Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
Zaterdag 9 mei 2026
Pentagon Launches UAP Transparency Effort With First “PURSUE” File Release
Pentagon Launches UAP Transparency Effort With First “PURSUE” File Release
An example of new imagery released on May 8, 2026, displaying a possible example of UAP from U.S. government archives (Image Credit: U.S. Deptartment of War).
Welcome to this very special TGIF edition of The Intelligence Brief… This week, the U.S. Department of War has finally launched a new and highly anticipated transparency initiative with the release of its first batch of long-classified UAP documents under the “Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters” (PURSUE) program, an effort officials say will unfold over the coming weeks and months. In our analysis, we’ll be looking at
1) how the new initiative aims to declassify decades of government-held UAP records across multiple agencies,
2) what Friday’s release actually revealed—including updated FBI files, military imagery, and NASA photographs with fewer redactions,
3) why much of the material offers limited new insight despite heightened expectations, and
4) what this rolling disclosure effort could mean for future transparency surrounding unresolved UAP cases.
Quote of the Week
“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves.”
– Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of War
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The release comes as part of a newly established program that the White House has dubbed the “Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters,” or PURSUE, which officials describe as an ongoing effort to identify, review, and declassify decades of UAP-related records held across multiple federal agencies.
Friday’s release is understood to be just the first phase of a broader transparency initiative under the Trump administration, with future releases expected as soon as within the next few weeks.
“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a statement accompanying the release. “It’s time the American people see it for themselves.” He added that the effort reflects “an earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency.”
Echoing Hegseth’s statements, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard described Friday’s disclosure as only the beginning. “Today’s release is the first in what will be an ongoing joint declassification and release effort,” she said.
So what, exactly, was revealed by the DOW this week, and what (if anything) does the latest document release provide in terms of new insights into the longstanding mystery of unidentified flying objects?
The Latest Release of “New” UFO Files
As many had expected in the days leading up to this week’s release, a good portion of the documentation in the “new” batch of files revealed at the DOW website on Friday has appeared online or elsewhere in the past.
However, that isn’t to say there wasn’t plenty of new material, both in documents that were previously only available in partial form or with heavy redactions, and in documents that have never been seen before.
Friday’s release includes a wide range of materials, from military imagery and previously classified FBI files to historical NASA photographs dating back to the Apollo era.
Much of the legitimately new material focuses on unresolved UAP cases—incidents in which the government has been unable to determine the nature of the observed phenomena due to insufficient data or other limitations. Officials say they are encouraging private-sector analysts and independent researchers to examine the newly available records.
So what else did we learn with this initial rollout of the Trump Administration’s new PURSUE effort? Here’s a look at several of the highlights from the information detailed in the new release, and what can be expected in the weeks ahead.
The FBI’s UFO Files
Among the more notable elements of the release are updated versions of previously available FBI files, including the well-known 62-HQ-83894 case file, which documents UFO-related reports between 1947 and 1968. According to the DOW, the newly released version includes additional pages and fewer redactions than earlier public versions.
“This file is partially posted on [the] FBI vault with more redactions and some pages missing,” a summary accompanying the release states. “Included here is the complete case file with several newly declassified pages and only minor redactions.”
Officials emphasized that remaining redactions were limited to protecting sensitive information, such as the identities of witnesses or the locations of government facilities. “No redactions have been made… concerning information about the nature or existence of any encounter reported as a UAP,” the department said.
AARO Imagery and Analysis
The release also includes imagery and video previously assessed by the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), as well as modified NASA photographs featuring “highlighted areas of interest” that appear to show unexplained objects. However, officials caution that these enhancements do not represent analytical conclusions and may reflect artifacts or unknown visual anomalies.
One incident report included in the release describes sightings of unusual orange “orbs” observed by federal law enforcement personnel in 2023. According to the summary, the objects appeared to emit smaller reddish spheres and were deemed among the most compelling cases in AARO’s holdings due to the credibility of the witnesses. No accompanying imagery or technical data was included.
Ongoing “Disclosures”
Despite the breadth of the materials, the initial release appears to offer limited new insight into the underlying nature of UAP. Instead, the PURSUE platform primarily serves as a centralized repository for government records, many of which were previously only partially available.
Still, officials say the effort represents a meaningful step toward greater transparency. “Under this Administration, we will pursue the truth and share our findings with the American people,” the DOW said in a statement.
Lawmakers have indicated that additional disclosures may follow soon. Taking to social media, Representative Anna Paulina Luna called the release “a great first step,” noting that a second tranche of documents, including previously requested video footage, could arrive within weeks.
For now, though, the first PURSUE release offers a clearer, albeit still incomplete, look into decades of U.S. government engagement with unexplained aerial phenomena. With more expected as the initiative continues, it remains to be seen whether an even deeper look into Washington’s involvement with aerial mysteries awaits, or if much of what is yet to come will simply be a somewhat fresher look at things we’ve already seen in decades past.
Academic involvement in the study of unidentified anomalous phenomena(UAP) is helping to progress the once-taboo subject beyond the realm of speculation, according to a group of humanities scholars who are now pushing for deeper involvement from professionals across a diverse range of disciplines.
The study of UAP, once largely avoided by the academic community, has recently seen the entry of a growing number of scholars from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Further bolstered by the United States Department of Defense’s renewed engagement in UAP investigations, studies of aerial mysteries have recently seen a pronounced increase in serious academic inquiry, driven by the desire to understand the implications of reported incidents and their impact across various disciplines.
Now, the Society for UAP Studies, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization that aims to unite academics and professionals who, according to its website, “are committed to advancing the study of the UAP through rigorous scholarly engagement,” will be hosting an online summer symposium that will address how professionals can help advance our understanding of these perplexing phenomena.
“The purpose of this is to organize a broad array of academic fields, perspectives, and discourses that are in various ways concerned with understanding—more deeply and more rigorously—the subject of UAP,” said Dr. Michael Cifone, a professor of philosophy and founder of the Society for UAP Studies, who also serves as its CEO and editor of its official publication, Limina -The Journal of UAP Studies.
According to Cifone, one of the society’s goals is to encourage interdisciplinary dialog between humanists and scientists who approach the UAP phenomenon in different ways and unite researchers on what he calls “the more metatheoretical questions of how to study the phenomenon.”
Despite the recent focus on scientific and military engagement with UAP, Cifone told The Debrief that the phenomenon presents challenges that also impact the humanities and political science, as well as the inquiries of historians, anthropologists, and professionals in a variety of other disciplines.
“With an event like this, we have an opportunity for more involvement from the humanities,” Cifone said, which he believes will provide an opportunity to learn ways those who work in this academic area can contribute to our growing knowledge of the topic.
Dr. Christian Peters, Managing Director at Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) and a member of the Society’s board of advisors, says another of the challenges of bringing the humanities more deeply into investigations of UAP involves not only identifying and characterizing UAP, but also to a degree the discipline’s own past challenges with self-identification.
“The thing with us in the social sciences is we haven’t really decided whether we belong to the humanities or to the sciences,” Peters said. “We’re kind of a mixed breed.”
Peters told The Debrief that many of the current processes and approaches being applied in the study of UAP are shaped by the contexts of military and scientific institutions, which are driven by various ambitions and interests that, according to Peters, highlight the influence of social sciences in understanding what is considered truth and reality.
“We do have something in the social sciences, which is called social constructivism that relates to the fact that basically everything that is dealing with realities and truths and ambitions is socially constructed,” Peters said. “There are a lot of arguments going on looking at the current processes about concepts like disclosure, which has become some sort of a ‘signal word’ for the discussion that takes place at the moment.”
“But you can look at disclosure from a more distant political theory perspective,” Peters told The Debrief, “and looking at that as being the play between the unveiling and the hiding in modern and in ancient statehood.”
“There’s a lot that needs to be said about these processes,” he added. In line with these perspectives, Peters will coordinate a workshop for the Society’s summer event with historian Greg Eghigian, which examines the UAP issue from the perspectives of history, political science, and political theory.
“There is a big movement going on with serious people working in different fields,” Peters told The Debrief. “I don’t think we’re going to find an interdisciplinary approach, but we will start to facilitate the discussion that needs to take place.”
Along with interdisciplinary dialogue, Eghigian told The Debrief that another aim of the Society’s event involves another of the subject’s most enduring problems.
