Congress To Hold Another UFO/UAP Hearing (space.com) 128
Longtime Slashdot reader thephydes writes: The hearing will go ahead on November 13 at 11:30 ET (16:30 GMT). Apparently, it will "further pull back the curtain on secret UAP research programs conducted by the U.S. government, and undisclosed findings they have yielded," according to a House statement. It's driven by two republicans, Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), who say: "Americans deserve to understand what the government has learned about UAP sightings, and the nature of any potential threats these phenomena pose. We can only ensure that understanding by providing consistent, systemic transparency. We look forward to hearing from expert witnesses on ways to shed more light and bring greater accountability to this issue." "Expert witnesses in the hearing will include Luis Elizondo, a decorated former counterintelligence officer who has claimed for years that the U.S. government is hiding knowledge of UAP, including materials recovered from crashed flying saucers," reports Space.com. "The House hearing will also include Tim Gallaudet, a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral who observed unidentified submersible objects, arguing that 'these underwater anomalies jeopardize US maritime security.'"
"Other speakers at the hearing include journalist Michael Shellenberger, who has also claimed the U.S. government is hiding UFO crash retrieval programs, and former NASA Associate Administrator of Space Policy and Partnerships Michael Gold, who is a member of NASA's independent UAP study team."
"Other speakers at the hearing include journalist Michael Shellenberger, who has also claimed the U.S. government is hiding UFO crash retrieval programs, and former NASA Associate Administrator of Space Policy and Partnerships Michael Gold, who is a member of NASA's independent UAP study team."
This is the stupidest collapse ever (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
With both houses and the president controlled by the same party, wasting their time prevents them from doing really stupid things.
Re: (Score:2)
Wanna bet?
I didn't think so.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It was a rhetorical question. Moot, even. You thought you saw stupid? You ain't seen nuttin' yet.
Re: (Score:2)
The snag is that investigating UFOs makes the stupidity patently obvious. Normally congressional stupidity is hidden behind layers of bureaucratic language, procedural rules, and the soporific effects of CSPAN.
Re: (Score:2)
The snag is that investigating UFOs makes the stupidity patently obvious.
I'm fine with that.
Re: (Score:2)
how appropriate for America
This is a distraction. They want to talk about UFOs because the subject gathers media attention like shit gathers flies. The best practice when the government wants to discuss anything that seems quasi-questionable publicly is to start digging under the surface to see what type of nefarious shit they're trying to pull while this public spectacle is going on. Though during our transition period here, I'd think it's mostly about shuffling around egregiously stupid assholes into new roles. I can't imagine the
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
He says he'll get me a job, deport my gardener, eliminate all interpersonal strife around the world, make my car fly, fix all the problems in professional golf tournaments, give wives to all the incels, and all with the immense power of his mind on day one!
Explain like I'm five (Score:2)
Re: Explain like I'm five (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Sex Tourism is the most understandable part of the whole thing. We're being visited by the galaxy's pedo guys.
Re: (Score:2)
That's just the alien version of Jay from Jay and Silent Bob. "Yup, there he goes. Homeboy fucked a martian." Only in their case it'd be, "Homeboy fucked a human." While the alien silent Bob looks at him like, "WTF, Bro?"
Re: (Score:2)
In the Destroy All Humans game, the fastest way to recover Furon DNA from human brains was via the anal probe! The cattle stuff was just about practicing your skills.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Explain like I'm five (Score:4, Funny)
"Teasers are usually rich kids with nothing to do. They cruise around looking for planets that haven’t made interstellar contact yet and buzz them.” “Buzz them?” Arthur began to feel that Ford was enjoying making life difficult for him. “Yeah,” said Ford, “they buzz them. They find some isolated spot with very few people around, then land right by some poor unsuspecting soul whom no one’s ever going to believe and then strut up and down in front of him wearing silly antennas on their head and making beep beep noises."
Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Re: (Score:2)
No one mentioned:
* space faring
* kidnapping castle
We are talking about Unexplain(ed/able) Arial Phenomaena.
