ,,ufo4 ,the witnesses1 whose names were not given1 apparently related the incident under pledge of secrecy to other persons who insisted on remaining anonymous1 who passed the story on to still others who refused to be named1 who in turn gave the news to reporters1 who signed only their initials,,ix-#ae4 ,so insubstantial a tale obviously does not merit serious investigation4 ,the dimming of electric lights and the capricious behavior of a generating system are not extraordinary phenomena and no ,,ufo is required to account for them4 ,the next incident to gain publicity in this amazing week occurred on ,thursday 7or ,wednesday7 evening when a ,,ufo allegedly landed in ,ohio and then vanished4 ,driving home in the early evening along a country road1 a ,mr4 ,olden ,moore saw a glowing ,,ufo in the sky4 ,at first it looked small1 like a star1 but it rapidly increased in size and split apart in the air as it descended and apparently landed in a nearby field4 ,moore stopped his car1 intending to investigate1 but for some reason he changed his mind and instead drove on home to get his wife4 ,when they returned and searched the field they found nothing4 ,nevertheless1 they reported the incident to the authorities and next day a ,civilian ,defense official1 arriving to check the ground where the ,,ufo supposedly had landed1 reported the level of radioactivity 8far above normal40 ,a woman living half a mile away from the field in question reported that1 although she herself had not seen a ,,ufo1 her ,,tv set had blurred at about the time of the sighting1 and on the following day she found that her car1 parked near the house1 was pockmarked4 ,applying his ,geiger counter to the car1 the ,civilian ,defense official pronounced it radioactive,,ix-#af4 ,this ,,ufo apparently possessed highly selective ,e-,m powers3 it did not stop the engine of ,mr4 ,moore's car but did interfere with the operation of a ,,tv set half a mile away6 ,air ,force investigators patiently collected and sifted the facts4 ,the supposed landing site showed nothing abnormal--the grass was not burned1 the earth was not disturbed1 no foreign material could be found4 ,the normal radioactivity of the ground in the area measured 4#ah milliroentgens2 at the supposed landing site the measure had been 4#bj milliroentgens4 ,this difference of 4#jb is not 8far above normal0 but well within the probable error in the calibration of the instruments4 ,interviews with other ,ohioans who had also seen the glowing unknown provided the answer3 the ,,ufo was a large meteor1 conspicuous in the dusk of early evening4 ,traveling directly toward the witness1 it had looked like a glowing sphere suspended in the air and rapidly increasing in brightness4 ,near the end of its flight it split into two or more pieces and fell silently to the earth1 not 8in the next field0 but perhaps many miles away4 ,the blurring of the ,,tv set may have been mere coincidence or1 if the meteor had actually passed close by1 may have resulted from the ionized trail of the meteor 7see ,chapter ,v74 ,saucerdom's ,miraculous ,electromagnetic ,force ,most of us remember the nursery tale of ,chicken-,little1 who started a panic in the barnyard kingdom with her eyewitness report that the sky was falling3 8,i saw it with my eyes1 ,i heard it with my ears1 and a piece of it fell on my tail40 ,calm was restored in the kingdom1 after a time1 when the prosaic truth came to light3 a falling acorn1 not a piece of the sky1 had grazed the credulous chick4 ,in somewhat similar fashion1 the hysteria caused by the car-stalling flying eggs subsided4 ,as the ,russian satellites gliding across the night sky proved more interesting to the public than hypothetical spaceships1 flying-saucer stories occupied less and less space in the daily papers and the number of ,,ufo reports dwindled4 ,air ,force investigators worked hard at the job of separating facts from fantasy and by ,saturday ,november #i1 #aieg1 the end of a wild week1 the panic was over4 ,during the two years following1 #aieh and #aiei1 fewer than a dozen ,e-,m-equipped ,u,f,os were reported over the entire ,american continent4 ,the civilian flying-saucer groups1 however1 rejected the normal explanations of the ,november reports except that of the ,schmidt-,saturnian meeting1 which all but the cultists indignantly denounced as a hoax publicized to embarrass sincere students of ,u,f,os4 ,dissatisfied with the solutions found by the ,air ,force1 the ,national ,investigations ,committee on ,aerial ,phenomena 7,,nicap7 carried out an independent study 7see ,chapter ,,xiii7 of the ,november sightings1 and in ,june #aifj issued a booklet entitled 8,electro-,magnetic ,effects ,associated ,with ,unidentified ,flying ,objects 7,,ufo's740 ,after examining many reports of ,e-,m phenomena and rejecting an unspecified number as unreliable1 members of the investigating committee studied the evidence in a series of eighty-one incidents occurring over a period of fifteen years1 roughly a third of which were reported during the week of the ,levelland panic,,ix-#ag4 ,the cases include instances in which1 allegedly1 electrical appliances failed to function1 at the same time and the same place in which a witness observed a ,,ufo4 ,in some cases a witness observed electromagnetic effects but did not see a ,,ufo1 at the same time that a neighboring witness saw a ,,ufo but did not observe electromagnetic effects4 ,the effects in question include the stopping1 missing1 sputtering1 and near-quitting of automobile motors2 the dimming or flickering of automobile headlights2 static1 roar1 or fading of car radios2 the dimming and brightening of house lights2 the dimming and brightening of cabin lights in airplanes2 the blurring of ,,tv screens2 the temporary loss of picture and_/or sound in a ,,tv set2 the stopping of watches and clocks2 and odd noises over a telephone wire4 ,this list may astonish the average citizen who has often endured similar annoyances and never thought of blaming ,u,f,os for his troubles4 ,most householders know that watches run down1 that houselights dim and brighten with the changing demands made on the city electrical system1 and that a plane flying over a house can blur the image on a ,,tv screen4 ,there can be few readers of this book who have not at some time experienced such brief frustrations with automobiles1 radios1 ,,tv sets1 and timepieces--the ordinary troubles that keep our repairmen in business without assistance from ,u,f,os4 ,to the heterogeneous data provided by these eighty-one cases1 the committee attempted to apply the precise tools of logic and mathematics in order to establish a correlation between ,u,f,os and electromagnetic effects1 and concluded that a cause-and-effect relationship probably did exist4 ,with suitable material1 statistical methods can suggest a correlation between any two sets of facts and can estimate the probability that the correlation is significant and not due to chance4 ,no competent statistician1 however1 would try to apply the methods to such amorphous and uncertain data as those used by the committee4 ,more than a third of the incidents cited come from newspaper accounts or the private files of saucer organizations in foreign countries4 ,all leave many unanswered questions4 ,at least two involve fully identified objects3 the great fireball of ,september #ah1 #aied 7p4 #ib71 and the three fireballs of ,april #f1 #aiee1 may well have caused some radio interference but they were not ,u,f,os4 ,even with the well-reported cases1 a conscientious historian would find it nearly impossible to determine precisely what the witnesses saw1 what they heard1 what they did1 and what they said4 ,the various printed accounts of the ,levelland incidents1 for example1 vary in many details4 ,the events took place in an atmosphere of excitement and the stories inevitably changed slightly with each retelling4 ,the reports of ,air ,force investigators1 records in the files of civilian saucer organizations1 statements in newspapers1 magazines1 and books--no two give exactly the same version of any given incident4 ,although the points of disagreement are often trivial1 they are sometimes vital to finding the correct explanation4 ,even if1 for the sake of argument1 a statistician were willing to accept the evidence of the eighty-one cases at face value1 he would still not attempt to establish a correlation between ,u,f,os and ,e-,m effects4 ,the probability that a 7postulated7 ,,ufo will appear at a given time or place is unknown2 the probability that an electrical appliance will fail to work at a given time or place is equally unknown4 ,hence the probability that the two phenomena will occur together at a given time and place is a concept that has no meaning4 ,effects and ,causes ,asked to explain what caused the failures of engines1 radios1 watches1 etc4 reported during the week of the ,levelland sightings1 any high school physics student who answered1 8,some new kind of electromagnetic force0 would properly receive a grade of zero4 ,admittedly there are physical phenomena that the scientist does not yet understand1 but he does know that electrical and magnetic forces do not and can not perform all the feats attributed to them by saucer enthusiasts4 ,the electrical failures ascribed to ,e-,m forces undoubtedly had a variety of causes4 ,automobile engines can stall for many reasons4 ,rain seeping under the hood of a car can soak the ignition and temporarily interfere with smooth operation4 ,sand or dust or a vapor lock in the fuel line can do the same4 ,the body of an automobile is metal and completely encloses the ignition system and the motor4 ,the engine stops if it is deprived of gasoline or oxygen1 but it does not stop if lightning strikes the car4 ,the metal body acts as a shield that electrical forces cannot penetrate4 ,every driver knows that the reception on a car radio normally varies from poor to fair2 it rarely remains constant4 ,while moving beneath a power line1 a car may receive no radio signals at all4 ,a high-tension line can be surrounded by an electrical field that makes a radio set hum or buzz raucously and completely jams the reception4 ,static or a powerful interfering signal can easily jam a car's radio1 but no electrical field1 static or oscillating1 can kill a car's motor or shut off its lights or stop the dashboard clock2 it could not stop the driver's wrist watch1 and it could not stop a man's watch without seriously injuring the wearer1 even if he were standing in an open field4 ,radio and ,,tv sets may function badly for one of many reasons4 ,they may simply need a good repairman6 ,a passing plane1 a more powerful transmitting station on the air1 auroral activity1 stormy weather1 ultraviolet radiation1 or clouds of ejected atoms from the sun--any of these can disrupt radio or ,,tv communication1 but they do not interfere with the operation of gasoline engines4 ,all meteors bright enough to be seen can cause some radio and ,,tv interference--and in the first week of ,november the ,taurid shower is approaching its maximum4 ,although meteors do not1 by themselves1 emit any appreciable amount of radio energy1 the friction between the swiftly moving meteoric body and the atmosphere produces a train of hot gases that can momentarily reflect radio waves4 ,the brightest meteors leave behind them a persistent cloud of luminous1 electrified gas that can absorb radio waves and thus blanket incoming signals for several minutes after the meteor has passed4 ,a spectacular fireball observed about #h3cj ,p4,m4 ,m4,s4,t4 on ,april #ah1 #aifb1 momentarily turned off the street lights in the town of ,eureka1 ,utah2 it was so bright that it triggered the photoelectric control1 just as daybreak does,,ix-#ag;a4 ,no imaginable single force--electric1 magnetic1 or gravitational--could possibly have caused all the effects attributed to saucerdom's miraculous electromagnetic force4 ,an ,e-,m field with the postulated powers is as improbable as a force that would lift fallen apples from the ground and draw them up to reunite with the branches of their parent tree4 ,let us suppose for a moment1 however1 that the incidents in the ,levelland epidemic might have occurred just as they are described by the ,,nicap committee4 ,if ,u,f,os had been visiting the earth that week1 projecting a force field that performed as claimed1 certain other events should also have occurred4 ,thousands of automobiles should have been1 but were not1 temporarily disabled in the neighborhood of every car-stopping ,,ufo4 ,fantastic traffic jams have sometimes been caused by torrid weather and consequent vapor locks in the fuel lines of automobile engines4 ,in ,june #aifa1 for example1 a sudden heat wave in ,boston caused a vapor-lock epidemic that tied up traffic on the main highways for three hours4 ,on some stretches of road so many cars were immobilized that1 with their hoods up to cool off1 they looked 8like a convention of pelicans40 ,no such traffic jams were reported in connection with the #aieg ,u,f,os4 ,in ,south ,springfield1 ,ohio1 a car and a taxicab stalled but the vehicles around them experienced no trouble4 ,one car stalled in ,houston and another in ,santa ,fe1 but the traffic around them proceeded as usual4 ,hundreds of ,,tv sets should have blurred1 but did not1 in the neighborhood of every ,,tv-blurring ,,ufo4 ,equally surprising1 no one complained of ,,ufo interference with hi-fi sets1 vacuum cleaners1 refrigerators1 washing machines1 irons1 freezers1 or electric razors4 ,no airplane1 helicopter1 motorcycle1 or ocean liner reported engine trouble4 ,at least two landings were reported1 in ,new ,mexico and ,ohio4 ,no physical evidence of landing could be found--shrubs were not crushed1 grass was not scorched1 ground was not disturbed4 ,except for the ,sebago1 no radar reported the presence of a ,,ufo4 ,moonwatch teams1 trained specifically to detect1 observe1 and plot the exact path of moving objects in the sky1 were on the alert that week all over the ,united ,states and ,canada4 ,they did not see even one unidentified flying object4 8,g-,fields0 and ,,ufo ,propulsion ,even more fantastic than the ,e-,m force that stops cars and silences radios is the artificial gravitational field or 8,g-field10 which saucer enthusiasts call on to account for all ,u,f,os whose reported behavior clearly contradicts the laws of physics4 ,employing electromagnetic forces1 the ,u,f,os supposedly can create a variety of ,g-fields as needed1 to be used as a defense weapon1 a means to invisibility1 or a method of propulsion,,ix-#ah1 ,,ix-#ai4 ,writers of science fiction have regularly utilized similar handy expedients such as 8gravity shields10 8force fields10 8inertia drives10 and 8space warps0 to move their heroes quickly from earth to remote parts of the galaxy4 ,physicists1 too1 dream of revealing new aspects of nature that would allow man to nullify the effects of gravity and make short cuts through space1 but they realize that such devices1 even if theoretically not impossible1 must await unimaginable discoveries about nature and are at least far in the future4 ,unlike the amateur investigator of ,u,f,os1 both the storyteller and the physicist know that if and when such advances are made1 they will enlarge our understanding of the cosmos1 as did the creative insights of ,galileo1 ,newton1 and ,einstein1 but new discoveries cannot invalidate what we have already learned about how the universe works4 ,many of the properties ascribed to ,u,f,os imply a complete breakdown of physical law4 ,they belong to the realm of magic1 not science4 ,traveling at speeds approaching the velocity of light1 reversing direction instantaneously1 achieving maximum acceleration or deceleration in a fraction of a second1 becoming invisible at will--such feats are impossible for a solid body moving either in an atmosphere or in space4 ,most of the serious proponents of the saucer hypothesis acknowledge that such actions are impossible1 according to our present knowledge1 but they argue that alien races more advanced than earthmen have undoubtedly found new sources of power and developed new methods of propulsion4 ,elaborate theories have been constructed1 phrased in nearly incomprehensible scientific jargon1 to show that ,u,f,os do not flout the laws of physics but merely operate under laws that are still unknown to human beings4 ,to ,,ufo investigators whose professional training lies chiefly in fields other than physics--business1 the arts1 entertainment1 military science1 government1 the law1 medicine1 or religion--such theories might well seem plausible4 ,but to the physicist they seem so irrational that they do not even deserve discussion1 and he dismisses them as nonsense4 ,saucer believers thereupon denounce the physicist as a bigot1 complain of his 8closed mind10 and piously invoke the ghost of ,galileo4 ,they forget1 apparently1 that the persecutors of ,galileo were specialists in theology and had only a nodding acquaintance with astronomy4 ,one of the earliest theories of ,,ufo propulsion suggested that saucers got their motive power by tapping the lines of force in the earth's magnetic field4 ,one author wrote3 8,the earth being simply a huge magnet1 a dynamo wound with magnetic lines of force as its coils1 tenescopically the meaning of this impressive word is unknown to the present authors counted to be #a1beg to the square centimeter in one direction and #a1hej to the square centimeter in the other direction 7eddy currents71 indicates that natural law has placed these lines as close together as the hairs on one's head4 ,and yet they never touch or cross each other if let alone4 ,if done so by accident the catastrophe would spread like a searchlight and destroy everything in its path40,,ix-#bj1 p4 #aci ,the same author asserts that such a 8catastrophe0 is the true explanation of ,mantell's death 7p4 #cc74 ,supposedly objecting to his close approach1 the occupants of the saucer he was chasing manipulated some of the lines of force until they crossed in front of ,mantell2 the resulting surge of power knocked the plane out of the air4 ,under some conditions1 he adds1 the crossing of the lines can produce desirable effects1 such as the ,aurora ,borealis1 when 8we have magnetic lines of force that are crossing one another at or near the geographic and the magnetic poles and as a result we see those beautiful colored lights40,,ix-#bj1 p4 #ada ,to the physicist1 these statements are an unsavory verbal hash4 ,lines of force cannot provide a source of power and they cannot cause explosions--they are not even real4 ,created merely to describe the behavior of magnetic fields1 they have no more objective existence than a train of thought4 ,by using the convenient fiction that lines of force emerge from the north magnetic pole1 spread apart as they flow around the earth1 and then crowd close together again as they enter the south magnetic pole1 the physicist is able to map observed variations in the earth's magnetic field4 ,in a similar way the geographer uses contour lines to map high and low areas on the earth's surface4 ,a spacecraft could not propel itself by hitching to magnetic lines of force any more than a man could travel from ,philadelphia to ,peru by sliding down the #geth line of longitude4 ,the more sophisticated students of ,,ufo behavior do not propose magnetic lines of force as a source of power4 ,in fact they skip lightly over the awkward question of how the saucers are propelled and vaguely assert that extraterrestrial vehicles obtain energy 7apparently without doing equivalent work7 by somehow plugging in to the cosmic rays and magnetic fields that exist in space4 ,thus having access to unlimited power1 a saucer supposedly draws on ,e-,m forces to create and enclose itself in a kind of cocoon of artificial gravity4 ,this ,g-field cuts off the attraction of the earth and other heavenly bodies1 enables the saucer to attract or repel any approaching object1 and allows it to travel almost as fast as light without suffering an increase in mass or a transformation into energy,,ix-#ah4 ,the ,g-,field ,myth ,to explain the alleged properties and behavior of flying saucers1 a variety of speculations have been published on the nature and operation of the ,g-field,,ix-#ah1 ,,ix-#ai1 ,,ix-#ba4 ,in the physicist's view1 most of these ideas belong more to the realm of magic than of science but we shall summarize them briefly1 with a few parenthetical comments4 ,a ,,ufo supposedly can travel at speeds of thousands of miles an hour and shatter the sound barrier without making any noise because the ,g-field would create a kind of protective envelope around the saucer4 ,but if the ,g-field breaks down for any reason1 so that the protective envelope is opened1 then the ionized moving air hits ordinary static air and creates the thunderous detonation produced by some ,u,f,os4 7,even with an intact ,g-field1 a boundary or gradient would always exist somewhere between the air that was dragged along by the saucer and the air that was not4 ,a thunderous impact would certainly occur at this barrier47 ,the 8invisible0 ,u,f,os supposedly become so by using the ,g-field to bend or deflect rays of light4 7,it is true that starlight passing near the sun's gravitational field suffers a deflection that makes the star appear slightly displaced from its actual position on the celestial sphere1 but a shift in apparent location does not dim a star and does not make it invisible4 ,furthermore the amount of deflection is only #a4ge seconds of arc1 less than half of a thousandth of a degree6 ,to produce even this small deflection1 a covey of saucers would have to be able to increase its mass to equal that of the sun3 #a4ig times #ajcc grams6 ,what this increase in mass would do to the rest of the solar system doesn't bear thinking of47 ,angel hair 7see ,chapter ,,xi7 is supposed to be a waste product from the operation of the ,g-field4 ,the ionization of the air inside the ,g-field allegedly would create heavy atoms that reacted chemically with the atoms in ordinary air to produce a kind of precipitate that falls to the ground and disappears as the ionization decreases4 7,in the physics laboratory1 ionization means taking an electron away from an electrically neutral atom4 ,the resulting atom would not be heavier4 ,the contact between ordinary air and that in the ionized trail of a meteor has never yet produced 8angel hair40 ,no laboratory has ever reported that isotopes of oxygen1 hydrogen1 nitrogen1 and other elements in the atmosphere can react with their normal analogues to produce precipitates4 ,a change in ionization cannot make a chemical compound disappear47 ,the envelope of air enclosed by the ,g-field is supposed to allow a ,,ufo to accelerate or change direction instantaneously1 even when flying at enormous speeds1 because the ,,ufo would not encounter atmospheric friction4 7,vehicles moving in the earth's gravitational field are also surrounded by a cushion of air1 but they still must overcome friction47 ,at this point the whole ,g-field myth falls apart4 ,one of the fundamental laws established by ,newton1 to which no exception has ever been found in the laboratory1 states that a moving object will continue to move in a straight line unless it encounters an applied force4 ,let us suppose1 for the moment1 that a gravity shield could suddenly be interposed between a spacecraft and the earth1 and thus make the craft reverse its direction of flight4 ,the occupants would still be subject to the law of inertia4 ,they would be hurled against the wall of the craft with a violence far greater than that experienced by a plane crashing to earth from an altitude of #cj1jjj feet4 ,there could be no cushioning of the blow4 ,such dreams demonstrate an almost contemptuous disregard for reality4 ,physicists admittedly do not yet understand the basic nature of gravity1 but they do know a great deal about how it acts4 ,gravity is the force that holds the universe together4 ,it exerts a pull on all objects in the physical world--the earth1 the moon1 the planets1 our sun1 the distant stars1 and even the stars in other galaxies4 ,all these bodies without exception move according to the law of universal gravitation as formulated by ,newton and refined by ,einstein3 ,every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses1 and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them4 ,the magnitude of the force depends only on the masses of the bodies and on their distances from each other4 ,it does not depend at all on the nature of the medium that separates them4 ,it operates unchanged through stone1 metal1 water1 air1 or empty space4 ,with a metal shield we can reduce electrical forces to zero2 with a soft-iron shield we can weaken magnetic forces2 but no substance existing in nature can act as a shield to shut out the force of gravitation4 ,electricity1 ,magnetism1 and ,gravity ,no responsible scientist would assert that man has found out all there is to know about the universe1 and few would insist that some kind of a shield for gravity is an absolute impossibility4 ,as yet1 however1 no laboratory has detected any phenomenon that might be a clue to 8negative gravity40 ,in recent years nuclear physicists have occasionally caught fleeting glimpses of what has been called 8anti-matter10 electrons with positive charges and protons with negative charges--the reverse of their charges in the normal world4 ,some investigators have speculated on the gravitational properties of anti-matter1 and have wondered whether it might exert a force that would repel instead of attract4 ,so far no one has been able to think of an experiment to test the idea4 ,even if someone could find a way to collect a thimbleful of anti-matter1 when he brought it into contact with normal matter1 it1 he1 and his surroundings would instantly detonate like a super-colossal neutron bomb4 ,many physicists believe that1 since electrical forces operate independently of gravitational forces1 interchanging the charges on protons and electrons would probably have no effect on the gravitational field4 ,theoretical study and computations may someday yield an answer4 ,for years scientists have been searching for a 8unified field theory10 a single equation that would describe the interrelationship among electrical1 magnetic1 and gravitational forces4 ,such a mathematical statement would reveal the mysterious bond that holds together the atomic nucleus1 imparts to atoms their unique structure1 and keeps the stars in their courses4 ,but this unifying equation1 when it is found1 will not make our present knowledge invalid4 ,enthusiasts are deluding themselves when they base their belief in flying saucers on the hope of overthrowing the laws of gravity and inertia4 ,gravity1 magnetism1 and electricity are actual physical forces1 as real as light1 air1 houses1 trees1 or persons4 ,they can act only according to the laws of nature which1 unlike the laws passed by legislatures1 are not subject to repeal4 ,no juggling of words1 no argument1 no wish can change these laws any more than they can stop the rising of the sun or the waning of the moon4 ,if man is ever to learn to control the force of gravity1 he will succeed not by denying the reality of the laws but only by finding out what they are and by trying to understand them4 ,,ix-#a ,michel1 ,a4 ,flying ,saucers and the ,straight ,line ,mystery4 ,new ,york3 ,criterion ,books1 #aieh4 ,,ix-#b ,air ,force ,files4 ,,ix-#c ,el ,paso 7,texas7 ,times1 ,nov4 #d1 #aieg4 ,,ix-#d ,barker1 ,g4 8,chasing the ,flying ,saucers10 ,flying ,saucers 7,may #aieh71 p4 #bj ff4 ,,ix-#e ,denver ,post1 ,nov4 #f1 #aieg4 ,,ix-#f ,viemeister1 ,p4 ,e4 ,the ,lightning ,book4 ,garden ,city1 ,n4,y43 ,doubleday ,co41 #aifa4 ,,ix-#g ,matthias1 ,b4 ,t41 and ,buchsbaum1 ,s4 ,j4 8,pinched ,lightning10 ,nature1 ,vol4 #aid 7#aifb71 p4 #cbg4 ,,ix-#h ,ritchie1 ,d4 ,j4 ,ball ,lightning4 ,a ,collection of ,soviet ,research in ,english ,translation 7#aifa74 ,new ,york3 ,consultants ,bureau4 ,,ix-#h;a ,cade1 ,c4 ,m4 8,thunderbolts as the ,x-weapon10 ,discovery1 ,vol4 ,,xxiii 7#aifb71 pp4 #bc-bh4 ,,ix-#i ,kapitsa1 ,p4 ,l4 8,the ,nature of ,ball ,lightning10 ,dokl4 ,akad4 ,nauk ,,sssr1 ,vol4 ,,ci1 ,no4 #b 7#aiee71 pp4 #bde-dh4 7,translated in ,,ix-#h47 ,,ix-#aj ,hill1 ,e4 ,l4 8,ball ,lightning as a ,physical ,phenomenon10 ,bulletin ,american ,meteorology ,society1 ,vol4 ,,xxxxi 7#aifj71 p4 #aii4 ,,ix-#aa ,pierce1 ,e4 ,t42 ,nadile1 ,r4 ,m42 and ,mc,kinnon1 ,p4 ,j4 8,an ,experimental ,investigation of ,negative ,point-plane ,corona and ,its ,relation to ,ball ,lightning10 ,,afcrl-,,tr-#fj-ced4 ,bedford1 ,mass43 ,oct4 #bd1 #aifj4 ,,ix-#ab ,gold1 ,e4 8,thunderbolts3 ,the ,electric ,phenomena of ,thunderstorms10 ,nature1 ,vol4 ,,clxix 7#aieb71 pp4 #efa-fc4 ,,ix-#ac ,kogan-,beletskii1 ,g4 ,i4 8,the ,nature of ,ball ,lightning10 ,priroda1 ,no4 #d 7#aieg71 pp4 #ga-gc4 7,translated in ,,ix-#h47 ,,ix-#ad ,schmidt1 ,r4 ,o4 8,the ,kearney ,incident10 ,flying ,saucers 7,october #aiei71 p4 #ca ff4 ,,ix-#ae ,,ufo ,critical ,bulletin1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 ,no4 #b 7,march-,april #aieh74 ,,ix-#af 8,the ,case of the ,radioactive ,,ufo10 ,flying ,saucers 7,february #aieh71 p4 #cj4 ,,ix-#ag 8,electro-magnetic ,effects ,associated ,with ,unidentified ,flying ,objects 7,,ufo's710 ,subcommittee of the ,national ,investigations ,committee on ,aerial ,phenomena 7,,nicap71 ,washington1 ,d4,c4 7,june #aifj74 ,,ix-#ag;a ,sky and ,telescope1 ,vol4 ,,xxiii 7#aifb71 p4 #cbc4 ,,ix-#ah ,michel1 ,a4 ,the ,truth about ,flying ,saucers4 ,new ,york3 ,criterion ,books1 #aief4 ,,ix-#ai ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e4 ,the ,flying ,saucer ,conspiracy4 ,new ,york3 ,henry ,holt ,co41 #aiee4 ,,ix-#bj ,scully1 ,f4 ,behind the ,flying ,saucers4 ,new ,york3 ,popular ,library1 #aiea4 ,,ix-#ba ,cramp1 ,l4 ,g4 ,space1 ,gravity and the ,flying ,saucer4 ,new ,york3 ,british ,book ,centre1 #aiee4 ,chapter ,x ,,contact6 ,all fields of human activity have their practical jokers4 ,elaborate hoaxes have been perpetrated in music1 art1 literature1 history1 religion1 science--and in the world of flying saucers4 ,although the motives for