“Speculation about UAP is often unmoored from any empirically sound and self-critical research,” Eghigian said. “The conference seeks to address this shortcoming by placing multidisciplinary scholarship about the subject center stage.”
Along with Peters and Eghigian’s workshop, several others that address various approaches toward studying UAP will be featured, including a session that focuses on the application of citizen science.
“The UAP Citizen Science Workshop is bringing together scientists from the UAP field and surveying the available resources and best practices for citizen science in general,” said Dan Williams, who coordinates the Society’s official Citizen Science Working Group.
Williams, who will lead the workshop, says such resources include SciStarter, Zooniverse, the NASA Citizen Science Seed Funding Program, commercial satellite Earth Observation imagery and analytics, ground-based instrumentation, smartphone apps, and self-supervised machine learning, or what he calls “needle-in-a-haystack” technologies.
“We hope the workshop participants can then author a paper on best practices and identify several citizen science projects of general interest. We have several members from the recent National Science Foundation’s ASTRO-ACCEL-sponsored UAP workshop participating, and we hope our workshop also advances their goal of forming a UAP citizen science working group,” Williams told The Debrief.
“The study of UAP deals with incomplete, inaccurate, and even at times deceptive information,” said Joshua Pierson, D.S.S., a career investigator who is also an advisor to the Society for UAP Studies. “The beauty of having a conference and an organization that focuses on bringing the social sciences and the humanities to bear is really where we start being able to assess what is inaccurate and incomplete,” Pierson said.
“Except now, instead of taking a practitioner’s approach, we have people who can think deeply on the subject to help inform some of the best models and methods to approach the information that we get on UAP,” Pierson told The Debrief.
Pierson says that in addition to applying the best models and research methods, a collective aim of academic groups like the Society for UAP Studies is also to define the phenomena more accurately. However, along with framing the phenomenon in academic terms, part of the aim of studying UAP from a humanities perspective also involves recognizing how people relate to UAP experiences and what overall impact the subject has on individuals, as well as at the societal level.
“UAP have profound effects on the lives of those who witness them, and they also stimulate important questions about the nature of knowledge itself and the limitations of ourselves as knowers,” said Dr. Kim Engels, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Molloy University who is also on the Society’s Advisory Board. “Our conference is offering a space for philosophers and theologians to weigh in on these important dimensions of the UAP conversation.”
“One of the most important things I think the humanities supplies—at least the philosophy of science, my own tradition—is a sort of critical perspective on the ways in which people have come to interpret and study UAP,” Professor Cifone told The Debrief.
“I think we’re at an interesting moment here in terms of the science of UAP. There’s a kind of a turning point right here that I think we’re witnessing, and a science is forming out of a history of kind of abortive and failed attempts to bring to bear some kind of systematic scientific engagement with the question,” Cifone said.
If Cifone is correct, and the efforts by organizations like his, as well as those currently being undertaken by other academic groups and government agencies, are pointing to the emergence of a new area of study in the sciences, then groups like the Society may be some of the best-equipped to help guide the process.
“You know, there’s this in-between space that I think the humanities is really good at negotiating,” Cifone told The Debrief, adding that academics like those who will participate in the Society’s forthcoming conference could be particularly well suited to help the scientific community navigate the various challenges presented by such a complex field of study.
“This is, I think, where humanists can bring the scientists together,” Cifone said, “to discuss that kind of a difficult aspect to the phenomenon.”
The Society for UAP Studies will hold its online Summer Conference 2024, titled “Varieties and Trajectories of Contemporary UAP Studies,” from August 16 to August 18, 2024. Registration details and other information about the event can be found on the Society’s website.
Bob Lazar Documentary Director Claims Key Parts of the S4 Story May Still Be Missing
A new wave of discussion has emerged around the controversial Bob Lazar story following extensive commentary from filmmaker Luigi Vendittelli, director of S4: The Bob Lazar Story. While Lazar remains one of the most debated figures in UFO history, Vendittelli’s perspective adds a new dimension: he believes Lazar is not fabricating his story, but may still be withholding certain details.
Revisiting Bob Lazar’s Legacy
Bob Lazar first gained international attention in 1989 after claiming he worked at a secret facility known as S4 near Area 51, where he allegedly participated in reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology. His descriptions included advanced propulsion systems, Element 115, hidden hangar doors built into mountainsides, and multiple intact unidentified craft.
For decades, Lazar’s account has been met with both fascination and skepticism. Critics often point to gaps in his academic history and inconsistencies in some aspects of his claims. Supporters, however, highlight the surprising accuracy of certain details Lazar described long before they entered mainstream discussion.
Luigi Vendittelli’s Investigation
Vendittelli spent over four years working closely with Lazar while producing his documentary. According to him, the goal was not to create sensationalism but to build the most visually accurate recreation of Lazar’s alleged experiences at S4.
During this process, Vendittelli claims he became convinced that Lazar’s core story is genuine.
“I don’t think Bob Lazar is lying. I believe Bob Lazar is omitting information.”
This distinction is central to Vendittelli’s perspective. Rather than dismissing Lazar, he suggests there are still unexplained omissions involving key events, including Lazar’s reported possession of Element 115 and certain encounters with government personnel.
The Hidden Hangar Doors Controversy
One of the documentary’s most talked-about revelations involves photographic analysis of terrain near Papoose Lake, where Lazar claimed S4 was located.
Vendittelli and his team conducted forensic image analysis on archival photos, asserting they identified geometric structures embedded into the mountainside that align with Lazar’s description of concealed hangar entrances.
While this evidence does not prove extraterrestrial craft, Vendittelli argues it strengthens the possibility that Lazar accurately described a hidden military installation.
Questions Around Lazar’s Education
Lazar’s educational background has long been one of the biggest criticisms leveled against him, particularly his claims of attending MIT and Caltech.
Vendittelli states that after private discussions with Lazar, he believes there are legitimate explanations tied to unconventional government pathways, though legal concerns prevented certain details from being included in the documentary.
This claim remains highly controversial, but Vendittelli insists the missing educational records alone should not invalidate the broader story.
Project Looking Glass, Sidekick, and Disinformation
Lazar also described exposure to briefing documents mentioning projects such as Looking Glass and Sidekick, along with references to Zeta Reticuli and possible extraterrestrial biological data.
Vendittelli acknowledges that some of this information may have been deliberate disinformation provided to Lazar as part of compartmentalized security measures. He personally questions aspects such as the Zeta Reticuli connection while remaining open to the possibility that portions of those documents contained genuine classified material.
Why Lazar Still Avoids Congress
Despite renewed public interest and modern whistleblower hearings, Lazar has consistently avoided congressional testimony.
According to Vendittelli, Lazar feels he has already shared his story and sees little value in entering political arenas that may offer limited transparency. Lazar reportedly prefers to maintain his private life rather than re-enter decades of scrutiny.
A Story That Refuses to Disappear
Vendittelli’s documentary does not claim to offer definitive proof of extraterrestrial technology. Instead, it presents Lazar’s account as a historical case that deserves serious examination, especially given the increasing number of whistleblower claims regarding hidden aerospace programs.
Whether Lazar’s story is entirely accurate, partially true, or influenced by secrecy and misinformation remains unresolved. However, Vendittelli’s investigation suggests the case may be more complex than simple truth or deception.
More than 35 years after Bob Lazar first went public, his claims continue to spark intense debate. S4: The Bob Lazar Story has reignited that conversation by combining modern visual reconstruction with new personal insights from those closest to Lazar.
For believers, the documentary reinforces longstanding suspicions about secret reverse-engineering programs.
For skeptics, it raises fresh questions about omissions, evidence, and the blurred line between classified reality and extraordinary claims.
What remains clear is that Bob Lazar’s story continues to occupy a unique place in UFO history — one that still refuses to be fully explained.
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The Pentagon on Friday began releasing “never-before-seen” files relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena — previously and more infamously known asunidentified flying objects, or UFOs — that the government has been holding onto for decades.
The files have been a source of intrigue and fascination for generations of skeptical Americans wondering if we’re alone in the universe.
The release came nearly a month after President Donald Trump gave a sneak preview of the possible contents, telling a conservative gathering that some “very interesting documents” would be released by the Department of Defense “very, very soon.”
The first batch of the long-awaited files on what the government is calling Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) are being housed on a dedicated government site, https://www.war.gov/UFO/, and additional files will be added to the site “on a rolling basis,” Pentagon Public Affairs said in a press release.