Is unexplainable a good enough explanation for a five year old?
Re: (Score:1)
Nothing is unexplainable. Unexplained - for now.
Re: (Score:2)
Unexplainable for now :P
But interesting grammar / semantics point!
Re: (Score:2)
Well, that depends on how you count 'insufficient evidence' as an explanation, I guess.
In a lot of cases, enough detail was either never collected or lost, so a better explanation just isn't possible.
Re: (Score:2)
UFOlogy, is a kind of religious cult. In an age where the conventional religions have lost credibility. People have to believe in something.
Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies [wasabisys.com] (1958)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
It is not about UFOLOGY.
You must be living under a rock.
Navy pilots and Carrier groups reported unexplainable areal things, and even unexplainable submarines.
This is a FACT and not some stupid conspiration theory.
The things are on radar of the carriers and ASIC cruisers, and on camara of the pilots: And no one can explain what it is!!
Get a damn clue.
Just look on youtube. Plenty of real life interviews with the US Navy pilots involved with the incidents.
If you want to accuse them of lying: tell them into the
Re: (Score:3)
Do you think the Earth is flat too?
Re: (Score:2)
It's not flat, there are rocks and boulders and stuff that make it lumpy!
Re: (Score:2)
I think you can not read.
Otherwise what I think is not of your concern.
Idiot.
Re: (Score:2)
The point people are missing is that we dont know the origin. Honestly I find the idea China or Russia being behind it more scary than Aliens. We cant match the performance and we sure as hell dont have the firepower to shoot it down. The third option is that it is US tech but completely off the books and secret. The appearances could be a way of testing and using the cover of UAP as misinformation.
Re: (Score:2)
This are basically my thoughts.
That it is "alien" is obviously nonsense. There would be a gigantic star ship orbiting our planet.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, some of them are pretty interesting. For example there's one where someone is using some type of night vision scope on a military ship and sees a triangle like object in the sky. An alarm is raised and stuff happens. Makes it into a UFO report and it stumps a ton of people, including some in congress. Then you get a youtube comment which points out that the night vision camera they were using uses a triangle aperture and that we're seeing in the video is exactly what an out-of-focus bright object
Re: (Score:2)
I do not think there are aliens.
It is either US armed forces themselves toying with the Navy, or some other nation toying with them.
Point is: the flying objects and the under water objects are real.
And we do not know what they are.
Re: (Score:2)
It's a fact that people have reported such things, yes.
Lots of other people can explain what it is. You just don't like the explanations because they're not mysterious enough. It will be fun to watch US congressmen get all excited and discuss their very serious national security while watching videos of triangle shaped stars again though.
Re: (Score:2)
You just don't like the explanations because they're not mysterious enough.
If you in this sentence means me.
Then You are an idiot.
Re: Explain like I'm five (Score:2)
I think it's pretty cool that Tim Gallaudet can unidentify things. (sez the summary)
Re: (Score:2)
I guess the summary is just fucked up, or the original article.
Point is: Navy pilots saw stuff, which they do not know what it is.
That includes unidentifiable under water crafts.
I think this is a fact and there is nothing to discuss about it.
Unless people want to claim the US Navy is participating in a gigantic prank/conspiracy.
Re: (Score:2)
Unless people want to claim the US Navy is participating in a gigantic prank/conspiracy.
Why would that be hard to believe? Past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior. Reagan used the same tricks to bankrupt the USSR. After 9/11 I suggested making a big Hollywood production to disclose a secret underground facility where we were capturing enemy jihadists and cryogenically freezing them in stasis. No dying a martyrs death. No afterlife with Allah. No 77 virgins in heaven. We cryogenically froze your soul. Nothing is more powerful than psychological warfare to weaken your enemies resolv
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed.
Consider that the US Navy is going to be the biggest flyers of aircraft with serious sensor equipment in 'weather'. But operated by non-scientific trained pilots and crew for the large part.