such swindles are not always obvious1 the trickster is usually trying to promote a cause1 to gain fame and_/or prestige1 to make money1 to satirize a folly1 or just to have some fun at the public's expense4 ,some hoaxes1 such as ,mark ,twain's petrified man1 produce only harmless amusement4 ,others1 planned as serious deceptions1 can cause long-lasting damage4 ,the celebrated ,piltdown man was fraudulently created from an ape's jawbone1 a stray tooth1 and a few chemical staining agents2 it gained fame for the scientists involved but threw the study of human evolution into a confusion that lasted more than twenty years1 until the forgery was revealed in every detail,x-#a4 ,a few hoaxes live on and on even after they are exposed1 apparently because people enjoy believing in them4 ,the ,jersey devil1 described as a fire-breathing monster with huge wings and a long tail1 was first mentioned in the columns of a small-town newspaper in ,new ,jersey in #aijf4 ,within a few days inhabitants of rural areas all over the east coast were reporting glimpses of the frightening demon and on one particular night it allegedly terrified citizens in ,new ,jersey1 ,pennsylvania1 ,delaware1 and ,maryland4 ,the panic finally reached such heights that some towns closed their factories and theaters4 ,this fantastic monster was quickly found to be a hoax1 the brain child of the publicity manager for a ,philadelphia museum of freaks2 his sole purpose had been to drum up customers for the museum4 ,nevertheless many persons rejected this explanation and continued to believe that the creature really existed4 ,it was reported again in #aibf1 in #aicj1 in #aicb1 and may reappear again at any time4 ,obviously the ,jersey devil1 though admittedly the product of a hoax1 has become a permanent part of the local fauna,x-#b4 ,flying-saucer hoaxes are rarely submitted to the ,air ,force as bona fide sightings4 ,of #aejj ,,ufo reports1 only forty-two proved to be deliberate frauds or the delusions of unstable persons4 ,the hoaxer may give his tale to the newspapers1 to a lecture audience1 or even publish it in a book1 but he carefully avoids ,air ,force scrutiny4 ,his story will not hold up under close investigation1 and he knows it4 ,earthlings and ,extraterrestrials ,the fantasies of the obviously deluded are a problem for the clinician and will not be discussed in this book4 ,typical is the case of 8,dr4 ,x0 who writes to strangers1 inviting them to accompany him on his next visit to the 8,brothers0 in space and to 8join the side of righteousness40 ,although ,dr4 ,x has several times set a date for the excursion1 he has always had to postpone it for some reason4 ,he himself1 he says1 has made more than sixty journeys on flying saucers and mother ships1 and has often taken his automobile along--just why he needed it he does not explain4 ,peculiarly hard to classify are the 8contact0 reports1 in which a witness affirms that he has had one or more personal encounters with a spacecraft and that he has communicated with its occupants1 who range in type from ordinary specimens of ,homo sapiens to hairy dwarfs and elephant-faced little men in space suits4 ,he gives a more or less detailed account of the incident and sometimes offers 8proof0 in the form of alleged photographs or fragments of the vehicle4 ,ostensibly inspired by religious or humanitarian motives1 these 8contactees0 wholeheartedly support the theory that flying saucers originate in worlds beyond the earth4 ,in general the contactees tell essentially the same story1 with minor variations3 ,earthling 7the witness7 sees a flying saucer2 saucer lands4 ,extraterrestrial occupant emerges1 extends friendly greetings1 confides his wish to help the human race solve its problems1 takes ,earthling for a cruise to another planet1 brings ,earthling back4 ,after promising to maintain a sort of guardianship over the earth1 the visitor says farewell and flies back to his home planet4 ,although these stories are told in the first person1 purportedly as fact1 they perhaps should not be called hoaxes1 for they can deceive only the credulous who want to believe that supermen from other worlds are hovering near to save our troubled planet4 ,with no suspense1 little characterization1 and ludicrously bad science1 these nave accounts are fiction of such poor quality that they would be rejected by even the most hard-pressed editor of fantastic tales4 ,whether from ,venus1 ,mars1 ,saturn1 or the planets of other solar systems1 these gods from the machine all look just like human beings and either speak the colloquial language of the contactee or communicate by thought transference4 ,their physical appearance1 clothing1 tastes in food1 habits of thought1 and ethical values usually seem indistinguishable from those of the citizens 7whether ,american1 ,french1 or ,brazilian7 who report the visitors4 ,the 8,contactees0 ,one man who supposedly was privileged to make contact with visitors from space was ,daniel ,fry who1 while strolling in the ,new ,mexico desert on the evening of ,july #d1 #aiej1 noticed a flying saucer that had apparently just landed4 ,when he approached and started to touch the ship1 he suddenly heard a voice speaking in friendly caution3 8,better not touch the hull1 pal1 it's still hot40 ,the voice1 he discovered1 belonged to an extraterrestrial being in a mother ship that was hovering some #ijj miles above the earth4 ,the craft on the ground needed no crew1 for it was a 8remote-controlled cargo carrier10 sent down to collect samples of the earth's atmosphere4 ,communicating by mental telepathy1 the spaceman revealed that1 although he came from a remote planet1 his ancestors had been earthmen who had migrated from the island of ,lemuria in ancient times 7see ,chapter ,,ii74 ,strangely enough1 although the visitor's first remark had shown a remarkable command of contemporary ,english1 he did not know what a roller coaster was6 ,he took such a fancy to ,fry that he invited him to enter the cargo craft and treated him to a quick flight to ,new ,york and back1 a round trip of #djjj miles completed in half an hour6,x-#c ,a contactee whose experience offered variations on the basic theme was ,truman ,bethurum1 a construction worker4 ,according to his story1 he happened to be looking for sea shells in the ,nevada desert sometime before dawn one morning in ,july #aieb when he encountered a flying saucer and its friendly crew4 ,the captain was a female1 a 8queen among women10 whose attractive costume included a bright-red skirt1 a black-velvet short-sleeved blouse1 and a black beret with red trim,x-#d4 ,though the grandmother of two1 she was so beautiful that at their first meeting ,bethurum was speechless4 ,obviously trying to put him at his ease1 she smiled and said encouragingly1 8,speak up1 my friend1 you're not hexed40 ,during the following months1 he says1 they had several meetings and eventually1 at her invitation1 he accompanied her on an enjoyable visit to the saucer's home base1 the planet 8,clarion40 ,being placed directly behind the moon and apparently moving in a parallel orbit1 this heavenly body has entirely escaped the notice of earthly astronomers,x-#e4 ,george ,w4 ,van ,tassel1 operator of a commercial airport1 resort1 and guest ranch in ,california 7for some reason most of the better-known contactees seem to be ,californians71 allegedly made contact with space beings of a more ethereal type4 ,their saucers traveled on power produced by the 8transmutation of hard light particles into soft light particles10 and a typical vehicle was #aejj feet in diameter1 #cjj feet thick1 and carried a crew of #gbjj4 ,why they needed so much room--more than #gj1jjj cubic feet per spaceman--remains a mystery1 for both the ship and its occupants were made of pure light4 ,the mother ships remained thousands of miles above the earth at substations from which they sent out their 8ventlos10 or flying saucers1 to patrol the earth and try to improve conditions here4 ,speaking through ,van ,tassel1 the visitors sent many messages such as that of ,june #bh1 #aieb3 8,salutations4 ,my identity is ,qel1 #gbnd projection1 #aeth wave1 realms of ,schare a saucer station in space4 ,we are passing over your cone of receptivity1 #agb thousand miles above you4 ,our center requests that ,i inform you4 ,you will see more of us if you watch the skies40 ,several times the spacemen threatened1 if opposed1 to launch thousands of saucers per second against the earth4 ,in ,january #aiec they warned that they had three substations in space ready to release #ejj1jjj saucers each2 two months later1 in ,march1 they informed ,van ,tassel that they now had #c million saucers in operation around the earth4 ,somehow or other1 this armada of ,u,f,os seems to have remained invisible to both the ,united ,states ,air ,force and the public,x-#f4 ,whether such tales are delusions1 fantasies1 or hoaxes may be impossible to determine4 ,some contact cases1 however1 undoubtedly contain elements of fraud4 ,at worst1 the witness may be deliberately inventing the whole story from start to finish2 at best1 he may feel so certain of the reality of his experience that he feels justified in manufacturing evidence to convince possible skeptics4 ,no matter what his motives1 when he tries to add verisimilitude to his narrative by fabricating proofs1 he joins the company of hoaxers,x-#g4 ,in the ,maury ,island case 7see ,chapter ,,ii71 the witnesses offered alleged fragments of a disabled spaceship1 which turned out to be chunks of slag4 ,the scoutmaster in ,florida exhibited singed hair on his arm and a scorched cap to prove that he had suffered from the heat rays of a landed flying saucer 7see ,chapter ,,vii71 and the grain salesman in ,nebraska bolstered his tale of the ,saturnian ship by pointing to shallow cracks in a dry river bed and oil smudges on the grass 7see ,chapter ,,ix74 ,a contactee who provided 8proof0 of his story was ,howard ,menger1 who specialized in describing visits to the moon4 ,in the moon cities1 he said1 he met many earth scientists who enjoyed a delightful1 relaxed existence4 ,the lunar natives use no money1 are born without appendixes1 and for entertainment play a game very much like baseball4 ,in science they are way ahead of us3 using saucers equipped with 8self-contained gravity0 and propelled by 8processed free energy10 they transported him from earth to moon in only two hours,x-#h4 ,as a trophy of his visit1 ,menger brought back a lunar potato4 ,this remarkable vegetable was supposed to have five times the protein content of an ordinary ,american potato1 but unfortunately it was not available for analysis4 ,as soon as he returned1 he said1 he had turned it over to the ,united ,states ,government1 and the government was keeping it top secret,x-#i4 ,adamski's ,travels ,perhaps the best known of the contactees is ,george ,adamski1 who on the night of ,november #bj1 #aieb1 in the desert of ,southern ,california1 supposedly met and talked with the pilot of a vehicle that had just arrived from ,venus4 ,conversation was no problem2 both men simply used telepathy and sign language when words failed,x-#aj4 ,in the years since then ,adamski has reported many other pleasant chats with visitors from ,mars and ,saturn as well as ,venus1 and has allegedly made several journeys in their spacecraft1 including an aerial tour of the moon4 ,on this trip he observed with surprise that the moon's hidden side contained fertile country abounding in lakes1 rivers1 vegetation1 and prosperous cities with people strolling along the sidewalks,x-#aa4 ,he was not at all disconcerted when the ,russian photographs of the moon's far side showed no trace of these delightful features4 ,obviously1 said ,adamski1 the ,russians had simply retouched the pictures before releasing them to the world1 in order to deceive the ,united ,states and to conceal the vegetation1 trees1 and buildings of the space people who had their bases there,x-#ab4 ,illustration3 ,figure #ae4 ,top1 schematic drawing of ,adamski's ,venusian saucer4 ,bottom1 schematic drawing of chicken brooder4 ,clearly aware of possible skepticism1 ,adamski did not ask the public to accept his experiences on his unsupported word2 as evidence1 he offered various photographs showing cigar-shaped objects1 a rocky hillside with a white blob on the horizon1 and the drawing of a person apparently clad in coveralls--without the book's explanation no one would ever suspect that he came from the planet ,venus4 ,one of the best-known pictures he published showed a bell-shaped 8spaceship0 with circular openings near the top and three large balls on the bottom for landing gear4 ,by an interesting coincidence1 this craft closely resembles a well-known type of chicken brooder1 whose three infrared bulbs at the base look very much like the 8landing gear0 of the alleged spacecraft 7see ,figure #ae74 ,when skeptics doubted ,adamski's claim that he had traveled from ,kansas ,city1 ,missouri1 to ,davenport1 ,iowa1 by flying saucer1 he displayed one of the most unusual items ever called upon to prove the existence of spaceships3 his uncanceled railway ticket1 for which he requested a refund6,x-#ac ,photography and the ,,ufo ,those who believe in flying saucers have long hoped to obtain a good clear photograph that would establish their existence once and for all4 ,many 8,,ufo0 pictures show vague specks and blurs whose interpretation is limited only by the imagination of the viewer4 ,of the many pictures taken in good faith and offered in evidence1 none shows an indubitable spaceship4 ,most of them are genuine photographs showing indistinct images of jet planes1 birds1 balloons1 and other objects normally in the sky4 ,they are puzzling only until they are compared with similar photographs of known jet planes1 birds1 balloons1 and other normal objects2 then their identity becomes obvious4 ,trick photography has often been called upon to prove the reality of the incredible--fairies1 ectoplasm1 ghosts--and it has also played a part in the history of flying saucers4 ,while the most detailed contact stories have usually come from the ,united ,states1 for some peculiar reason the best of the faked pictures have come from ,europe and ,south ,america4 ,a widely publicized photograph supposedly taken at ,taormina1 ,sicily1 in #aied shows four men standing on a bridge and apparently gazing at two ,u,f,os soaring overhead ,x-#ad4 ,the deep shadows cast by the men and the bridge railing show that the sun was shining brilliantly1 but the objects in the sky1 which look like the inverted covers of teapots or sugar bowls1 show only faintly shadowed areas4 ,stranger yet1 the shady side of one ,,ufo is on the left1 that of the other ,,ufo on the right4 ,the men on the bridge have their heads tilted at such an angle that they could not possibly have seen the objects pictured1 but are obviously looking at the hill in the background instead of at the sky4 ,even a casual inspection exposes this picture as a crude fake 7see ,plate ,v,ia74 ,an even cruder fake was offered as evidence to ,dr4 ,menzel in ,south ,africa in the summer of #aifb4 ,the optimistic photographer insisted that he had snapped a genuine saucer on the wing1 even though the circular object shown in the print was an unmistakable hubcap1 the ,chevrolet trade-mark clearly legible4 ,the ,isle of ,lovers ,hoax ,some photographic hoaxes are more cleverly executed4 ,in ,may #aieb1 a few weeks after ,life magazine had alarmed the world with its article 8,have ,we ,visitors from ,outer ,space80,x-#ae1 the ,brazilian weekly picture magazine ,o ,cruzeiro published startlingly clear photographs of an alleged flying saucer,x-#af4 ,according to the accompanying story1 a reporter and a photographer on the staff of the magazine on ,may #g had visited ,ilha dos ,amores1 an island not far from ,rio de ,janeiro1 to do a feature assignment4 ,late in the afternoon1 at a moment when the photographer just happened to have his camera pointed at the sky1 the reporter suddenly called his attention to a passing ,,ufo4 ,during the minute or so the object was in view he obtained five pictures which1 along with the reporter's eyewitness story1 were released to the public on ,may #ag4 ,if the editors actually believed in the reality of the saucer1 the ten-day delay before informing the world of its visit is remarkable4 ,the magazine has never admitted that the photographs were a hoax1 but they inspired doubt even in sympathetic investigators,x-#ag4 ,the ,,ufo appears in a dull sky above a mountain peak4 ,in the first picture the object looks like a jet plane surrounded by an exhaust haze and1 with a little imagination1 might be called a ,saturn-like object4 ,in succeeding pictures it resembles the lid of a teapot1 or the bottom view of a rubber stopper for a sink4 ,a study of the shadows quickly reveals the fraudulent nature of these photographs3 the dome on top of the 8saucer0 casts its shadow to the right1 while the trees and mountains in the foreground cast their shadows to the left4 ,the picture could be authentic only in a peculiar world in which the sun shone from the west on objects on the ground1 but shone from the east on objects flying in the sky6 ,the ,trindade ,island ,saucer ,the most famous of all purported photographs of a ,,ufo1 the ,trindade ,island saucer1 also came from ,brazil4 ,first published in ,brazilian newspapers on ,february #ba1 #aieh1 the pictures showed dark mountain crags looming against an overcast sky4 ,above one peak appeared a startling image 7much like the ,o ,cruzeiro saucer of #aieb7 resembling the planet ,saturn--a flattened sphere banded round the middle by a dark line that extended like a platform beyond the curved sides4 ,according to the accompanying news stories1 the ,,ufo had flown over the island of ,trindade and had been observed by the officers and crew of a ship of the ,brazilian ,navy4 ,the pictures1 taken by a photographer on board1 had been examined and supposedly pronounced genuine by ,navy experts before being released to the press4 ,since a responsible military organization and a major world government thus seemed to accept the photographs as proof that flying saucers actually existed1 the incident raised a storm of official inquiry both in ,brazil and abroad4 ,then1 within a few weeks1 the storm abruptly subsided4 ,although no explanation was given1 the object in the pictures was obviously considered no threat to our planet's security 7see ,plate ,v,ib74 ,although saucer enthusiasts regard these pictures as genuine evidence for the reality of ,u,f,os1 careful study of the facts strongly suggests that this case1 which rocked the ,brazilian ,government and created a short-lived but world-wide saucer scare1 was merely an unusually skillful hoax,x-#ah4 ,at first glance1 the circumstances of the sighting seemed to be entirely clear and straightforward,x-#ai4 ,trindade is a barren1 mountainous island of about six square miles1 about #fjj miles from the coast of ,brazil4 ,abandoned after the end of the ,second ,world ,war1 the island remained deserted except by sea gulls until ,october #aieg1 when the ,brazilian ,navy established an oceanographic post and a meteorological station there to carry out its research for the ,international ,geophysical ,year 7,,igy74 ,to facilitate the oceanographic studies1 the ,navy also converted a training ship1 the ,almirante ,saldanha1 into a floating laboratory equipped with scientific apparatus and photographic darkroom4 ,with a crew of about #cjj1 the ship routinely traveled between ,rio de ,janeiro and ,trindade ,island on its duties for the ,,igy4 ,a major function of the meteorological station was the launching and tracking of weather balloons2 they were painted red1 inflated with hydrogen1 and carried radio transmitters4 ,launched each morning1 they were tracked by radio and optical devices to show the movements of the winds in the upper atmosphere4 ,at a certain point 7when the balloon burst1 or at a prearranged signal7 the balloon released a bag of scientific instruments which1 attached to a parachute1 floated to the ground to be retrieved4 ,the ,trindade station began operation in ,november #aieg4 ,almost immediately1 ,u,f,os were reported over the island4 7,brazil had not been immune to the flying-saucer epidemic that had begun in ,texas early that month see ,chapter ,,ix1 and sentries at ,itaipu ,fort1 near ,santos1 on ,november #d had reported a ,,ufo that knocked out the lights and electric plant47 ,with weather balloons going up daily1 parachutes floating down at odd times1 and sea gulls cruising over the island1 the advent of other 8saucers0 was inevitable4 ,during ,november and ,december several ,u,f,os were reported by workmen1 none of whom were trained observers4 ,although neither ,captain ,bacellar1 the commanding officer at the station1 nor his officers saw any unidentified objects1 he radioed ,rio to report the incidents and investigated each story4 ,some he found to be false1 some were based on mistaken identification of gulls and balloons1 and in others the evidence was inconclusive4 ,early in ,january #aieh1 when the ,almirante ,saldanha arrived on schedule at ,trindade1 it had on board several civilian guests who were to collaborate in various aspects of the research4 ,among them was ,almiro ,barauna1 a professional photographer4 ,after several days at the island1 the ship prepared to leave for the return trip to ,rio on ,january #af4 ,shortly after noon ,barauna was on deck with his camera1 waiting to film the departure4 ,the sky was thinly overcast1 the sea was rough1 and waves dashing against the ship and the rocky shore created a noisy background4 ,according to the news accounts printed several weeks later1 ,captain ,viegas1 of the ,brazilian ,air ,force1 suddenly shouted 8,olha o disco6 ,flying saucer60 ,hearing the shout1 ,barauna peered at the sky and saw a luminous oval object moving swiftly toward the island4 ,officers and crewmen on deck also observed the ,,ufo1 he said1 and interfered with his aim as they ran about excitedly4 ,nevertheless he managed to take six shots of the ,,ufo as it approached the island1 disappeared behind a mountain peak1 reversed direction and reappeared at a lower altitude1 retraced its course1 and vanished with incredible speed against the horizon4 ,the unknown had arrived and departed in a period of about twenty seconds4 ,according to the news stories1 the photographer had retired to the ship's darkroom under the supervision of an officer to develop the negative1 and found that four of the six exposures showed the mysterious object4 ,he was not able to make prints1 he said1 because the darkroom supplies unfortunately did not include any photographic paper4 ,however1 he did exhibit the negative1 and the officers and crewmen who examined it allegedly agreed that it showed the same ,saturn-like ,,ufo that had flown over the island4 ,after the return to ,rio he made prints and enlargements and turned them over1 together with the negative1 to the ,brazilian ,navy4 ,the question of authenticity arose immediately4 ,called down to ,intelligence headquarters for an interview1 ,barauna underwent a four-hour interrogation concerning the pictures4 ,during the questioning he was asked1 8,if you were going to make a flying saucer appear on a negative1 how would you proceed80 ,he replied1 as he later told a reporter1 8,comandante1 ,i am an able photographer1 specialized in trick photography1 but ,i could not produce one that would withstand close and accurate examination40,x-#ah ,in spite of this modest disclaimer1 some of the photographic evidence clearly suggested fraud1 and a strong difference of opinion developed among government officials4 ,some accepted the pictures as a genuine record of a flying saucer2 others pronounced them fakes4 ,for several weeks the incident was kept secret1 but when eventually someone took the prints to the ,president of ,brazil1 further concealment became impossible4 ,yielding to the persuasion of certain military advisers and newsmen1 and against the advice of the ,naval ,ministry1 he released the pictures to the press4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,v a4 ,pinched lightning1 ,august #aifa4 ,this is believed to be the first photograph of a pinched lightning discharge4 7,,chap4 ,,ix7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,v b4 ,ball lightning1 ,lincoln1 ,nebraska1 ,august #cj1 #aicj4 7,,chap4 ,,ix7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vi a4 ,trindade ,island ,,ufo1 ,january #aieh4 7,,chap4 ,x7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vi b4 ,taormina1 ,sicily1 ,u,f,os1 #aied4 7,,chap4 ,x7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vii a4 ,,ufo at ,boulder1 ,colorado1 ,february #f1 #aiei4 7,,chap4 ,,xii7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vii b4 ,,ufo over ,norway1 ,july #bd1 #aieg4 7,,chap4 ,,xii7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,viii a4 ,images produced by lens defects1 ,hamilton1 ,ohio1 steel plant4 7,,chap4 ,,xi7 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,viii b4 ,ghost images produced by internal reflections in lens system4 7,,chap4 ,,xii7 ,the ,brazilian ,naval ,ministry ,the photographs were published on ,february #ba1 five weeks after they were taken4 ,since the ,president had apparently accepted them at face value1 the ,naval ,ministry was obviously in a difficult position2 through an unofficial spokesman it issued a statement notable for its lack of enthusiasm3 8,on the morning of ,january #af1 #aieh1 over the island of ,trindade1 the crew of the school ship ,almirante ,saldanha sighted an unidentified aerial object for a few seconds4 ,a civilian who was aboard the ship took some pictures of the object4 ,the ,navy has no connection with the case1 and its only connection with the occurrence was the fact that the photographer was aboard the school ship1 and came back with the ship to ,rio40,x-#bj ,on the same day another ,navy spokesman released a similar unofficial statement to ,o ,globo3 8,the news about a flying saucer sighted over the ,island of ,trindade was received here with utmost reserve4 ,there will be an investigation to verify the authenticity of the sightings and photos4 ,no officer or sailor from the ,n4,e4 ,almirante ,saldanha witnessed the event40,x-#bj ,immediately an international furor broke out4 ,were these pictures indeed proof of extraterrestrial spaceships1 or were they a hoax1 with the ,brazilian ,president and the ,brazilian ,navy as victims8 ,who were the witnesses1 and exactly what did they report8 ,in the ,united ,states1 high officials asked for copies of the pictures4 ,an editor of ,look magazine asked ,dr4 ,menzel to fly to ,brazil to evaluate the evidence1 but later canceled the plan when the ,rio office advised that the photographs were generally considered fraudulent4 ,public excitement in ,brazil became so great that on ,february #bc the ,naval ,ministry released an official statement1 distinguished by its air of caution1 which concluded3 8,clearly this ,ministry will not be able to make any pronouncement concerning the reality of the object seen because the photographs do not constitute sufficient proof for this purpose40,x-#ah ,the day after the pictures were published the ,almirante ,saldanha1 which had been lying outside the harbor at ,rio1 received orders to sail4 ,not until ,february #bd1 when the ship docked at ,santos1 did newsmen have a chance to interview the officers and crewmen who allegedly had observed the ,trindade saucer and could support ,barauna's story4 ,none of them1 it turned out1 had actually seen the object4 ,the ,assistant ,naval ,attach of the ,united ,states1 who was then in ,santos in connection with the visit of the ,u4 ,s4 ,coast ,guard cutter ,westwind1 visited the ,brazilian ship to collect information about the ,trindade saucer1 but with little success4 ,the commanding officer stated that he had not seen the alleged ,,ufo2 he had seen the pictures but refused to express an opinion on their authenticity2 he stated that his secretary might have seen the ,,ufo but the secretary1 when questioned1 preferred not to discuss the matter4 ,the executive officer said that he had not been on deck at the time of the sighting1 but that other persons might have seen the object4 ,during the next week arguments for and against the authenticity of the photographs filled the ,brazilian papers1 and ,o ,globo published deliberately faked views of a 8flying saucer0--a china plate tossed into the air4 ,a federal deputy in an official note to the ,naval ,ministry deplored their amazing failure to procure sworn statements from the officers and crewmen who were reported to have witnessed the ,,ufo4 ,in spite of the widespread and increasing skepticism1 the weekly magazine ,o ,cruzeiro used the ,trindade pictures for its lead story in the issue of ,march #h4 8,once bitten1 twice shy0 apparently did not apply to its editors1 who seemed instead to adopt the principle1 8,in for a penny1 in for a pound40 ,the photographs1 they remarked editorially1 not only proved the existence of flying saucers1 they also established the authenticity of the ,ilha dos ,amores pictures published several years earlier4 ,as though to emphasize this point1 the magazine assigned the ,trindade story and the interviews with witnesses to the same staff reporter who had described the ,ilha dos ,amores saucer in #aieb4 ,the ,naval ,ministry refrained from further comment and1 since the military authorities showed no alarm about the possibility of extraterrestrial patrols1 public interest in the pictures quickly died4 ,the report sent home by the ,u4 ,s4 ,naval ,attach included the comment3 8,there appear to be only two explanations for this peculiar incident1 and the peculiar handling of it by the ,brazilian ,government3 7a7 ,some overwhelming power has told the ,brazilian ,navy not to verify this incident officially 7which they should easily be able to do1 if it actually occurred7 or to deny it 7which they should easily be able to do if it is a fake74 ,i personally do not believe that anyone has told the ,brazilian ,navy to keep quiet about it because there has been no hint of such suppression