'Extraordinary': Ret. admiral reacts to declassified UFO docs
“The American people can now access the federal government’s declassified UAP files instantly,” the press release said. “The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the entire United States government are all in one place — no clearance required.”
The documents don’t suggest any wide-ranging government cover-up of extraterrestrial encounters, which may disappoint some conspiracy-minded individuals looking for such evidence. The files show no indication that the U.S. government has had any interaction with beings from other planets or that it has any reason to believe such beings have visited Earth. Instead, the release offers pages and pages of files for the public to consume and potentially draw their own conclusions.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon consisting of one minute and 39 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024. All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office
The collection includes more than 160 files, detailing more than 400 incidents from all around the world. Some of the most recent eyewitness statements were taken last year, while other cases date back to the 1940s.
Many of the declassified videos consist of grainy U.S. military footage from infrared sensors, and the release included a slew of mostly indiscernible photos showing points of light or dark and unusually shaped objects.
Among the files in the newly unsealed trove are incidents from the Apollo 11, Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 moon missions. In a 1969 debriefing after the Apollo 11 flight, astronaut Buzz Aldrin reported seeing “little flashes inside the cabin, spaced a couple of minutes apart,” while trying to fall asleep. In another incident, Aldrin described seeing “what appeared to be a fairly bright light source which we tentatively ascribed to a possible laser.”
A photo of the landing site of Apollo 12 features a highlighted area of interest slightly above the horizon in which unidentified phenomena are visible.NASA
During Apollo 12 in 1969, astronaut Alan Bean reported “flashes of light” that he described as “sailing off into space.”
During Apollo 17, the program’s final mission in 1972, the crew saw “very bright particles” of light that were “tumbling” and “rotating way out in the distance.” Astronaut Harrison Schmitt said the phenomenon looked “like the Fourth of July.”
A photo from the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972 contains three dots in a triangular formation that are clearly visible when the area is magnified.NASA
The newly released documents show some of the incidents were immediately debunked. For example, on Sept. 5, 1948, there was a report from military crew members flying at 30,000 feet over the Netherlands of an unidentified aircraft sighting. The crew cited “sudden accelerations and then a climb.” Within a few months, intelligence officials concluded that it was a single propelled jet using “rocket assists with tremendous reserve power.”
Other incidents in the files are only described and do not draw conclusions.
There is a transcript of an exchange between astronaut Frank Borman from Gemini 7 in 1965 in which he refers to a “bogey at 10 o’clock high,” which occurred about 4 ½ hours into the space flight.
Houston acknowledges the reference and responds: “This is Houston, say again Seven?” Borman then describes the bogey as the following: “It looks like hundreds of little particles going by to the left out about three or four miles.”
The files also include incidents from 2020 to the present as mission reports from the U.S. Air Force identifying “potential” UAPs, with few details on what the object is or when or where it was identified.
Other accounts in the files are reports from people around the country since the 1940s that were submitted to the government.
Other sightings were redacted, such as a September 2023 report of an FBI FaceTime interview with a drone operator who, along with colleagues, saw a “bright light over the horizon” at a U.S. test site.
The document notes that “redactions have been made to protect the identity of eyewitnesses, the location of government facilities, or potentially sensitive information about military sites not related to UAP.”
The sighting was described as the following: “a linear object with a super bright light on the east side of the object. The light was bright white and bright enough to see bands within the light. The object was metallic / gray in color. It did not have any wings or exhaust. The object was smaller than a 737, one to two Blackhawk helicopters in length and was definitely bigger than a drone.”
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The witnesses said the object was about 5,000 feet above ground, then moved east to west before vanishing after about 5 to 10 seconds. The person said after that the sky was clear and the object could not be found again.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill, along with interested parties ranging from serious scientists to conspiracy theorists, have pressed for the disclosure of these files for years. Trump has also spoken often of the need to release this information.
“The American people have asked for more transparency on these topics, and President Trump is delivering,” the press release said.
“While past administrations sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, President Trump is focused on providing maximum transparency to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files,” the release added.
But there’s a caveat.
“While all of the files have been reviewed for security purposes, many of the materials have not yet been analyzed for resolution of any anomalies,” the press release said.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon consisting of nine seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024. All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the Trump administration for its efforts to bring greater transparency to unidentified anomalous phenomena.
“At NASA, our job is to bring the brightest minds and most advanced scientific instruments to bear, follow the data, and share what we learn,” Isaacman wrote on X. “We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered.”
Trump did not immediately weigh in on the new UFO document drop. But he announced in February that he had directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other agency officials to begin reviewing government documents related to “alien and extraterrestrial life.”
Trump made the announcement just days after former President Barack Obama said on a podcast that aliens were real. Obama later clarified that he meant “the odds are good there’s life out there” and said he hadn’t seen any evidence of alien life while he was in the White House.
The U.S. Northern Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon consisting of 21 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024.All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office
The interagency effort to release the UFO files has its own acronym — PURSUE, or the Presidential Unsealings and Reporting System for UAP Encounters.
But the Pentagon appears to be using, as its model, a setup similar to the one the Department of Justice began employing in December, when it began releasing the Epstein Files. And the government site with the UFO documents also appeared to be glitchy in the early going.
That Epstein files release, which is still underway, was widely criticized for releasing paperwork that had already been in the public domain, for heavily redacting many documents while inexplicably omitting others, and for inadvertently releasing the names of some of the women Epstein had been accused of preying on before he was arrested and died by suspected suicide in August 2019 in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.
Not unlike the government’s Epstein files document dump, there was no interpretation of the unidentified anomalous phenomena shared by the White House on Friday.
'Extraordinary': Ret. admiral reacts to declassified UFO docs
Published: 14:32 BST, 8 May 2026 | Updated: 19:12 BST, 8 May 2026
The long-awaited UFO files were released Friday morning, revealing stunning eyewitness encounters with unexplainable phenomena during the Apollo moon missions.
The US Department of War released hundreds of pages of documents, pictures and audio recordings allegedly providing evidence of extraterrestrial sightings dating back to the 1940s.
Included in what has been described as the first batch of UFO files expected to come from the Pentagon this year were the transcripts of the Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 moon missions.
Those files and a collection of images taken by the astronauts on the moon revealed multiple encounters with strange objects that appear to fly around their lunar landers.
During the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, astronauts Gene Cernan, Jack Schmitt and Ron Evans reported seeing a bright object that rotated and flashed rhythmically out in space.
Cernan said: 'I'm looking at what - what Jack was talking about; and it's definitely not a particle that's nearby because there is another one I can look at and get a three-dimensional comparison with.'
'It is a bright object, and it's obviously rotating because it's flashing. It's way out in the distance, as I say, because there are particles that are close by and it's obviously not one of those,' the astronaut described.
'It's apparently rotating in a very rhythmic fashion because the flashes come around almost - almost on time. And it's as we look back at the Earth, it's up at about 11:00 about - oh, maybe 10 or 12 Earth diameters. I don't know whether that does you any good, but there is something out there.'
A photo from the Apollo 17 moon landing that highlights three dots in the sky as seen from the moon's surface
This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features a highlighted area of interest slightly to the right of the vertical axis of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible
This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features highlighted areas above the horizon in which unidentified phenomena are visible
Apollo 17 mission commander Eugene Cernan (Pictured) was the last human to walk on the moon in 1972
During the 1972 lunar landing, which was the last NASA time humans stepped on the moon's surface, the crew of Apollo 17 also reported seeing multiple small objects moving near the spacecraft during their flight.
'Now we've got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,' Evans told the command center on Earth.
'Roger. Understand,' the center replied. 'There's a whole [bunch] of big ones on my window down there - just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron's window,' Schmitt added.
Evans reported: 'Yes. Now you can see some of them in shape. They're very jagged, angular fragments that are tumbling.'
The astronauts revealed that right after they fired their thrusters to change direction, the crew began to see the bright particles and jagged, angular fragments drifting past the windows.
Jack says it looks like the 'Fourth of July' out Evans' window, with big bright pieces tumbling slowly around the capsule.
The astronauts were also recorded describing the strange objects as pieces of something solid, not fluid, very bright, and mostly moving with the spacecraft but with occasional faster ones zipping by. Evans reported taking pictures of them.
Three years earlier, the Apollo 12 moon mission also reported strange sightings as they neared the lunar surface.
