Author Topic: Interesting Bigelow government contracts  (Read 21669 times)

Offline Markstark

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Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« on: 12/16/2017 05:15 pm »
Hey all. I'm fairly new here. I wasn't sure where to post this topic (maybe not appropriate for the site at all) but I thought it might be relevant since it involves big aerospace players such as Bigelow and Lockheed Martin.


https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html?referer=https://t.co/iW4cksDxfq?amp=1#click=https://t.co/iW4cksDxfq


I wonder if the creation of this so-called "Advance Aviation Threat Identification" program was merited based real experiences of military pilots or if this was simply a pet project by powerful lawmakers who have a passion for UFOs. In any case, I imagine these Politico and NYT stories will make many UFO enthusiasts feel somewhat vindicate.
« Last Edit: 05/25/2018 01:02 pm by Chris Bergin »

Offline Johnnyhinbos

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #1 on: 12/16/2017 05:17 pm »
Quote
WASHINGTON — In the $600 billion annual Defense Department budgets, the $22 million spent on the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program was almost impossible to find.

Which was how the Pentagon wanted it.

For years, the program investigated reports of unidentified flying objects, according to Defense Department officials, interviews with program participants and records obtained by The New York Times. It was run by a military intelligence official, Luis Elizondo, on the fifth floor of the Pentagon’s C Ring, deep within the building’s maze.

The Defense Department has never before acknowledged the existence of the program, which it says it shut down in 2012. But its backers say that, while the Pentagon ended funding for the effort at that time, the program remains in existence. For the past five years, they say, officials with the program have continued to investigate episodes brought to them by service members, while also carrying out their other Defense Department duties.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html?referer=https://t.co/iW4cksDxfq?amp=1#click=https://t.co/iW4cksDxfq
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Offline RotoSequence

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #3 on: 12/16/2017 05:47 pm »
2017 is weird.  :o

Offline sanman

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #4 on: 12/16/2017 08:56 pm »
According to the article, this incident is from 2004.

So 2017 is... 13 years later. Why are they talking about this incident now?
« Last Edit: 12/16/2017 09:54 pm by sanman »

Offline Star One

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #5 on: 12/16/2017 10:44 pm »
According to the article, this incident is from 2004.

So 2017 is... 13 years later. Why are they talking about this incident now?

Because this body has just come to light that’s why, nothing more sinister than that.

Offline catdlr

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #6 on: 12/17/2017 03:51 am »
another article from the NYTimes (the story hit the evening TV news).

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html?_r=0
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Offline RotoSequence

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #7 on: 12/17/2017 04:29 am »
The timing makes me wonder if this has anything to do with it.

https://twitter.com/BoeingDefense/status/941337140260204545

Offline Star One

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #8 on: 12/17/2017 08:20 am »
Yes it’s a mini Klingon Bird of Prey!

Offline sanman

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #9 on: 12/17/2017 02:07 pm »
I wonder if the creation of this so-called "Advance Aviation Threat Identification" program was merited based real experiences of military pilots or if this was simply a pet project by powerful lawmakers who have a passion for UFOs. In any case, I imagine these Politico and NYT stories will make many UFO enthusiasts feel somewhat vindicate.

Apparently this program was funded due to the advocacy of Nevada Congressman Harry Reid, who received significant campaign contributions from Robert Bigelow.

Gee, this makes me see Bigelow's alien obsession in an entirely new light - exactly how much money was he making off this program?

Offline su27k

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #10 on: 12/17/2017 02:34 pm »
So UFO belongs to In-Space Hardware section, that's good to know...

I think this actually put Bigelow in a better light, remember all the glassdoor (or other online forum) posts about how he went crazy and spent his time chasing UFOs? Apparently he got paid to do it, makes him look much more rational. There's nothing wrong with getting government to pay you for doing something you think is important, it's a great skill...

Offline Lar

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #11 on: 12/17/2017 02:49 pm »
... if it's a thing worth doing...
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Offline Markstark

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #12 on: 12/17/2017 02:51 pm »
One of the various articles on this subject mentioned 22 million in contracts over several years. That's peanuts in the aerospace world.

Offline Lar

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #13 on: 12/17/2017 03:13 pm »
One of the various articles on this subject mentioned 22 million in contracts over several years. That's peanuts in the aerospace world.
not the point. And that it is peanuts? problematic... what NewSpace is trying to change I think.
« Last Edit: 12/17/2017 03:17 pm by Lar »
"I think it would be great to be born on Earth and to die on Mars. Just hopefully not at the point of impact." -Elon Musk
"We're a little bit like the dog who caught the bus" - Musk after CRS-8 S1 successfully landed on ASDS OCISLY

Offline Star One

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Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #14 on: 12/17/2017 06:29 pm »
One of the various articles on this subject mentioned 22 million in contracts over several years. That's peanuts in the aerospace world.
not the point. And that it is peanuts? problematic... what NewSpace is trying to change I think.

I’ve read the original article a couple of times and it almost gives the impression that a similar program is still running but under a different name.

Here’s some context for this.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/17/pentagon-admits-running-secret-ufo-investigation-for-five-years
« Last Edit: 12/17/2017 08:05 pm by Star One »

Offline RotoSequence

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #15 on: 12/17/2017 06:41 pm »
One of the various articles on this subject mentioned 22 million in contracts over several years. That's peanuts in the aerospace world.
not the point. And that it is peanuts? problematic... what NewSpace is trying to change I think.

Aerospace is rather unavoidably expensive unless you start cutting back on your tolerances. A new Boeing 737 at discount pricing goes for around $48 million.
« Last Edit: 12/17/2017 06:42 pm by RotoSequence »

Offline Star One

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Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #16 on: 12/17/2017 08:43 pm »
Overall this is the best article on this whole bizarre story.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/12/16/pentagon-ufo-search-harry-reid-216111

Does Pentagon still have a UFO program? The answer is a bit mysterious

https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/does-pentagon-still-ufo-program-answer-bit-mysterious-223102320.html

Quote
Yet according to its backers, the program remains in existence and officials continue to investigate UFO episodes brought to their attention by service members, the newspaper said.
« Last Edit: 12/17/2017 09:57 pm by Star One »

Offline sanman

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Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #17 on: 12/20/2017 01:40 pm »


Offline Star One

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Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #18 on: 12/22/2017 07:51 pm »
The history of UFO investigations. Only a taster is online.

The UFO Debate: Revenge of the Aliens?

Quote
The recent revelation that a secret U.S. Defense Department program has investigated reports of UFOs has sparked a flurry of conversation in social and mainstream media. But it’s hardly a new topic: debate about whether the UFOs existed – and the Pentagon was covering up their existence -- was covered extensively in Aviation Week & Space Technology more than 50 years ago. And our reporting had a decidedly anti-extra-terrestrial bent.

Philip J. Klass, Aviation Week’s legendary avionics editor, published an in-depth analysis in the summer of 1966 suggesting that some reported sightings of UFOs were actually “luminous plasmas of ionized air, a special form of ‘ball lightning’ generated by electric corona that occurs on high-tension power lines under certain conditions.”

http://m.aviationweek.com/space/ufo-debate
« Last Edit: 12/22/2017 07:53 pm by Star One »

Offline whitelancer64

Re: Interesting Bigelow government contracts
« Reply #19 on: 12/22/2017 09:01 pm »
It's not like the Air Force might have a vested interest in finding out how well (or not) people are able to see their aircraft.
"One bit of advice: it is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree -- make sure you understand the fundamental principles, ie the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to." - Elon Musk
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