in either ,brazilian or ,united ,states circles4 ,i also doubt that their control of the individual officers and men would be good enough to hold the line in any event4 7b7 ,the whole thing is a fake publicity stunt4444 ,this seems more likely44440,x-#ah ,the ,icarai ,submarine ,hunting ,club ,the accounts originally printed in the ,brazilian papers and in ,o ,cruzeiro contain a number of significant details that have been glossed over or ignored by ,,ufo enthusiasts1 both in ,brazil,x-#ai and in the ,united ,states,x-#ba1 who apparently accept the ,trindade saucer at face value4 ,a study of the available news stories1 facts gathered by ,intelligence officers1 and of the photographs themselves leads inescapably to the conclusion that the ,trindade ,island photographs were almost certainly a hoax4 ,almiro ,barauna was a free-lance photographer4 ,a professional of unusual skill1 he had long been interested in flying saucers and1 some time before the ,trindade incident1 he had published a purposely humorous magazine article entitled 8,a ,flying ,saucer ,hunted ,me at ,home0 and illustrated by admittedly faked photographs4 ,he had also published trick photographs of 8treasure chests0 lying on the ocean bottom4 ,in addition1 ,barauna specialized in underwater photography and was a member of the ,icarai ,submarine ,hunting ,club1 a group interested in skin diving and the study of life on the ocean floor4 ,when the ,almirante ,saldanha left ,rio for its historic ,january visit to ,trindade ,island1 the ship had on board1 as guests of the ,navy1 five members of the ,icarai ,club4 ,among the five1 in addition to ,barauna1 were ,amilar ,vieira ,filho1 captain of the group1 and ,jos ,teobaldo ,viegas1 a retired captain in the ,brazilian ,air ,force,x-#bb4 ,on ,january #af when the ship was getting ready to leave ,trindade1 these three friends were on deck1 ,barauna with his loaded ,rolleiflex camera1 the other two standing some distance away4 ,suddenly ,vieira remarked on a big sea gull in the sky4 ,looking up1 ,viegas immediately shouted1 8,flying saucer60 and ,barauna snapped his pictures4 ,no other eyewitnesses have been found1 even though the deck was crowded with sailors4 ,the ship's dentist has been listed as a witness 7in one document he appears as two persons1 under two different versions of his name7 but no newspaper yet examined mentions his story4 ,captain ,bacellar1 returning from his post as commander of the ,trindade station1 has also been listed as a witness but1 according to his statement1 he was not on deck when the incident occurred4 ,vieira1 the first man to sight the object1 had called it 8a big sea gull40 ,when interviewed five weeks later1 in the midst of the saucer excitement1 he had changed his mind about its being a sea gull1 but he was no longer certain just what he had seen4 ,he stated that the unknown had been in view for twenty seconds at most1 and had disappeared too quickly for him to note any details2 it was simply an oval gray object that seemed to flash briefly before it vanished4 ,he did not mention the ,saturn-like bands around the middle that are a conspicuous feature of the photograph4 ,the ,trindade ,photographs ,accounts of the ,trindade affair often remark that the photographs must be genuine because no opportunity for fraud occurred4 ,on the contrary1 there were ample and repeated opportunities4 ,since ,barauna was not under observation when he loaded his camera1 he could easily have inserted a prepared film1 with no one the wiser4 ,with the type of camera used1 the operation would have been simple4 ,he was again free from observation when he developed the negatives4 ,captain ,bacellar escorted him to the door of the darkroom but remained outside1 on guard at the door4 ,the only person to accompany ,barauna inside 7to help by holding a flashlight7 was his friend ,viegas--the same man who had cried 8,flying saucer60 ,when ,barauna emerged with the dripping film1 ,bacellar examined it but what he expected to find is a question1 since he had not observed the ,,ufo4 ,the witnesses allegedly agreed1 however1 that the negatives showed the object they had seen in the sky--an amazing feat when we remember that the ,rolleiflex film frame is small1 only about #b4be inches square4 ,in the print of ,frame #c shown in ,o ,cruzeiro,x-#bb1 the ,,ufo is slightly more than inch long and less than inch thick4 ,assuming an enlargement factor of a little more than three1 we find that the ,,ufo on the negative would have appeared merely as a pale blur about #a_/af of an inch in length and no thicker than a pencil line4 ,miraculous eyesight would have been required to distinguish a 8,saturn-like0 or any other shape4 ,the ,navy's officers on board showed astonishingly little interest in the film and did nothing to prevent the possibility of fraud4 ,all during the homeward trip the photographer had both the camera and the negative in his own possession4 ,when the ship stopped at ,santos1 he and his fellow club members were allowed to debark 7with camera and negative71 and they completed the journey to ,rio by bus4 ,the ship had been anchored at ,rio for two days before ,captain ,bacellar1 of the ,trindade station1 finally called on ,barauna and asked to see the prints so that he could show them to the ,navy4 ,thus the photographer had been free of supervision for days4 ,in that time he could have produced pictures of little men from ,mars1 if he had wanted to4 ,the pictures themselves raise many questions4 ,the three witnesses had emphasized the brilliance of the ,,ufo1 yet the prints show merely a gray shape with no suggestion of luminosity4 ,barauna had used a ,rolleiflex camera1 #b4h ,model ,e1 f_/#h lens1 set at #abe4 ,finding that he had overexposed the film1 he said1 he had treated the negative with silver salts after development in order to increase the contrast4 7,during this procedure he was1 again1 without official supervision47 ,the prints used in ,o ,cruzeiro have obviously been cropped since1 unlike the film frames1 they are not square4 ,frame #a shows the ,,ufo above the sea1 some distance from the island2 ,frame #b shows the ,,ufo above rocky crags1 at the right of a peak4 ,frame #c shows it at the right of the peak but at lower altitude4 ,frames #d and #e1 not reproduced1 did not show the object1 and in ,frame #f the ,,ufo is a mere speck low on the horizon4 ,frame #c1 the only one showing the ,saturn-like shape1 deserves special attention4 ,in the published print the mountains in the foreground are quite clear1 while the ,,ufo is little more than a dark line with an indistinct beginning and end1 with a faint suggestion of rounding at top and bottom2 without the dark line the curves would scarcely be visible1 so completely does the object merge into the background of overcast sky4 ,the picture widely distributed by news agencies is a further enlargement of the section containing the ,,ufo4 ,in the enlarged section1 the foreground rocks are a mere black blur1 but the ,,ufo has gained greatly in clarity4 ,the central band is darker1 particularly at the left1 and the outlines of the object are no longer vague4 ,the ,navy's study of the negatives revealed several dubious features4 ,the details of the land in the foreground were very sharp but the ,,ufo disk was hazy1 showed little contrast1 and was essentially without shadows4 ,the object in ,frame #b seemed to have been inverted1 as compared with ,frames #a and #c4 ,from the reported high velocity of the saucer and the fast shutter speed1 some lateral haziness might have been expected1 but no such blurring appeared4 ,exactly when and how the fraudulent images were produced--if they were fraudulent--cannot be known4 ,experienced photographers can easily think of a dozen possible devices4 ,the probability that they were faked is overwhelming and1 but for the embarrassing fact that the ,brazilian ,president had seemed to sponsor them publicly1 the ,naval ,ministry would undoubtedly have exposed the entire hoax4 ,in summary1 the facts are these3 ,the man who made the ,trindade pictures had no connection with the ,brazilian ,navy2 he was a professional photographer noted particularly as an expert at trick photography4 ,no officer or crewman of the ,brazilian ,navy reported seeing the ,,ufo2 in addition to the photographer1 only two persons are on record as actual eyewitnesses2 both of them were personal friends of the photographer2 neither of them had any connection with the ,brazilian ,navy4 ,the photographer had ample time and many opportunities to fake the pictures4 ,a ,rolleiflex camera can easily be used for double exposures4 ,a series of pictures of a model saucer against a dark background could be rerolled and exposed a second time to provide the background1 an old and well-known photographic trick4 ,the pictures themselves show internal inconsistencies4 ,the ,brazilian ,naval ,ministry never accepted the pictures as authentic records of a flying saucer4,c ,c ,during a visit to ,rio de ,janeiro in ,february #aifc1 ,dr4 ,menzel discussed this case with some of ,brazil's leading astronomers2 they concurred in the view that the ,trindade saucer was a hoax4 ,the final paragraph from a ,united ,states ,intelligence report provides perhaps the most appropriate comment on the affair3 8,it is the reporting officer's private opinion that a flying saucer sighting would be unlikely at the very barren island of ,trindade1 since everyone knows that ,martians are extremely comfort-loving creatures40 ,project ,ozma ,astronomers have found no evidence suggesting that intelligent life exists on any of earth's sister planets4 ,most scientists would agree1 however1 that life of some kind probably does exist in other parts of our galaxy and in other galaxies4 ,even if this probability were certainty and space travel were possible over the vast distances we measure in light years1 the chance that earthman and alien will ever establish physical contact remains infinitesimally small4 ,an explorer 7whether from earth or from a planet of another sun7 would have to begin by locating1 among the millions of stars in the heavens1 a particular star that had a family of life-bearing planets4 ,if he were able to identify one of these needles in the cosmic haystack1 he would next have to find out which of the planets supported living1 intelligent organisms4 ,if he could find the planet and set down his spaceship1 the explorer would then have to try to identify and to communicate with creatures that might be unimaginably strange--so strange that he would not recognize them as either living or intelligent4 ,at present1 only light waves and radio waves can bridge the immensities of space4 ,physical travel to other star systems is not now and may never be possible4 ,nevertheless1 men are making attempts to find out whether other intelligent beings do exist outside the solar system and1 if so1 where4 ,the earliest effort1 known as ,project ,ozma1 started a few years ago at the ,national ,radio ,astronomy ,observatory at ,green ,bank1 ,west ,virginia4 ,as the first step in a systematic search1 the astronomers began to listen for possible radio signals from the neighborhood of certain stars4 ,tau ,ceti1 ,epsilon ,eridani1 and #fa ,cygni were chosen as the first targets because they lie within range of our radio telescopes--ten to eleven light years distant--and because they resemble our own sun in age and type and therefore might have planetary systems not unlike our own4 ,so far1 the radio telescopes have detected no phenomena that might be interpreted as artificial signals4 ,the problems involved are incredibly difficult4 ,a background of radio noise--8swishes10 8whistles10 8tweeks0--comes in constantly from the universe at large4 ,deliberate signals1 if they occurred1 would be hard to distinguish from the random noise4 ,even if signals came in and were detected1 they might still be indecipherable just as the written records of some early civilizations on our own planet remain a mystery4 ,egyptian hieroglyphs were meaningless pictures for millennia until the ,rosetta stone provided the key1 less than #bjj years ago4 ,the many pages of text and pictures left by the ,mayan ,indians cannot yet be read1 except for some dates and a few astronomical symbols4 ,hundreds of inscriptions exist in the ,etruscan language1 written in an alphabet that resembles the familiar ,greek1 but scholars have deciphered only a few words4 ,if we are not able to interpret the records devised and set down by human beings like ourselves1 we will not easily understand signals that might possibly be broadcast by aliens from the planets of other suns4 ,x-#a ,wiener1 ,j4 ,s4 ,the ,piltdown ,forgery4 ,london3 ,oxford ,univ4 ,press1 #aiee4 ,x-#b ,mac,dougall1 ,c4 ,d4 ,hoaxes4 ,new ,york3 ,ace ,books1 #aieh4 ,x-#c ,fry1 ,d4 ,w4 ,the ,white ,sands ,incident4 ,los ,angeles3 ,new ,age ,publ4 ,co41 #aied4 ,x-#d ,redondo ,beach 7,calif47 ,daily ,breeze1 ,september #be1 #aiec4 ,x-#e ,bethurum1 ,t4 ,aboard a ,flying ,saucer4 ,los ,angeles3 ,de ,vorss ,co41 #aied4 ,x-#f ,van ,tassel1 ,g4 ,w4 ,i ,rode a ,flying ,saucer4 ,los ,angeles3 ,new ,age ,publ4 ,co41 #aieb4 ,x-#g ,cahn1 ,j4 ,p4 8,flying ,saucers and the ,mysterious ,little ,men10 ,true magazine 7,september #aieb74 ,x-#h ,menger1 ,h4 ,from ,outer ,space ,to ,you4 ,clarksburg1 ,west ,virginia3 ,saucerian ,publications1 #aiei4 ,x-#i ,peterborough 7,n4,h47 ,transcript1 ,oct4 #cj1 #aieh4 ,x-#aj ,leslie1 ,d41 and ,adamski1 ,g4 ,flying ,saucers ,have ,landed4 ,new ,york3 ,british ,book ,centre1 #aiec4 ,x-#aa ,adamski1 ,g4 ,inside the ,space ,ships4 ,abelard-,schuman1 #aiee4 ,x-#ab ---- ,flying ,saucers1 ,farewell4 ,abelard-,schuman1 #aifa4 ,x-#ac ,,ufo ,investigator 7,june #aiei74 ,x-#ad ,michel1 ,a4 ,the ,truth about ,flying ,saucers4 ,new ,york3 ,criterion ,books1 #aief4 ,x-#ae 8,have ,we ,visitors from ,outer ,space80 ,life magazine 7,april #d1 #aieb74 ,x-#af ,rio de ,janeiro3 ,o ,cruzeiro1 ,may #ag1 #aieb4 ,x-#ag ,civilian ,saucer ,investigations ,quarterly ,bulletin 7,september #aieb74 ,x-#ah ,air ,force ,files4 ,x-#ai ,,ufo ,critical ,bulletin 7,march-,april #aieh74 ,x-#bj ,fontes1 ,o4 ,t4 8,the ,brazilian ,navy ,,ufo ,sighting at the ,island of ,trindade10 ,flying ,saucers 7,february #aifa71 p4 #bg ff4 ,x-#ba ,maney1 ,c4 ,a41 and ,hall1 ,r4 ,the ,challenge of ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,washington1 ,d4,c41 #aifa4 ,x-#bb ,rio de ,janeiro3 ,o ,cruzeiro1 ,march #h1 #aieh4 ,chapter ,,xi ,,angel ,,hair1 ,,pancakes1 ,,etc4 ,if thousands of aircraft from other planets have indeed been patrolling the earth for many years 7according to some authors1 for centuries71 they have achieved an incredibly perfect safety record4 ,disabled or wrecked flying saucers have occasionally been reported1 but the debris and bodies to be expected from such incidents have never been located4 ,a 8mummified man10 sometimes referred to as proof of such a catastrophe1 may be seen at ,caspar1 ,wyoming4 ,found in the ,rocky ,mountains in the autumn of #aicb1 this little creature measures #f inches high in a sitting position and weighs three-quarters of a pound4 ,paleontologists recognize it as ,hesperopithecus1 an anthropoid denizen of earth during the ,pliocene period4 ,the mummified body of another such creature1 supposedly found in ,arizona1 has also been called the remains of 8a little green man40,,xi-#a ,in #aieb four spaceships were supposed to have crashed in the deserts of ,new ,mexico and ,arizona1 carrying the bodies of thirty-four 8little men0,,xi-#b1 but the only evidence offered for this disaster was a chunk of 8unknown metal0 that proved to be ordinary aluminum1 and the entire drama was shown to be the work of a known hoaxer,,xi-#c4 ,although a few flying-saucer organizations regard such 8humanoid0 evidence with some doubt1 others1 such as the ,aerial ,phenomena ,research ,organization 7,,apro7 are less skeptical of the reality of 8little men40,,xi-#d ,,ufo publications have reported the finding of various substances alleged to have been produced by ,u,f,os4 ,the offices of ,air ,force investigators at ,dayton house a small museum of such 8pieces of saucers0--old batteries1 meteorites1 parts of primitive radios1 rocks1 corroded lead pipe1 tangles of wire1 strips of tin foil4 ,although a few of these specimens have been sent in by optimistic hoaxers1 most of them have been submitted by genuinely puzzled citizens4 ,when analysis shows the normal origin of such an object1 the finder usually accepts the verdict calmly1 whether he is disappointed or relieved1 but occasionally he rejects the identification and indignantly accuses the ,air ,force of theft1 substitution1 or plain lying to suppress the 8truth40 ,nevertheless1 not a single fragment studied so far--animal1 vegetable1 or mineral--shows any evidence that it grew or was constructed on an alien world4 ,angel ,hair and ,spiders ,some centuries ago the primitive inhabitants of the ,hawaiian ,islands1 observing the feathery1 hairlike threads of volcanic glass left on the ground from ancient eruptions1 accounted for the substance by the legend that the goddess ,pelee had once stopped somewhere in the neighborhood to comb her hair4 8,angel hair10 a term in ,,ufo parlance used to describe any unfamiliar fibers1 strands1 threads1 liquids1 granules1 and powders found on the earth and supposedly deposited from flying saucers1 offers an interesting analogy4 ,fils de la ,vierge--the hair of the ,virgin ,mary--is the usual ,french phrase for gossamer or cobwebs1 whose origin was long a mystery4 ,similarly the ,english 8gossamer0 commonly means cobwebs4 ,according to one source1 the word may be derived from gaze ,marie--the gauze of ,mary4 ,according to legend1 cobwebs were formed from threads that fell from the shroud of the ,virgin ,mary on her ,assumption4 ,,ufo enthusiasts in ,france began to use fils de la ,vierge in #aieb1 to describe the cobwebby material that allegedly fell from flying saucers4 ,translators of the ,french ,,ufo publications1 instead of using the ,english equivalent 8gossamer0 or 8cobwebs10 chose to create the new term 8angel hair0 which1 unlike the ,french1 implies an entirely strange substance1 one that has no apparent connection with such ordinary earthly phenomena as spiders4 ,two remarkable falls of angel hair were reported in ,france on ,october #ag and #bg1 #aieb4 ,in both incidents1 witnesses observed in the sky a strangely shaped1 cottony cloud at a height of several thousand feet4 ,above it was a long1 narrow1 cylindrical object trailed by a white plume1 moving slowly across the sky and accompanied by twenty or thirty smaller objects that looked like puffs of smoke4 ,following a broken path1 they made rapid zigzag motions1 and left a broad ribbon of white substance that slowly drifted to the ground and clung to trees1 telephone wires1 and roofs of houses4 ,these masses of white threads were described as like wool1 nylon1 or ,fiberglas4 ,when rolled into a ball they became gelatinous and disappeared within a few hours2 set on fire1 they burned like cellophane4 ,one witness was able to disentangle a single strand more than ten yards long4 ,none of the material1 unfortunately1 was preserved for study4 ,students of ,u,f,os pondered the unusual phenomenon3 8,if the observers really did see what they described1 and if all these objects were machines guided by a single intelligence1 then what mysterious experiment were they performing8 ,what purpose was served by the strange ballet of paired saucers8 ,what was the meaning of the whitish streak appearing between two saucers on separation8 ,what1 finally1 was the #8angel's hair' that sublimed so readily in the air80,,xi-#e1 p4 #aej ,,ufo enthusiasts have suggested various theories of the nature and origin of the mysterious substance4 ,according to one hypothesis,,xi-#e1 p4 #adi1 angel hair might be produced in the wake of a spacecraft moving in a force field2 ionization of the atmosphere would produce ultraheavy particles which would react with ordinary air to form a kind of precipitate-angel hair--which would disintegrate as ionization decreased 7see ,chapter ,,ix74 ,another theory suggests that angel hair might be a chain polymer of cellulose containing radioactive carbon #ad 7the carbon #ad being produced by the action of cosmic rays on atoms of nitrogen in the atmosphere71 hydrogen1 and oxygen from moisture in the air1 the three elements combining under the action of ultraheavy particles produced by ionization,,xi-#f4 ,this theory overlooks the fact that cellulose is not formed from a combination of carbon dioxide1 oxygen1 and hydrogen in air4 ,rather1 it is made by living organisms in a series of complicated enzymic reactions4 ,even if cellulose could be made by the hypothetical reaction suggested1 it would contain no more carbon #ad than does the ordinary carbon dioxide in the air4 ,to ,french entomologists1 the angel hair seen in ,october #aieb1 was no mystery at all4 ,the objects dancing the strange ballet were not spaceships1 but spiders4 ,far from performing a mysterious experiment1 they were merely carrying out the well-established routine of migration4 ,each year the young spiders of most species leave the nests of their infancy and prepare to establish their own homes4 ,crawling by the hundreds or the thousands to the tops of fence posts1 walls1 or trees1 they spin long silken webs which1 inflated by the air1 carry the tiny emigrants up from the ground4 ,these gossamer parachutes drift up and along on rising air currents1 sometimes to great heights2 they may soar for a few yards or for many miles over hills and valleys4 ,these migrating balloonists have been observed as high as #ad1jjj feet1 and at sea #bjj miles from any land4 ,eventually drifting back to earth1 the spiders detach the now useless parachutes and move off to build new nests for the coming year1 while the abandoned gossamer may pile up in great masses on trees1 fences1 telephone wires1 and ground1 to decay and vanish in a matter of hours4 ,these gossamer showers sometimes include so many outworn webs that the filmy blankets of fine silk may be several inches deep and may cover an entire landscape like snow4 ,these migrations occur in spring or1 more frequently1 in autumn--but only when the weather is exactly right4 ,spiders may sit patiently for days1 waiting for a calm1 clear1 windless day4 ,on such days the steady upward currents of air from the sun-warmed ground carry the spiders gently aloft,,xi-#g4 ,the association of angel hair with ,,ufo sightings is completely natural4 ,the drifting patches of gossamer reflect the sun brilliantly4 ,a whole armada of saucers can appear overhead and then vanish as the gossamer cascades to earth4 ,the description of the material and the date of the fall both indicate that the angel hair observed in ,france in ,october #aieb was of arachnid origin4 ,even the weather was exactly right--8superb1 with a sky of cloudless blue0--for the migration of a smother of spiders4 ,a similar fall of angel hair occurred in the ,united ,states on ,october #bb1 #aied1 near a school in ,marysville1 ,ohio4 ,at afternoon recess the pupils of the ,jerome ,elementary ,school noticed a dazzlingly bright object in the sky4 ,it disappeared1 and for the next forty-five minutes both children and teachers watched white1 cottonlike tufts floating slowly down to the ground4 ,the material was in long strands1 very fine and soft1 could be stretched and rolled into a tiny ball1 but quickly vanished to nothing and left a green stain on the hands4 ,the stuff clung to grass and cars1 draped the telephone wires for a distance of three miles1 and was like a misty canopy over the road,,xi-#f4 ,unfortunately none of the material was preserved and no analysis was possible4 ,marysville is near ,columbus1 ,ohio1 an industrial center1 and the stuff might have been waste products from one of the many factories4 ,since similar falls were reported in ,indiana during the same period1 the substance more probably was gossamer4 ,as in the ,french incidents1 the time was late ,october and the weather was perfect1 a warm autumn day with a sunny1 cloudless sky4 ,both the time and the weather were ideal for migrating spiders to take to the air1 float down to earth on their fluffy parachutes1 and then discard the no longer necessary fils de la ,vierge4 ,many falls of angel hair that occur in the warm days of ,indian summer are probably abandoned gossamer4 ,it is significant that of fourteen such incidents reported in ,europe and the ,united ,states1 all but three took place in ,october and ,november1 the season of spider migration,,xi-#f4 ,in one of the three incidents reported in other months 7,horseheads1 ,new ,york1 ,february #ba1 #aiee7 the angel hair was identified as waste products from the local milk plant4 ,one of the most recent reports of angel hair came from ,sebree1 ,kentucky1 on ,september #aa1 #aifb1 when state police and the local ,civil ,defense director were called in to investigate a strange substance that looked like spun glass1 which had been floating down near the residence of ,mr4 ,y in great quantities for more than an hour4 ,the ,air ,force1 when called for advice1 suggested three possibilities3 the material might be chemicals used in cloud seeding1 might be refuse from a defective filter in a chemical or industrial plant1 or might be gossamer formed by migrating spiders4 ,the first two possibilities were quickly ruled out4 ,the witnesses1 when requestioned1 remembered that they had indeed noticed spiders clinging to several bits of the material they had picked up4 ,the troopers' report concluded1 8,it is the belief of this unit the substance observed was gossamer formed by huge quantities of migrating spiders moving1 which is normal for this season40 ,the yearly migration of spiders and sloughing of gossamer is an established fact4 ,as an explanation of angel hair it is far less fantastic than a still-hypothetical cruising spaceship4 ,other ,varieties of ,angel ,hair ,several types of angel hair not of arachnid origin have been reported in industrial areas1 particularly in and near cities that have textile factories4 ,when the filtering system of such a factory fails to work properly1 lint and waste residues may be thrown into the air to be carried away by the wind and eventually deposited on the ground4 ,drifting fibers of nylon1 rayon1 and other fabrics can mystify an observer1 especially if the residues break and disappear when touched4 ,some cities1 such as ,cincinnati1 maintain an ,air ,pollution ,center to deal with the problems resulting from air contamination by industrial wastes4 ,scientists at this and other centers often collaborate with ,,atic in identifying unknown substances reported in connection with ,u,f,os4 ,late in the afternoon of ,september #be1 #aief1 a housewife in ,cincinnati noticed a strange substance floating down into her yard1 a white1 fibrous material that curled when she touched it4 ,wondering if she had found some angel hair1 she described the incident to the editors of ,orbit1 a saucer publication2 in addition1 she collected some of the material in a jar and sent it to the ,air ,force for analysis,,xi-#h4 ,working in collaboration with the ,air ,pollution ,center at ,cincinnati1 ,,atic investigators subjected the material to chemical and microscopic tests and identified it as waste products from fibers of cuprammonium 7,bemberg7 rayon1 from a local industrial plant,,xi-#i4 ,the possible varieties of angel hair increase with the development of new technologies4 ,during ,march and ,april #aiei1 the ,air ,force received many reports that flying saucers were cruising over the mountains near ,coburn1 ,virginia1 regularly used a landing strip on an inaccessible peak of ,sheep ,rock ,mountain1 and frequently dropped angel hair on the nearby countryside4 ,the investigating officer collected some of the material and identified it as a type of 8window10 the rolls or long strips of aluminum foil used by the military in ,world ,war ,,ii to produce spurious radar echoes and confuse enemy anti-aircraft fire4 ,the ,coburn angel hair was identical with the foil used by ,air ,force planes carrying out experiments in the area4 8,window0 falls very slowly2 dropped from a height of #dj1jjj feet1 it may easily be visible for some time to ground observers1 as well as interfere with local radar reception,,xi-#aj4 ,a similar angel-hair incident was reported on ,november #bc1 #aifj1 when many residents in southern ,michigan and the ,midwest reported a mysterious1 glowing white object in the eastern sky that was dropping strange material to the earth4 ,witnesses described the object variously as a comet1 a satellite with a tail1 or a saucer-shaped ,,ufo4 ,the angel hair was quickly identified as foil dropped by planes that were conducting a test of radar reception,,xi-#aa4 ,reports of angel hair still come in occasionally to ,,atic and1 if the explanation is not immediately obvious1 are investigated4 ,on the afternoon of ,october #ab1 #aiei1 officials at ,robins ,air ,force ,base1 ,georgia1 received a telephone call stating that unidentified substances were falling from unknown objects in the sky near the town of ,washington4 ,two ,air ,force investigators arrived in the town before evening to interview the witnesses and examine the material4 ,the first sighting had occurred shortly before noon1 when a farm woman noticed an object in the sky1 traveling not particularly fast from southeast to west4 ,a stream of peculiar-looking substance1 broad as the vapor trail of a jet plane1 was trailing behind and floating toward the earth4 ,the object itself was 8as large as a football10 brown or black in color1 and maintained a perfectly straight1 even course4 ,a few hours later in a town a few miles northeast1 a man mowing his lawn noticed on the grass two whitish-gray streaks about ten feet long and eight inches wide1 extending from east to west4 ,deciding that the peculiar streaks were a fungus or a mold1 he mowed across them2 at once a gray dust rose about twenty inches into the air and then settled back to earth4 ,the ,air ,force investigators took samples of the dusty earth and grass for analysis4 ,chemical tests showed the