11 Projects and Organisations Tasked with investigating UFOs and UAP
- Project Sign (1947): Created by the US Air Force in 1947, Project Sign was the first official US government investigation into UFOs. The project was tasked with investigating and analyzing reports of UFO sightings to determine if they posed a threat to national security.
- Project Grudge (1949): Project Grudge was the second official US Air Force investigation into UFOs. The project was initiated to debunk and discredit UFO sightings and reports as hoaxes, misidentifications, or hallucinations.
- Project Blue Book (1952): Project Blue Book was the most comprehensive and longest-running official US Air Force investigation into UFOs. The project lasted from 1952 to 1969 and collected and analyzed thousands of UFO sightings and reports. The project’s main conclusion was that most of the sightings could be explained as misidentifications of natural or man-made phenomena, but a small percentage remained unexplained.
- Robertson Panel (1953): The Robertson Panel was a group of scientists and military officials who were tasked by the CIA to review the findings of Project Blue Book and make recommendations for future UFO investigations. The panel recommended that future investigations should focus on identifying and explaining UFO sightings that could pose a threat to national security.
- Project Ozma (1960): Project Ozma was a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project initiated by astronomer Frank Drake. The project aimed to detect radio signals from extraterrestrial civilizations by scanning the stars using a radio telescope.
- Project Aquarius (1972): Project Aquarius was a classified US Air Force program that allegedly investigated UFOs and extraterrestrial life. The project’s existence has never been officially confirmed by the US government.
- National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) (1956-1980): NICAP was a private organization that investigated UFO sightings and reports. The organization was founded by retired US Navy Commander Thomas S. Dubose and included several prominent scientists and military officials as members.
- Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) (1969-present): MUFON is a non-profit organization that investigates UFO sightings and reports. The organization collects and analyzes data on UFO sightings and shares its findings with the public.
- Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) (2007-2012): AATIP was a classified US Department of Defense program initiated in 2007 to study unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs, also known as UFOs). AATIP was created at the request of Senator Harry Reid, with support from Senators Daniel Inouye and Ted Stevens. It was run by Luis Elizondo until 2012.
- AAWSAP (Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program) was a program initiated circa 2008 in the DIA to study advanced aerospace weapons threats. It was run by contractor Bigelow Aerospace with funding from the U.S. Senate.
- Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) (2020-present): The UAPTF is a US Department of Defense program that was created in 2020 to investigate and analyze UAP sightings and reports. The program’s mission is to gain a better understanding of the nature and origins of UAP and determine if they pose a threat to national security.