So they get something they don't know, they report it to their chain of command. It gets routed to better experts, who probably categorize like 99% without a problem. Now we're having hearings on the remaining 1% or so.
Re: (Score:2)
Exactly.
But I wonder what is worse? Conspiracy theorists or "anti Conspiracy theorists"?
I actually would prefer those stuff is investigated, so we know (in the end) what it is about.
Re: (Score:2)
It is investigated, around 3 levels of investigation. A person on ship or base, then a team at the pentagon, then even select NASA people. It is just that at the end of the day, "not enough information" is a possible result.
It could indeed be a weird craft like the B-2 bomber back when it first started flying. These days it could be a drone with a fancy shell.
It could be an unusual weather event.
It could be an animal
It could be a sensor malfunction
Some sort of optical illusion
A combination of the above.
I
Re: (Score:2)
I just know that it is unlikely to actually be chupacabra or an extraterrestrial craft.
We are not talking about extraterrestrial crafts.
We are talking about man made objects, which we could not identify.
That is all.
What you think why UFO got renamed to UAP?
To make pretty clear that the people involved are not UFO nutters, but people who saw something, have it on camara and on radar: and for funk sake, have no damn clue what it is!
Animals do not outfly an F18 hornet. They do not pop up on radar, unless it is
Re: (Score:3)
"We are talking about Unexplain(ed/able) Arial Phenomaena."
Its a mystery why the aliens use San-Serif fonts
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
But that doesn't explain the WingDings!
Re: (Score:2)
Hehe, funny!!!
Re: (Score:2)
Explain like I'm five why a highly advanced space-faring civilization would visit earth and then only buzz military aircraft and engage in kidnapping cattle.
I figure maybe they're a little bit stoned. First, they get all paranoid, worried that the feds might go after them, so they buzz the aircraft to scare them off. Then, they get hungry and go for a burger.
Re: (Score:2)
Haaar!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Well, a lot of peple believe the fantasy characters from very old stories are real and created lifestyles based on them, so it's not a surprise for some of them to think relatively recent science fiction characters are real as well.
People like that are easier to control.
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe they just havnt figured out the cows arent in charge yet?
Like how Ford Prefect (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) chose his name when visiting Earth based on the very minimal research he had done, meaning he ended up thinking automobiles were the dominant lifeform and that "Ford Prefect" was going to be perfect for blending in.
Re: (Score:2)
It was the mice running the experiment. The one ruined by the Vogon construction company building a bypass.
Re: (Score:1)
Because they're children. They're really into abductions, torture, and rape, too.
Re: (Score:3)
Most people have no concept of the speed of light, what a light-year is, or how hostile the universe is beyond the surface of the Earth. No idea how far the nearest potentially habitable planet is, nor a grasp of how likely it is that distance will increase as our knowledge grows. No idea how much it would take in terms of resources and time to get a living creature from a planet circling one star to a planet circling another.
But you can explain it to them.
UFO / alien abduction / cow mutilation / crop cir
Re: (Score:2)
UFO / alien abduction / cow mutilation / crop circle people? They are absolutely immune to education.
How many of those have you actually met?
Re: (Score:2)
Personally I'm not arrogant enough to possess the faith required to believe that even a million years from now, we won't ever find some clever workarounds to make it possible, or even just per
Re: (Score:2)
You're comfortable with magical thinking and discounting - likely out of ignorance - the Relativity of Wrong effect. And then you're compounding that with a layer of stupid in your effort to mock my post.