This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features highlighted areas above the horizon in which unidentified phenomena are visible
This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features a highlighted area of interest slightly to the right of the vertical axis of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible
This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features a highlighted area of interest slightly to the right of the vertical axis of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible
While looking through a special telescope known as the Alignment Optical Telescope, in the dark part of the sky, one astronaut in the lunar module reported seeing flashes of light and particles sailing past.
The three-man crew, which included Pete Conrad and Alan Bean in the lunar lander 'Intrepid' and Dick Gordon in the command module called 'Yankee Clipper,' said the objects appeared to come from behind the spacecraft, before moving quickly into space.
'They really haul out of here and just press off at the stars,' Bean said.
Multiple images from the Apollo 12 moon mission in 1969 released with the UFO files on Friday revealed bright objects off in space which were visible from the lunar surface.
NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens issued a statement saying: 'NASA applauds President Trump’s whole-of-government directive to bring greater transparency to the American people on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).'
'NASA is contributing to this interagency effort led by the Department of War and the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), and we support their effort to share more information with the public.'
'NASA continues our mission to explore and discover, advancing our understanding of this planet and the universe around us.'
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By CHRIS MELORE, DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
The UFO files have revealed chilling encounters involving swarms of mysterious orbs chasing US military aircraft and sightings of four-foot-tall beings emerging from unidentified craft.
The bombshell FBIdocuments, released by the Trump administration, detailed incidents spanning decades, from humanoid occupants reported in the 1960s to a dramatic confrontation involving intelligence agents last year.
One heavily redacted FBI report described a senior US intelligence officer recounting a nighttime mission in a remote mountain range near a classified government site.
According to the report, intelligence personnel, federal agents and helicopter crews were dispatched after local staff repeatedly reported seeing strange glowing 'orbs' and hearing loud 'thuds' near the mountains.
But when the team arrived, they allegedly encountered swarms of highly maneuverable objects that appeared extremely hot on thermal cameras despite flying through the darkness.
The report stated that the unidentified orbs easily outran military helicopters before later pursuing fighter aircraft called in to intercept them.
At one point during the encounter, a co-pilot aboard the lead helicopter reportedly watched one orb split into two separate objects before another object suddenly 'emerged' from the formation and shot away at high speed.
Another section of the FBI records detailed alleged encounters with mysterious crewmen said to be between three and a half and four feet tall, 'wearing what appear to be space suits and helmets,' who reportedly exited unidentified flying objects.
A UFO that resembles a football in Japan in 2024 was part of today's release of the UFO files
Another shows a bright circular object within a military targeting reticle, although officials said the description should not be interpreted as confirmation of the object's nature or significance
Also in Friday's release were images taken by Apollo 12 astronauts while on the Moon
A redacted report from the FBI interviewing an intelligence officer who witnessed multiple orb-shaped UFOs chasing military jets during a classified mission
Using night-vision goggles and FLIR thermal cameras, the 2025 intelligence team spotted the first 'super-hot' glowing orb hovering near the ground around 10pm local time.
The intelligence officer revealed that the UFO moved extremely fast before splitting into two objects. Pilots reported that it was too quick for the helicopters to chase.
Roughly 16 minutes later, a large swarm of lights which was described as containing 'too many to count' appeared and flew around in all directions, mostly heading south.
Within ten minutes of this gathering, multiple groups of the bright orbs began to emit light in all directions. The report described the objects as oval-shaped and orange with a white or yellow center.
The orb swarm then 'flared up' or brightened one at a time in a horizontal line, stayed stationary for ten to 15 seconds, then 'flared down' or dimmed in reverse order and disappeared.
The agent told the FBI that this happened several times; sometimes with two orbs and other times with four or six, and sometimes with the UFOs forming up in a triangle formation.
Some orbs appeared very close to the helicopter, getting within ten feet, while others hovered directly over the squadron of military training aircraft sent to assist the intelligence team.
When the five fighter jets arrived, the orbs seemed to break away from the helicopters and pursued the jets at high speed.
A video appears to show a glowing object resembling an 'eight-pointed star' with uneven arms moving across the sky, which almost seemed to shape-shift in mid-air
A redacted report from the FBI interviewing an intelligence officer who witnessed multiple orb-shaped UFOs chasing military jets during a classified mission
A redacted report from the FBI interviewing an intelligence officer who witnessed multiple orb-shaped UFOs chasing military jets during a classified mission
The lead helicopter search team kept chasing orb sightings until they ran low on fuel and had to return to base around 11.30pm.
The decades-old FBI memo provides even more shocking revelations hinting at mysterious crewmen emerging from a UFO.
The memo is an internal FBI document dated October 19, 1966, sent from the bureau’s San Francisco office to FBI Director J Edgar Hoover under the subject line 'Unidentified Flying Objects.'
The major focus is the book Flying Saucers – Serious Business by Frank Edwards, which the FBI described as a possible contributor to the growing public fascination and controversy surrounding UFOs.
'The book describes UFOs as polished metal objects, radiating heat and light (sufficient to have burned witnesses who were too near), and emitting some force field that interferes with electromagnetic instruments and power sources,' the document reads.
'Colors range from brilliant white to dull reds and brilliant orange. Some objects have carried blind striking lights.
'There are three basic shapes: 1) zeppelin-shaped ships up to 300 feet long; 2) disk-shaped objects ranging from a few feet in diameter to 100 feet, with many reported at about 30 feet in diameter; and 3) egg-shaped objects, which, according to the author, are the ones most recently sighted.'
According to the file, wreckage from crashed saucers had supposedly been recovered on at least three separate occasions.
One material was described as a magnesium alloy, another as pure magnesium and a third as an 'exceptionally hard unknown metal.'
The document claimed the material contained 'thousands of 15-micron metal spheres throughout' and showed evidence of micro-meteorite impacts on its surface.
The file also referenced witness claims involving apparent occupants of the mysterious craft.
'A few witnesses have reported seeing crewmen who had landed from the objects,' the report stated, describing the alleged beings as 'three and a half to four feet tall, wearing what appear to be space suits and helmets.'
An FBI memo discussing witness reports of beings emerging from a UFO
A photo from Apollo 17 landing highlights three dots in the sky, as seen from the moon's surface, in 1972
Congressman Eric Burlison of Missouri revealed video in 2025 of a US military drone striking an orb-shaped UFO with a missile, which bounced off and did not stop the craft
The document concluded by noting that author Edwards predicted UFOs would soon make an 'overt landing' or deliberate contact with Earth.
These files were made public months after the President ordered the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to declassify government records related to UFOs and alleged extraterrestrial activity.
Also included in Friday's release was eerie infrared footage, captured by US military personnel in 2013, appearing to show something darting through the darkness with uneven, shape-shifting arms.
Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett, who has long been advocating for disclosure, said on X: 'Remember the Feds told us these files didn't exist and [Donald Trump] stood up to the deep state.
'The 1st drop will be big, but in comparison to what is coming they will be a drop in the bucket. I would say "Holy Crap" is coming.'
A government graphic, based on witness reports from 2023, depicts a massive ellipsoid-shaped object that witnesses claimed emerged from a bright light in the sky before vanishing
Further areas of interest during the 1969 mission, in which unidentified phenomena are visible
Among the most striking materials in the file dump were images and transcripts linked to NASA's Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 missions. One photo taken from the lunar surface appears to show three unexplained dots hovering in the dark sky above the moon.
An Apollo 17 transcript also detailed astronauts discussing mysterious objects drifting near the spacecraft during flight.
'Now we've got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,' one operator told mission control.
Another replied: 'There's a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there - just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron's window.'
The disclosure also included FBI images from New Year's Eve 1999 that appear to show unidentified objects near US military aircraft, along with photographs captured by military pilots allegedly showing fast-moving objects streaking past planes mid-flight.
One newly declassified military Mission Report, known as a MISREP, described a service member observing 'several bright objects maneuvering quickly west to east northeast' before tracking one of them with an onboard targeting pod for roughly 20 seconds.
According to the document, the object suddenly dimmed and disappeared. Officials noted that the descriptions reflected eyewitness observations and should not be interpreted as confirmation of the object's nature or capabilities.
In a statement accompanying the release, Hegseth said the administration was committed to bringing 'unprecedented transparency' to the government's understanding of UFOs.
