If The Cosmic Phone Rings … Don’t Answer
By Nick Pope
28th January 2010 - This week a historic two day conference was held at the Royal Society in London, discussing the search for alien life and the implications for the world if we find it.
I used to run the MoD’s UFO project and I follow the latest scientific developments in relation to the question of whether or not we’re alone in the Universe. I attended on both days, heard a series of fascinating presentations and had the chance to have some private discussions with many of the key figures.
The full title of the event was “The detection of extraterrestrial life and the consequences for science and society”. Normally you might expect such an event to be organised by the British UFO Research Association. But this was the Royal Society, an organisation founded in 1660, whose members have included legendary figures such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
The event included representatives from NASA, the European Space Agency and the UN Office for Outer Space affairs. Physicists, chemists, biologists, astronomers, anthropologists and even theologians came together to discuss a subject which, a few years ago, would have been regarded at best as fringe science. Speakers included Colin Pillinger, designer of the ill-fated Beagle 2 spacecraft, and Frank Drake, the first person to send a message into space in a deliberate attempt to signal our presence to extraterrestrials. Attendees included Jill Tarter, the astronomer on whom the character of Ellie Arroway is based in the movie Contact. Lord Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal and President of the Royal Society, chaired a number of the sessions.
Plenty of time was devoted to updating attendees on the latest scientific progress. A few years ago we had no evidence of any planets other than those in our solar system. Now we’ve discovered over 400 planets around other stars. Radio telescopes scan the skies, listening for signals from extraterrestrial civilisation and do so with power unimaginable just a few years ago. We are looking and listening further into the Universe than ever before, striving for the answer to the ultimate question: is Earth unique in supporting life and if so, why? Or as many scientists now believe, is the Universe teeming with life?
Frank Drake believes there may be 10,000 civilisations in our galaxy alone, but points out that given the staggering number of stars in the galaxy, this would mean only 1 star in 10 million would support such a world. Cosmologist and best-selling author Paul Davies refers to the lack of a signal as “the eerie silence”. Frank Drake says that given that our search has only really scratched the surface, the silence isn’t eerie, but predictable. (more…)
The Real British X-Files
By Nick Pope
There's some amazing stuff in amongst the mass of more routine material, says Nick Pope. UFOs seen by police officers and pilots, UFOs tracked on radar, craft seen performing speeds and maneuvers significantly in excess of those of our most advanced military aircraft, intriguing photos and videos...
Nick Pope used to work for the British Ministry of Defense and for 3 years headed up their UFO project. His remit was to investigate UFO sightings reported to the British government, looking for evidence of any potential threat, or anything judged to be of any “defence significance.”
Abstract
Late in 2007 the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) gave an undertaking to release its entire archive of UFO files. On May 14 2008 the National Archives released the first batch of files, leading to worldwide media coverage, including articles in the New York Times and coverage on CNN News. On October 20 2008 the National Archives released the second batch of files, again generating global media coverage, including a feature on ABC News’s Nightline. I used to work at the MoD on these files and although I left government service in 2006, I assisted the National Archives in the release process by reviewing the files, selecting cases of potential interest to the media and acting as someone to whom they would refer journalists wanting to discuss the files. I will set out the background to this release and explain how the French government’s 2007 decision to release its UFO files was a major factor in the UK decision, as was the fact that the MoD receives more FOI requests on UFOs than any other topic. I will then give detailed information about the files, explaining how much material there is, what it comprises and what the timeline is for full disclosure. I will also discuss the level of classification involved and the various FOI exemptions that mean certain information will not be released. Finally, I will pick out some cases from the newly released files and discuss the wider implications of this release. (more…)
‘I Want to Believe’ or Busting the Myth of Alien Contact
None of the handful or so of individuals who were directly involved in the Roswell incident, and handled the debris in 1947, said at the time that there was anything “other worldly” about the debris, according to investigation.
The folks over at Reality Uncovered, with their new revamped web site (realityuncovered.net), are starting to post some very interesting blog entries about their on-going project to expose what they view as the UFO alien contact myth. All I know about them is from a brief visit to their web site. However, under the title, Rotten to the Core, they write “The Core Story at its most basic level is about the “reality” of alien contact. The reality behind the Core Story however, is very different.
“The Core Story was created by a small group of people, intent on perpetuating a belief in the alien contact myth in order to achieve their own, distinctly human, objectives.
“This small group have used their previous employment by various government and military agencies to cement and enhance their standing within the so-called believer crowd. This larger group have done an excellent job in further spreading the myth, passing along stories and tales that they believe have come from those “in the know.” (more…)
Loading... 