presence of silver iodide4 ,finding silver in such an unlikely place posed a problem1 but it also pointed the way to a solution4 ,silver iodide and other silver halides are used in cloud seeding to produce rain2 long 8plumes0 of this material1 ejected from planes1 have been successfully tracked in mountainous country for distances of thirty-five miles downwind4 ,a few questions in the right places produced the answer3 research teams from the ,university of ,georgia at ,athens and from the ,lockheed plant at ,marietta had been in the air that day1 carrying out experiments in cloud seeding4 ,the angel hair was the silver iodide used in the experiment,,xi-#aj4 ,angel hair of less mysterious origin has now found its way into the culinary world4 ,the restaurant of the ,hotel ,bristol in ,crdoba1 ,argentina1 offers 8,angel-hair soup10 very fine threadlike spaghetti in chicken broth4 ,the ,wisconsin ,pancakes ,of the many substances offered the public as proof of extraterrestrial visitors1 probably few have evoked more publicity than the ,wisconsin pancakes4 ,according to a plumber named ,joe ,simonton1 of ,eagle ,river1 ,wisconsin1 a flying saucer with three peculiarly dressed occupants appeared in his yard on ,april #ah1 #aifa1 and hovered a few feet above the ground4 ,when one of the saucermen indicated by sign language that he was thirsty and held out a two-handled jug1 ,simonton obligingly filled it with well water and handed it back4 ,looking through the open hatchway1 he saw another spaceman cooking something on a kind of grill4 ,when the spaceman noticed the terrestrial's interest1 he presented him with three 8pancakes0 from the grill--thin1 oblong1 greasy1 rubbery pastries perforated by small round holes and smelling strongly of goose grease4 ,the saucer then departed4 ,although ,simonton's curiosity apparently stopped short of tasting these gifts1 he took them to a friend of his in ,eagle ,river1 a county judge and a member in good standing of the ,national ,investigations ,committee on ,aerial ,phenomena 7,,nicap7,,xi-#ab4 ,eager to learn whether the flapjacks came from this world or another1 the judge promptly mailed one of them to ,,nicap headquarters in ,washington1 ,d4,c41 explained its history and requested an analysis4 ,at the same time he gave the story1 as far as it went1 to the newspapers4 ,after two weeks of anxious waiting1 on ,may #g he again wrote to ,,nicap1 protesting their failure to acknowledge his parcel and demanding either an analysis or the pancake4 ,this time he received a prompt reply3 ,,nicap deplored the publicity involving the organization with such a fantastic-sounding claim1 but agreed to send the stuff to a chemist4 ,meanwhile time was passing and pancakes1 at least terrestrial ones1 don't last forever4 ,without waiting for the report from the chemist the judge submitted one of the remaining pancakes to ,air ,force investigators of ,u,f,os4 ,on ,may #be--the cakes were now more than a month old--he wrote a third letter1 excoriating ,,nicap for its lack of enthusiasm over the evidence1 and sent a carbon copy to ,ray ,palmer1 editor of ,flying ,saucers1 who in the early days of ,u,f,os had been their staunch proponent 7see ,chapter ,,ii74 ,the magazine promptly published the letter1 with comments1 as well as an editorial that solemnly reproached ,,nicap for its attitude toward contactee stories in general,,xi-#ac4 ,if the magazine and the judge had planned the entire episode deliberately to embarrass ,,nicap1 they could not have timed it better4 ,busy trying to promote a ,congressional hearing on flying saucers1 ,,nicap apparently had no time1 facilities1 or inclination to investigate flapjacks of such dubious origin4 ,interrupted by phone calls1 besieged by reporters1 and generally harassed1 ,,nicap mailed the cake to an ,ohio physics professor1 a member of the organization1 in the hope that he could induce his colleague in the chemistry department to analyze the cake4 ,since the chemistry professor was ill1 the physics professor returned the specimen to headquarters in ,washington4 ,old and tired as it must have been by this time1 the cake then was dispatched to ,new ,york to another ,,nicap member1 a chemist1 who began some preliminary tests4 ,sometime during these weeks the ,air ,force announced the results of its analysis4 ,the pancakes consisted of starch1 fat1 buckwheat hulls1 soybean hulls1 wheat bran1 and other common substances2 bacteriological and radiation readings were normal,,xi-#ad4 ,obviously the specimen had been an ordinary pancake fried on earth--or else the spacemen's home planet produced grains that are indistinguishable from those flourishing on earth4 ,,nicap1 however1 had the last word4 ,preliminary tests by their chemist had shown that the cakes contained a common type of hydrogenated oil shortening that melted at body temperature4 ,further tests were temporarily delayed because of the expense4 ,however1 ,,nicap assured the judge1 the tests would be completed sometime1 and any fragments left over would be saved and returned6,,xi-#ae ,the ,moon ,bridge ,on the evening of ,july #bi1 #aiec1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,j4 ,o',neill1 a science reporter for the ,new ,york ,herald ,tribune1 was looking at the moon through his small telescope when he saw what he believed to be a shaft of light shining from the mountainous ridge above the ,mare ,crisium crater and fanning out into the shadowed area of the crater wall4 ,according to his interpretation1 the light was coming from underneath a new structure1 a gigantic natural bridge twelve to twenty miles long that arched over a gap in the mountainous rim4 ,this region of the moon had been thoroughly studied and mapped during the previous century and no such feature had ever been noticed4 ,the sudden appearance of so spectacular an object1 if true1 would indeed require explanation4 ,alerted by news reports of the moon bridge1 a ,british amateur astronomer1 ,h4 ,p4 ,wilkins1 reported a few weeks later that he1 too1 could see the mysterious arch through his telescope 7see ,figure #af74 ,to saucer enthusiasts these reports constituted proof that the moon was inhabited4 ,since ,nature alone could not have formed such an arch in so short a time1 they argued1 the bridge must be artificial4 ,the structure might have been built by creatures living on the moon1 perhaps in enormous underground cities4 ,these beings might be native ,selenites1 or they might be colonists from ,mars or from planets belonging to another solar system who were using the moon as a base for their spaceships,,xi-#af4 ,illustration3 ,figure #af4 ,the 8,moon ,bridge40 ,a1 ,just before sunset light fans out from beneath 8arch02 ,b1 the fan narrows as sun sinks lower2 ,c1 fan begins to disappear as sun sets below horizon4 7,based on sketches by the late ,h4 ,p4 ,wilkins47 ,professional astronomers1 queried about the mysterious bridge1 pointed out that sunlight could not have produced the phenomenon in the way described4 ,when a bright lamp shines through an open doorway into a darkened room1 the light spreads out like a fan into the shadowed area because the light source is very near4 ,but the supposed light source in this case was the far-distant sun4 ,if a shaft of sunlight were shining under a huge lunar arch1 as claimed1 the opposite boundaries of the illuminated area would be essentially parallel1 not divergent like the fan-shaped region described4 ,examining the ,mare ,crisium wall through the fifteen-inch ,harvard telescope1 ,dr4 ,menzel 7who was therefore labeled 8one of the ,army stooges0,,xi-#af;a7 concluded that the bright area observed by the amateurs must have been a high plateau that was still illuminated by the setting sun while the rest of the crater wall was already in darkness4 ,the roughly curved boundary of the illuminated plateau1 seen against the shadowed mountains1 had been mistakenly interpreted as a bridge4 ,dr4 ,g4 ,p4 ,kuiper1 one of the world's leading authorities on the moon1 also studied the area with the eighty-two-inch reflecting telescope at the ,mc,donald ,observatory1 and reached the same conclusion4 ,one writer offered further proof 7derived from an unnamed source7 for the reality of the new bridge4 ,astronomers at ,mount ,palomar ,observatory1 he asserted1 had made a secret study that confirmed the presence of the structure2 furthermore a spectrographic analysis was supposed to have proved that the bridge was made of metal,,xi-#af4 ,sensible comment on these statements is not easy4 ,a 8secret0 study would be impossible since the moon's face is obviously open to all viewers1 and the purported chemical analysis is sheer nonsense4 ,the spectroscope can tell the physicist what luminous gases are present in the atmosphere around a heavenly body1 but it cannot reveal the composition of a solid object on the surface of the body1 unless the object is first heated until it vaporizes and is transformed into gas4 ,before a physicist could make a spectrographic analysis of the alleged lunar structure1 he would have to land on the moon and chip off a piece of the 8bridge0 itself4 8,pieces of ,saucers0 ,in ,,ufo publications1 any oddly shaped chunk of rock or metal is likely to be described as a fragment of an interplanetary craft4 ,a six-inch meteorite that fell at ,sylacauga1 ,alabama1 7,chapter ,v7 has been classified in one saucer book as an 8unidentified crashed object40,,xi-#af ,by peculiar reverse logic1 sometimes the absence of a solid fragment is adduced as equally valid evidence of flying saucers4 ,the green fireballs of ,new ,mexico 7,chapter ,v7 were identified as spacecraft partly because they did not leave material traces on the ground4 ,similarly1 when a small object apparently struck and went through a metal signboard in ,new ,haven1 ,connecticut1 on ,august #ai1 #aiec1 the object itself could not be found4 ,nevertheless1 from a study of the size and shape of the hole and the material around the hole1 saucer investigators1 with more than ,sherlockian skill1 concluded that the object must have been a missile from outer space4 ,to identify 8pieces of saucers10 a new pseudoscience has now developed which we may call 8xenochemistry10 the interpretation of substances allegedly from other planets4 ,in xenochemistry1 a full qualitative and quantitative analysis is usually not performed and exact results are not made public4 ,from an identification and sometimes a quantitative estimate of one or two of the elements present in the specimen1 the investigator infers the nature of the rest and treats the inference as proved fact4 ,on the basis of this 8analysis0 he concludes that the object1 before it entered our atmosphere1 must have had a certain chemical composition that is unknown or impossible on earth and that the object therefore came from another planet4 ,silver ,rain in ,brazil ,one of the most publicized substances to be analyzed in this way was the 8silver rain0 that allegedly fell from an unidentified flying object in ,brazil4 ,the incident occurred on ,december #ac1 #aied1 in the city of ,campinas and the witness was a housewife but1 as in many ,,ufo sightings1 exactly what happened is not easy to find out,,xi-#ag4 ,,ufo publications in ,england1 ,new ,zealand1 and the ,united ,states reported that the sighting had occurred at night but1 in spite of the darkness1 the witness had observed the objects in detail4 ,she described three gray-colored1 circular flying saucers2 each was made up of two sections or plates1 one placed on top of the other2 the top plate rotated continuously and sent out a strong light4 ,moving soundlessly and in close formation1 the three saucers had performed fantastic acrobatics over the city1 apparently unnoticed by the other residents4 ,suddenly one of them had peeled off and dived low over the roof of the woman's house1 lighting up the whole neighborhood with the brilliant glare of its rotating section2 then1 going into a high-speed climb1 it dropped at her feet a liquid substance that fell 8like silver rain40 ,according to the more generally accepted and more probable version1 the incident occurred in the morning in full daylight4 ,the housewife was feeding her poultry when she heard a noise on the ground near her feet4 ,stooping down1 she observed a pool of shiny liquid1 like silver rain1 which solidified within a few seconds4 ,looking up1 she saw three large objects moving rapidly high in the sky and they looked to her like flying saucers4 ,a reporter on the ,campinas ,correio ,popular1 hearing rumors that a flying saucer had dropped strange material 8something like lead10 interviewed the woman1 collected some fragments that a neighbor had picked up1 and took them to a local chemist for analysis4 ,the newspaper then reported that the stuff was absolutely pure tin--that is1 it was about #ij per cent pure tin and the rest was either oxidation or metal alloys that were unknown on earth,,xi-#ag1 ,,xi-#ah1 ,,xi-#ai4 ,understandably interested in this report1 members of the ,brazilian ,air ,force also interviewed the witness and collected some of the fragments she showed them1 as well as other fragments that had fallen about the same time in other parts of the city4 ,laboratory analysis showed the material to be merely solder4 ,several large airports not far from ,campinas might well have had large planes in the air2 they could have dropped the solder4 ,the ,air ,force obviously saw no need to invoke the presence of extraterrestrial vehicles to account for the incident and considered the problem solved1 but ,brazilian saucer enthusiasts refused to accept this explanation4 ,in their opinion the ,air ,force had either gotten hold of the wrong material or was covering up the true facts4 ,two years later1 in the autumn of #aief1 the reporter who had ordered the original analysis received another collection of fragments and turned them over to a group of civilian investigators of ,,ufo phenomena4 ,although he did not know the full history of the new fragments 7unfortunately he had forgotten the names of the persons who gave them to him71 he himself was convinced that they were part of the original shower of silver rain4 ,accepting this theory1 the civilians sent the fragments to the ,united ,states for analysis3 one part to a sympathetic scientist at an ,ohio college1 who asked a chemist colleague to test the material1 and another to a commercial chemist in ,new ,york4 ,when the ,new ,york chemist1 like the ,brazilian ,air ,force in #aied1 reported that the material was an ordinary tin solder1 the ,,ufo group concluded that the fragment sent him must have been spurious1 and refused to accept his findings4 ,the ,ohio chemist reported that his specimen contained tin1 did not contain antimony1 and had a density of #aj4c4 ,since the density of tin is #g4c1 the sample obviously contained other elements in addition to tin4 ,with the reports in hand1 the editor of the ,brazilian ,,ufo ,critical ,bulletin published the xenochemical conclusion under the headline1 8,stuff ,analyzed by ,american and ,brazilian ,scientists ,proves the ,u,f,os ,are ,non-,terrestrial ,flying ,machines40,,xi-#ah ,the full facts on which this conclusion rests should presumably be available for study1 but they have never been published4 ,the origin of the #aief fragments is unknown2 they may or may not have been part of the #aied fall4 ,but the #aied incident at least offered an apparently ideal chance to establish beyond doubt the exact composition of a substance that fell from some object in the sky1 and to determine whether it came from earth or from beyond4 ,the material did not deliquesce or disappear1 as gossamer and industrial waste may do1 but remained available for analysis4 ,incredibly1 this ideal chance was lost4 ,of the several chemists involved1 none made a complete qualitative1 quantitative1 and spectroscopic analysis1 and none published his complete data4 ,the ,ohio chemist1 busy with ordinary duties1 had time to make only a preliminary analysis of the #aief fragment4 ,he did not determine the amount of tin present and did not determine what elements other than tin were in the sample4 ,the density of the #aied sample is not known and the results of the complete qualitative1 quantitative1 and spectrographic tests1 if performed1 are not available4 ,when a businessman sends a specimen to a commercial chemist for analysis1 he expects to receive a specific list of exactly what elements it contains and in what percentages4 ,if he received1 instead1 results such as those of the silver-rain analysis1 plus the chemist's opinion that the specimen used to consist of something else in different proportions1 the businessman would very properly refuse to pay4 ,no competent chemist would use the meager data available to assert that the #aied and #aief fragments had an identical origin1 or that they were originally composed only of pure tin4 ,a quantitative analysis theoretically could show that a given sample is composed entirely of a certain element such as tin1 but if the sample contains only #ij per cent tin1 #aj per cent obviously consists of other elements1 and the specimen is not #ajj per cent pure tin4 ,with so few facts available1 the actual identity of the silver rain can only be guessed at1 but overwhelming evidence indicates that it was made right here on earth4 ,the ,handbook of ,chemistry and ,physics lists a large number of possibilities4 ,at least #e alloys of tin and lead1 without antimony1 have densities between #i4dc and #aj4cc1 like the #aief fragments4 ,ordinary 8plumber's solder0 is #fg per cent lead1 #cc per cent tin1 and has a density of #i4d4 8,tinman's solder0 is #fg per cent tin and #cc per cent lead4 ,many aluminum solders have neither antimony nor lead1 but contain tin in percentages ranging from #ej to #ig per cent1 combined with varying proportions of zinc1 aluminum1 copper1 cadmium1 or phosphorus4 ,one judicial-minded investigator of flying saucers gently pointed out to the editor of the ,,ufo ,critical ,bulletin that the use of the word 8proved0 for the extraterrestrial origin of the silver rain was premature1 and suggested the need for obtaining and publishing a complete analysis before drawing any conclusions4 ,the editor responded with the peculiar logic of the xenochemist3 8,what more is necessary to convince so severe and thickheaded person as ,dr4 ----8 ,would be necessary a statement in conjunction with some highly worldly considered scientist8 444 ,would be necessary a statement in conjunction from ,eisenhower1 ,khrushchev and the ,pope8--,this he'll never get of course4 ,would be necessary a ,,ufo landing on his private garden80,,xi-#ag ,another type of colored substance is the 8blue rain0 that sprinkled a thirty-mile stretch of countryside near ,london on ,september #i1 #aifb4 ,falling without warning from clear skies1 it left a blue stain that wouldn't wash off4 ,investigation showed that the substance came from jet planes taking part in ,britain's annual giant air show at ,farnborough4 ,the jets were using the blue dye to color their vapor trails and make a more spectacular display4 ,other ,mysterious ,fragments ,in the spring of #aifj ,mrs4 ,coral ,lorenzen1 director of the ,aerial ,phenomena ,research ,organization1 publicly challenged the truth of the ,air ,force statement that 8no physical or material evidence1 not even a minute fragment of so-called #8flying saucer' has ever been found40,,xi-#bj ,mrs4 ,lorenzen announced that she had in her possession two fragments of an extraterrestrial vehicle that had met with disaster in the earth's atmosphere4 ,without specifying the date and location of the event1 the identity of the witnesses1 or any corroborative details of the alleged disaster1 she merely said that several persons had witnessed the catastrophe4 ,she went on to assert1 somewhat astonishingly1 that 8the gratifying aspect of this case1 however1 is that we do not have to depend on the testimony of witnesses to establish the reality of the incident for the most advanced laboratory tests indicate that the residual material could not have been produced through the application of any known terrestrial techniques40,,xi-#ba ,sending a letter and two photographs of the fragments to ,colonel ,lawrence ,j4 ,tacker1 then in the ,office of ,information1 ,united ,states ,air ,force1 she simultaneously released to the press copies of both letter and photographs1 and suggested that the ,air ,force could 8vindicate0 itself by analyzing the material4 ,the newspaper photographs showed one fragment about four inches long and two inches wide resembling petrified wood in appearance1 and a smaller piece shaped roughly like a flattened cupcake1 whose surface showed pits and whorls like those on the trailing end of a meteorite4 ,two days later1 without waiting for a reply from ,washington1 ,mrs4 ,lorenzen through the newspaper amplified her challenge4 ,if the ,air ,force wanted to examine the mysterious fragments1 she said1 they would first have to agree to certain conditions,,xi-#bb3 87#a7 ,,apro officers1 together with duly appointed ,air ,force liaison personnel1 would establish a board of experts representing both military and civilian ,,ufo researchers4 87#b7 ,this board of experts would decide what meaningful tests need to be performed on the material in question4 87#c7 ,the board then would select a qualified testing agency to perform these tests under its cognizance40 ,in all its history1 the ,united ,states ,air ,force can surely have received no more extraordinary proposition4 ,whatever he may have felt1 ,colonel ,tacker merely suggested that ,mrs4 ,lorenzen could submit the material to ,,atic for analysis4 ,the fragments were never forwarded to the ,air ,force4 ,eventually ,,apro published some information about the 8disaster40 ,early in ,september #aieg a group of fishermen on a beach near ,ubataba1 ,brazil1 had supposedly sighted a disk-shaped object flashing down toward the sea4 ,the ,,ufo had suddenly veered upward and exploded1 showering down fragments and sparks like fireworks4 ,several pieces had been obtained by a ,brazilian representative of ,,apro1 who submitted them to a chemist for complete tests including spectrographic and ,x-ray diffraction analyses4 ,the analyses have apparently never been published4 ,although they evidently showed the presence of at least three elements common on earth--magnesium1 hydrogen1 and oxygen--,,apro somehow deduced that the fragments in their original state had consisted of pure magnesium and that the hydroxide must have formed when they came in contact with the water4 ,the final conclusion stated that the object consisted1 at least in part1 of #ajj magnesium4 ,similarly1 perhaps1 a cook might assert that since chocolate fudge consists1 at least in part1 of #ajj per cent sucrose1 fudge must originally have been composed entirely of pure sugar1 except for a little chocolate and milk it picked up in passing through the kitchen4 ,from the few facts available a positive identification of the fragments is impossible4 ,the description of the object seen by the fishermen fits that of a meteor that broke into pieces near the end of its flight4 ,in the photographs the fragments look like ordinary meteorites1 which often contain a fair amount of magnesium 7see ,chapter ,v74 ,there is no evidence to suggest that the fishermen's 8wrecked spaceship0 was anything but an exploding meteor4 ,in the last fifteen years the ,air ,force has patiently analyzed dozens of odd substances ranging from angel hair to pancakes4 ,the statement made in #aifj by ,general ,thomas ,d4 ,white1 ,chief of ,staff1 ,united ,states ,air ,force1 still holds true3 8,by an act of ,congress the ,united ,states ,air ,force is charged with the ,air ,defense of the ,united ,states4 ,rapid identification of anything that flies is an important part of air defense4 ,thus the ,air ,force initiated and continues the unidentified flying object program4 ,under this program all unidentified flying object sightings are investigated in meticulous detail by ,air ,force personnel and qualified scientific consultants4 ,so far1 not a single bit of material evidence of the existence of spaceships has been found40,,xi-#bc ,,xi-#a ,ormond1 ,r4 8,i ,found a ,little ,green ,man10 ,flying ,saucers 7,august #aieg74 ,,xi-#b ,scully1 ,f4 ,behind the ,flying ,saucers4 ,new ,york3 ,popular ,library1 #aiea4 ,,xi-#c ,cahn1 ,j4 ,p4 8,flying ,saucers and the ,mysterious ,little ,men10 ,true magazine 7,september #aieb74 ,,xi-#d ,lorenzen1 ,c4 ,e4 8,the ,reality of the ,little ,men10 ,flying ,saucers 7,december #aieh71 p4 #bf4 ,,xi-#e ,michel1 ,a4 ,the ,truth about ,flying ,saucers4 ,new ,york3 ,criterion ,books1 #aief4 ,,xi-#f ,maney1 ,c4 ,a41 and ,hall1 ,r4 ,the ,challenge of ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,washington1 ,d4,c41 #aifa4 ,,xi-#g ,crompton1 ,j4 ,the ,spider1 ,london3 ,collins1 #aiej4 ,,xi-#h ,,crifo ,orbit1 ,november #b1 #aief4 ,,xi-#i ,,crifo ,orbit1 ,december #g1 #aief4 ,,xi-#aj ,air ,force ,files4 ,,xi-#aa ,boston ,globe1 ,november #bd1 #aifj4 ,,xi-#ab ,barker1 ,g4 8,chasing the ,flying ,saucers10 ,flying ,saucers 7,september #aifa71 p4 #cc4 ,,xi-#ac ,palmer1 ,r4 8,,nicap3 ,national ,non-investigations ,committee ,on ,aerial ,phenomena10 ,flying ,saucers 7,september #aifa71 p4 #d4 ,,xi-#ad ,palmer1 ,r4 ,editorial1 ,flying ,saucers 7,march #aifb71 p4 #b4 ,,xi-#ae ,,ufo ,investigator 7,july-,august #aifa74 ,,xi-#af ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e4 ,the ,flying ,saucer ,conspiracy4 ,new ,york3 ,henry ,holt ,co41 #aiee4 ,,xi-#af;a 8,there's ,intelligent ,life on the ,moon60 ,flying ,saucers 7,may #aiei71 p4 #gc4 ,,xi-#ag ,,ufo ,critical ,bulletin 7,january-,february #aieh74 ,,xi-#ah ,,ufo ,critical ,bulletin 7,july-,august #aieg74 ,,xi-#ai ,,ufo ,critical ,bulletin 7,march-,april #aieh74 ,,xi-#bj ,news ,release ,no4 #ih-fj1 ,department of ,defense1 ,january #bi1 #aifj4 ,,xi-#ba ,alamogordo 7,n4 ,mex47 ,daily ,news1 ,march #ac1 #aifj4 ,,xi-#bb ,alamogordo 7,n4 ,mex47 ,daily ,news1 ,march #ae1 #aifj4 ,,xi-#bc ,tacker1 ,l4 ,j4 ,flying ,saucers and the ,u4 ,s4 ,air ,force4 ,princeton1 ,n4,j43 ,d4 ,van ,nostrand ,co41 #aifj4 ,chapter ,,xii ,,special ,,effects ,some flying-saucer reports1 at first glance1 do not seem to belong in any of the ordinary categories of sightings such as mistaken identification of air-borne objects or astronomical phenomena4 ,each of these atypical ,u,f,os forms a class of its own and1 when explained1 proves to be the 8special effect0 of a unique situation4 ,many are misidentified lights or reflections1 but since each one derives from a peculiar combination of circumstances that may not have occurred before and is not likely to occur again1 accounting for them often requires a certain amount of luck as well as patient detective work4 ,let us suppose1 for example1 that an ,iowa farmer telephones the county sheriff one ,tuesday afternoon to report that he has just seen a tiger running through his cornfield4 ,when the sheriff arrives an hour later and can find no trace of a tiger1 he is baffled2 he knows the farmer is neither demented nor a hoaxer1 and must have seen something remarkable--but what8 ,the mystery remains unsolved until the sheriff learns from a feature story in ,sunday's paper that on the preceding ,tuesday afternoon a trailer truck1 carrying a shipment of animals for the ,des ,moines zoo1 had a flat tire while traveling on ,highway ,x near the junction with ,route ,y4 ,during the stop to repair the tire1 a giant eland had escaped from its cage in the trailer2 it had been recaptured and the truck had then continued its journey and delivered its cargo intact4 ,the sheriff can now reconstruct the peculiar combination of events that produced the 8tiger0 theory4 ,he knows that the section of ,highway ,x where the truck stopped runs parallel to the far side of the farmer's cornfield4 ,the newspaper account tells him that a giant eland is a large antelope with short1 twisted horns and a tawny-colored coat with dark stripes4 ,he concludes that the farmer1 having only a few seconds' glimpse of a strange animal among the corn1 had observed the eland's stripes but had failed to notice its horns1 and had therefore mistaken it for a tiger4 ,the ,role of ,unusual ,coincidence ,analogous unlikely coincidences account for many flying-saucer reports4 ,the factors that encourage the misinterpretation may be the particular time or place at which the phenomenon appears1 the kind of weather1 the experience1 physical state1 or mood of the observer1 his unawareness of a certain fact1 or any combination of these and other relevant circumstances4 ,a fairly simple case of this type was the reported landing of a spacecraft near an ,army barracks 7often referred to in saucer publications as the 8,nike site07 in a rural area of ,maryland1 shortly before dawn on the morning of ,september #bi1 #aieh4 ,the sergeant on duty that morning left the orderly room at #d3be ,a4,m4 and started to the barracks to waken the troops4 ,the sky was clear1 with bright moonlight4 ,hearing a whirring sound like a pitched baseball with a loose cover1 he looked up toward the west to see a brilliant round white object soaring through the sky from north to south1 and breaking up into smaller pieces as it traveled4 ,it disappeared behind the roof of the mess hall1 directly to the west1 after being in view about two seconds4 ,hurrying around the south side of the mess hall to search the western horizon1 he observed a very bright white1 pulsating light at ground level1 apparently in a wooded area some four or five miles west of the battery site1 as though the glowing object had landed there4 ,he reported the incident to an officer1 who measured the azimuth position of the unknown4 ,the glow remained in one place but diminished with increasing daylight until it was no longer visible4 ,air ,force investigators arrived that afternoon4 ,they had already received many reports that a brilliant fireball had flashed through the sky at #d3be ,a4,m41 the time in question1 and had been observed by many witnesses in the area between ,washington1 ,d4,c41 and ,pittsburgh1 ,pennsylvania1 but no fireball could account for the ground light4 ,the next morning