Portions of several documents were redacted to protect witness identities and sensitive military locations, although officials said no information directly related to the reported encounters had been withheld.
Lawmakers have noted that Friday's release is only the first batch, with more to come. However, a timeline has not been set.
Bright lights and hot orbs: UFO files shed light on sightings but leave interpretation to the public
The Trump administration’s explosive UFO disclosure on Friday included a NASAtranscript documenting the moment Gemini VII astronauts reported seeing a mysterious object floating beside their spacecraft.
The pioneering 14-day crewed NASA mission launched on December 4, 1965, and featured astronauts Frank Borman and James Lovell, who at the time set a record for the longest spaceflight.
The declassified file captured a tense exchange between astronaut Borman and mission control after he alerted Houston to what he described as a 'bogey' outside the capsule while orbiting Earth.
'A bogey at ten o'clock high,' Borman radioed to mission control in one of the most striking moments contained in the newly released transcript.
Houston immediately responded by asking whether the object could have been part of the Gemini booster rocket or a 'natural sighting.'
Borman replied: 'We have debris up here, this is an actual sighting.'
The astronaut went on to describe seeing what looked like 'hundreds of little particles' drifting roughly three to four miles away from the spacecraft,' Borman added as mission control attempted to determine what the crew was seeing.
Gemini VII was a pioneering 14-day crewed NASA space mission launched on December 4, 1965, featuring astronauts Frank Borman (right) and James Lovell, who at the time set a record for the longest spaceflight
The transcript was among hundreds of files, photographs and videos released Friday as part of President Donald Trump’s long-awaited UFO disclosure initiative aimed at increasing transparency surrounding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, also known as UAPs.
The document, titled P.A.O. Release Commentary of the GT-7/6 Flight, included both typed and handwritten records of the communications exchanged during the Gemini VII mission in December 1965.
One handwritten page was labeled UFO Sighting by Borman (GT-7), underscoring how seriously the incident was treated internally at the time.
The Gemini VII mission, operated by NASA during the height of the Cold War space race, was commanded by Borman alongside Lovell, who would later become one of the most famous astronauts in American history following the Apollo 13 mission.
As the exchange continued, Lovell appeared to describe unusual objects surrounding the spacecraft.
'I have the booster on my side. It's a brilliant body in the sun against a black background with trillions of particles on it,' Lovell told mission control.
Mission control then asked the astronauts to clarify the object's position relative to the spacecraft.
'It's ahead of us at two o'clock, slowly tumbling,' Lovell responded.
The astronauts told mission control that they saw what looked like the path of another vehicle while in orbit
NASA officials later appeared to downplay the exchange in comments included at the bottom of the transcript.
'The reference in that conversation to the third and unidentified object, of course, was a bogey,' a public affairs officer stated in the document, adding that there had been 'several references to the bogey.'
The newly released files quickly ignited debate online, with UFO researchers and transparency advocates arguing the transcript adds to decades of reports involving astronauts witnessing unexplained objects during space missions.
Skeptics, however, pointed out that astronauts frequently observed debris, ice particles and discarded equipment during early spaceflight missions, particularly during orbital maneuvers and booster separations.
The administration released hundreds of records through the Department of War’s website, including Apollo mission images, FBI files, military incident reports and infrared footage captured by US service members.
The President added: 'Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Have Fun and Enjoy!'
The White House has framed the release as part of a broader push for government transparency.
However, officials cautioned that many of the files contain witness accounts and preliminary observations rather than confirmed conclusions about the nature of the reported objects.
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Newly released FBI files have revealed shocking details of mysterious four-foot-tall crewmen exiting aUFOin the 1960s.
The documents, released Friday as part of the Trump administration’s UFO disclosure, detailed how investigators reviewed reports that 1965 marked 'the year of the greatest number of UFO sightings' observed by multiple witnesses across the world.
The FBI summarized reports of metallic craft capable of hovering silently, reaching 'fantastic speeds' and interfering with electromagnetic equipment.
The files also referenced that wreckage from crashed saucers had been recovered on multiple occasions, including materials described as unknown metals containing microscopic spheres.
'A few witnesses have reported seeing crewmen who had landed from the objects,' the document stated, describing the beings as 'three and a half to four feet tall, wearing what appear to be space suits and helmets.'
The FBI records were among hundreds of newly released files, photographs and videos published Friday under President Donald Trump’s long-awaited UFO transparency initiative.
Hundreds of records, photos and videos were uploaded to the Department of War’s website, including NASA mission transcripts, military incident reports and infrared images captured during aerial encounters.
Newly released FBI files have revealed shocking details of mysterious four-foot-tall crewmen exiting a UFO in the 1960s
The documents, released Friday as part of the Trump administration’s UFO disclosure, detailed how investigators reviewed reports alleging that 1965 marked 'the year of the greatest number of UFO sightings' observed by multiple witnesses across the world (stock)
Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett, who has long been advocating for disclosure, said on X: 'Remember the Feds told us these files didn't exist and [Donald Trump] stood up to the deep state.
'The 1st drop will be big, but in comparison to what is coming they will be a drop in the bucket. I would say "Holy Crap" is coming.'
The newly released memo is an internal FBI document dated October 19, 1966, sent from the bureau’s San Francisco office to FBI Director J Edgar Hoover under the subject line 'Unidentified Flying Objects.'
It references earlier FBI bulletins on 'Flying Discs' and was created to circulate an article titled Armed Forces –
The document discusses growing national controversy surrounding UFO sightings and specifically mentions future President Gerald Ford, who at the time was serving as a congressman and publicly calling for congressional hearings into UFO incidents.
The memo also notes that the Air Force had commissioned University of Colorado physicist Edward U Condon to conduct a major government-backed study into flying saucers, estimated to cost $300,000 over 18 months.
The major focus of the memo is the book Flying Saucers – Serious Business by Frank Edwards, which the FBI described as a possible contributor to the growing public fascination and controversy surrounding UFOs.
The page is covered with FBI routing marks, stamps, handwritten notes and file numbers, showing the document was formally logged and circulated within the bureau.
The newly released memo is an internal FBI document dated October 19, 1966, sent from the bureau’s San Francisco office to FBI Director J Edgar Hoover under the subject line 'Unidentified Flying Objects'
A dramatic red vertical stamp reading 'EX-PROOF' appears along the right side of the page, while additional stamps show the memo was processed in late October 1966.
The file states that author Edwards argued UFOs were 'space vehicles sent to observe activities on earth' and claimed the US Air Force had 'deliberately withheld information and given misleading explanations because it fears a mass panic by the public if the public were told the truth.'
'The book describes UFOs as polished metal objects, radiating heat and light (sufficient to have burned witnesses who were too near), and emitting some force field that interferes with electromagnetic instruments and power sources,' the document reads.
'Colors range from brilliant white to dull reds and brilliant orange. Some objects have carried blind striking lights.
'There are three basic shapes: 1) zeppelin-shaped ships up to 300 feet long; 2) disk-shaped objects ranging from a few feet in diameter to 100 feet, with many reported at about 30 feet in diameter; and 3) egg-shaped objects, which, according to the author, are the ones most recently sighted.'
The report further stated that the objects could move silently at 'fantastic speeds' while also hovering motionless in mid-air before accelerating away with bursts of light from their undersides.
In some cases, the file explained the ground beneath the objects was allegedly left scorched after takeoff.
'Many of the persons named in the book who have reported them are reliable individuals, including law enforcement officers, military personnel on official duty, military pilots, commercial airline pilots, civilian defense officials, etc,' according to the FBI.
'A number of photographs of the objects have been reproduced in the book, some reportedly taken by reputable persons. Many reported sightings are from atomic and missile research areas.'
The file states that author Edwards argued UFOs were 'space vehicles sent to observe activities on earth' and claimed the US Air Force had 'deliberately withheld information and given misleading explanations because it fears a mass panic by the public if the public were told the truth'
According to the file, wreckage from crashed saucers had supposedly been recovered on at least three separate occasions.
One material was described as a magnesium alloy, another as pure magnesium and a third as an 'exceptionally hard unknown metal.'
The document claimed the material contained 'thousands of 15-micron metal spheres throughout' and showed evidence of micro-meteorite impacts on its surface.
The file also referenced witness claims involving apparent occupants of the mysterious craft.
'A few witnesses have reported seeing crewmen who had landed from the objects,' the report stated, describing the alleged beings as 'three and a half to four feet tall, wearing what appear to be space suits and helmets.'