There is zero reason to believe the speed of light is optional, and unknown physics doesn't include enough unknown space to change that. As for longevity... Yeah, if I could live a thousand years and command the energy budget to send a starship across the void... I'm going to pop over to Earth for a few n
Re: (Score:3)
Just because its UAP doesn't mean it’s automatically aliens. Some of these maneuvers defy what we currently understand is humanly possible. That leaves 2 options. 1) aliens from off world or 2) a world power has had a sudden and very secret advancement in technology. Option 1 is less scary than option 2. Option 2 means that if it isnt the US, we are seriously behind. If it is the US that also makes sense. Reagan used ufo misinformation as well as the Star Wars Defense Initiative (SDI) to bankrupt the
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
error? from multiple navy pilots, AGIS radar systems, aircraft carriers, etc? This includes video recorded from the F-18 Super hornet aircrafts. There's no question that some of these reports are factual. The source of the technology is what is in question. The rate that the objects suddenly change direction seem to defy the physical limits a human could withstand. That doesn't necessarily imply they arent some unmanned vehicle. But the speed they accelerated exceeds anything that even the navy pilots are
Re: (Score:2)
Key phrase. Looking at the videos yeah, it *seems* very impressive. Crunching the numbers, much less so. I haven't seen any of these videos that are actually impressive, but if you've got one in particular you're thinking of, post it.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Explain like I'm five why a highly advanced space-faring civilization would visit earth and then only buzz military aircraft and engage in kidnapping cattle.
Possibility: Future humans come back to study Earth that was and have a firm mandate not to directly interfere with the timeline while they fuck around with animals, sometimes probe a motorist, and rarely have a run-in with other craft that are airborne. Not that I believe it, but it's one of the more plausible conspiracy theories floating around out there.
Will look cool on the news... (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
He'll have to check with his minders at FOX first, then Asshole will talk to the Russians, then he'll talk to his economic advisors and demand a plan so that he can profit from any release of information, then it will be released.
Pay no attention to the thief behind the curtain. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Mandark.
https://greatcharacters.mirahe... [miraheze.org]
Re: (Score:2)
UFOs, "History" Channel Bible mysteries, flurr-idation Mandrake, booga-booga-boo! Pay no attention to the Russian behind the curtain.
In many ways I blame the mainstreaming of this BS on the advent of 24-hour news stations. It wasn't actually possible to fill 24 hours (or even the eighteen or so hours where majority of the population on a continent are awake) with news people actually care about, so they started filling in between news shows with opinion pieces and other fluff. Then those fluff-pieces got higher ratings than the content that the network was ostensibly created for.
After this happened to 24 hour "news" stations, it happen
Re: (Score:2)
On the bright side, it pushed people who are for real to start creating streaming content, and it's unlikely that six-hour professional-grade academic documentaries on a specific topic would ever be produced otherwis
Re: Pay no attention to the thief behind the curta (Score:2, Informative)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Fifteen years after the war, Republicans were accusing the Kennedy brothers of Communist sympathies while they literally sat on the committees chasing down Russian influence in American society, and citing their cordial relations with Martin Luther K
Re: Pay no attention to the thief behind the curta (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Your timing is off. While the communist scare was pure idiocy, there were definitely communist/socialist leanings in the Democratic Party well into the late 1900s, that were fairly dangerous.
Dangerous to what, corporatism? Look at how well it's turning out.
Re: Pay no attention to the thief behind the curta (Score:2)
This is so false. We were pro-Russia-getting-financially-entangled so that they would have more to lose from a conflict than to gain. And it was going pretty well until Putin. Was it ever guaranteed to continue? No, that would be stupid. Was it guaranteed not to? No, though that was the likeliest bet. Liberals supported liberalism and then stopped being excited when Russian liberalism stopped increasing and went the other way. There is nothing inconsistent about that in the least.
Re: (Score:2)
Nope nope nope, liberals supported turning Russia into something either resembling a vassal state, or what they thought China was at the time a cheap manufacturing center that was someone never going to be a serious global policy setter. When that did not work out you all pouted about it and our State Department went a head and back a full on coup against Russian Parliament.
Warren Christopher and Bill Clinton, are who put Putin on the path he is on today. Bush Jr, Obama, and the EU leadership failed fix a
Re: (Score:2)
Your list of little grievances is so head-up-the-ass petty I don't know whether to laugh or offer you toilet paper.
How's this for a shocker: Right-wing conservatives motivated by white supremacy and greed are history's bigg
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, it was Putin's bare chest what did it for them.
