Why are UFOs still a mystery - Essay Example

? 23 November Why are UFOs Still a Mystery? Unidentified Flying Objects, UFOs have always been shrouded in mystery. In spite of the numerous sightings of flying saucers and alien beings reported worldwide, the existence of UFOs has never been confirmed. Debates of all kinds exist until now, and all arguments, either in favor or against the existence of UFOs, will continue to perplex the public. There are many possible explanations as to why UFOs are still a mystery, some of which are discussed here. An unidentified flying object, UFO is “an object or light, reportedly seen in the sky, whose appearance, trajectory, and general dynamic and luminescent behavior do not readily suggest a logical, conventional explanation” (UFO). According to general belief, UFOs are spaceships, belonging to extraterrestrial life, or aliens. However, it is important to note that all unidentified objects in the sky need not necessarily belong to aliens. Many UFOs mistaken to be spaceships were actually found to be weather balloons or military airplanes. There have been many instances, however, where the appearance of a UFO could not be explained based on rational terrestrial phenomena, and it is believed that these can only be alien spacecrafts or flying saucers. Many instances of alien sightings on earth, have also been reported. For instance, a farmer and two members of the Mutual UFO Network, MUFON were reported to have seen a three-foot tall alien in Southeast US (Keen). In another event that occurred about 69 years ago over Los Angeles during the Second World War, a seemingly unidentifiable flying object was observed in the sky while the West Coast was preparing for an air raid, . Around 1,400 shells were fired at it. Yet, it managed to remain in flight “despite an intense artillery barrage that lasted 25 minutes” (Linkhorn). This incident was soon forgotten and was later revived as a “possible UFO event (Linkhorn). Describing the event and the UFO observed then, Bruce Maccabee, a UFO researcher states, “The technology goes beyond what we have” (qtd. in Linkhorn). Due to technological as well as intellectual limitations, the presence of extra terrestrial life and flying saucers will always remain a mystery. Nevertheless, the UFO sightings on earth do need further investigations to ascertain whether or not they belong to alien beings. In spite of video and photographic proofs, apart from eye witnesses, UFOs still remain a mystery. The possible reasons as to why UFOs are still a mystery could be the absence of sound and rational evidence in favor of flying saucers. Inconsistent records, improper reporting by eyewitnesses, and governmental cover-ups may also be held responsible. From another perspective, it may also be assumed that UFOs especially flying saucers belonging to extra terrestrials do not really exist, and that they are actually fake stories perpetrated in order to hide military secrets. 1. Improper reporting and inconsistent records Improper reporting by witnesses of UFOs, hoax reports and lack of consistent records is one of the major reasons behind the prevalence of UFO mysteries. While innumerable sightings are reported worldwide, not all witnesses report a single incident with uniformity. This instigates doubt and disbelief in their existence. However, the witnesses and reporters cannot be blamed for the lack of accurate information. Humans are bound by physical limitations. Furthermore, UFOs travel at extremely swift speeds. It is difficult to assimilate accurate details when confronted with a UFO sighting. Moreover, owing to the high velocities of these objects, they are reported to be seen at many different locations simultaneously. According to Peter Davenport, the executive director of the National UFO Reporting Center: It appears these things are capable of traveling at unimaginably high velocities. So a UFO that’s seen over Wenatchee can be over Florida or the Ivory Coast, I believe, certainly within minutes, and possibly within seconds. That means researchers should be looking at the time frame in which UFOs appear, not necessarily their geographical distribution (qtd. in Robbins). For example, about 34 sightings were reported on 14 November 1997, from 4-11 pm throughout Washington, apart from similar sightings in Texas, Michigan, Indiana, California, British Columbia and Oregon. Twenty five to thirty objects resembling triangles, discs, saucers, fireballs and lights were reported in all the sightings (qtd. in Robbins). It is thus evident that due to physical limitations, it is impossible to even properly report, let alone investigate, what UFOs actually are and what are their origins. 2. Cover-ups by National Governments Most governments prefer to withhold any information and intelligence, relating to UFOs, from the public. One possible and rational reason could be to prevent public hysteria and panic, when they are made aware of the presence of alien spaceships, in case they do exist. Many classified files from governmental organizations have been retrieved, that discuss UFOs at length. For instance, the Australian and United States governments reportedly covered up UFO sightings observed in Pine Gap in 1991. The UK national archives, revealing details of footage obtained from the Space Shuttle Discovery mission, disclosed more than 8500 pages from these governments. Following this incident, a British national demanded investigation by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) on this alleged cover-up by the Australian and US governments. An official from the MoD wrote back, “There are some aspects, which for reasons of national security are just not open for discussion. We can neither confirm nor deny UK interest in intelligence that emanates from this station” (Carne). This reply is not just disappointing, but it also stands testimony to the fact that there is a lot of information pertaining to UFOs, which is withheld by governments from the public. While everyone has the right to know whatever there is to be known about UFOs and extra terrestrial intelligence, there is always a fear of mass panic. Probably the government is doing the right thing by suppressing information. On the other hand, holding back vital information from people may backfire later on. This, however, is the matter for a different debate. 3. UFO stories and military secrets Another possible reason for the UFO mystery may be that UFOs as such do not really exist. It is likely that the so-called UFOs may not really belong to extraterrestrial beings, and are actually military vehicles and test missiles operated in secrecy. Overwhelming evidence is available on this aspect of UFO lore. Mark Pilkington, a British Journalist states, “…much UFO-logy canon was started or encouraged by the government trying to conceal Cold War military projects” (qtd. in Kingsbury) . According to him, such stories on UFOs and alien technology have been “deliberately seeded into the culture” by the US Air Force and military intelligence. In an interview, he states that the motive behind this could be to hide military secrets as well as to incite fear among enemy nations, who may possibly believe that the US harbors alien technology by reverse engineering alien spacecrafts. He reasons that most UFO sightings are observed in areas of military activity, and this cannot be a coincidence (qtd. in Kingsbury). In order to operate and test their aircraft and missile technology in secrecy, the governments may be masking such operations under the false pretext of UFO lore. As is evident, UFOs will continue to remain a mysterious secret and stories on UFO and alien sightings will continue to make rounds, as long as humankind faces technological, sociological, and physical limitations. Works Cited Carne, Lucy. “UFO cover up”. ntnews.com. Northern Territory News, 6 March, 2011. Web. 19 July 2011. < http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2011/03/06/216361_ntnews.html> Keen, Judy. “Probing odds of alien visitors”. usatoday.com. USAToday, 24 November, 2010. Web. 19 July 2011 Kingsbury, Alex. “The Truth Behind UFO Sightings and the U.S. Air Force”. usnews.com. US News Digital Weekly, 16 September, 2010. Web. 19 July 2011. < http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2010/09/16/the-truth-behind-ufo-sightings-and-the-us-air-force> Linkhorn, Tyrel. “UFO researcher asks what was over L.A. 69 years ago”. limaohio.com. Lima News Ohio, 15 March, 2011. Web. 19 July 2011. Robbins, Jefferson. “Remote UFO center keeps an eye on NCW”. wenatcheeworld.com. The Wenatchee World, 19 March, 2011. Web. 19 July 2011. “UFO”. encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com. Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Free online dictionary, 1 July 2010. Web. 19 July 2011 Read More