The document concluded by noting that author Edwards predicted UFOs would soon make an 'overt landing' or deliberate contact with Earth.
The FBI memo was circulated internally amid what officials described as mounting public pressure for a civilian-controlled agency to investigate UFO incidents outside military oversight.
While UFO researchers hailed the FBI file as one of the most explosive documents released so far, skeptics cautioned that the report largely summarized claims and witness accounts rather than independently verified evidence.
Officials have also repeatedly warned that eyewitness testimony and historical reports should not be interpreted as confirmation of extraterrestrial life or advanced non-human technology.
A bizarre glowing object resembling an 'eight-pointed star' streaking across the sky was among the most chilling videos released in Friday’s bombshell UFO disclosure.
The eerie infrared footage, captured by US military personnel in 2013, appears to show something darting through the darkness with uneven, shape-shifting arms.
At one point, the military sensor zooms in as the mysterious object races through the frame, seemingly leaving behind a glowing trail.
It was seen making abrupt movements, sharply changing direction and repeatedly vanishing from view before suddenly reappearing moments later.
Officials who documented the video cautioned that the footage description was provided for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as proof of the object’s nature or origin.
The chilling clip is part of the first batch of the long-awaited UFO files released by the Trump administration on Friday, with hundreds of previously unseen videos, photographs and records published.
The documents were made public months after the President ordered the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to declassify government records related to UFOs and alleged extraterrestrial activity.
Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett, who has long been advocating for disclosure, said on X: 'Remember the Feds told us these files didn't exist and [Donald Trump] stood up to the deep state. The 1st drop will be big, but in comparison to what is coming they will be a drop in the bucket. I would say "Holy Crap" is coming.'
The video appears to show a glowing object resembling an 'eight-pointed star' with uneven arms moving across the sky, which almost seemed to shape-shift in mid-air
At one point, the military sensor zooms in as the mysterious object races through the frame, seemingly leaving behind a glowing trail
Among the most striking materials were images and transcripts linked to NASA's Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 missions. One photo taken from the lunar surface appears to show three unexplained dots hovering in the dark sky above the moon.
An Apollo 17 transcript also detailed astronauts discussing mysterious objects drifting near the spacecraft during flight.
'Now we've got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,' one operator told mission control.
Another replied: 'There's a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there - just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron's window.'
After the files went live on the Department of War's website, President Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'In an effort for Complete and Maximum Transparency, it was my Honor to direct my Administration to identify and provide Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects.
'Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Have Fun and Enjoy!'
The disclosure also included FBI images from New Year's Eve 1999 that appear to show unidentified objects near US military aircraft, along with photographs captured by military pilots allegedly showing fast-moving objects streaking past planes mid-flight.
One newly declassified military Mission Report, known as a MISREP, described a service member observing 'several bright objects maneuvering quickly west to east northeast' before tracking one of them with an onboard targeting pod for roughly 20 seconds.
The object was seen making abrupt movements, sharply changing direction and repeatedly vanishing from view before suddenly reappearing moments later
The Trump administration on Friday released its first batch of the long-awaited UFO files. Above, a UFO reported by the Air Force in the southern US in 2020
Above the horizon of the lunar surface, as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12 in 1969, an area of interest points to apparently unidentified phenomena
A photo from Apollo 17 landing highlights three dots in the sky, as seen from the moon's surface, in 1972
According to the document, the object suddenly dimmed and disappeared. Officials noted that the descriptions reflected eyewitness observations and should not be interpreted as confirmation of the object's nature or capabilities.
In a statement accompanying the release, Hegseth said the administration was committed to bringing 'unprecedented transparency' to the government's understanding of UFOs.
Portions of several documents were redacted to protect witness identities and sensitive military locations, although officials said no information directly related to the reported encounters had been withheld.
Lawmakers have noted that Friday's release is only the first batch, with more to come. However, a timeline has not been set.
A government graphic, based on witness reports from 2023, depicts a massive ellipsoid-shaped object that witnesses claimed emerged from a bright light in the sky before vanishing
An infrared still image of unidentified objects over the western US last September
A UAP reported by the US military during an unknown flyover in May 2022
A reported sighting of a UAP in Japan, resembling a football, from a 2024 US military video
Another file included in the release was an excerpt from the Gemini VII mission transcript documenting the moment astronaut Frank Borman reported seeing an unidentified object in space.
The document also contained NASA recording references and handwritten notes identifying which portions of the mission audio captured the exchange.
One document summarized statements from seven federal officers assigned to different teams who independently reported witnessing multiple UAPs across the western US over two days in 2023.
According to the report, several witnesses described seeing 'orbs launching other orbs' in the distance, along with a large glowing sphere hovering in place and a semi-transparent object compared to a 'translucent kite.'
Special agents also reported seeing orange-colored orbs releasing smaller red orbs at least five times before fading in and out of view.
Many of the documents feature testimony from military personnel, including one report dated January 1.
The file detailed a US military operator allegedly spotting a UAP flying just above the ocean's surface before making multiple sharp 90-degree turns at an estimated speed of 80mph.
Another newly released document was a Navy Range Fouler Report, a standardized form used to document unauthorized objects entering restricted airspace during military training or operations.
According to the report, a US military operator tracked a 'round, cold object' using an infrared sensor as it traveled northwest at roughly 20mph before making what were described as abrupt directional changes.
Two highlighted areas of interest, labeled 'Area 1' and 'Area 2,' during the Apollo 12 mission
Further areas of interest during the 1969 mission, in which unidentified phenomena are visible
Another highlighted area of interest from the landing site of Apollo 12
FBI Director Kash Patel said: 'The FBI is proud to stand alongside President Trump and our interagency partners in this landmark release of UAP records.
'For the first time in history, the American people have unfettered access to declassified government files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon - a level of transparency that no prior administration has delivered.
'The FBI remains committed to supporting this rolling declassification effort with the same rigor and integrity we bring to every national security matter.
'As these files continue to be reviewed and released, the American people can be confident that their security remains our highest priority.'
One file included in the release was an excerpt from the Gemini VII mission transcript in which astronaut Frank Borman reported seeing an unidentified object in space
One released image appeared to show a bright circular object within a military targeting reticle, although officials said the description should not be interpreted as confirmation of the object's nature or significance
'At NASA, our job is to bring the brightest minds and most advanced scientific instruments to bear, follow the data, and share what we learn.
'We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered. Exploration and the pursuit of knowledge are core to NASA's mission as we endeavor to unlock the secrets of the universe.'
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Pentagon releases video of a UFO resembling an eight-pointed star
The first batch of the long-awaited UFO files was released by the Trump administration on Friday, with hundreds of previously unseen videos, photographs and records published.
The documents were made public months after the President ordered the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to declassify government records related to UFOs and alleged extraterrestrial activity.
Among the most striking materials were images and transcripts linked to NASA's Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 missions. One photo taken from the lunar surface appears to show three unexplained dots hovering in the dark sky above the moon.
An Apollo 17 mission transcript also detailed astronauts discussing mysterious objects drifting near the spacecraft during flight.
'Now we've got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,' one operator told mission control.
Another replied: 'There's a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there - just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron's window.'
After the files went live on the Department of War's website, President Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'In an effort for Complete and Maximum Transparency, it was my Honor to direct my Administration to identify and provide Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects.
'Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Have Fun and Enjoy!'
The Trump administration on Friday released its first batch of the long-awaited UFO files. Above, a UFO reported by the Air Force in the southern US in 2020
Above the horizon of the lunar surface, as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12 in 1969, an area of interest points to apparently unidentified phenomena
A photo from Apollo 17 landing highlights three dots in the sky, as seen from the moon's surface, in 1972
The disclosure also included FBI images from New Year's Eve 1999 that appear to show unidentified objects near US military aircraft, along with photographs captured by military pilots allegedly showing fast-moving objects streaking past planes mid-flight.
Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett, who has long been advocating for disclosure, said on X: 'Remember the Feds told us these files didn't exist and [Donald Trump] stood up to the deep state.
'The 1st drop will be big, but in comparison to what is coming they will be a drop in the bucket. I would say "Holy Crap" is coming.'
One newly declassified military Mission Report, known as a MISREP, described a service member observing 'several bright objects maneuvering quickly west to east northeast' before tracking one of them with an onboard targeting pod for roughly 20 seconds.