at #e3ae ,a4,m4 an intensely white1 fluctuating light was observed at the same place and was studied through binoculars until daylight made it invisible2 it could be seen only from the west side of the mess hall1 and one step to the right or left would hide it from the observer4 ,traveling toward the position of the unknown1 investigators found a dairy barn three miles away1 and on a direct line of sight from the place the ,,ufo had been observed4 ,on one end of the barn was a #bjj-watt floodlight with a white reflector1 still burning4 ,on questioning the farmer1 they learned that until recently the light had been burned out and had not been in use4 ,the early hour of sunrise during the summer had provided all the light he needed to milk his cows4 ,with the shorter days of autumn1 however1 he had needed the light and had replaced the bulb only a few days before4 ,on the morning of the sighting1 he had turned on the light a few minutes before the sergeant had noticed it,,xii-#a4 ,thus several unrelated factors had combined to produce the illusion of a landed space vehicle3 #a7 only a week earlier1 newspapers had publicized the alleged landing of a flying saucer in ,sheffield ,lake1 ,ohio 7see ,chapter ,,xiii72 #b7 a brilliant fireball had appeared2 #c7 a farmer had turned on a floodlight1 previously out of use for several months2 #d7 the meteor had disappeared and the floodlight had appeared in roughly the same position as viewed by the observer4 ,the ,problem of ,unknown ,lights ,at night1 when an observer notices a light appearing out of the darkness1 he usually cannot see the object that produces or carries the light4 ,under familiar conditions on the ground or in the air he usually interprets the light correctly1 by a kind of informed guesswork1 as that of an automobile1 an advertising sign1 an airport beacon1 a plane1 a star1 etc4 ,but if it appears under unfamiliar conditions or in unexpected circumstances1 he has to make an uninformed guess based on largely unconscious estimates of its size1 distance1 height1 color1 and rate of movement4 ,to the driver of a car on a dark country road1 a single light suddenly appearing ahead may indicate a plane or a star low in the sky or something on the road itself--a motorcycle1 a car with only one headlight working1 a workman's lantern1 a pedestrian carrying a flashlight1 or something else4 ,a double light may mean another automobile1 two motorcycles traveling parallel1 an animal whose eyes shine in the approaching headlight1 or something else4 ,the driver cannot be sure he interprets the light correctly until he passes it and can see the object itself or until he can identify it in some other way4 ,michigan's ,flying ,bird ,cage ,a ,,ufo sighting based on mistaken identification of strange lights occurred in the early morning hours of ,march #bb1 #aiei1 near ,ann ,arbor1 ,michigan4 ,the night was clear1 the moon was nearly full1 and visibility was unusually good4 ,at about #a3cj ,a4,m4 a man and his wife driving on a country road suddenly noticed a strange object hovering in the sky south of the road4 ,according to their report to the ,air ,force1 the ,,ufo was an elongated oval with a dome on top1 something like a bird cage1 and brilliantly illuminated by two shafts of intense pale-yellow light that sprang from the bottom and converged over the top4 ,frightened at this apparition1 the witnesses could provide only uncertain estimates of distance and size4 ,the object seemed to be twenty to thirty feet in diameter1 was at an altitude of about #bjj feet when first seen1 and was hovering about two miles away4 ,as they drove on1 the object seemed to move and travel parallel with the car for about a mile4 ,then the yellow lights dimmed and a circle of eight or ten red lights suddenly appeared on the underside1 the ,,ufo rose vertically1 very rapidly1 and vanished in a few seconds4 ,it had been in view for a period of five to ten minutes4 ,checking the most probable explanations first1 ,,atic officials found that the nearby ,willow ,run ,airport had had no aircraft in the vicinity at the time and that no star or planet seemed to be involved4 ,further investigation showed that the flying bird cage was actually the radio telescope of the ,university of ,michigan4 ,the telescope was installed on the top of ,peach ,mountain and was clearly visible from the road on which the witnesses were traveling4 ,on the underside of the eighty-five-foot 8dish0 was a wire-mesh structure that suggested the bird cage4 ,at the time of the sighting the dish was facing in the direction of the witnesses and was illuminated by a floodlight as well as by the bright moonlight4 ,it had seemed to be following the car only because the car itself was moving4 ,the astronomers operating the telescope were rotating the dish from the horizon to the zenith1 and the yellow lights dimmed because the witnesses were seeing less and less of the surface4 ,the 8circle0 of red lights was the red aircraft-warning lights on the ,,wuom radio tower1 which lay in a direct line between the telescope and the witnesses4 ,when the dish reached the zenith and was pointed to the sky overhead1 the operating crew turned off the floodlights4 ,the dish was no longer visible to the witnesses1 who interpreted the sudden disappearance as a sudden vertical ascent into the sky,,xii-#a4 ,u,f,os from ,reflections ,reflections from the bright sun have produced many elusive ,u,f,os4 ,all pilots are familiar with the luminous objects that sometimes appear in the air below a plane on a sunny day1 particularly when the plane is flying over wooded terrain that is partly obscured by atmospheric haze4 ,the sun has been reflected momentarily from a broad shiny surface1 such as the metal roof of a farm building2 because of the contrast between the bright surface and the dark forest surrounding it1 the image appears to be a ,,ufo floating high in the air4 ,sometimes the sun shines on a bright metallic surface1 such as the chrome trim of an automobile1 and by chance is reflected directly into the eyes of a passer-by4 ,if he then glances at the sky he may see a whole fleet of ,u,f,os2 the bright flash has produced a temporary chemical change in the retina so that for a moment or two the eye sees a series of saucer-shaped images of the sun4 ,a photographer's flashbulb or a bright flash of lightning can produce similar after-images4 ,some startling ,u,f,os have been produced by reflections from an object that the witness was not able to see or did not recognize4 ,one night in the spring of #aifa an amateur astronomer reported that a huge cigar-shaped flying saucer was hovering in the sky several thousand feet above the ,harvard ,college ,observatory4 ,investigation showed that the 8,,ufo0 was a reflection from a small oblong insulator on an electric wire strung between two buildings4 ,faintly illuminated from below by the lights from the unshaded windows1 it seemed to be an immense and brilliantly glowing object high in the sky4 ,the witness at first refused to believe that he could so mistake the evidence of his own eyes4 ,next morning1 however1 he returned to the scene and was able to see that what had appeared the night before to be a giant spaceship was only a small insulator a few feet above his head4 ,the bright sun reflected at a particular time from an object invisible to the observer often produces a puzzling phenomenon1 such as the flying saucer reported from ,danby1 ,california1 early in ,october #aieh4 ,about #d3jj in the afternoon on ,october #b1 three prospectors standing near a tungsten mill at ,railroad ,danby noticed a sudden bright glow in the northwest sky which remained visible for about #b hours and then disappeared4 ,when a glow appeared again the following day at the same time and place1 the observers tried to identify it by using a small telescope and saw a bright1 oblong object hovering above the horizon2 it was the color of aluminum1 approximately fifteen feet long1 five feet high1 and about four miles away4 ,getting into a car1 the men drove in the direction of the object and searched the supposed location on foot for several hours1 but could find no trace of the ,,ufo4 ,several days later1 realizing that the object reappeared every day at about the same time and place1 two of the men decided to investigate further4 ,studying the object through a pair of powerful binoculars1 they could see guy wires coming from it and rods radiating from the guy wires4 ,remembering that two tall radio antennas used by the highway patrol stood in approximately the same location1 the witnesses found the explanation1 which ,air ,force investigators confirmed4 ,the antennas1 placed some twenty feet apart1 extended about twenty feet above the trees4 ,the cigar-shaped hovering object was a special effect depending on a particular combination of circumstances3 only during the first part of ,october1 and only late in the afternoon1 did the sun's rays strike the antenna in such a way that the reflection was visible to an observer at ,railroad ,danby,,xii-#a4 ,sundogs in ,utah and ,france ,sundogs are another special effect resulting from a peculiar combination of circumstances1 and they continue to supply their quota of good ,,ufo reports4 ,tiny ice crystals floating in a layer of quiet air and reflecting a bright sun are responsible for producing sundogs4 ,a thin layer of such crystals may be invisible to the observer2 a thick layer appears as the familiar cirrus clouds4 ,sunlight filtering through such an ice fog is reflected in each crystal so that a pattern of bright spots of light forms in the sky1 an image of the sun that sometimes rivals the sun itself in brilliance4 ,these images are called mock suns1 sundogs1 or parhelia when they accompany the sun 7and mock moons1 moondogs1 or paraselenae when they accompany the moon74 ,they appear in the sky at a position a given distance from the sun and usually have a trace of red on the edge nearest the sun4 ,occasionally a sundog makes a complete circle of light surrounding the sun with four bright patches1 one above1 one below1 and one on either side4 ,sometimes two circles will appear1 one within the other1 surmounted by an inverted arc and traversed by a cross1 like the spokes of a wheel whose center is the sun4 ,the complicated structure of a fully developed mock sun--which is extremely rare--can suggest to the imaginative an enormous chariot in the sky and can terrify the superstitious4 ,there is little doubt that this phenomenon inspired the two visions of ,ezekiel described in the ,bible4 ,mock suns have been the cause of many ,,ufo sightings4 ,even after several publications see ,,xii-#a;a explained how the sun reflected from ice crystals could account for some of the reported flying saucers1 this idea was largely ignored by early investigators who had a limited training in the physical sciences4 ,sundogs are relatively uncommon4 ,few airmen1 even those with long experience1 have learned to recognize them4 ,in a poll of both commercial and military pilots1 ,dr4 ,menzel found that only one in five knew what a sundog was and how it might look in the sky4 ,two of three generals in the ,air ,force1 similarly1 were unfamiliar with the phenomenon4 ,like balloons1 sundogs have a silvery metallic sheen4 ,when observed from the ground1 they seem to hover or move very sluggishly2 to a witness in the air they seem to move rapidly1 to pace the plane1 or to take evasive action as though under intelligent control4 ,when enough data are available1 and the time of day and the position of the unknown relative to the sun are appropriate1 a mock sun should be considered as a possible explanation of the ,,ufo4 ,a sundog seen from a plane can suggest a spectacular and fantastic structure1 like the one reported over ,rheims1 ,france1 at #b3cj ,p4,m4 local time on ,march #ca1 #aifj4 ,the pilot and crew of a ,c-#dg plane described the unknown as like a gigantic spool of thread some twelve feet tall4 ,the neck of the spool1 about six feet in diameter1 seemed to be capped at top and bottom by disks eight or ten feet in diameter4 ,the upper disk was reddish1 the lower1 blue-green4 ,the plane was flying at #fjjj feet and had just passed from a storm area into a region of calm with unlimited visibility4 ,the ,,ufo remained in view for about sixty seconds1 then suddenly vanished4 ,from an analysis of the data1 the position of the unknown relative to the sun and the observers1 and the weather situation1 ,air ,force investigators positively identified the object as a mock sun,,xii-#a4 ,one of the most recent sightings of this type occurred on ,october #b1 #aifa1 a few minutes after noon,,xii-#a4 ,a civilian pilot who was just taking off from the ,utah ,central ,airport at ,salt ,lake ,city noticed a bright silvery disk in the air ahead of his plane4 ,he supposed it to be another aircraft crossing his course4 ,when he was air-borne1 he was surprised to find that the object1 now an elongated pencil shape1 still appeared in the same position where he had first seen it and hence could not be a plane4 ,puzzled1 he radioed the control tower and reported the ,,ufo4 ,looking south as directed by the pilot1 the tower operator easily found the object1 a bright spot in the sky directly below the sun and apparently hovering over the town of ,provo1 forty miles to the south4 ,deciding to investigate1 the pilot left the traffic pattern and started directly south after the ,,ufo4 ,it seemed to be standing practically still in the sky1 with a little rocking motion1 at an altitude of #fejj to #gjjj feet4 ,he seemed to have approached within three to five miles when the ,,ufo suddenly shot up 8like an elevator0 and retreated rapidly south1 as though taking evasive action4 ,the acceleration was tremendous1 almost as though the ,,ufo had been fired from a rocket1 but there was no vapor trail and no sound4 ,it then disappeared1 gradually4 8,it just faded out4 ,i kept my eyes glued right on it because ,i could see it was moving away at a great speed4 ,i wanted to see how long it would take and it was just a second or two until it had faded completely4 ,and it was getting smaller all the time1 you could see it was moving away40 ,the speed of departure1 the pilot estimated1 must have been thousands of miles an hour4 ,alerted by the pilot's message to the control tower1 several persons on the ground at the ,salt ,lake ,city airport1 most of them with experience as pilots1 had also been watching the ,,ufo4 ,ground observers at the ,provo airport1 also alerted1 were not able to locate the unknown1 even though they had been told it was almost directly overhead4 ,investigators from a nearby ,air ,force ,base interviewed the witnesses1 who were obviously competent and reliable4 ,all agreed that the unknown had been a bright1 silvery1 metallic-looking object that seemed to glisten or flicker in the sun2 that it was roughly oval or indeterminate in shape2 that it was solid and tangible1 but not a conventional aircraft or balloon2 that it made no sound1 showed no exhaust or vapor trail2 that it was in view roughly fifteen minutes1 and disappeared gradually by 8blotting out0 or fading4 ,all but one of the witnesses agreed that the skies had been absolutely clear and cloudless2 one stated that1 although the day was clear1 a very slight haze existed over the mountainous region where the ,,ufo appeared4 ,in spite of this general agreement1 certain significant discrepancies became evident4 ,the pursuing pilot stated that the object had moved up and away from him at incredible speed1 as though it were controlled4 ,the ground observers1 however1 did not see any movement by the ,,ufo4 ,most of them reported that it remained stationary as though it were suspended in the air2 a few said that it vanished at intervals1 only to reappear a few seconds later in another place4 ,most of the time1 they agreed1 it just hung in the sky until it faded from view4 ,by analysis of these clues1 ,,atic was able to solve the mystery4 ,according to the local weather bureau1 the sky had been clear with visibility unlimited1 but there had been very thin cirrus clouds1 a layer of minute ice crystals suitable for producing a mock sun4 ,a sundog would also account for the contradictory statements about the ,,ufo's motion4 ,since the ground observers remained in one place1 their position relative to the sundog did not change and it seemed to remain stationary4 ,the pilot1 however1 was in a moving plane and changing his position relative to the ,,ufo2 hence it seemed to move rapidly away from him4 ,in the same way a rainbow seems stationary to a person who merely stands and watches it4 ,but if he begins to chase it1 hoping to catch up and perhaps find the legendary pot of gold1 the rainbow seems to move away and elude its pursuer4 ,the pilot's belief that the ,,ufo had exhibited fantastic speed was1 according to his own statement1 an inference based on the fact that the ,,ufo quickly dwindled1 became very small1 and vanished4 ,it disappeared1 however1 not because it was speeding away at thousands of miles an hour1 but because of a change in the relative positions of sun and ice clouds that produced the sundog in the first place4 ,one final point nailed down this explanation4 ,the angular distance between sun and ,,ufo was exactly that to be expected between sun and mock sun1 at that time and place4 ,the details of this sighting obviously show a striking resemblance to some of those in the ,mantell case 7p4 #cc71 in which the ,,ufo and the sun had the same bearing from the pursuing plane as in the ,salt ,lake ,city incident4 ,with the information now available1 there can be little doubt that ,mantell was actually chasing a ,skyhook balloon4 ,but in #aidh when so many of the relevant facts were not known1 the sundog theory was a reasonable solution and may still be the correct one4 ,bright ,spots on ,films ,a bright blur1 a ring of light1 or a circular image something like the typical disk-shaped flying saucer sometimes appears on a film1 much to the surprise of the photographer1 who had not noticed any such object when he took the picture4 ,these ,u,f,os are usually caused by reflections from unnoticed drops of moisture in the air or by defects in the camera itself 7see ,figure #ag74 ,if the source of the image is something peculiar1 it may pose a real problem 7see ,plates ,v,i,i,ia and b74 ,illustration3 ,figure #ag4 ,distorted images produced on film by lens defects4 ,a1 ,true image2 ,b1 image produced by poor lens1 not well figured2 ,c1 by astigmatism2 ,d1 coma2 ,e1 off-axis beam2 ,f1 off-axis beam and coma4 ,on ,july #bd1 #aieg1 an ,american tourist in ,norway snapped a picture of a group of houses on a cliff above the seacoast1 and was amazed to find some time later that the print showed a large white1 doughnut-shaped object hovering in the sky above the coast4 ,puzzled by this apparent evidence of a saucer that had been visible to the camera but not to her1 she submitted the facts to ,,atic investigators4 ,thorough study of the negative1 the camera1 possible sources of reflection in the landscape at the time the photograph was taken1 all failed to account for the mysterious intruder4 ,obviously not a cloud1 the image closely resembled a smoke ring1 but the photographer had not been smoking and there were no sources of smoke in the neighborhood4 ,the experts were baffled until one of them thought of a new possibility and again questioned the witness3 had she by any chance been wearing a ring when she took the picture8 ,she had--a sparkling diamond4 ,if the angle of the sun1 the direction she was facing1 and the position of her ring finger in relation to the camera lens and to the sun had been exactly right1 the annular image would have been reflected into the lens at the instant she snapped the picture4 ,the resulting bright ring would look exactly like the ,,ufo that appeared on the negative,,xii-#a 7see ,plate ,v,i,ib74 ,an unusually fine large ,,ufo inserted itself into a photograph taken on ,february #f1 #aiei1 near ,boulder1 ,colorado4 ,the witness had spent the afternoon climbing on ,flagstaff ,mountain and1 about #e3jj ,p4,m41 snapped a picture of the town of ,boulder1 to the southeast4 ,although he had seen nothing unusual in the sky or in the air1 the negative1 when developed1 showed a small black blob that printed as a white1 luminous1 roughly spherical object--a typical flying saucer 7see ,plate ,v,i,ia74 ,civilian saucer investigators in the area procured a copy of the photograph and sent it to ,,nicap for evaluation4 ,the witness himself did not immediately assume that he had photographed an interplanetary spaceship hovering over the city of ,boulder2 instead1 he sent a print and a description of the circumstances to ,dr4 ,menzel1 who was well acquainted with the geography of ,boulder and ,flagstaff ,mountain4 ,dr4 ,menzel suggested that the blob of light could have been produced by some type of reflection3 8,the sun appears to have been pretty low at the time4 ,is there1 in the approximate position of the blob1 some house with a fairly large window that could have been reflecting the sun8 ,stand at approximately the same spot and look over the region with a field glass4 ,a bright spot like this often spreads enormously on the film4 ,you can see from the picture that the sun must have been shining brilliantly4 ,the shadow1 especially of the large barn on the right1 gives us some idea of the height of the sun4 ,this was in ,february1 and the angle of the sun will now have changed4 ,please make this test and let me know40 ,not until the first week of ,may1 however1 was the witness able to repeat his excursion and make the necessary tests4 ,using a copy of his original picture as a guide1 he was able to stand in the exact spot from which he had taken the picture4 ,he then realized that the ,law ,building of the ,university of ,colorado stood in the place occupied by the ,,ufo and that the big double window of the ,law ,building was at the exact center4 ,in ,may no reflection appeared1 but from calculations he found that the position of the ,february sun was such that the window1 when open at just the right tilt1 would reflect the sun's image to the exact spot on ,flagstaff ,mountain from which he took the picture4 ,the image of the reflected sun is extremely bright and the film had been overexposed3 therefore the image had spread on the film to create the large ,,ufo4 ,to confirm the hypothesis1 the witness tried overprinting the negative so that the entire picture came out practically black1 and with successively longer exposures the size of the bright ,,ufo diminished4 ,as he got it down to the smallest size on the blackest print1 he could see the fuzzy outline of a window,,xii-#b4 ,unfamiliar ,lights on ,planes ,in the spring of #aifa1 a leading saucer publication stated that unidentified objects were still surveying the earth and cited1 among other cases1 a bright ,,ufo seen maneuvering the night of ,march #bc near ,fort ,pierce1 ,florida,,xii-#c4 ,the report failed to mention that unidentified lights were seen on several other nights during that week in the skies over ,jacksonville1 ,miami1 and ,cocoa-,titusville1 as well as over ,fort ,pierce4 ,newspaper offices and radio stations in the area received many telephone queries about the mysterious lights1 which were observed from the ground and from the air for periods of time ranging from five minutes to an hour4 ,the descriptions showed an impressive consistency3 the ,,ufo was a round1 twinkling light with a red or orange color changing to white1 and exhibited a bobbing up-and-down motion as it swept across the horizon4 ,in all sightings the weather was clear and the visibility excellent4 ,on the night of ,march #bd an ,eastern ,airlines pilot reported the ,,ufo to the ,miami ,traffic ,control4 ,an observer in the control tower at the airport could see the object1 but lost sight of it when he took up a plane to chase it4 ,on the following night the ,cocoa-,titusville ,airport reported a similar object4 ,a pilot in the air sighted the unknown and1 about an hour later1 encountered a turbulence unlike anything he had experienced in sixteen years of flying4 ,cruising in the region the next day1 he observed a burned-out area on the ground below the place where the ,,ufo had been4 ,on the night of ,march #bg1 a ground observer watched the unknown through binoculars as it moved rapidly from west to north and gradually disappeared in the northwest4 ,most of these witnesses were veteran airmen1 well able to recognize conventional phenomena in the night sky4 ,studying their reports1 officials at ,patrick ,air ,force ,base decided that the similarity of the descriptions warranted further investigation4 ,in the preliminary study1 an ,intelligence officer took up a ,b-#eg aircraft in the vicinity of ,fort ,pierce1 while ground radar at ,patrick ,air ,force ,base kept his plane under constant surveillance4 ,at #g3bj ,p4,m41 when at #be1jjj feet1 he saw the ,,ufo1 a white light three times brighter than the brightest star4 ,it appeared in the western sky and was moving north to south4 ,when viewed with the naked eye1 the light looked like a star that dimmed and brightened in a regular cycle2 through binoculars it also displayed the red and green navigation lights of a plane4 ,soon after the visual sighting1 the ground radar informed the investigating pilot that the object was approximately fifty nautical miles from his plane and was a jet airliner bound for ,miami2 the jet was observed for approximately ten minutes as it descended toward the ,miami airport4 ,the investigating plane remained in the air and1 about five minutes after the jet had landed1 observed a second1 similar1 high-intensity light that appeared in the western sky1 moving from north to south4 ,the radar at the ,miami air-traffic control center positively identified this light as a ,delta ,airline jet1 ,flight #hcc1 proceeding southeast4 ,from these facts the officers concluded that the ,u,f,os seen in ,florida that week had been produced by commercial jet airliners,,xii-#a4 ,two questions remained3 ,how had the experienced pilots and ground observers failed to recognize so familiar a phenomenon as a night-flying jet8 ,what accounted for the unprecedented turbulence experienced by one pilot1 and the burned-over ground below the region of the sighting8 ,the first question was soon answered4 ,,atic investigators telephoned the ,federal ,aviation ,agency and learned that experiments with a new type of anti-collision beacon were being carried out from various field offices1 and that several jet airliners as well as some turboprop aircraft were using the new light4 ,the standard beacon was a rotating sodium light1 whose color is yellow4 ,the new beacon was an intense white light which1 viewed at a slant1 becomes a spectacular phenomenon even more brilliant than ,venus or ,jupiter seen rising or setting through a hazy atmosphere4 ,since the witnesses were not familiar with the appearance of the experimental beacons1 they had not recognized the newly equipped jets4 ,the answer to the second question came later1 an example of the 8luck0 required to solve some of these ,,ufo puzzles4 ,major ,w4 ,t4 ,coleman1 then ,air ,force ,information ,officer for the ,,ufo project1 was flying over the ,fort ,pierce region on the afternoon of ,april #bi in calm1 clear weather when his plane ran into moderate turbulence of the short-wave type1 8like riding in a car over a washboard road40 ,the wind-shear component was not large enough to explain the turbulence1 and though a cold front was approaching from the ,gulf of ,mexico1 it was still far out on the edge of the western horizon4 ,then1 being a native of ,florida1 he suddenly remembered that muck fires were fairly common in the ,everglades region1 which lay below the plane4 ,peering down at the glades1 he noticed a very large muck fire4 ,he concluded3 8,now1 as typical with a cold front situation1 the surface wind was blowing from the east pushing the smoke and heat toward the west coast of ,florida4 ,this relatively warm air naturally was lifting in the surrounding cool air4 ,when the continuing warm air rose rapidly to the higher altitudes it ran into the reversed upper winds 7high altitude westerly74 ,in the process of being lifted the smoke filtered and cleared1 yet the air remained relatively heated4 ,it was moved directly across our course1 thereby causing turbulence40,,xii-#d ,the fires explained both the turbulence reported during the week of the ,,ufo sightings and the burned-out area below the region of turbulence4 ,thus these ,florida ,u,f,os were not spacecraft watching the earth1 but were a special effect created by the chance combination of unrelated factors3 a new and unfamiliar anti-collision beacon1 an advancing cold front1 and fires in the ,florida swamps4 ,inversions in ,california ,an unusually complex combination of events produced an epidemic of ,,ufo sightings in northern ,california during the week of ,august #ab to #bj1 #aifj4 ,nearly every night dozens of reliable citizens throughout ,tehama ,county and the ,mount ,shasta region 7long famous for its mysterious lights7 reported ,u,f,os at various times and of various descriptions3 round1 bright1 metallic ,u,f,os glowing with a reddish-purple fluorescent type of light1 cigar-shaped ,u,f,os trailing a long fiery exhaust1 oval ,u,f,os with red lights at each end and white lights in between1 yellow-colored ,u,f,os like a flying railroad car with flashing red lights at each end and white lights glowing at the windows4 ,radios roared with static and radar sets were plagued with phantoms1 as the state was apparently invaded by a whole fleet of patrolling saucers4 ,the most important factor in these sightings was the weather2 prolonged and extensive temperature inversions prevailed in the area all that week4 ,from southern ,oregon through northern ,california multiple inversions of #c to #ah degrees occurred nightly4 ,under these conditions1 practically any light shining into the night was apt to be projected upward as a mirage and to perform weird antics4 ,determining what was the particular light source of some specific phenomenon is almost