June 9, 2021 • 8 mins
The U.S. military has been collecting reports of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) for years. Learn what the public knows about them so far in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/space/aliens-ufos/ufos-news.htm
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey,
brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here there's a reason why you
may be hearing a lot about UFOs lately. Sometime in June,
the Pentagon and the Director of National Intelligence will present
to Congress an unclassified report about unusual sightings by U
(00:22):
S service members of UFOs, that is, unidentified flying objects.
National security folks, however, referred to them as unidentified aerial
phenomena or u a p s. Apparently there have been
a lot of reports of u a p s in
recent years. We the general public just haven't heard much
about them. Any. Rumblings of flying saucers buzzing in our
(00:45):
atmosphere have been vehemently denied by the government for decades,
that is, until recently. So what changed. In two thousand seven,
the US government created the Aerospace Threat Identification Program or
a t i P, a hush hush organization hidden away
in the Pentagon. The program was charged with collecting and
(01:07):
analyzing information regarding strange aerial objects that had been reported
to the Department of Defense by service members through the years.
In two thousand eight, lou Alesando joined the effort with
twenty years experience running military operations under his belt, he
was tapped to lead the program and sharpened its focus
on national security. He fielded reports of u AP sightings,
(01:30):
doing due diligence to vet them. One tucked away report
that caught his eye was that of a strange tic
tac shaped object over the Pacific Ocean, reported in November
of two thousand four by two former U. S. Navy pilots.
A radar from a ship that was part of their
training group had detected quote multiple anomalous aerial vehicles in
(01:51):
the horizon, descending eighty thousand feet that's twenty four thousand
meters in less than a second. That's according to a
sixty minutes report earlier dismay. The two pilots were sent
out in separate aircraft to investigate, each with a weapons
system officer in their back seat. As they approached, they
saw an area of roiling water about the size of
(02:12):
a seven thirty seven airplane. Hovering above it was this
tic tac shaped object, making no predictable movements. The object
had no markings, no wings, and no exhaust plumes. When
one pilot flew in for a closer look, the object
flew off, so fast it seemed to disappear. It was
spotted seconds later on radar approximately sixty miles or a
(02:33):
hundred kilometers away, And that report was just the tip
of the iceberg. There were many more reports by naval
aviators who witnessed strange cubes or triangles doing things that
no known aircraft were capable of doing, stopping rapidly, turning instantly,
and accelerating immediately to speeds of eleven thousand miles per
(02:53):
hour that's eighteen thousand kilometers per hour or more. And
they were doing these things in restricted air space, often
an airspace designated for fighter jet training, such as off
the coasts of San Diego, California, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida.
For the article this episode is based on how Stuff Works.
Spoke with Alizondo in an email interview, and according to him,
(03:16):
the UAP that have been tracked and monitored for decades
exhibit what have become referred to as the five observables.
These are anti gravity lift, sudden and instantaneous acceleration, hypersonic
velocities without any visible signatures, sonic booms, or observable means
of propulsion, low observe ability or cloaking and trans medium travel,
(03:38):
meaning the ability to operate in extraordinary ways from the
vacuum of space to the depths of the ocean without
impedance or aerodynamic limitations. It's these characteristics that baffle national
security experts the most. Alizondo said, we do not have
anything in our arsenal that can perform in these ways,
and we have a high degree of confidence that no
(04:00):
known terrestrial ally or adversary possesses this technology. Either. Pilots
have speculated that the objects were either secret US technology
or adversary spy crafts. He said, Remember, we've been observing
these performance characteristics for many decades. If a foreign adversary
had developed these technologies seventy five years ago and we
(04:21):
were still unaware they possessed it, it would be the
most extraordinary intelligence failure in the United States history. So
does that mean they're from outer space? Rather than jumping
to conclusions, Alazando suggests that we open our minds to
the possibilities. He said, these vehicles may originate from outer space,
inner space, or even the space in between. We could
(04:44):
be dealing with an advanced self replicating AI which communicates
with itself instantaneously. Across fast distances using a quantum Internet.
Perhaps an advanced underwater civilization is native to our planet,
and we're now advanced enough to be observing them moving
to our oceans, airspace, and upper atmosphere. Year there has
been no act of hostility or aggressive action taken by
(05:05):
these objects, though Alzando pointed out that any time an
advanced vehicle is operating in restricted airspace with impunity, you
have to consider the possibility that they could be a
threat if they wanted to be. He said, If we
want to fully understand what we're observing and to communicate
those findings to the public, we need a whole of
government approach that is collaborative and transparent. Funding for a
(05:30):
a t i P ran out in twelve, but Alzando
continued to investigate U a p S sightings until seventeen,
when he got fed up with the Pentagon skepticism and quent.