Former alleged president: So Vlad, what'cha wearing?
The Great Putini: Those little pink bikini briefs you sent me, they're to die for....and nothing else.
FAP: Ooooo....send selfies!!
Reduce government spending... (Score:2)
...by putting a stop to idiocy like this. The UFO (now "UAP", because...why?) freaks can go have their conference somewhere else, on their own dime.
On X, someone also published a list of some of the ideas funded by the government. There's plenty of waste going around. It would be cool if Musk can actually pull the plug on some of this crap. A few million here, a few million there, pretty soon you're talking real money...
Maybe worth tossing out there as a last observation: The UFO stuff is fed by the gover
Re: (Score:2)
Sometimes you have to try the nonsense just in case some of it actually works. Even Musk probably realises that until we find a better method of propulsion than chucking hot gas out of the back of a rocket we're never really going to leave our back yard space wise.
Re: Reduce government spending... (Score:2)
Maybe Musk can make the raging success out of the government that he's made of Twitter.
Re:Reduce government spending... (Score:5, Insightful)
A few million here, a few million there, pretty soon you're talking real money
I thought people on slashdot were supposed to be good with math, because 1% of the US Federal Budget is 67.5 billion fucking dollars. Giving a shit about a few *dozen* million here and there amounts to spending effort and resources hunting the couch for coins to save up for a fucking Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
Re: (Score:2)
Why are you unconcerned with potentially-enemy technology invading US airspace unimpeded (per endless DoD testimony)?
To unidentify (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm fascinated by this verb. Someone else identified an object as e.g. a whale and he said "No"?
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
True. The whale was traveling at 300 knots according to his interviews.
Re: (Score:2)
Sounds appropriate. The modern UFO play loop goes something like this:
1. Someone posts blurry video showing something weird and unidentified
2. Internet commentators hunt down minute details and show the video is actually compatible with several ordinary explanations, usually some combination of balloon, duck, windblown plastic bag, airliner, etc.
3. UFO enthusiasts say no.
Luis Elizondo (Score:2)
Apparently even a lot of the believers don't believe what he says. Seems the man is little more than another grifter leaching off the gullible. There's probably a good reason he's a *former* counter intelligence officer.
Weird guest list (Score:1)
If the government wanted transparency they would just be transparent and reveal everything in their files instead of having a government sponsored episode of the cast of Ancient Aliens 2024 edition.
Re: (Score:1)
Good question. No idea. The whole thing is a ridiculous clown show. I've already binged many entertaining seasons of Ancient Aliens. Nothing different will come from this.
Re: (Score:2)
I dunno man you spent a bunch of time seeking attention and being inflammatory.
You seemed pretty happy when you could jerk libs around while they tried to debate you in good faith.
But now someone is laughing at you for believing that cat eating is becoming a big problem.
I mean people want to engage you in topics you apparently care enough to post about but once it's as obvious to you that it was bullshit as it was to everyone else the day it was first uttered now you don't want to talk about it.
Maybe you sh
Sexy Orc Chief! (Score:2)
I found a Sexy Orc Chief chatbot and had it summarize your post!
Sexy Orc Chief Says:
Alright, little bitch. Sounds like someone's got their panties in a twist 'cause people don't wanna listen to their shit. This person says they just tell the truth and talk sense, but everyone thinks they're stirring up trouble. They go on 'bout some nonsense with Haitians and eating birds, which apparently got some folks all riled up on the news. Claims they aren’t too far from the center, leaning a bit right, but people still call 'em names. Think they're unfairly treated by those in charge of the what was it? The fuckin’ digital campfire where everyone throws their two cents? snorts And they reckon their freedom to spout bullshit is being stomped on. Welcome to the fuckin' world, sunshine.
What a waste of time, money and resources (Score:2)
Re: What a waste of time, money and resources (Score:2)
I used to date Miss Information 1998. Shells not all that.
Give it up already (Score:5, Insightful)
I mean I'm 100% confident of the existence of other civilisations out there, we exist thus they can exist.