According to the document, the object suddenly dimmed and disappeared. Officials noted that the descriptions reflected eyewitness observations and should not be interpreted as confirmation of the object's nature or capabilities.
In a statement accompanying the release, Hegseth said the administration was committed to bringing 'unprecedented transparency' to the government's understanding of UFOs.
Portions of several documents were redacted to protect witness identities and sensitive military locations, although officials said no information directly related to the reported encounters had been withheld.
Lawmakers have noted that Friday's release is only the first batch, with more to come. However, a timeline has not been set.
A government graphic, based on witness reports from 2023, depicts a massive ellipsoid-shaped object that witnesses claimed emerged from a bright light in the sky before vanishing
An infrared still image of unidentified objects over the western US last September
A UAP reported by the US military during an unknown flyover in May 2022
A reported sighting of a UAP in Japan, resembling a football, from a 2024 US military video
Another file included in the release was an excerpt from the Gemini VII mission transcript documenting the moment astronaut Frank Borman reported seeing an unidentified object in space.
The document also contained NASA recording references and handwritten notes identifying which portions of the mission audio captured the exchange.
One document summarized statements from seven federal officers assigned to different teams who independently reported witnessing multiple UAPs across the western US over two days in 2023.
According to the report, several witnesses described seeing 'orbs launching other orbs' in the distance, along with a large glowing sphere hovering in place and a semi-transparent object compared to a 'translucent kite.'
Special agents also reported seeing orange-colored orbs releasing smaller red orbs at least five times before fading in and out of view.
Many of the documents feature testimony from military personnel, including one report dated January 1.
The file detailed a US military operator allegedly spotting a UAP flying just above the ocean's surface before making multiple sharp 90-degree turns at an estimated speed of 80mph.
Another newly released document was a Navy Range Fouler Report, a standardized form used to document unauthorized objects entering restricted airspace during military training or operations.
According to the report, a US military operator tracked a 'round, cold object' using an infrared sensor as it traveled northwest at roughly 20mph before making what were described as abrupt directional changes.
Two highlighted areas of interest, labeled 'Area 1' and 'Area 2,' during the Apollo 12 mission
Further areas of interest during the 1969 mission, in which unidentified phenomena are visible
Another highlighted area of interest from the landing site of Apollo 12
FBI Director Kash Patel said: 'The FBI is proud to stand alongside President Trump and our interagency partners in this landmark release of UAP records.
'For the first time in history, the American people have unfettered access to declassified government files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon - a level of transparency that no prior administration has delivered.
'The FBI remains committed to supporting this rolling declassification effort with the same rigor and integrity we bring to every national security matter.
'As these files continue to be reviewed and released, the American people can be confident that their security remains our highest priority.'
One file included in the release was an excerpt from the Gemini VII mission transcript in which astronaut Frank Borman reported seeing an unidentified object in space
One released image appeared to show a bright circular object within a military targeting reticle, although officials said the description should not be interpreted as confirmation of the object's nature or significance
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman also said on Friday: 'I applaud President Trump's whole-of-government effort to bring greater transparency to the American people on unidentified anomalous phenomena.
'At NASA, our job is to bring the brightest minds and most advanced scientific instruments to bear, follow the data, and share what we learn.
'We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered. Exploration and the pursuit of knowledge are core to NASA's mission as we endeavor to unlock the secrets of the universe.'
Murray is a Forbes news reporter covering entertainment trends.
Topline
The Pentagon began releasing files and images depicting what it says are “unidentified anomalous phenomena” on Friday, months after President Donald Trump’s directive to make UFO documents public, though it said the files depict “unresolved” cases and the public can “make up their own minds” about what is included.
The Pentagon announced the release of files depicting "unidentified anomalous phenomena" Friday morning. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Key Facts
The files, released on the Department of Defense’s website, contain images and documents it says were previously classified about “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” some of which are decades old.
The Department of Defense announced the UFO files release in astatement on X, saying the documents were released in the “interest of total transparency” while criticizing previous presidential administrations for allegedly seeking to “discredit or dissuade the American people” about UFOs.
Trump, whodirectedthe Defense Department to identify and release files related to UFOs in February, said in a post on Truth Social on Friday that “the people can decide for themselves, ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?’”
But findings from the files appear to be unclear, as the Defense Department’s UFO website says the government is “unable to make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena,” urging the public to draw their own conclusions about the content of the files.
The agency said all the documents have been “reviewed for security purposes,” but “many of the materials have not yet been analyzed for resolution of any anomalies,” saying it welcomes private-sector analysis and expertise.
The Defense Department said there are “tens of millions of records” spanning “many decades” it must sift through, saying additional documents will be released in the coming weeks on a rolling basis.
An image from the Apollo 17 mission to the moon in 1972, which the Defense Department says "contains an enlarged area of the original photo in which three lights are visible above the lunar terrain."
Department of Defense
An image the Defense Department says depicts an "unidentified object(s) over western United States in September of 2025."
Department of Defense
What Is Included In The Ufo Files?
Some of the images included in the files release are unclear, with some just depicting blurry dots on a screen. One image was taken on the 1972 Apollo 17 mission to the moon, with a zoomed-in section depicting a cluster of three visible lights. Another document, dated November 1948, is described by the Pentagon as an Air Force intelligence report that details concerns over “recurring reports on flying saucers.” Some documents appear to be eyewitness accounts of apparent “unidentified anomalous phenomena” sightings, including one observed in Syria in 2023, in which the eyewitness described an object “shaped as a bouncy ball” traveling nearly 500 miles per hour “consistently for at least 7mins.” The Pentagon, though, warned in a caption the account should not be interpreted as the “conclusive indication” of any such object. Some of the files contain video footage, including one 25-second clip captured in Greece in 2023 appearing to depict a “small and circular” object “flying near the surface of the ocean toward land.” Many of the files are accompanied with a warning from the Pentagon that readers should "not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance.”
Astronauts Describe ‘unusual’ Sightings In Ufo Files
A technical crew debriefing document from the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 that put the first humans on the moon depicts astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins discussing what they describe as “unusual” sightings on their space flight. Aldrin describes seeing an object of a “sizeable dimension” near the moon, which he described as having an L-shape. “Like an open suitcase,” Armstrong said, adding it was “difficult to tell what shape it was.” Collins said the object appeared to be a cylinder at first glance, but said the crew members “don’t have a conclusion” about what the object was, or how far away or how big it was. Aldrin, later in the debriefing, discusses seeing “little flashes inside the cabin,” which he could not identify. In another document, astronauts on the 1972 Apollo 17 mission to the moon described seeing “very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by us as we maneuver,” which made it look “like the Fourth of July” outside the spacecraft window. One of the pilots said the fragments looked like "pieces of something,” but they could not identify what they were. Another document depicts pilots on the 1965 Gemini VII mission discussing an “unidentified object,” with pilot Frank Borman saying, “We have debris up here. This is an actual sighting.” Borman described “hundreds of little particles going by,” adding, “It looks like a path of the vehicle at 90 degrees.”
Chief Critics
Some Trump critics have accused him of using the UFO file release as a distraction from the Epstein files or the Iran war, including popular podcast host Joe Rogan. “What doesn’t make sense is why now, disclosure,” Rogan said on his podcast Thursday, referring to the release of files related to UFOs, adding, “This is being cynical, but the Iran war isn’t going very well, the American public is very upset,” suggesting people “need something to distract us.” Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has emerged as a vocal critic of the president, said in a post on X Friday, “I really don’t care about the UFO files. I just don’t,” calling it “propaganda while they wage foreign wars, let rapist and pedophiles run free, and ruin the value of our dollar.” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., previously criticized Trump’s February promise to release UFO documents, saying in a post on X, “They’ve deployed the ultimate weapon of mass distraction, but the Epstein files aren’t going away… even for aliens.”
Key Background
Trump has in recent months attacked former President Barack Obama over his comments about the government’s handling of classified UFO documents. In a February interview, Obama said aliens are “real, but I haven’t seen them,” sparking renewed public interest over whether the government has evidence of alien life. He later clarified in an Instagram post that his comments were speculation, saying the “universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there,” but he did not personally see evidence of extraterrestrial life during his presidency. Trump, after Obama’s interview, said he “gave classified information” and made a “big mistake.” Trump’s February vow to release UFO documents came days after Obama’s comments on aliens. Obama addressed aliens again earlier this week—three days before the Pentagon’s document release—in an interview with Stephen Colbert, saying the “government is terrible at keeping secrets” and that if it had evidence of alien existence, “some guy guarding the installation would have taken a selfie with one of the aliens and sent it to his girlfriend.”