Before he left, however, he deep classified three Navy videos
of U a p S and then he started to
spread the word. Meanwhile, one Christopher Mellen, former Deputy Assistant
(05:51):
Secretary of Defense for Intelligence for Presidents Bill Clinton and
George W. Bush, but acting as a civilian shared those
declassified videos with The New York Times. He had to
do it, he told sixty minutes to get the Department
of Defense to take this national security issue seriously. Raising
public awareness prompted Congress to take notice and the Pentagon
(06:12):
to admit the existence of a a T I P.
Last August, the Pentagon re enacted the program, changing the
name to the u AP Task Force. Service members were
finally given the green light to share reports of u
AP sightings. When the then Intelligence Commitee Chairman, Senator Marco
Rubio of Florida, was briefed on u AP s, he
(06:33):
called on the Pentagon and the Director of National Intelligence
to present Congress with an unclassified report of the sightings
by June, which brings us to today. Alazonda said, Fortunately,
both Congress and the d o D are prepared to
take the subject seriously, and the remaining pushback against transparency
is confined to a very small caudra of individuals whose
(06:55):
grasp over the secrecy is quickly weakening. We're hearing enough
of an outcry from our men and women in uniform
and from the American people, and we have to take
that seriously. It's become a liability for the Pentagon to
exacerbate a cover up of these facts. So what will
the report say? There's tons of data, videos, photos, telemetry
(07:16):
signatures collected, and full electromagnetic spectrum analysis that will need
to be sifted through in order to provide a complete report.
Alsando said, it's quote far too much to be properly
coalated within the eight day congressional mandate. I expect that
this initial report will draw attention to the reality of UAP,
the potential scientific and technological value that exists in better
(07:39):
understanding how they operate, and the need for a permanent
office in the US government to examine the data we
collect in order to present to Congress and the American people.
In other words, it may be more of a teaser,
with more details to come in the following months and years.
(08:01):
Today's episode is based on the article our Pentagon confirmed
UFOs a national security threat on how stuff Works dot com,
written by Jennifer Walker. Journey brain Stuff is a production
of I Heart Radio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot
Com and is produced by Tyler Playing four more podcasts
my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey,
brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here there's a reason why you
may be hearing a lot about UFOs lately. Sometime in June,
the Pentagon and the Director of National Intelligence will present
to Congress an unclassified report about unusual sightings by U
(00:22):
S service members of UFOs, that is, unidentified flying objects.
National security folks, however, referred to them as unidentified aerial
phenomena or u a p s. Apparently there have been
a lot of reports of u a p s in
recent years. We the general public just haven't heard much
about them. Any. Rumblings of flying saucers buzzing in our
(00:45):
atmosphere have been vehemently denied by the government for decades,
that is, until recently. So what changed. In two thousand seven,
the US government created the Aerospace Threat Identification Program or
a t i P, a hush hush organization hidden away
in the Pentagon. The program was charged with collecting and
(01:07):
analyzing information regarding strange aerial objects that had been reported
to the Department of Defense by service members through the years.
In two thousand eight, lou Alesando joined the effort with
twenty years experience running military operations under his belt, he
was tapped to lead the program and sharpened its focus
on national security. He fielded reports of u AP sightings,
(01:30):
doing due diligence to vet them. One tucked away report
that caught his eye was that of a strange tic
tac shaped object over the Pacific Ocean, reported in November
of two thousand four by two former U. S. Navy pilots.
A radar from a ship that was part of their
training group had detected quote multiple anomalous aerial vehicles in
(01:51):
the horizon, descending eighty thousand feet that's twenty four thousand
meters in less than a second. That's according to a
sixty minutes report earlier dismay. The two pilots were sent
out in separate aircraft to investigate, each with a weapons
system officer in their back seat. As they approached, they
saw an area of roiling water about the size of
(02:12):
a seven thirty seven airplane. Hovering above it was this
tic tac shaped object, making no predictable movements. The object
had no markings, no wings, and no exhaust plumes. When
one pilot flew in for a closer look, the object
flew off, so fast it seemed to disappear. It was
spotted seconds later on radar approximately sixty miles or a
(02:33):
hundred kilometers away, And that report was just the tip
of the iceberg. There were many more reports by naval
aviators who witnessed strange cubes or triangles doing things that
no known aircraft were capable of doing, stopping rapidly, turning instantly,
and accelerating immediately to speeds of eleven thousand miles per
(02:53):
hour that's eighteen thousand kilometers per hour or more. And
they were doing these things in restricted air space, often
an airspace designated for fighter jet training, such as off
the coasts of San Diego, California, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida.