impossible4 ,as complicating factors1 certain heavenly bodies made their own contribution to the excitement4 ,most of the objects observed late at night and watched for periods of one to three hours were refracted images of the stars ,capella or ,aldebaran or the planet ,mars4 ,some of the most spectacular sightings were those reported from ,red ,bluff on the night of ,august #ac-ad4 ,two highway patrolmen were chasing a speeding motorcycle when1 at about #aa3ej ,p4,m4 ,p4,d4,s4,t41 they saw what they at first supposed to be a brilliantly lighted aircraft falling directly toward them4 ,jumping out of their car1 they watched the object as it apparently reversed its course1 shot upward1 and began to perform fantastic maneuvers in the eastern sky4 ,the performance continued for more than two hours4 ,before it ended1 a second ,,ufo had joined in the celestial dance1 which was observed by dozens of excited witnesses in the ,red ,bluff area4 ,air ,force bases in the neighborhood were notified1 and ,,atic investigators gathered and studied the evidence4 ,there was no real mystery,,xii-#a4 ,the ,,ufo first noticed by the patrolmen was probably the star ,capella1 which at ,red ,bluff is circumpolar2 it rose at #aj3ej ,p4,m4 and at the time of the sighting was about #d4g degrees above the northeast horizon4 ,about an hour later 7#ab3dh ,a4,m47 ,mars rose1 also in the northeast2 and close behind it 7#a3ae ,a4,m47 came the bright star ,aldebaran1 which made a striking pair with ,mars4 ,with three brilliant heavenly bodies just above the horizon1 on a night of fantastic multiple inversions of temperature and humidity1 the only surprising fact is that the number of ,u,f,os reported was not larger4 ,a person who has never been lucky enough to see a good mirage may feel skeptical about the phenomenon4 ,but those who have encountered a first-rate specimen--for example1 the ,chicago skyline suspended upside down in mid-air above ,lake ,michigan--know how startlingly real it can seem4 ,when the source of the mirage is not apparent1 the displaced image can seem mysterious and even frightening1 as do many ,u,f,os4 ,one such phenomenon1 which might easily have been interpreted as a flying saucer1 appeared shortly after dark one evening in mid-,july1 #aied1 and was described by ,dr4 ,menzel in a letter to a friend3 8,my wife and ,i were driving to ,alamosa1 ,colorado1 on one of the longest1 straightest stretches of highway in the ,united ,states1 commonly referred to as the #8gun-barrel highway4' ,i had turned over the wheel to her and was settling back for a rest1 after a long turn at driving over the mountains1 when ,i became aware of unusual driving behavior on her part4 ,first she would step on the gas1 then on the brake1 then on the gas again4 #8,what is the matter8 ,what are you trying to do8' ,i asked4 #8,see that truck ahead8' she replied4 #8,every time ,i try to pass it1 it speeds up1 and then it slows down when ,i try to give it a chance to get ahead of me4 ,it's making me nervous4' 8,i peered ahead through the darkness and there1 sure enough1 about three hundred feet ahead of us was a truck1 its dark body brilliantly outlined with red and white lights4 ,i studied the situation and glanced at the speedometer1 which read forty miles per hour4 #8,well1' ,i advised her1 #8you certainly ought to be able to pass that1 dear1 the way you usually drive4' ,and this time she really stepped on the gas1 pushing the speed up to sixty1 seventy1 eighty1 and finally eighty-five4 ,and would you believe it1 that truck took right out ahead1 still holding its estimated three hundred feet clearance1 and matched us for every mile of that speed4 ,by this time ,i was beginning to get an idea4 #8,slow down1' ,i said4 ,my wife obliged me by coming to a dead stop1 brakes squealing4 8#8,now see there1' she said1 #8,i just escaped running into that truck4' ,and the truck had stopped1 still #cjj feet ahead4 ,at this point ,i ventured my conclusion4 #8,that isn't a truck1' ,i explained4 #8,it's a flying saucer4' #8,you have flying saucers on the brain1' she said4 ,well1 to shorten the story1 she started the car again and the #8truck' moved off4 ,and we chased it in that fashion for about fifty miles4 ,on rare occasions1 as we dipped slightly in a hollow1 the truck would seem to dash ahead at speeds close to #ajjj miles an hour4 ,or sometimes it would jump straight up1 momentarily vanish1 and then drop back into the road4 8,the explanation was quite simple4 ,the hot day had warmed the air close to the pavement1 but the cooling of the surface at the onset of darkness had caused a layer of warm air to be sandwiched in between the cold air close to the road surface and the cold air above4 ,this acted like a lens which produced an out-of-focus image of a bright tavern sign more than fifty miles away1 a real mirage4 ,there were few cars on the road1 but as we met them the effect was most startling because some of them were so enlarged by the lens effect that a car five miles away seemed to be rushing directly at us only a block or two ahead4 ,sometimes these cars would appear to come to a sharp stop1 reverse their course and disappear in the distance4 ,at other times they would appear to be rushing on us upside down1 with part of the road itself in the sky4 ,altogether it was a weird experience1 but not in any sense supernatural4 ,lenses of air1 either close to the ground or in the sky1 can produce strange illusions40 ,in this case1 as in many ,,ufo puzzles1 the solution depended on a knowledge of the weather conditions and of the facts of local geography4 ,if the pursuing car had turned off the road or stopped for the night before reaching the tavern1 the specific cause of the phenomenon might still be a mystery4 ,the ,chesapeake ,bay ,case ,two of the most famous ,,ufo cases1 the ,nash-,fortenberry and the ,tombaugh sightings1 have never been completely explained even though the witnesses were unusually competent1 the incidents fully described1 and the basic facts not in dispute4 ,although the probable type of mechanism involved is clear in each case1 determining specifically what factors combined in exactly what way to produce the phenomenon has so far proved impossible4 ,neither case1 however1 supports the theory that the ,,ufo had an extraterrestrial origin4 ,on the evening of ,july #ad1 #aieb1 a ,pan-,american ,,dc-#d was flying from ,new ,york to ,miami1 carrying ten passengers and a crew of three including ,first ,officer ,william ,b4 ,nash and ,second ,officer ,william ,h4 ,fortenberry4 ,as a pilot spending much of his life in the air1 ,captain ,nash had long been interested in the question of ,u,f,os1 and during the long night hours of over-water flights he had often cut down the cockpit lights to search the sky4 ,in five years of watching he had observed hundreds of meteors1 various types of auroral display1 the lights of other aircraft1 and the multicolored images of stars and planets distorted by refraction1 but he had never seen any unidentifiable aerial phenomenon that appeared to be under intelligent control--until this particular night1 when he was not watching for ,u,f,os4 ,shortly after #h ,p4,m4 ,e4,s4,t4 the plane was cruising on automatic pilot at about #hjjj feet over ,chesapeake ,bay1 and approaching ,norfolk1 ,virginia4 ,the sun had set and the night was almost entirely dark1 although the coast line was still visible4 ,fortenberry1 sitting at the right as copilot1 was making his first run on this particular course and ,nash1 in the pilot's seat at the left1 was pointing out the cities and landmarks of the route4 ,nash had just called attention to the lights of ,newport ,news and ,cumberland1 ahead and to the right of the plane1 when at #h3ab a brilliant red glow suddenly appeared in the west1 apparently between ,newport ,news and the aircraft1 and so low that it might almost have been on the ground4 ,one of the men exclaimed1 as have so many incredulous witnesses on first seeing a ,,ufo1 8,what the hell is that80 ,illustration3 ,figure #ah4 ,reported movements of the ,chesapeake ,bay disks4 ,a1 ,disks at first approach2 ,b1 they flip over and reverse order2 ,c1 they change direction and recede4 ,looking through the front windows of the cockpit1 they watched the unidentified light traveling northeast at incredible speed on a horizontal course roughly a mile below the plane4 ,almost immediately they perceived that the unknown was actually a procession of six red-orange lights1 glowing like hot coals4 ,shooting forward like a stream of red tracer bullets1 the line of lights moved out over ,chesapeake ,bay until they were only about half a mile away from the plane4 ,they appeared to be sharply defined1 large1 circular disks1 arranged in a narrow echelon formation--like a set of stairs tilted slightly to the plane's right1 with the leader at the lowest step1 each following disk slightly higher and to the rear1 and the last disk at the highest point 7see ,figure #ah74 ,realizing that the line was apparently going to pass under the plane at the right on the copilot's side1 ,nash flipped off his seat belt so that he could move to the window on that side4 ,during this brief interval he was not able to see the objects1 but ,fortenberry kept them in view4 ,as he later described their amazing behavior1 all the disks simultaneously turned up on edge1 like coins1 so that the glowing surfaces were tilted to the right4 ,still on edge1 they suddenly reversed their relative places so that disk #a now occupied the last place in line and disk #f became the leader4 ,this shift had taken only a brief second and was completed by the time ,nash reached the window4 ,both he and ,fortenberry then observed the disks flip back from the on-edge to the flat position4 ,in the same fraction of a second1 the entire line changed direction as abruptly as a ball bouncing off a wall and shot away to the west on a heading of #bgj degrees4 ,an instant later two similar disks darted out1 apparently from beneath the plane1 and joined the line as numbers #g and #h 7,figure #ah74 ,the lights receded to the west1 suddenly disappeared1 immediately reappeared1 abruptly began a steep climb to an altitude above that of the plane1 then vanished not in sequence but in random order4 ,the sighting had lasted for a period of twelve to fifteen seconds,,xii-#a1 ,,xii-#e1 ,,xii-#f1 ,,xii-#g4 ,after a quick check showed that no one else in the aircraft had observed the lights1 the pilots radioed a message to the ,,caa station at ,norfolk for forwarding to the ,norfolk ,navy ,base1 reporting eight unidentified objects traveling at speeds in excess of #ajjj miles an hour4 ,in ,miami1 next morning1 ,air ,force officials questioned both witnesses4 ,according to their estimates1 the disks had moved horizontally about #bjjj feet above the ground until their final climb and disappearance1 were about #ajj feet in diameter1 and about #ae feet thick4 ,since they apparently traveled fifty miles during the twelve to fifteen seconds they were in view1 their velocity would have been #fjjj to #ab1jjj miles an hour4 ,intelligence officials first checked the air traffic4 ,five jets from ,langley ,air ,force ,base1 near ,newport ,news1 had been in the region at the time of the sighting1 but they were ruled out as an explanation for the disks4 ,both pilots were informed that seven other persons1 apparently on the ground1 had reported unknown lights in the ,norfolk area2 the ,air ,force files contain no record of these reports and it is probable that some1 at least1 of these persons mistook the sunset-reddened jet trails for ,u,f,os4 ,few sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena have been more clearly described4 ,both witnesses were experienced pilots4 ,nash had flown more than #aj1jjj hours at altitudes of #gjjj to #hjjj feet and had held the rank of captain for eight years4 ,both men had been trained to observe accurately1 to check and double-check every factor that might affect safe flying1 and to regard the word 8assume0 as a potential killer4 ,they shared the attitude of all cautious airmen3 8,in ,god we trust--everyone else1 we check40,,xii-#e ,unlike many ,,ufo descriptions1 their report distinguished rigorously between fact and inference1 and it included the exact time of the sighting as well as the position1 height1 speed1 and direction of flight of their plane4 ,using a kind of 8instinct-judgment0 gradually developed during their many hours in the air1 they had made careful estimates of the position1 height1 speed1 and direction of flight of the unknowns4 ,nevertheless1 no reasonable explanation of the disks was found4 ,at the time of this incident flying saucers had been big news for many weeks4 ,both ,life and ,look magazines had recently published serious discussions of the possibility that flying saucers came from other planets1 and newspapers were printing dozens of reports of weirdly glowing machines trailing fiery exhausts1 streaking through the air at meteoric speeds 7see ,chapter ,,vii74 ,at ,,atic1 the small staff of nine men was swamped with saucer reports1 far more than they could deal with properly1 and some of the investigators were privately convinced that ,u,f,os did come from outer space,,xii-#f4 ,for those or other reasons1 the ,norfolk sighting unquestionably received a less adequate study than would a similar incident today4 ,the case was dropped and filed as an ,unknown4 ,the incredible velocity and instantaneous change of course reported were obviously impossible for any earthly vehicle2 no known metal could have escaped being melted by the frictional heat produced during so swift a passage through the dense atmosphere at #bjjj feet1 and no human flesh and bone could have survived the smashing inertial forces involved in the instantaneous change of direction4 ,nash and ,fortenberry frankly stated their own conviction3 8,though we don't know what they were1 what they were doing here or where they came from1 we are certain in our own minds that they were intelligently operated craft from somewhere other than this planet40,,xii-#g ,a ,possible ,explanation of the ,nash-,fortenberry ,disks ,in the hope of solving the mystery1 even though a decade has passed1 the authors of this book have made a thorough study of the available evidence and present the results in the pages that follow4,d ,d ,we wish to thank ,professor ,c4 ,a4 ,maney and ,captain ,w4 ,b4 ,nash for their generous help with this problem4 ,although they do not agree with our conclusions1 ,professor ,maney has kindly made available certain useful documents and ,captain ,nash in a lengthy correspondence has patiently answered a great many questions of detail4 ,when puzzling observations in a laboratory seem to point to a conclusion that contradicts the main body of scientific knowledge1 the researcher first tries to repeat the experiment and duplicate the observations4 ,if this is impossible1 as with the ,chesapeake ,bay phenomena1 he next re-examines the assumptions on which the conclusion is based4 ,the belief that the ,u,f,os had an extraterrestrial origin is based chiefly on two assumptions3 first1 that the estimates of the disks' size1 distance1 and speed were reasonably accurate2 and second1 that the disks were solid objects4 ,if either assumption is unsound1 the extraterrestrial theory is unnecessary and the incident becomes much less of a puzzle4 ,both witnesses were able and experienced observers4 ,nevertheless their determinations of distance and size1 and hence of speed1 are open to question because of the very fact that the disks were unidentified phenomena4 ,angular estimates are usually reliable when an observer is judging the position and speed of other known aircraft moving in the sky4 ,but when the moving object is a strange one and is seen against an empty sky or flat ground containing no standards of comparison1 estimates of actual size mean very little4 ,the ability to judge distance depends largely on the binocular vision of the observer's eyes1 separated by a span of about #b4e inches4 ,focused on an object at #cjj feet1 they subtend an angle of about one fortieth of a degree1 less than one tenth the diameter of the full moon4 ,this is a physiological fact1 and means that if the observer is more than #cjj feet away from an object of unknown size1 he cannot determine its distance accurately unless he knows how large it is or unless he can compare it with a known object4 ,using angular estimates1 the witnesses in the ,chesapeake ,bay case calculated that at the point of closest approach the disks were a mile lower than the plane and about half a mile to the north--a distance of roughly #gjjj feet4 ,mentally comparing their appearance with that of a ,,dc-#c aircraft at this distance1 the observers arrived at an estimate of size--whose accuracy depends on having a known distance4 ,the circularity of this process indicates the weakness of all the estimates given4 ,even the most skillful observer cannot accurately judge the distance of an unidentified object when he does not know its true size1 and he cannot judge the size unless he knows its actual distance4 ,over ,norwich1 ,connecticut1 on ,may #ae1 #aifb1 a cloudless day with perfect visibility1 a ,navy aircraft and a commercial-airlines plane reported a near collision at about #gjjj feet4 ,the ,navy pilot filed a complaint1 stating that the two planes had missed each other by a distance of only about #fjj feet4 ,according to the commercial pilot1 who did not file a complaint1 the planes had had a leeway of about #djjj feet--a more than sixfold difference6,,xii-#h4 ,thus good pilots can differ widely in estimating the position of objects in the sky1 even known aircraft seen in full daylight4 ,with an unrecognized phenomenon seen in darkness or in semidarkness1 as in the ,chesapeake ,bay case1 good estimates are impossible4 ,the extraterrestrial conclusion depends even more strongly on the second assumption1 that the ,u,f,os were material objects4 ,nearly every part of the description is in direct conflict with this idea4 ,the instantaneous reversal of course1 for example1 if performed by solid objects1 should have produced a shock wave that would have broken windows in ,norfolk1 ,newport ,news1 and points west4 ,only one observation even suggests that the unknowns had a material nature3 when the disks flipped on edge they seemed to reveal bottom surfaces1 which would indicate a solid body4 ,the witnesses specifically qualified this statement1 however1 by adding that though they had the impression that the bottom surfaces were unlighted1 the 8bottoms0 were not clearly visible4 ,thus the three-dimensional structure was not actually observed1 but only inferred4 ,the night was dark1 the ,u,f,os were glowing like hot coals1 and were supposedly more than a mile away4 ,even if the disks had been solid objects1 an observer could actually have seen only a circular-shaped light that suddenly narrowed to a very thin ellipse2 if he believed the object to be solid1 he might infer the presence of other surfaces1 but a side edge #ae feet thick and an unlighted bottom surface1 even if they had existed1 would not have been detectable4 ,of the other observations1 all are inconsistent with the theory that the ,u,f,os were material in nature4 ,all1 however1 are completely consistent with the theory that the disks were immaterial images made of light4 ,images made of light can glow with brilliant colors1 can show well-defined circular shapes1 and can flip on edge4 ,since they are not subject to the forces of gravity and inertia1 they can travel at incredible speed1 change direction sharply and instantaneously1 and perform all of the maneuvers ascribed to the ,u,f,os4 ,on this new assumption1 the observations become credible and the major part of the mystery vanishes4 ,only one problem remains4 ,just exactly what produced the images8 ,of the many possible explanations1 we first considered the simplest1 an astronomical source4 ,the ,u,f,os appeared low in the western sky at #h3ab ,p4,m4 ,e4,s4,t41 about forty-five minutes after sunset4 ,the night was dark1 for the moon had just entered its last quarter and did not rise until much later4 ,apparently the only planet that could have been involved was ,mercury4 ,setting a little more than an hour after the sun1 it should have been visible above the western horizon at the time of the sighting1 but since it was not particularly brilliant1 having a magnitude of a little more than #j4f1 we put aside the astronomical theory1 for the moment1 as improbable4 ,we next explored the possibility of multiple reflections in the glass windows of the cockpit1 produced by a light source inside the plane 7such as a cigarette71 or in the air outside 7such as the bright-red exhaust trail of one of the jets in the area74 ,like the astronomical theory1 this idea was set aside as improbable4 ,learning to distinguish between a reflection and a real light seen through a cockpit window is part of every pilot's training4 ,when he sees a strange light1 he automatically makes the proper checks4 ,furthermore1 ,nash and ,fortenberry had observed the disks through three separate windows having different orientations4 ,accepting the overwhelming probability that the source of the ,u,f,os was outside and below the aircraft1 we concluded that it was almost certainly on the ground4 ,the densely populated coastal region near ,newport ,news and ,norfolk1 with several airfields and military installations1 included countless possible sources such as a searchlight1 an illuminated advertising sign1 an air beacon4 ,stratified clouds or inversion layers of temperature and_/or humidity could have multiplied such a light into a series of glowing disks 7see ,figure #ai74 ,illustration3 ,figure #ai4 ,searchlight shining on clouds4 ,a1 ,through slightly foggy or dusty atmosphere1 light cone plainly visible2 ,b1 through multiple thin cloud layers and foggy or dusty atmosphere2 ,c1 on cloud layer through clear atmosphere1 no light cone visible2 ,d1 on multiple thin cloud layers1 no light cone visible4 ,the soundness of this theory depended on the prevailing weather conditions4 ,according to the reports1 on the night of ,july #ad roughly a third of the sky at #bj1jjj feet was covered with thin cirrus clouds1 practically invisible2 at lower altitudes the night was cloudless and sharply clear1 there was no apparent haze1 visibility was unlimited1 and no temperature inversion existed4 ,under such conditions the suggested mechanism would obviously not operate4 ,a more detailed survey of the weather conditions1 however1 quickly showed that this picture was greatly oversimplified4 ,at #h3ab1 the time of the sighting1 the night had already become quite dark4 ,yet the sun had set only forty-five minutes earlier and1 according to the almanac1 twilight should not have ended until #i3ja local time4 ,thus there must have been a dense cloud bank low in the west4 ,also1 according to ,captain ,nash1 there was probably some unstable air1 which in itself indicates inequalities of temperature and_/or humidity4 ,a thorough study of the situation showed that inversions of both temperature and humidity must have been present4 ,in the summer of #aieb all the eastern states were suffering from an intense heat wave and drought1 and the ground cooled rapidly after sunset1 because of the lack of cloud cover during the day4 ,in a period of heat and drought1 the nightly cooling produces marked inversions favorable to extreme refraction or reflection4 ,small in extent1 existing only briefly in one place1 constantly changing location1 such inversions may not be detected by radiosonde observations,,xii-#i4 ,during ,july and ,august1 temperature inversions occurred almost every night in the coastal regions and accounted for the radar angels so frequently observed in the ,washington area during those weeks 7see ,chapter ,,viii74 ,the fact that the sighting occurred over ,chesapeake ,bay is significant4 ,a body of water cools more slowly than the land1 and the air over water is warmer than that over land4 ,the cooler air from the land is carried over the water by convection currents1 flows in and under the warm air1 is heated by the water and rises1 to be replaced in turn by the further flow of cold air from the land4 ,the air over a lake1 river1 or other body of water also has a higher moisture content than over the land and can form an invisible haze4 ,all these facts lead inescapably to the conclusion that sharp localized discontinuities of both temperature and humidity must have existed over ,chesapeake ,bay on the night the ,u,f,os appeared4 ,a light on the ,virginia coast1 shining northeast toward the plane1 could easily have been spread out into a series of images like those observed4 ,a change in the orientation of the light or a shift in the location of the inversion would account for the abrupt change of course made by the disks4 ,since the plane was flying at a ground speed of about #aie knots 7#bbe to #bej miles an hour71 it would have traveled about a mile during the twelve or fifteen seconds the disks were in view4 ,this distance would have changed the relation between moving plane and stationary ground light1 so that the images would no longer have been visible from the plane4 ,by flying on1 the witnesses left the phenomenon behind them4 ,obviously this solution does not identify the particular beacon1 searchlight1 or other ground light that produced the ,chesapeake ,bay disks4 ,but it does offer a highly probable explanation that is consistent with all the observations and does not depend on the presence of an extraterrestrial spacecraft4 ,other ,u,f,os in 8,stack0 ,formation ,a correspondent has reported a ,,ufo sighting very similar to the ,norfolk case1 almost certainly produced by the mechanism just described4 ,in the late spring of #aiee a physicist1 ,mr4 ,z1 was driving west on the highway between ,dayton and ,yakima1 ,washington1 in a region of low-lying hills4 ,the time was shortly after dark2 the sun had set but there was still a suggestion of light in the west4 ,suddenly a line of five glowing ,u,f,os appeared in the western sky1 apparently three to five miles away1 traveling east at high speed1 and accelerating as they approached4 ,flying in a 8stack0 with the leading saucer on top1 the individual saucers were oriented in horizontal planes1 but each follower was lower than and somewhat behind its predecessor so that the entire formation was 8like a stack of pancakes0 leaning at about a #de-;degree angle toward the direction of flight4 7,note that this arrangement is the reverse analogue of that of the ,chesapeake ,bay ,u,f,os47 ,the top saucer advanced more rapidly than the bottom one1 so that as they flashed through the sky at the left of the observer they appeared to be in single file4 ,startled1 he stopped his car and got out to scan the sky1 but the saucers had disappeared4 ,some fifteen to twenty seconds later a similar formation appeared in the west4 ,as they approached he could see that they were thin1 flat disks1 glowing with a white light1 sharply defined and circular in shape1 and apparently fifty to a hundred feet in diameter4 ,as they passed1 the stack again spread out into single file4 ,when they were apparently about ten miles east1 the three lead saucers suddenly disappeared1 while the two that had been on the bottom made a sharp turn to the north1 as abruptly as balls bouncing off a wall4 ,concluding that the saucers might be images produced by an airfield beacon shining upward through very thin horizontal clouds1 the observer continued to watch4 ,they reappeared again and again1 sometimes at the correct interval for an airfield beacon1 but sometimes delaying for two or three minutes4 ,to explain their occasional failure to appear on schedule1 he reasoned that some very dense1 fast-moving1 low-lying clouds must lie in the west between him and the beacon1 so that sometimes the light could penetrate to shine on the assumed stratified layers overhead1 and sometimes not4 ,after twenty minutes or so1 the appearance of the phenomenon changed4 ,the top three saucers merged gradually into an indistinct blur1 while the bottom two remained sharp and distinct and continued to dart abruptly to the north just before disappearing4 ,although the observer was not able to see the very thin layers of cloud overhead that would be required to account for the sharply defined shape of the saucers1 he concluded that his explanation was the most reasonable one,,xii-#aj4 ,in the ,norfolk sighting1 unfortunately1 the witnesses could not easily have remained in one place to watch for a possible reappearance of the ,u,f,os4 ,if they had circled and flown back1 and had been able to find the exact location1 they might have seen the disks again4 ,the ,tombaugh ,rectangles ,a remarkable phenomenon observed in ,new ,mexico in the summer of #aidi has remained among the most puzzling of the ,unknowns4 ,as in the ,chesapeake ,bay case1 the facts are not in dispute4 ,the witness was an astronomer1 ,clyde ,tombaugh1 at that time in charge of the optical instrumentation of the rocket-firing program at the ,white ,sands ,missile ,range4 ,he had had thousands of hours of experience in observing the night sky and when still a student had gained fame1 after months of patient searching of photographic plates1 by locating the image of the planet ,pluto near the position long predicted for it by ,lowell and ,pickering4 ,on the night of ,august #bj ,tombaugh was sitting with his wife and his mother-in-law in the yard of his home in ,las ,cruces1 watching the stars4 ,there was no moon1 and the transparency of the sky was extraordinary1 so that even the stars of sixth magnitude1 usually barely detectable by the naked eye1 were clearly visible4 ,about #aj3de ,p4,m4 a geometrically spaced group of six to eight rectangles of light appeared almost directly overhead4 ,of low luminosity1 they were 8windowlike0 in appearance and yellowish-green in color4 ,the individual rectangles were quite small1 not wider than four or five minutes of arc1 and the entire group covered a span of about #a degree 7about twice that of the full moon74 ,as they moved noiselessly in a vertical circle path