I'm open to the idea of alien probes navigating the cosmos, we have been thinking of doing the same.
I'm excited by the prospect of finding life elsewhere in our solar system, not because it validates there IS life, but it will finally shut up those who think there isn’t.
I'm interested in ideas surrounding life moving through the cosmos on comets etc seeding worlds.
But unless there happens to be a colony here in our solar system, I'm very doubtful of visitation. Probes passing through the solar system, maybe. Little Green men actually landing and walking about etc, no. Not because it’s impossible, as it isn’t, the dice might come up with the right numbers and a "generational ship" actually did set up camp here in the solar system, it’s not impossible just very improbable.
We will get out there, we will land on other planets in other systems. We MIGHT find evidence of another civilisation by finding WHAT THEY LEFT BEHIND, but I doubt we will ever actually find them (a civilisation at least) as I see the distances way too vast and the time to travel them could mean the difference between detecting signals of a civilisation only to find by the time you finally get there they are long gone.
And so that leaves me generally sceptical regarding the "what" in these UFO videos. In most cases it clearly is a bird. The last set of videos all showed something the size shape and speed of birds. Yet we had loads of idiots, including the pilots, who claimed otherwise. This even though that all the data they needed to correctly identify the "object" was ON SCREEN. One such video showed some kind of FAST MOVING OBJECT that the pilots were all happy about having managed to lock on with their camera system. It sure looked fast moving! But, if you actually looked at the in-flight data, shown on the video itself, you can glean several important details regarding the planes speed and direction. Those details then show that the relative speed between the plane and the "object" WAS WHAT WAS FAST, that the plane was moving FAST and the "object" was moving slow, about the speed of... a seabird flying towards the shore (which was the direction of travel for that “object”).
The difficulty they had in locking onto the target was actually due to THEIR speed relative to the slow object coupled with the fact they were VERY FAR AWAY and the "object" was TINY, all of which can be calculated FROM THE DATA IN THE VIDEO!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Combined with this strange idea that somehow, pilots are in possession of "super vision" and are "highly trained" to see things way better than the plebs wandering along the ground resulted in a "it must be true as a pilot saw it" mentality.
Well, the truth is pilots have human eyes, which are piss poor at the very least. They can’t distinguish between a flying plastic bag and a bird and an errant drone half the time. They all look like generic specs, and flying at speed makes them look to move in and out of visual sight very fast. They saw SOMETHING but have no real clue what it was, so how the hell does anyone think these videos have any more credibility?
Remember the viral video of a UFO shot at night by a guy on a Naval vessel who thought he was seeing aliens? Turned out it was a DRILL with drones launched by his own ship that he simply stumbled upon. Right place, right time, didn’t know about the drill.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and the videos we did see in the last "investigation" all explained themselves if you looked at the flight data and assumed you were looking at something no more odd than a flying swan.
Re: (Score:2)
In most cases it clearly is a bird.
A bird that is on radar of most ships of a carrier group?
A bird that flies faster than an F14 Tomcat? Which is pursuing it, and filming it? And does not look like a bird, but like a cigar? Must have very fast flapping wings. And must be pretty big to show up on radar. (Normally flesh does not show up on radar, you need special radar system to detect swarms of birds. A single bird 20km away: no way you see that on radar!)
Otherwise I agree with most what you say.
Re: (Score:2)
What has interstellar travel to do with the topic?
The important stuff! (Score:1)
Fuck healthcare, fuck the environment, fuck everything else. ALIENS!!!!
jfc
This time they will reveal all! (Score:2)
Retired military pilots have books to $ell (Score:3)
Aliens in 4K HD (Score:2)
We need to expend all available resource and monies on these claims until all conspiracy theories have been proven true. All blurry videos must be sharpened until we see aliens in 4K HD.
Where is Carl Sagan (Score:2)
..when we need him. I wish more people would watch his videos on Youtube.
Real issue is military hiding stuff from Congress (Score:2)