For the article this episode is based on how Stuff Works.
Spoke with Alizondo in an email interview, and according to him,
(03:16):
the UAP that have been tracked and monitored for decades
exhibit what have become referred to as the five observables.
These are anti gravity lift, sudden and instantaneous acceleration, hypersonic
velocities without any visible signatures, sonic booms, or observable means
of propulsion, low observe ability or cloaking and trans medium travel,
(03:38):
meaning the ability to operate in extraordinary ways from the
vacuum of space to the depths of the ocean without
impedance or aerodynamic limitations. It's these characteristics that baffle national
security experts the most. Alizondo said, we do not have
anything in our arsenal that can perform in these ways,
and we have a high degree of confidence that no
(04:00):
known terrestrial ally or adversary possesses this technology. Either. Pilots
have speculated that the objects were either secret US technology
or adversary spy crafts. He said, Remember, we've been observing
these performance characteristics for many decades. If a foreign adversary
had developed these technologies seventy five years ago and we
(04:21):
were still unaware they possessed it, it would be the
most extraordinary intelligence failure in the United States history. So
does that mean they're from outer space? Rather than jumping
to conclusions, Alazando suggests that we open our minds to
the possibilities. He said, these vehicles may originate from outer space,
inner space, or even the space in between. We could
(04:44):
be dealing with an advanced self replicating AI which communicates
with itself instantaneously. Across fast distances using a quantum Internet.
Perhaps an advanced underwater civilization is native to our planet,
and we're now advanced enough to be observing them moving
to our oceans, airspace, and upper atmosphere. Year there has
been no act of hostility or aggressive action taken by
(05:05):
these objects, though Alzando pointed out that any time an
advanced vehicle is operating in restricted airspace with impunity, you
have to consider the possibility that they could be a
threat if they wanted to be. He said, If we
want to fully understand what we're observing and to communicate
those findings to the public, we need a whole of
government approach that is collaborative and transparent. Funding for a
(05:30):
a t i P ran out in twelve, but Alzando
continued to investigate U a p S sightings until seventeen,
when he got fed up with the Pentagon skepticism and quent.
Before he left, however, he deep classified three Navy videos
of U a p S and then he started to
spread the word. Meanwhile, one Christopher Mellen, former Deputy Assistant
(05:51):
Secretary of Defense for Intelligence for Presidents Bill Clinton and
George W. Bush, but acting as a civilian shared those
declassified videos with The New York Times. He had to
do it, he told sixty minutes to get the Department
of Defense to take this national security issue seriously. Raising
public awareness prompted Congress to take notice and the Pentagon
(06:12):
to admit the existence of a a T I P.
Last August, the Pentagon re enacted the program, changing the
name to the u AP Task Force. Service members were
finally given the green light to share reports of u
AP sightings. When the then Intelligence Commitee Chairman, Senator Marco
Rubio of Florida, was briefed on u AP s, he
(06:33):
called on the Pentagon and the Director of National Intelligence
to present Congress with an unclassified report of the sightings
by June, which brings us to today. Alazonda said, Fortunately,
both Congress and the d o D are prepared to
take the subject seriously, and the remaining pushback against transparency
is confined to a very small caudra of individuals whose
(06:55):
grasp over the secrecy is quickly weakening. We're hearing enough
of an outcry from our men and women in uniform
and from the American people, and we have to take
that seriously. It's become a liability for the Pentagon to
exacerbate a cover up of these facts. So what will
the report say? There's tons of data, videos, photos, telemetry
(07:16):
signatures collected, and full electromagnetic spectrum analysis that will need
to be sifted through in order to provide a complete report.
Alsando said, it's quote far too much to be properly
coalated within the eight day congressional mandate. I expect that
this initial report will draw attention to the reality of UAP,
the potential scientific and technological value that exists in better
(07:39):
understanding how they operate, and the need for a permanent
office in the US government to examine the data we
collect in order to present to Congress and the American people.
In other words, it may be more of a teaser,
with more details to come in the following months and years.
(08:01):
Today's episode is based on the article our Pentagon confirmed
UFOs a national security threat on how stuff Works dot com,
written by Jennifer Walker. Journey brain Stuff is a production
of I Heart Radio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot
Com and is produced by Tyler Playing four more podcasts
my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,
BrainStuff News
Hosts And Creators
Josh Clark
Jonathan Strickland
Ben Bowlin
Lauren Vogelbaum
Cristen Conger
Christian Sager
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.