toward the south-southeast1 the individual rectangles became foreshortened1 the span of the group became smaller1 the lights turned brownish and faded from view when #ce to #dj degrees above the horizon4 ,they had been in sight for about three seconds4 ,mrs4 ,tombaugh1 who did not see the lights until they had moved some distance from the zenith1 observed them for only about #a seconds before they disappeared4 ,to her they seemed a diffuse greenish glow1 interconnecting a span of greenish spots of light4 ,her eyesight had always been less acute than that of her husband1 and they attributed the difference in their descriptions to this difference in vision4 ,although ,tombaugh had been too startled to count the number of rectangles or to note some other features he wondered about later1 he immediately recorded the facts of the observation1 sketched the pattern of the formation1 and noted his impression that the lights had been part of a rigid structure4 ,he added1 8,i have done thousands of hours of night sky watching1 but never saw a sight so strange as this40 ,a report of this sighting was forwarded to ,air ,force officials1 who could find no explanation4 ,,ufo enthusiasts unhesitatingly pronounced the phenomenon a huge flying saucer--an interpretation that the witness himself never made4 ,the accounts given to the public unfortunately suffer from various distortions of fact4 ,in its ,cassandra-like warning of possible visitors from other planets1 ,life magazine included the ,tombaugh sighting as one of the key cases and in a ten-sentence description managed to include at least six misstatements1 some of which added to the 8uncanny0 nature of the incident4 ,according to this summary,,xii-#aa the year was #aidh 7it was #aidi72 the time was about #aa3jj ,p4,m4 7it was #aj3de ,p4,m472 the lights were traveling south to north 7they were moving northwest to southeast72 the object had an oval shape 7,tombaugh did not specify a shape72 the lights exhibited a glare 7they were of low luminosity72 their speed was too fast for a plane1 too slow for a meteor 7no estimate of speed was given74 ,on a nationwide ,,tv show broadcast in #aieh one of the speakers stated specifically that ,tombaugh had observed a cigar-shaped object with lighted portholes,,xii-#ab4 ,an 8artist's conception0 of the ,,ufo in one publication,,xii-#ac depicts a long1 tapered ship with a line of lighted windows1 wholly unrelated to ,tombaugh's own sketch1 which shows no unifying structure1 merely six small rectangles arranged as though each one were at the corner of a hexagon 7see ,figure #bj74 ,illustration3 ,figure #bj4 ,tombaugh's rectangles4 ,top1 when first seen at zenith2 bottom1 a few seconds later at #ej above horizon4 7,based on sketch by ,c4 ,w4 ,tombaugh47 ,while keeping an open mind on the possibility of interplanetary travel1 ,tombaugh himself has never supported the spaceship interpretation so often attributed to him in print but has considered various possible explanations--insects or birds illuminated by ground lights1 or reflections of ground lights against the boundary of an inversion layer in the air4 ,of these1 the inversion theory seems the most probable4 ,the layer in such a case must have been extremely thin or extremely weak1 otherwise it would have dimmed the brightness of the faint stars he was observing4 ,as in the ,chesapeake ,bay case1 the mysterious rectangles were undoubtedly the special effect of some unique combination of circumstances1 unlikely to be repeated4 ,conditions were ideal for the formation of small sharply localized inversions3 the weather was clear1 the day had been hot4 ,a small temperature inversion existing at a relatively low elevation and smoke1 haze1 or dust collecting in a very thin layer at a relatively low altitude were the prerequisites that almost certainly existed4 ,some unknown cause--in the vicinity of an airfield there are many possibilities--could have produced a ripple in the thin haze layer4 ,this ripple1 tipping the haze layer at a slight angle1 could have reflected the lighted windows of a house2 as the ripple progressed in a wavelike motion along the layer1 the reflection would have moved as did the rectangles of light4 ,conditions of refraction at the interface would have reflected the wave upward4 ,tombaugh has recently summarized his convictions on the entire ,,ufo phenomenon as well as on his own sighting3 8,from my own studies of the solar system ,i cannot entertain any serious possibility for intelligent life on the other planets1 not even for ,mars 7the planet to which ,i have devoted considerable observation and study over the past thirty-five years74 ,the logistics of visitations from planets revolving around the nearer stars is staggering4 ,in consideration of the hundreds of millions of years in the geologic time scale when such visitations may possibly have occurred1 the odds of a single visit in a given century or millennium are overwhelmingly against such an event4 8,a much more likely source of explanation is some natural optical phenomenon in our own atmosphere4 ,in my #aidi sighting the faintness of the object1 together with the manner of fading in intensity as it traveled away from zenith towards the southeastern horizon1 is quite suggestive of a reflection from an optical boundary or surface of slight contrast in refractive index1 as in an inversion layer4 8,i have never seen anything like it before or since1 and ,i have spent a lot of time where the night sky could be seen well4 ,this suggests that the phenomenon involves a comparatively rare set of conditions or circumstances to produce it1 but nothing like the odds of an interstellar visitation40 ,,xii-#a ,air ,force ,files4 ,,xii-#a;a ,menzel1 ,d4 ,h4 8,the ,truth ,about ,flying ,saucers40 ,look magazine 7,june #ag1 #aieb74 ,,xii-#b ,johnson1 ,c4 ,l4 ,personal communication4 ,,xii-#c ,,ufo ,investigator1 ,april-,may #aifa4 ,,xii-#d ,coleman1 ,w4 ,t4 ,personal communication4 ,,xii-#e ,nash1 ,w4 ,b4 ,personal communication4 ,,xii-#f ,ruppelt1 ,e4 ,j4 ,the ,report on ,unidentified ,flying ,objects4 ,garden ,city1 ,n4,y43 ,doubleday ,co41 #aief4 ,,xii-#g ,nash1 ,w4 ,b41 and ,fortenberry1 ,w4 ,h4 8,we ,flew ,above ,flying ,saucers10 ,true magazine 7,october #aieb74 ,,xii-#h ,boston ,herald1 ,june #c1 #aifb4 ,,xii-#i 8,radar ,objects ,over ,washington10 ,air ,weather ,service ,bulletin 7,september #aied71 pp4 #eb-eg4 ,,xii-#aj ,gifford1 ,j4 ,f4 ,personal communication4 ,,xii-#aa 8,have ,we ,visitors from ,outer ,space80 ,life magazine1 ,april #d1 #aieb4 ,,xii-#ab 8,flying ,saucers1 the ,enigma of the ,skies10 ,armstrong ,circle ,theatre ,,tv ,script1 ,jan4 #bb1 #aieh4 ,,xii-#ac ,michel1 ,a4 ,the ,truth about ,flying ,saucers4 ,new ,york3 ,criterion ,books1 #aief4 ,,xii-#ad ,tombaugh1 ,c4 ,w4 ,personal communication4 ,chapter ,,xiii ,,investigators3 ,,air ,,force ,,and ,,civilian ,few government employees in recent times have been subjected to more criticism than the men in the ,aerial ,phenomena ,group at ,wright-,patterson ,air ,force ,base1 ,dayton1 ,ohio4 ,this agency 7usually referred to in this book as ,,atic7 has the responsibility of investigating all official reports of unidentified objects in our skies4 ,of the thousands of such incidents studied so far1 none suggests that the ,,ufo in question came from outer space4 ,in fact1 the term ,,ufo has proven to be one of the worst misnomers of history4 ,in the most perplexing cases1 the phenomena reported are seldom material ,objects1 very few of them are ,flying and1 when fully analyzed1 almost none remain ,unidentified4 ,identifying strange objects in the air over the ,united ,states is vital to the country's security4 ,that military officers should be guilty of carelessness or casual guesswork in this serious business is unthinkable4 ,yet ,,atic investigators1 and through them the ,united ,states ,air ,force1 of which they are members1 for more than a decade have been the target of vicious attacks by civilian enthusiasts devoted to the cult of flying saucers4 ,banded together in various 8research0 organizations and operating on the premise that ,u,f,os are interplanetary in origin1 most of these enthusiasts flatly reject the normal explanations--planets1 meteors1 satellites1 balloons1 reflections1 birds1 radar phantoms1 hoaxes1 or delusions4 ,flying saucers obviously cruise in our skies1 the believers argue1 and the ,air ,force failure to admit the obvious proves that its investigators are incompetent or dishonest or both1 and that they are involved in a giant conspiracy to conceal the truth from the ,american public,,xiii-#a4 ,in the view of the saucer groups1 the ,air ,force can do no right4 ,if1 after receiving a ,,ufo report1 the investigators require some time to collect all the relevant facts and to reach a sound conclusion1 they are berated for the delay and accused of cover-up tactics1 as in the ,killian case 7p4 #eb74 ,on the other hand1 when the answer is found quickly and released to the newspapers1 ,,ufo addicts deny its truth and assert that the explanation was hurriedly rushed into print in order to deceive the public1 as in the ,pacific sighting on ,july #aa1 #aiei 7p4 #ajf7,,xiii-#a;a1 p4 #h4 ,some of these peculiar beliefs may rest on an imperfect understanding of the actual aims1 methods1 and resources of ,air ,force investigators4 ,official ,study of ,u,f,os ,the report of an unidentified flying object1 in about #ij per cent of the cases1 comes first from an ordinary private citizen1 who often notifies the local newspaper or radio station4 ,not until he reports the incident to a military official1 however1 is ,,atic empowered to start investigation4 ,the commanding officer at the ,air ,force base nearest the place of the sighting then makes a preliminary investigation and1 if the facts seem to warrant further study1 forwards the information to ,dayton for evaluation4 ,with years of experience to draw on1 the ,aerial ,phenomena ,group can often identify the unknown after a brief study of the report4 ,if not1 they try to determine whether the report contains all the facts necessary for an explanation and whether the unknown may be of interest to ,intelligence officers4 ,does it represent a possible danger to the nation8 ,does it have possible military significance8 ,does it have possible scientific or technical significance8 ,if1 after this review1 the investigators conclude that the unknown might be of some importance1 they carry out an intensive study in which they may have the help of an organization directly connected with the ,assistant ,chief of ,staff for ,intelligence or of allied ,intelligence agencies4 ,when all the relevant facts are collected1 a survey usually shows that the unknown fits a particular class of sighting4 ,to complete the identification1 ,,atic can call on the expert knowledge of a specialist in the type of phenomenon involved4 ,expert help is available from a large variety of sources3 #a4 ,official consultant to the ,air ,force1 ,dr4 ,j4 ,allen ,hynek1 ,director of the ,dearborn ,observatory and ,professor of ,astronomy at ,northwestern ,university1 formerly ,assistant ,director1 ,smithsonian ,astrophysical ,observatory4 #b4 ,members of the ,air ,force with special scientific and technical training1 whose full duty is the study1 investigation1 and analysis of ,,ufo reports4 #c4 ,a panel of military and civilian experts in all branches of science and technology4 #d4 ,the scientific and technical laboratories 7photographic1 ballistic1 chemical1 etc47 of all branches of the ,air ,force and of other government agencies4 #e4 ,the meteorological records of the ,united ,states ,weather ,bureau1 the ,united ,states ,coast ,guard1 and other government agencies4 #f4 ,commercial laboratories under contract to carry out special work4 ,with the best scientific resources of the nation available1 the ,air ,force can make sure that a puzzling ,,ufo phenomenon will undergo study by an expert4 ,reports involving radar sightings are analyzed by the research scientists who know most about the behavior of radar4 ,if satellites or astronomical objects might be involved1 astronomers study the evidence4 ,if the report includes photographs or physical evidence1 experts provide the appropriate laboratory analysis4 ,if a ,,ufo still proves difficult to explain1 the complete facts are laid before a panel of experts for discussion4 ,when a sighting has been completely analyzed1 the conclusions--known or unknown--are filed with the record of the case4 ,if the newspapers have publicized the incident1 a summary of the analysis is given to ,,safis 7,office of ,information ,services1 ,office of the ,secretary of the ,air ,force7 for release to the press4 ,in the early years of the flying-saucer saga1 almost none of the men assigned to investigate ,u,f,os had any special training in the optical and astronomical sciences or in investigative techniques4 ,since the specific facts of so many cases were classified1 civilian scientists who might have helped explain the ,,ufo puzzles were not able to get the necessary information4 ,unsurprisingly1 the percentage of unexplained cases sometimes reached as high as #e to #aj per cent1 and once reached the staggering peak of #bj per cent6 ,in recent years the techniques of collection1 investigation1 and analysis of the facts have greatly improved4 ,air ,force investigators not only have excellent training1 they also have a solid body of experience behind them4 ,in later reviews they have found the answers to many1 but not to all1 of the backlog of 8,unknown0 cases which1 if reported today1 would probably cause no problem4 ,some of the old cases will probably never be solved because the men in charge at the time did not always know what questions to ask4 ,essential information was not obtained and can never be obtained now4 ,the ,air ,force never closes an unsolved case4 ,reports that have been listed as ,unidentified or ,insufficient ,evidence are reanalyzed when new evidence becomes available4 ,occasionally new evidence produces a more complete or even a different explanation for a case that was previously considered probably solved4 ,statistical summaries of the ,,ufo sightings for each month and for each period of six months are forwarded to ,,safis for release4 ,in recent years ,,atic has been receiving fewer than #fjj reports per year and solving about #ih per cent4 ,in #aifa1 #egh ,u,f,os were reported4 ,of those in which all the necessary information was available1 all but thirteen--about two per cent--were completely explained4 ,believers in flying saucers tend to ignore the #ih per cent of cases fully explained by the ,air ,force1 and to focus attention on the #b per cent that remain puzzling4 ,yet no distinguishable difference exists between the types of observation described in solved and in unsolved cases4 ,from considering the original reports1 the competence of the witnesses1 and the appearance and movements of the various ,u,f,os1 no analyst could predict in advance which will be fully accounted for and which will not4 ,the witnesses 7often technically trained observers or experienced airmen7 in the cases that are solved are just as reliable as--and no less so than--the witnesses in the unexplained cases4 ,they report the same classes of phenomena--glowing ,u,f,os1 hovering ,u,f,os1 ,u,f,os moving at high velocities1 making incredible maneuvers1 and behaving as though under intelligent control4 ,the ,air ,force has accounted for nearly all of these flying saucers4 ,the various causes included aircraft1 balloons1 satellites1 mirages1 inversions1 hoaxes1 delusions1 reflections1 birds1 lenticular clouds1 ball lightning1 radar anomalies1 sundogs1 meteors1 planets1 stars1 the ,aurora1 and other astronomical phenomena4 ,the few remaining cases report similar observations and undoubtedly have one of these causes--which cannot be proved because some essential fact is missing4 ,no data in these unsolved cases suggest that the ,u,f,os had an interplanetary origin or that they constituted a threat to the security of the ,united ,states4 ,when ,air ,force investigators have determined that a ,,ufo report does not represent anything of interest to ,intelligence1 their primary duty ends4 ,however1 since many ,,ufo puzzles are of interest for scientific or technical reasons1 the investigators try to find the specific explanation of each case and1 if it has attracted public attention1 give the final solution to the press4 ,civilian ,saucer ,groups ,since the first flying saucers were reported in #aidg1 dozens of civilian clubs have been organized throughout the world to collect ,,ufo reports and publish 8the truth0 allegedly suppressed by government sources4 ,during the last decade the roster in the ,united ,states has included such groups as the ,borderland ,sciences ,research ,associates 7,california71 ,interplanetary ,intelligence of ,unidentified ,flying ,objects 7,oklahoma71 ,intercontinental ,aerial ,research ,foundation 7,nebraska71 ,,ufo ,research ,committee 7,ohio71 ,civilian ,saucer ,intelligence 7,new ,york71 ,waukegan ,contact ,group 7,illinois71 ,saucer ,investigative ,research ,organization 7,georgia71 ,world ,society of the ,flying ,saucer 7,idaho71 ,civilian ,research on ,interplanetary ,flying ,objects 7,ohio71 and the ,national ,investigations ,committee on ,aerial ,phenomena 7,washington1 ,d4,c474 ,the oldest of these saucer clubs1 the ,aerial ,phenomena ,research ,organization 7,arizona7 was founded in #aieb and issues a bimonthly news sheet1 the ,,apro ,bulletin4 ,more or less regular publications 7some now defunct7 of these groups have included the ,cosmic ,researcher1 ,interplanetary ,news ,service1 ,,crifo ,orbit1 ,saucerian ,bulletin1 and ,,ufo ,critical ,bulletin4 ,in recent years some of the best factual accounts of ,,ufo incidents 7as well as some of the weirdest speculation7 have appeared in the magazine ,flying ,saucers1 which is not connected with any club4 ,a few clubs1 chiefly in ,california1 are semireligious in character1 claiming repeated communication with ethereal beings in space4 ,some clubs accept 8contact0 stories as valid1 others do not4 ,certain articles of faith are apparently common to all such groups3 that ,u,f,os are actually vehicles from outer space2 that they sometimes land on earth and occasionally leave physical traces in the form of metallic or organic substances2 that scientists who cannot accept these beliefs are hypocrites1 archfiends1 anti-,galileo reactionaries1 stooges for the ,army or the ,air ,force1 and members of the conspiracy to delude the public4 ,,nicap ,the largest and probably the most influential saucer group is the ,national ,investigations ,committee on ,aerial ,phenomena 7,,nicap71 with affiliated subcommittees in various parts of the country4 ,many members of local organizations such as the ,,ufo ,research ,committee of ,akron1 ,ohio1 also belong to ,,nicap and help maintain close liaison4 ,the bimonthly news sheet1 the ,,ufo ,investigator1 is distributed to members of ,,nicap and to prominent persons in the government and other fields2 it regularly lists recent ,,ufo sightings reported by members1 and occasionally prints a detailed report of a specific case4 ,few of the sightings reported can be independently evaluated because the accounts often omit such essential facts as exact times1 dates1 places1 direction of motion1 etc4 ,with headquarters in ,washington1 ,d4,c41 ,,nicap strongly reflects the views of its director1 ,major ,donald ,e4 ,keyhoe1 ,,usmc 7,ret471 that ,u,f,os may be interplanetary in origin1 sometimes land on earth1 but rarely if ever make contact with human beings4 ,like most saucer believers1 many members of ,,nicap tend to assume without adequate investigation that many unusual sky phenomena reported in the newspapers may be extraterrestrial objects1 and they often maintain this attitude in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary4 ,when the ,,boac ,comet exploded near ,calcutta on ,may #b1 #aiec1 ,major ,keyhoe theorized that a ,,ufo might accidentally or deliberately have collided with the plane4 ,he continued such speculation even after ,british aviation officials announced1 after months of study1 that the crash was caused by metal fatigue,,xiii-#a4 ,many of the items printed in the ,,ufo ,investigator are based on incomplete evidence4 ,under the headline 8,strange ,series of ,fireballs ,reported10 ,,nicap listed a ,,ufo observed on ,march #g1 #aifj1 at about #h3aj ,p4,m41 visible from the ,canadian border to ,florida1 and described by some observers as three or four ,u,f,os flying in formation,,xiii-#c4 ,this phenomenon was actually the satellite ,discoverer ,,viii making its final descent to earth4 ,,nicap membership is theoretically open to any non-,communist citizen,,xiii-#d1 but applicants from the 8contactee0 fringe are not encouraged4 ,the committee once canceled the membership of a space evangelist when he claimed publicly to be a spokesman for ,,nicap1 and in #aieh it canceled the membership of seven famous contactees who had been admitted without the knowledge of the director,,xiii-#e4 ,investigations are carried out as spare-time projects of the members themselves1 some of whom constitute an advisory panel of experts4 ,although many are highly respected in their own professions--television1 journalism1 military science1 religion1 government1 aviation1 engineering1 medicine1 psychology1 and teaching in the physical sciences--few are recognized specialists in the fields required for the analysis of most ,,ufo cases--radar propagation1 the physics of optics1 meteorology1 and astronomy4 ,since #aieg a major goal of ,,nicap has been a ,congressional inquiry that supposedly would reveal an ,air ,force conspiracy to deny the reality of flying saucers,,xiii-#g4 ,in #aieg the director lodged a formal complaint with a member of the ,united ,states ,senate charging that the ,air ,force continually made false statements on ,u,f,os to the press1 the public1 and members of ,congress4 ,in support of this accusation ,major ,keyhoe submitted summaries of more than two hundred incidents,,xiii-#g4 ,the list cited a number of ,,ufo reports that had never been submitted to the ,air ,force for analysis4 ,these included reports from foreign countries 7one in ,sumatra in #aidd and one ,holland in #aieb7 and from ,,nicap's private files4 ,others1 such as the ,kinross case 7p4 #aed71 had not been within ,,atic jurisdiction4 ,many others1 such as the ,mantell 7p4 #cc7 and the ,chiles-,whitted 7p4 #ajh7 cases1 had long ago been fully explained4 ,still other cases1 dating from the early days of the saucer era1 remain unsolved only because vital facts1 not determined at the time of the sighting1 are necessary to a full explanation but cannot now be ascertained4 ,the request for a ,congressional inquiry was denied but has been repeated at intervals4 ,the 8,conspiracy0 ,fantasy ,most ,,ufo organizations cling to the belief that a conspiracy exists to conceal the existence of extraterrestrial vehicles1 but they disagree on its precise composition4 ,to ,,nicap and its affiliates1 the chief culprit is the ,air ,force1 helped occasionally by other government agencies and by well-known civilian scientists4 ,,apro 7,aerial ,phenomena ,research ,organization71 however1 considers that the ,air ,force is involved only as the tool of still more powerful forces4 ,the director of ,,apro has published her conviction that nobody in the ,air ,force1 the ,navy1 or the ,marines 8has the brains0 to contrive so successful a scheme and that the alleged plot 8could only be borne sic of minds schooled in deception and contraception sic--the elite corps of the ,central ,intelligence ,agency40,,xiii-#h ,in still another version 7which makes the plots of ,e4 ,phillips ,oppenheim seem amateurish7 ,,nicap itself is a pawn in a superconspiracy so vast that thousands of ,american citizens have been made its unknowing tools,,xiii-#i4 ,the hundreds of strange phenomena observed in the skies1 the controversial photographs of ,u,f,os1 the 8spacemen0 who visited ,adamski and others1 the 8contact0 and little-green-men stories1 the analyses made by the ,air ,force1 the formation of the various saucer clubs1 ,,nicap and its war against the ,air ,force--all these phenomena1 events1 and persons are allegedly parts of a colossal drama planned1 supported1 and staged as a deliberate hoax on the ,american public4 ,the prime mover is supposed to be the ,central ,intelligence ,agency1 whose motive is to conceal--something2 just what is not clear,,xiii-#aj4 ,in comparison with this fantasy1 ,,nicap's charges of simple ,air ,force cover-up seem tame4 ,,ufo at ,sheffield ,lake1 ,ohio ,one of the most notorious accusations of ,air ,force skulduggery1 made in attempts to procure a ,congressional inquiry1 was that embodied in a saucerian study of the ,fitzgerald sighting,,xiii-#aa1 published by the ,,ufo ,research ,committee of ,akron1 ,ohio1 which maintains a close relationship with ,,nicap4 ,although the case was unimportant and was completely explained1 we shall discuss it in detail to illustrate the peculiar views and methods of the flying-saucer groups4 ,in summary1 a strange light observed on a dark night for roughly half a minute by a drowsy housewife was converted into a weapon to attack the ,air ,force4 ,the incident inspired thousands of words of argument1 caused the publication and distribution of a lengthy document1 used the time of busy investigators1 required an otherwise unnecessary expenditure of public funds1 and evoked an exchange of letters among angry citizens1 harassed ,congressmen1 and equally harassed ,air ,force officials4 ,in all ,,ufo history1 no larger mountain has ever been made from so small a molehill4 ,on ,september #cj1 #aieh1 the ,air ,technical ,intelligence ,center at ,wright-,patterson ,air ,force ,base received a letter from ,mrs4 ,william ,fitzgerald of ,sheffield ,lake1 ,ohio1 reporting that on ,september #ba she had sighted a ,,ufo which she would like to have investigated4 ,she enclosed a three-page summary prepared by members of the ,,ufo ,research ,committee of ,akron1 and added1 8,i assure you that ,i will contact my congressman about this matter if some action is not taken soon to explain it40,,xiii-#ab ,the alleged ,,ufo had appeared at about #c ,a4,m4 in the yard of the one-story1 two-bedroom house occupied by ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald and her husband4 ,she had been sitting up alone watching television and had gone to bed at the end of the late movie4 ,the bedroom window was shut and the window curtains were closed4 ,outside1 the night was dark2 the moon had set1 there were no street lights1 and none of the neighboring houses was lighted4 ,lying with her arm over her eyes1 trying to get to sleep1 she suddenly realized that the room was illuminated and stood up on the bed to look out of the window4 ,according to her account1 a disk-shaped object with a hump in the middle1 a dull aluminum in color1 was moving across the yard at a height of about five feet4 ,the object did not glow and did not have lights on it2 she could not determine the source of the light that made it visible to her4 ,about twenty to twenty-two feet in diameter and about six feet high1 the ,,ufo moved north across the driveway into a neighbor's yard1 losing altitude on the way until it was only one foot above the ground4 ,at a distance of fifty feet1 it stopped and floated motionless for several seconds while pink-gray smoke billowed out from two openings in the rim and illuminated the ,,ufo4 ,each opening contained seven pipes4 ,the smoke did not come from the pipes but from the openings from which the pipes projected4 ,the object then moved back into the witness's yard1 rising to a height of five feet4 ,no longer emitting smoke1 it made two quick clockwise turns with a radius of about three feet1 and rose straight up4 ,the roof of the house1 jutting out over the window1 cut it from further view4 ,during the entire time of the sighting1 about thirty-six seconds1 she had heard a muffled noise like that of a jet engine warming up4 ,she had tried several times to waken her husband1 by kicking him1 but without success4 ,when the object had gone1 she went back to bed and slept4 ,when she awoke at #aa3jj the next morning and mentioned her experience to the family1 she learned that ten-year-old ,john ,fitzgerald1 sleeping in the second bedroom1 had also seen a strange light4 ,he had apparently wakened during the night to go to the bathroom and had returned to bed1 when he saw a bright light shining into his room and heard an unusual noise4 ,climbing up on the radiator to look out of his window1 he saw something the color of a tin cup moving across the yard4 ,after watching for a few seconds until the light had gone1 he went to bed and to sleep4 ,puzzled by the incident1 ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald telephoned the local newspaper1 the ,lorain ,journal1 and the story appeared in several ,ohio newspapers4 ,members of the ,akron ,committee1 one of whom lived in the nearby town of ,lorain1 soon arrived to question her and prepare the summary of her experience4 ,other witnesses in ,lorain were reported to have seen the same ,,ufo4 ,even at first glance1 the situation presented several unusual features4 ,the witness had delayed more than a week before notifying ,air ,force investigators1 yet she threatened to notify her congressman unless some action were taken soon4 ,she had not waited for action1 however1 but by the same mail had written to her congressman requesting him to obtain an explanation from the ,air ,force4 ,the summary of her experience1 prepared with the help of members of the ,,ufo ,research ,committee of ,akron1 was equally remarkable4 ,even though her dark-adapted eyes had just been assaulted by a bright light and the object had been in view for a maximum of only thirty-six seconds1 she provided a description so detailed that it almost suggested a photographic memory4 ,on ,october #c1 three days after her letter reached ,,atic1 two ,air ,force men1 ,technical ,sergeant ,a and ,technical ,sergeant ,b1 who were specially trained in the investigation of ,,ufo incidents1 