h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I actually did a report on the Roswell incident for my English 102 class. It's a bit fuzzy, but I think I can remember a few things that may be of interest.

The incident started with the discovery of the wreckage in 1947 (which, if you've seen pictures looks remarkably like aluminum foil). The farmer (I forget his name, but I think it's already been mentioned)who had had weather balloons and other things of that nature crash on his land before thought nothing of it. It was not until he rode into town and learned that there was a reward being offered for evidence of a flying saucer (At the time the term U.F.O. was used only in the strictest meaning: Unidentified Flying Object. This could refer to anything that was unidentified and flying, not just alien spacecraft. The term flying saucer had been coined soon before, when a pilot spotted some unidentified flying thingamajigs and described their movement as that of a saucer skipping over the water. Sorry, that was long, and by now, you've probably forgotten what the sentence was about in the first place.), that he loaded the debris in his pickup and hauled it off to the sheriff's office.

What's interesting is that after the weather balloon explanation was released, no one brought up the possibility of extra-terrestrials again until nearly forty years later, when ufo researchers grabbed hold of the incident and started interviewing people. Suddenly, people started coming forward, claiming to have seend, not only a crashed spaceship, but alien life-forms and gun-toting soldiers.

With increasing pressure for the "truth" to be told, the Air Force recently (within the last ten years) dug up the old files to research for themselves. They revealed that the object that had crashed was indeed not a weather balloon. It was in fact a spy balloon, part of a then top-secret project (unfortunately, the name escapes me) to monitor Soviet nuclear tests. The project was not very successful and was discontinued, but remained classified until the 80's. Some ufo-buffs have come to accept this, believing that most of the debris on the farm was from one of these spy balloons that had collided with a flying saucer (so much for their superior navigation instruments), but that it is not enough to fully explain the Roswell incident. This is kind of funny, because they seem to have forgotten that, without this debris, there would be no Roswell incident.

It is also worth noting that ufo researchers who believe alien stuff, rather than working together to find proof, spend most of their time trying to disprove each other's theories and debunk each other's sources.

There's so much more locked away in my head somewhere, but that's enough for the moment. If I remember anything else, I'll pop back by and post it here.

The key event that kicked off the conspracy theory was the US military press release at the time claiming they had found parts of a 'flying saucer'.

The later 'waeather balloon' and 'top-secret bomb detector' official explainations only poured petrol on the fire.

The spy balloon was part of a top-secret expirement was called "Project Modul" according to the government. But, however, a modul balloon crashed somewhere else on another ranch (i forget the name, but you can check) and they were allowed to keep it as a "souvinier"- all before it was de-classified in the 80's. Does that sound like whatever crashed on W. "Mack" Brazel's ranch in Roswell was a modul? I don't think so. Whatever it is, whether UFO or simply government project, the public deserves closure on this issue. If you have any info on the Roswell Incident or the sighting that also happened in 1947 in Washington (the man, by the way, was a military pilot by the name of Kenneth Arnold) please email me at [email protected], i am very interested in this.

Some further reading for those of you who have an interest in this. Its one of a trilogy of books by Whitley Streiber (spelt ok, I think)and they deal with the Roswell incident with a great deal of input by USA Air Force personnel at the time of the incident. I was a complete sceptic about the possibility of UFO's until I read Majestic (which is the one on Roswell). It's quite a convincing read. The first book was also made into a film staring Christopher Walken (of Deer Hunter fame)detailing the authors own experience of alien abduction. Happy reading it ain't but well worth looking for.

What fun to read the information. Personally, whenever I open a potato chip bag I am reminded of the soldier who brought some of the object's material home. While showing his son, he crumpled the aluminum looking material up but it unfolded every time! Yikes, the inside of potato chip bags and candy bars now do the same thing. What to think what to think.


white westie dog

the thing i find perculiar about rosweel, was that those in the know (i.e the military) didnt know the difference between and crashed flying saucer..(which is the 1st statement they put out) and a crashed weather balloon. Even up to about 5 or six years ago, they changed there story again and said it was a crashed balloon that detected soviet nuclear waves in the air, and that the porported bodies that were found were crash test dummies. It just seems funny that the base and airforce who were responsible for the nuclear bombs that were dropped in japan, didnt know the difference between there own weather balloons and a crashed flying saucer. I believe what they captured from rosweel, was an alien craft, and that someone from the armed forces when they gave the statement, were not debriefed by superiors, who then had to scurry around and retract the story with a false one, and continue the lie that they have standing by for over 50 years. a good book to read is by colnel philip j corso..who claims that he saw the bodies, and helped implement there technology into our technology. I cant remember the name of the book..but its one hell of a read