arrived in ,lorain4 ,after a day spent in studying such pertinent matters as the local geography1 the records of the ,weather ,bureau1 the ,coast ,guard station1 and the local railway1 on ,october #d they called on the witnesses4 ,again the situation was unusual4 ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald's husband did not appear4 ,with ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald and young ,john1 however1 was ,mr4 ,c1 the member of the local ,,ufo group who had spent several days helping her prepare her account4 ,to the amazement of the sergeants1 ,mr4 ,c seemed to assume that he was in charge of the interview1 answered the questions put to ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald1 and continually interrupted with questions and statements of his own4 ,after half an hour of this frustrating procedure1 ,sergeant ,a led ,mr4 ,c out into the yard4 ,in the house1 ,sergeant ,b resumed the inquiry and filled out the official report form4 ,few questions were asked of the boy because both the details and the phraseology of his description seemed to echo adult conversations overheard during the two weeks that had elapsed since the sighting4 ,according to the account prepared by the ,akron ,committee1 the boy had been frightened by a light so bright that he had to shield his eyes4 7,the time was unknown1 and the light may or may not have been the one observed by ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald47 ,climbing on top of the radiator to look out of the window1 he had seen the ,,ufo and watched it take off into the air1 and then had gone back to bed and to sleep4 ,sergeant ,b had a young son of about the same age4 ,that a normal ten-year-old boy should not call out and try to awaken the household when confronted with a whirling1 humming1 dome-shaped spaceship some twenty-two feet in diameter and six feet high1 moving through his own yard in the middle of the night1 seemed too improbable to warrant serious questioning4 ,after finishing with the ,fitzgeralds1 the sergeants called on other supposed witnesses in ,lorain4 ,satisfied that they had completed a thorough investigation1 they returned to ,dayton and presented the information to their superior officers for evaluation4 ,none of the evidence suggested that the phenomenon had been a spacecraft,,xiii-#ab4 ,the ,,ufo had been the 8special effect0 of a peculiar combination of circumstances3 #a4 ,the time4 ,the sighting had occurred about #c ,a4,m42 the exact moment was not known and could not be determined4 #b4 ,the geography4 ,the shore of ,lake ,erie lay about three fifths of a mile north of the ,fitzgerald house4 ,south of the house1 roughly #ajj yards away1 ran the tracks of the ,new ,york ,central ,railway4 ,southwest of the house about one and a half miles stood a steel foundry4 #c4 ,the weather4 ,a drizzling rain was falling at the time of the sighting4 ,there was some haze and wind2 no moonlight4 #d4 ,other factors1 7a7 ,between midnight and #d ,a4,m4 a ,coast ,guard cutter equipped with an eight-inch spotlight had been plying back and forth on ,lake ,erie1 searching for an overdue cabin cruiser4 ,at about #c ,a4,m4 the cutter had been headed east toward ,lorain1 reaching there at #c3ae1 had then continued east beyond ,sheffield to ,avon1 before turning back to the ,lorain lifeboat station and berthing at #d ,a4,m4 7b7 ,at #b3eb ,a4,m4 a train had left the ,lorain railroad station1 roughly three miles from the ,fitzgerald house4 ,eight minutes later it would have been passing south of the house at a distance of about #ajj yards4 ,the engine was using a rotating headlight4 ,from these facts it was possible to reconstruct the probable sequence of events that produced the ,,ufo3 ,in the hour or so before the sighting1 the witness had been sitting up alone watching the late movie on ,,tv4 ,the film that night was a horror movie1 ,dracula's ,daughter4 ,about #c ,a4,m41 soon after the witness had gone to bed1 the ,coast ,guard cutter on ,lake ,erie was traveling east toward ,lorain1 was very near the harbor and was flashing its spotlight toward shore4 ,the light had briefly illuminated the two bedrooms of the ,fitzgerald house and had roused ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald4 ,at that distance1 between three and four miles1 the beam would have spread and would have been dispersed still more by the drops of rain falling4 ,by the time ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald reached the window and pulled back the curtains1 the searchlight was gone4 ,at the same time1 however1 the train that left ,lorain at #b3eb was passing south of the house1 using its rotating headlight and producing a roaring noise made more piercing by the moist atmosphere4 ,looking through the wet glass of the window1 the witness saw the beam of the train's headlight moving through the haze in the yard4 ,smoke from the nearby foundry was also being blown into the yard4 ,illuminated by the circular beam of light1 the smoke seemed to be a glowing1 solid object that moved back and forth and emitted clouds of gray-pink smoke4 ,in summary1 the ,air ,force concluded that ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald's ,,ufo was an illusion produced by a combination of factors3 an excited frame of mind induced by ,dracula's ,daughter1 the spotlight on the ,coast ,guard cutter1 the rotating headlight of the train and the noise of its engine1 drifting smoke from the foundry1 and the haze of the drizzly night4 ,this conclusion provoked an explosion from the witness1 who wrote her congressman suggesting mental incompetence on the part of the ,air ,force official who analyzed the case4 8,the ,fitzgerald ,report0 ,the ,,ufo ,research ,committee compiled and on ,december #a1 #aieh1 published a thirteen-page pamphlet 7later reissued in amplified form and copyrighted7 entitled3 8,the ,fitzgerald ,report1 ,a ,complete and ,detailed ,account of the ,sighting of an ,unidentified ,flying ,object1 ,sheffield ,lake1 ,ohio1 ,september #ba1 #aieh40 ,this document charged 8duplicity0 in the ,air ,force treatment of ,,ufo reports in general1 and asserted that the ,fitzgerald investigation in particular had been 8criminally mishandled0 and was a 8disgrace to the ,u4 ,s4 ,air ,force and an insult to the ,american public44440 ,it further suggested that ,sergeants ,a and ,b be 8disciplined0 because their investigation was not adequate or thorough1 and that they had had 8little or no intention of making an honest investigation of this sighting40 ,copies of the pamphlet were mailed to eminent scientists throughout the country1 members of the ,united ,states ,house of ,representatives and the ,united ,states ,senate1 officers in the ,air ,force1 the ,secretary of the ,air ,force1 and the ,secretary of ,defense4 ,the publication of such charges against an ordinary private citizen might easily have caused a suit for libel4 ,the ,air ,force investigators1 whatever their private reactions may have been1 had no such recourse2 their accusers could act with fair assurance of immunity from legal action4 ,the document made a number of specific accusations4 ,because of the wide publicity given this attack1 we shall discuss each point fully4 ,our comments1 appended in brackets1 are based on official records of the ,air ,force1 the ,new ,york ,central ,railway1 the ,united ,states ,weather ,bureau1 and the ,united ,states ,coast ,guard4 ,most of these facts were available to the ,akron ,committee itself4 ,charge #a4 ,because of the position of the ,fitzgerald house1 the headlight of the train could not have shone into the bedroom windows4 ,correct4 ,but the point is irrelevant4 ,the ,air ,force did not suggest that the train's light shone into the window4 ,the light could have shone into the yard1 however1 and would have been visible to a witness looking out of the window4 ,the brilliant light that flashed in the window and roused the witness did not come from the train but from the spotlight of the ,coast ,guard cutter4 ,charge #b4 ,events taking place on the lake could not have had any relation to the sighting because the shore was #cjjj feet away and1 because of intervening houses and trees1 a witness in the ,fitzgerald house could not see the lake4 ,incorrect conclusion from the facts4 ,the beam of a spotlight on a boat moving one or two miles offshore 7as was the ,coast ,guard cutter at about #c ,a4,m47 could have been seen from the house4 ,the beam of such a light can be visible for great distances4 ,reflected from the clouds and spread by the drops of moisture in the air1 it could easily have flashed into the window with great brilliance4 ,charge #c;a4 ,the spotlight used by the ,coast ,guard cutter was of a type that could not be focused like a searchlight2 therefore the beam could not have been reflected from the clouds to the ,fitzgerald house4 ,incorrect4 ,the spotlight used could operate with either a diffuse or a narrow beam1 could be focused like a searchlight1 and could have been reflected from the clouds to the house4 ,charge #c;b4 ,the ,coast ,guard cutter had used its spotlight and turned the beam in the direction of the house only once that night1 while signaling another boat at a time two hours earlier than the sighting and a place roughly five miles from the house4 ,the ,december #a1 #aieh1 edition of the document gives the distance as #d miles2 the #aiei edition gives #e miles4 ,whatever the true distance1 the statement is incorrect4 ,a signaling incident did occur at the time and about the place specified1 but it had no relation to the ,fitzgerald sighting4 ,the light was used frequently in the hours between midnight and #d ,a4,m41 as the cutter carried out its search for the missing cabin cruiser4 ,in a statement obtained by the ,akron ,committee itself1 the chief boatswain's mate affirmed that 8subject spotlight was flashed on and off a number of times during the night1 picking up objects in all directions4 ,it is hard to estimate how many times spotlights were snapped on and off during subject search1 but they were used quite often during short periods of time40 ,charge #d4 ,the statement that the supposed confirmatory witness1 ,mrs4 ,s1 could not recall anything unusual for the night of the sighting was 8a lie10 as evidenced by her signed statement4 ,incorrect4 ,when the investigators visited ,mrs4 ,s1 she asserted that she had nothing to contribute4 ,at about #b3cj ,a4,m4 7half an hour earlier than the ,fitzgerald sighting7 she had indeed noticed a bright-red glow that had startled her at first until she realized that it probably came from the nearby ,ohio ,edison plant or from the foundry4 ,the signed statement printed by the ,akron ,committee in the ,december #aieh edition of the document bears no date4 ,the notarized statement used in the #aiei edition is dated ,march #be1 six months after the sighting had occurred4 ,after the ,air ,force interview1 apparently1 ,mrs4 ,s had changed her mind for reasons unknown4 ,charge #e4 ,the statement that another confirmatory witness1 ,mr4 ,g1 was not available for interview was 8pathetic0 because it was ,mrs4 ,g1 not ,mr4 ,g1 who saw the ,,ufo4 ,the point of this accusation is not clear4 ,because of a typographical error in a letter1 8,mrs40 was changed to 8,mr40 ,the fact remains that the supposed witness1 ,mrs4 ,g1 was not available4 ,also1 the light she reported had appeared about #b ,a4,m41 an hour before the ,fitzgerald sighting4 ,charge #f;a4 ,it was not true that a misty rain with haze and mist had occurred at the time of the sighting2 the witness herself stated that it was not raining4 ,incorrect4 ,the ,cleveland ,weather ,bureau recorded continual slight precipitation between midnight and #g ,a4,m43 4#bj inches were recorded between #b and #d ,a4,m4 ,when asked whether it was raining when she saw the ,,ufo1 the witness replied1 8,it had rained a few hours before10 a vague response suggesting that she had not noticed the weather at the time of the sighting4 ,other parts of her account1 however1 strongly indicate rain4 ,although the night was warm 7about #fe degrees ,f4 at #c ,a4,m471 her bedroom window was closed4 ,charge #f;b4 ,it was not true that smoke from the steel plant southwest of the house could have been a factor in the sighting1 because the direction of the wind was wrong4 ,incorrect4 ,the ,weather ,bureau recorded 8,,wsw and ,,sw0 winds that night averaging ten miles an hour2 coming from the southwest1 the winds would have blown the smoke northeast1 directly toward the house4 ,charge #g;a4 ,the sergeants did not make a house-to-house check among the neighbors to obtain confirmatory evidence4 ,correct4 ,such a time-consuming procedure would not have been justified4 ,the neighbors had had two weeks in which to report a visiting spaceship4 ,no such report had been made1 even by the neighbor in whose yard the noisy object was supposed to have hovered while emitting puffs of smoke4 ,charge #g;b4 ,they did not ask ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald to make a drawing of the ,,ufo4 ,correct4 ,before their visit she had already made such a drawing1 prepared with the help of members of the ,akron ,committee who had shown her a sketch of an alleged spaceship reproduced several years earlier in an ,air ,force pamphlet,,xiii-#ac4 ,with this sketch before her to aid her memory1 ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald had described her ,,ufo to a draftsman provided by the committee4 ,unsurprisingly1 the resulting sketch was very similar to the picture used as an example4 ,a drawing obtained in this way could have no value as evidence4 ,charge #g;c4 ,the sergeants failed to ask enough questions about the motions of the object4 ,incorrect4 ,the standard form for reporting unidentified flying objects contains questions specifically designed to describe the motion of an unknown2 all these questions were asked and answered4 ,charge #g;d4 ,they used only the standard report form2 it did not include questions that allowed ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald to express all her ideas of what she had seen4 ,correct4 ,the questions are designed to elicit observed physical facts2 it does not require all the witness's interpretations4 ,charge #g;e4 ,they did not take notes during the interview4 ,correct4 ,in filling out the report form they obtained all the necessary information4 ,they had been trained not to take additional notes because some witnesses become nervous when they see that their remarks are being written down4 ,basic charge #g4 ,these 8omissions0 in procedure proved that the sergeants had little intention of making an honest investigation4 ,incorrect4 ,they omitted no query that might have yielded useful evidence4 ,their duty was to report and try to account for the phenomenon observed by ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald1 not to record her belief in a hypothetical spaceship4 ,the details of structure and motion that ,mr4 ,c wanted to insert in the record were mere impressions based on his assumption that the ,,ufo was a solid object under intelligent control4 ,the document repeatedly charged that the investigators asked too few questions1 and implied that they asked only five of ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald--yet she answered all the many questions in the standard report form4 ,furthermore1 ,mr4 ,c had no way of knowing just how many and what questions were asked2 during all the latter part of the interview he was outside the house4 ,perhaps the best comment on the ,fitzgerald ,report and on the activities of civilian saucer-investigation groups in general is that of ,dr4 ,thornton ,page1 the eminent astronomer who in #aieb served on the scientific panel to evaluate ,,ufo reports 7see ,chapter ,,vii74 ,after receiving a copy of the ,fitzgerald ,report1 he wrote to a member of the ,akron ,committee3 8,as a scientist ,i am interested in unexplained phenomena1 but the one or ones responsible for ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald's sighting is or are undoubtedly highly complex4 ,it is just as false to say simply that she saw a flying saucer #bj feet in diameter as it is to say that she saw nothing1 or that she simply saw the train headlight on a mist4 ,certainly1 ,i would not expect a pair of ,air ,force investigators to be able to explain her sighting 7and the others7 satisfactorily from interviews two weeks after the event4 ,it would be ridiculous to propose that a team of experts in the fields of physics1 psychology1 meteorology1 engineering and railroading be sent to ,sheffield ,lake1 ,ohio1 to study these sightings from all possible angles4 8,i have already written to you and to others that your fundamental error is in oversimplifying your explanations of complex natural phenomena by assuming a common cause without justification4 ,if you say that everything you cannot understand is caused by gremlins1 then gremlins are everywhere6 ,and the ,air ,force would need a much larger budget to investigate every sighting or hearing or feeling of a gremlin6 8444 ,the onus is not on the ,air ,force or me to prove that no flying saucer was present that night2 the onus is on you and your ,,ufo ,research ,committee to prove that there is no other explanation of what was seen and heard40 ,the ,open ,mind ,of the many astronomical observatories in the ,united ,states and abroad1 none has ever photographed an object that remotely resembled a spaceship4 ,since #aieg1 hundreds of members of ,moonwatch teams throughout the world have watched the skies to record passages of the many artificial satellites1 but no ,moonwatch team has yet reported the presence of a spaceship4 ,radar stations on all continents keep track of every artificial satellite and fragment of satellite orbiting the earth4 ,in ,february #aifc there were #bhd such objects1 originating in ,canada1 ,great ,britain1 ,russia1 and the ,united ,states4 ,if an interloper from beyond our planet should join the parade1 ,space ,track stations would at once detect its presence4 ,the ,air ,force has found no evidence of any kind that anyone has ever seen1 heard1 smelled1 photographed1 touched1 or in any way detected a trace of an interplanetary spacecraft4 ,extraterrestrial visitors have not yet arrived1 and may never arrive4 ,if and when they do1 our ,air ,force wants to be the first to know4 ,the ,air ,force will continue to investigate reports of unidentified flying objects and to treat them as 8serious business40,,xiii-#ad ,the security of the nation depends on this watchfulness4 ,when a pilot sees a bright object flashing through the sky and cannot immediately recognize it1 he knows that he may be looking at a meteor1 a balloon1 a bird1 a sundog1 a planetary mirage1 or another plane4 ,on the other hand1 since he may be catching a significant glimpse of a guided missile or an aircraft from beyond the ,united ,states1 he promptly reports another ,,ufo4 ,the ,air ,force cannot afford to guess what is in our skies4 ,they want to know4 ,the creative scientist1 eternally curious1 keeps an open mind toward strange phenomena and novel ideas1 knowing that we have only begun to understand the universe we live in4 ,he remembers1 too1 that ,biot's discovery that meteorites were 8stones from the sky0 was at first greeted with disbelief1 and he hopes never to be guilty of similar obtuseness4 ,but an open mind does not mean credulity or a suspension of the logical faculties that are man's most valuable asset4 ,human beings now stand on the threshold of space4 ,visits to and from other worlds may occur in the future1 bringing new facts and new interpretations of reality that we cannot now imagine4 ,no evidence yet found indicates that such visits have begun4 ,no fact so far determined suggests that a single unidentified flying object has originated outside our own planet4 ,,xiii-#a ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e4 ,the ,flying ,saucer ,conspiracy4 ,new ,york3 ,henry ,holt ,co41 #aiee4 ,,xiii-#a;a ,tacker1 ,l4 ,j4 ,flying ,saucers and the ,u4 ,s4 ,air ,force4 ,princeton1 ,n4,j43 ,d4 ,van ,nostrand ,co41 #aifj4 ,,xiii-#b ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e4 ,flying ,saucers from ,outer ,space4 ,new ,york3 ,henry ,holt ,co41 #aiec4 ,,xiii-#c ,,ufo ,investigator 7,march #aifj74 ,,xiii-#d ,,ufo ,investigator 7,august-,september #aieh74 ,,xiii-#e ,,ufo ,investigator 7,april-,may #aifa74 ,,xiii-#f ,,ufo ,investigator 7,july-,august #aifj74 ,,xiii-#g ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e4 ,flying ,saucers3 ,top ,secret4 ,new ,york3 ,g4 ,p4 ,putnam's ,sons1 #aifj4 ,,xiii-#h ,lorenzen1 ,c4 ,e4 8,the ,psychology of ,,ufo ,secrecy10 ,flying ,saucers 7,october #aieh71 p4 #ab ff4 ,,xiii-#i ,davidson1 ,l4 ,letter ,flying ,saucers 7,october #aieh71 p4 #gi4 ,,xiii-#aj ,davidson1 ,l4 8,an ,open ,letter to ,saucer ,researchers10 ,flying ,saucers 7,march #aifb71 p4 #cf4 ,,xiii-#aa ,the ,fitzgerald ,report1 ,the ,,ufo ,research ,committee of ,akron1 ,ohio1 #aieh4 ,,xiii-#ab ,air ,force ,files4 ,,xiii-#ac ,project ,blue ,book1 ,special ,report ,no4 #ad1 ,,atic1 ,wright-,patterson ,air ,force ,base1 ,ohio4 ,may #e1 #aiee4 ,,xiii-#ad ,new ,york ,times1 ,february #bh1 #aifj4 ,,appendix ,,ufo ,,and ,,other ,,incidents ,,referred ,,to ,date ,place ,associated ,page name #aiac ,february #i ,canada ,great ,meteor #ajg ,procession #aidg ,jan4 #ab ,puerto ,rico #ii ,june #bd ,chehalis1 ,wash4 ,arnold #ac ,june #ca ,tacoma1 ,wash4 ,maury ,island #ba ,july #g ,kentucky #eh #aidh ,jan4 #g ,louisville1 ,ky4 ,mantell #cc ,feb4 #ah ,norton1 ,kans4 #ajb ,july #bd ,alabama ,chiles-,whitted #aji ,july #bf ,southeast states #aaa ,july #bg ,tennessee #aab ,oct4 #a ,fargo1 ,n4,d4 ,gorman #gg ,december ,new ,mexico ,green fireballs #ic #aidi ,aug4 #bj ,las ,cruces1 ,n4,m4 ,tombaugh #bff #aiej ,march #h ,dayton1 ,ohio #gj ,march #ag ,farmington1 ,n4,m4 #dh ,june #d ,colorado #ie ,july #d ,new ,mexico ,fry #bjj ,aug4 #aa ,washington1 ,oregon #ie ,sep4 #bj ,murray1 ,ky4 #if ,sep4 #bj ,western states #ih ,nov4 #b ,eastern states #ie #aiea ,may #bi ,downey1 ,calif4 #abi ,aug4 #be ,lubbock1 ,tex4 ,lubbock lights #abc ,nov4 #b ,texas #ie #aieb ,jan4 #f ,california ,van ,tassel #bja ,jan4 #bb ,alaska #aeb ,jan4 #bi ,eastern states #ajj ,may #g ,brazil ,ilha dos ,amores #bjf ,june #ae ,virginia #ci ,june #ba ,oak ,ridge1 ,tenn4 #gf ,july #b ,tremonton1 ,utah #acj ,july #e ,hanford1 ,wash4 #ace ,july #g ,pacific ,northwest #ace ,july #ab ,indiana #ace ,july #ad ,chesapeake ,bay1 ,va4 ,nash-,fortenberry #bef ,july #af ,salem1 ,mass4 ,coast ,guard photo #abb ,july #ai ,washington1 ,d4,c4 ,radar saucers #aee ,july #bf ,washington1 ,d4,c4 ,radar saucers #aee ,july #bg ,manhattan ,beach1 ,calif4 ,stack of coins #di ,july #bg ,nevada ,bethurum #bja ,july #bi ,port ,huron1 ,mich4 #afj ,aug4 #a ,bellefontaine1 ,ohio #afb ,aug4 #c ,hamilton ,a4,f4,b41 ,calif4 #df ,aug4 #h ,durango1 ,colo4 #ej ,aug4 #aj ,durango1 ,colo4 #ej ,aug4 #ai ,w4 ,palm ,beach1 ,fla4 ,scoutmaster #acf ,aug4 #bd ,hermanas1 ,n4,m4 #dg ,sep4 #ab ,sutton1 ,w4,va4 ,sutton monster #acg ,sep4 #bd ,cuba #db ,oct #aj ,presque ,isle1 ,me4 #aci ,oct #aj ,france ,angel hair #bbj ,oct #bg ,france ,angel hair #bbj ,nov4 #bj ,california ,adamski #bjc ,dec4 #f ,gulf of ,mexico #e ,dec4 #aj ,odessa1 ,wash4 #fb ,dec4 #bi ,japan ,rotating lights #gc #aiec ,jan4 #i ,japan ,rotating lights #gc ,jan4 #ba ,japan ,rotating lights #gc ,feb4 #f ,rosalia1 ,wash4 ,may #b ,calcutta1 ,india ,,boac ,comet #bgf ,may #ca ,new ,south ,wales #bf ,july #bi ,new ,york ,moon ,bridge #bbh ,aug4 #e ,rapid ,city1 ,s4,d4 ,ellsworth ,a4,f4,b4 #afg ,aug4 #ai ,new ,haven1 ,conn4 #bca ,september ,england ,invisible saucers #afe ,nov4 #bc ,michigan ,kinross #aed ,nov4 #bh ,eastern states #ii #aied ,jan4 #cj ,indiana #he ,sep4 #ah ,san ,francisco1 ,calif4 #ib ,sep4 #ah ,new ,mexico1 ,colorado #ib ,oct4 #b ,france #abc ,oct4 #bb ,marysville1 ,ohio ,jerome ,school #bbb ,nov4 #cj ,sylacauga1 ,ala4 #hh ,november ,taormina1 ,sicily #bje ,dec4 #ac ,campinas1 ,brazil ,silver rain #bca #aiee ,feb4 #ba ,horseheads1 ,n4,y4 ,angel hair #bbc ,march #c ,alaska #fj ,may #ai ,los ,angeles1 ,calif4 #acj ,oct4 #ca ,gainesville1 ,fla4 #ea #aief ,feb4 #d ,accra1 ,africa #ej ,march #bj-bb ,cincinnati1 ,ohio #fg ,april #h ,new ,york ,ryan #fh ,summer ,u4,s4,s4,r4 #agh ,aug4 #bf ,california #acj ,sep4 #aj ,salina1 ,kansas #afd ,sep4 #be ,cincinnati1 ,ohio ,angel hair #bbd ,dec4 #bi ,white ,pass1 ,wash4 #bh ,december ,u4,s4,s4,r4 #agh #aieg ,march #i ,atlantic ,ocean ,pan,am-,san ,juan #ajd ,july #bd ,norway #bdh ,sep4 8 ,ubataba1 ,brazil #bcf ,nov4 #b ,levelland1 ,tex4 #agd ,nov4 #c ,white ,sands1 ,n4,m4 #ahj ,nov4 #d ,orogrande1 ,n4,m4 #aha ,nov4 #e ,kearney1 ,neb4 ,schmidt #ahc ,nov4 #e ,brazil ,itaipu ,fort #ahd ,nov4 #e ,gulf of ,mexico ,sebago #ahb ,nov4 #g ,ohio ,moore #ahe #aieh ,jan4 #af ,brazil ,trindade ,island #bjf ,april #aa ,johannesburg1 ,s4 ,africa ,the ,thing #ea ,april #ad ,eastern seaboard ,sputnik ,,ii #aaf ,sep4 #ba ,sheffield ,lake1 ,ohio ,fitzgerald #bgi ,sep4 #bi ,maryland ,nike site #bci ,oct4 #b ,danby1 ,calif4 #bdc ,oct4 #bf ,maryland ,lock ,raven ,dam #ahj #aiei ,jan4 #h ,pennsylvania #aac ,feb4 #f ,boulder1 ,colo4 #bdi ,feb4 #bd ,pennsylvania ,killian #eb ,march #ac ,duluth1 ,minn4 #gb ,march #bb ,ann ,arbor1 ,mich4 #bda ,march-,april ,coburn1 ,va4 ,sheep ,rock saucer #bbd ,june #bj ,pacific ,ocean #aje ,july #aa ,pacific ,ocean #ajf ,oct4 #ab ,washington1 ,ga4 #bbe ,oct4 #ai ,korea #gc #aifj ,march #g ,east coast #bgg ,march #ca ,france #bde ,april #a ,wallops ,island1 ,va4 #dd ,aug4 #ab-bj ,northern ,california ,red ,bluff #bec ,oct4 #e ,greenland #aff ,nov4 #bc ,michigan #bbe ,nov4 #bc ,new ,mexico #ii #aifa ,march #af ,england #ef ,march #bc-cj ,florida #bej ,april #ah ,eagle ,river1 ,wis4 ,pancakes #bbf ,july ,new ,mexico #eg ,july #bc ,pacific ,ocean #ajc ,august ,los ,alamos1 ,n4,m4 #agg ,oct4 #b ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah #bde ,oct4 #ag ,netherlands ,antilles #eg #aifb ,april #ah ,eureka1 ,utah #ahi ,sep4 #i ,england ,blue rain #bcd ,sep4 #aa ,sebree1 ,ky4 #bbc ,,index ,a ,accra1 ,africa1 #ej ,adamski1 ,g41 #af1 #bjc1 #bjd1 #bgh ,aerial ,phenomena ,group1 ,u4 ,s4 ,air ,force1 #b1 #bga1 #bgb4 ,see also ,,atic ,aerial ,phenomena ,research ,organization 7,,apro71 #aha1 #bai1 #bce-cf1 #bge1 #bgh ,aerospace ,technical ,intelligence ,center 7,,atic71 #b1 #bga4 ,see also ,,atic ,after-image1 #bdb ,air ,defense ,command1 #gb1 #id1 #aci1 #afj1 #afb1 #aff1 #afg ,air ,force1 ,u4 ,s41 #b1 #bgb-ge2 ,,apro challenge to1 #bce-cf2 conspiracy charges against1 #fi-gj1 #bgg-gh4 ,see also ,,atic ,air ,force pilots1 ,,ufo sightings by1 #gj-gb1 #aab1 #aac ,akron1 ,ohio1 #ec1 #bhj ,alamogordo1 ,n4,m41 #ib ,alaska1 #fj1 #aeb ,aldebaran1 #bec1 #bed ,almirante ,saldanha1 #bjg ff ,aluminum foil1 #afd1 #bbd1 #bbe ,alvarez1 ,l4 ,w41 #aci ,amazing ,stories magazine1 #ae1 #af-ba1 #be ,american ,airlines flights1 ,u,f,os reported from1 #eb1 #fh ,american ,meteor ,society1 #hh1 #ie1 #aaa1 #acd1 #ace ,american ,meteorite ,museum1 #ajb1 #agf ,analyses of ,,ufo 8fragments10 #bbj1 #bca-cd1 #bcf ,angel hair1 #bbj-bf2 alleged origins of1 #aid1 #bba2 arachnid1 #bbj-bd2 industrial1 #bbd 8,angels0 on radar1 ,pl4 ,i,vc2 collision course of1 #aec-ed2 defined1 #aea2 conditions producing1 #aeg-fj1 #afd1 #agj2 moisture inversion and1 #aea1 #aeh-fj2 possible causes of1 #aeg-eh2 ring1 #aej1 #afe-ff2 temperature inversion and1 #aea-eb1 #aeh-fj2 ,,ufo reports based on1 #e-f1 #ga1 #gb1 #aea-eb1 #aee-eg1 #afa1 #afd-ga1 #ahb ,ann ,arbor1 ,mich41 #bda ,antigravity1 #aie ,aquarid meteors1 #aaa1 #acd ,armillaria mellea1 #aai ,arnold1 ,k41 articles by1 #ae2 ,maury ,island investigation by1 #bb2 ,,ufo sighting by1 #ac1 #bf1 #bh1 #bi ,artificial gravitational field1 #aj1 #aic4 ,see also ,g-field ,artificial satellites1 #de1 #aaf1 #agb-gc1 #bgg1 #bhh ,asteroids1 fragments of1 #ij ,,atic1 ,,ufo investigations by1 #e1 #ch1 #df1 #ed1 #fh1 #gj1 #gb1 #gf1 #hj1 #ajf1 #ajh1 #aac1 #abf1 #aca1 #ace1 #acf1 #ada1 #afc1 #afi1 #agf1 #ahb1 #ahe1 #bbd1 #bcf1 #bci1 #bda1 #bde1 #bdg1 #bed1 #bha2 resources of1 #bgb-gc2 responsibility of1 #bga-ge ,atlantis1 #aj1 #ag1 #ah ,aurora ,borealis1 radar echoes from1 #afd ,b ,ball lightning1 #agf-hj1 ,pl4 ,vb2 theory of1 #agh2 ,,ussr reports of1 #agh ,balloon1 pibal1 #dj2 radiosonde1 #ci-dj1 #afc2 ,skyhook1 #ca-cc1 #ch1 #di2 toy1 #ef ,balloons1 burst1 #dh1 #ej2 clusters of1 #da2 dogfight among1 #dg2 dogfight with1 #db-dd1 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#aeg-eh2 temperature1 #fe1 #bec-ed1 #bfi ,investigations1 ,congressional1 #bbg1 #bgg-gh1 #bgi ,investigators1 ,air ,force1 #bga-ge2 civilian1 #bge-gg ,invisible ,u,f,os1 reports of1 #ade1 #aeb1 #aee1 #afe1 #aic1 #bjb ,ionization1 defined1 #aid2 angel hair produced by1 #bba2 radio interference by1 #ib1 #agh1 #ahe1 #ahg1 #ahi ,j ,james1 ,r4 ,l41 #aeb1 #aef ,japan1 ,u,f,os reported from1 #gc-ge ,jessup1 ,m4 ,k41 #aj1 #af ,jet planes1 ,,ufo reports based on1 #ej1 #ea1 #eb-ef1 #bea ,johannesburg1 ,south ,africa1 #ea ,jupiter1 mirages of1 #ha-he1 #ada-db2 seen through jet trail1 #he-hf ,k ,kearney1 ,nebr41 #ahc ,kentucky1 ,,ufo over1 #eh1 ,pl4 ,i,ib ,keyhoe1 ,d4 ,e41 #aj1 #af1 #fi1 #aei1 #bgf1 #bgg ,killian case1 #eb-ef ,kinross case1 #aed ,kites1 ,,ufo reports based on1 #ef-eg1 ,pl4 ,i,ia ,korea1 ,,ufo reports from1 #gc-ge ,khrushchev1 #aff1 #bce ,kuiper1 ,g4 ,p41 #bcj ,l 8,landings0 of spacecraft1 #ahj1 #ahc-he1 #bjc-d1 #bci ,la ,paz1 ,l41 #ic1 #ajb1 #age ,laputa1 #agb ,las ,cruces1 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include an 8a0 suffix4 ,many references to endnotes that reference another book are followed by a pair of square brackets containing the page number in that other book4 ,the book also has four footnotes that originally were at the bottoms of pages1 but have been moved here to follow the paragraphs that reference them4 ,they use simple 8abcd0 references4 ,the superscript on page #aid is shown as #cc and the subscripts in ,figure #h are shown as #a or #b4 ,three endnotes are unreferenced 7,,xii-#ad1 ,,xiii-#b and ,,xiii-#f72 several are referenced more than once4 ,the index was not systematically checked for proper alphabetization or correct page references4