Op één na grootste tsunami ooit in fjord in Alaska: “Golf bereikte hoogte van 481 meter”
In de Amerikaanse staat Alaska raasde vorig jaar een mega-tsunami door de fjord Tracy Arm. Volgens berekeningen van onderzoekers bereikte de vloedgolf een hoogte van maar liefst 481 meter. Doordat de tsunami vroeg in de ochtend plaatsvond, lagen er nog geen cruiseschepen in de fjord en vielen er geen slachtoffers.
Buitenlandredactie
Bron: AD.nl
De gigantische golf ontstond in de vroege ochtend van 25 augustus 2025, nadat een aardverschuiving ervoor zorgde dat een gigantisch ‘rotsblok’ loskwam in de fjord Tracy Arm. Het woord ‘rotsblok’ is een understatement: volgens onderzoekers stortte 64 miljoen kubieke meter rots tegelijk in het water. Ter vergelijking: de Grote Piramide van Gizeh heeft een volume van ongeveer 2,58 miljoen kubieke meter, wat betekent dat er ongeveer 25 piramides tegelijk in het water vielen.
Doordat Tracy Arm een smalle fjord is, ontstond er een megagolf. Op een hoogte van meer dan 480 meter werden aan de overkant bomen en rotsen gevonden die door de tsunami waren verplaatst. Volgens onderzoekers werd de aardverschuiving veroorzaakt door het terugtrekken van de gletsjers in de fjord, wat weer een gevolg is van klimaatverandering.
KIJK. Onderstaande video toont hoe de golf is ontstaan
Tracy Arm is een populaire bestemming voor cruiseschepen. Volgens de onderzoekers zorgde het tijdstip – in de vroege ochtenduren – ervoor dat er nog geen cruiseschepen in de fjord lagen. Bretwood Higman, een geoloog uit Alaska die de schade bij Tracy Arm met eigen ogen zag, zegt dat het op een haar na is fout gegaan. “We weten dat er mensen waren die bijna op de verkeerde plek waren”, vertelt hij aan de BBC. “Ik ben doodsbang dat we in de toekomst niet zo veel geluk zullen hebben.”
Met een geschatte hoogte van 481 meter is deze megagolf echter niet de grootste tsunami ooit. De grootste megatsunami vond ook plaats in Alaska, in de jaren 50 van de vorige eeuw, en bereikte een hoogte van meer dan 500 meter.
Wild cone-shaped UFOs light up Canada skies, sparking panic as experts reveal the source
Daniel Cody
A series of wild cone-shaped objects illuminated the night skies over a Canadian province this week, sparking widespread curiosity and speculation among long residents, according to a report.
A series of cone-shaped UFOs reportedly illuminated the night skies over a Canadian province Tuesday night, sparking widespread curiosity and speculation.
While many residents wondered if the wild objects over British Columbia had otherworldly origins — scientific experts believe the terrestrial spectacle was likely just a SpaceX rocket deployment.
Malhar Kendurkar, of the Prince George Astronomical Observatory, told CBC Radio he saw the object and he was certain the light was a “jellyfish effect” resulting from the Falcon 9 rocket that launched around 9 p.m. from the Vandenberg Space Force base in California Tuesday evening.
The light phenomenon visible in British Columbia on Tuesday, May 5.
Photo courtesy of Patsy Seymour via Facebook Facebook/Patsy Seymour
SpaceX is the US aerospace manufacturer founded by Elon Musk in 2002.
The amorphous light was visible across a large swath of the Canadian province between 10:15 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. local time.
The exhaust from the rocket expanded as it reached the upper atmosphere, creating a cloud-like effect, according to Kendurkar.
Patsy Seymour, who posted a video of the light on Facebook, said it appeared to “dissipate” as it traveled into the distance.
A close up of the aerial phenomenon.
Photo courtesy of Patsy Seymour via Facebook. Facebook/Patsy Seymour
The director of programming at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, Michael Unger, told CBC the light was not a natural occurrence like a cloud or meteor.
“It certainly looks controlled,” he said.
“Those things are just more common in our society now.”
Moon formation is one of the most fascinating topics in space science, tracing back about 4.51 billion years to the chaotic early solar system. The leading explanation for moon origin is the Giant Impact Hypothesis, where a Mars-sized body called Theia collided with early Earth, sending debris into orbit that eventually formed the Moon. This event shaped not only Earth's satellite but also the evolution of the early planet itself.
History of the moon shows a dramatic transformation from a molten disk to a stable celestial body with a solid crust. Studies of Apollo samples reveal strong isotopic similarities between Earth and the Moon, supporting the idea of a shared origin. While other theories like capture or co-formation exist, modern space science strongly supports the impact model as the most reliable explanation for how the moon was formed.
Giant Impact Hypothesis: Theia Collision Details
Moon formation is most widely explained by the Giant Impact Hypothesis, where a protoplanet named Theia collided with early Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. This massive impact, occurring at extremely high speed and angle, vaporized parts of Earth's mantle and ejected material into orbit. Over time, this debris formed a hot, rotating disk around Earth, marking the beginning of lunar development.
How the moon was formed continues with the condensation of this molten material into small particles that gradually clumped together. Space science simulations suggest that within a few years, these particles formed a growing proto-Moon. This process also explains why the Moon lacks a large iron core, as most metallic material remained with Earth after the collision.
Isotopic evidence strengthens this theory, especially the near-identical oxygen isotope ratios between Earth and Moon rocks. Apollo mission samples show a 99% similarity, supporting a shared origin. These findings make the Giant Impact Hypothesis the most accepted explanation in modern lunar science.
Alternative Moon Origin Theories and Their Challenges
Moon origin has been explored through several alternative theories besides the Giant Impact Hypothesis. These ideas try to explain how the Moon formed, but each one struggles to match modern space science evidence.
Capture Theory:
Suggests the Moon formed elsewhere in space and was later pulled into Earth's orbit.
Space science shows this would require extremely precise energy conditions.
The likelihood of Earth capturing a large body like the Moon without collision is very low.
Co-accretion Theory:
Proposes Earth and Moon formed at the same time from the same material cloud.
This theory struggles because the Moon has far less iron compared to Earth.
A shared formation cannot easily explain the differences in core size and composition.
Fission Theory:
Suggests the Moon split off from a rapidly spinning early Earth.
This would require Earth to spin much faster than current physics allows.
The Moon's composition and density do not support a clean separation from Earth.
Why These Theories Fall Short:
They cannot fully explain isotopic similarities between Earth and Moon rocks.
They also fail to match observed orbital patterns and dynamics.
Because of this, space science strongly favors the Giant Impact Hypothesis as the most reliable explanation.
History of the Moon: Magma Ocean and Surface Evolution
History of the moon begins with a global magma ocean, a molten surface layer estimated to be over 1,000 kilometers deep. As it cooled, minerals separated based on density, forming a crust dominated by anorthosite rock. This early cooling phase shaped the Moon's first stable surface and marked the start of its geological evolution.
During the Late Heavy Bombardment, the Moon was heavily cratered by asteroid impacts around 3.9 billion years ago. These collisions created large basins like Imbrium and Nectaris, reshaping its surface. Space science suggests that volcanic activity later filled some of these basins, forming the dark lunar maria seen today.
Modern missions such as GRAIL and LRO have revealed hidden structures beneath the surface, including variations in gravity and crust thickness. These findings help scientists understand how the Moon cooled and evolved over billions of years.
Space Science Discoveries and Modern Moon Research
Space science continues to refine our understanding of moon formation through advanced simulations and lunar missions. Data from Apollo samples, GRAIL gravity mapping, and LRO imaging has provided detailed insights into the Moon's internal structure and composition. These tools help confirm long-standing theories while challenging older assumptions.
Recent research also focuses on lunar water ice found in permanently shadowed craters near the poles. This discovery is important for future missions and potential lunar bases. Understanding how the moon was formed also helps scientists study other planetary systems and their evolution. With upcoming missions like Artemis, new samples and data will further improve knowledge of lunar history and formation processes.
The Moon's Origin Story and What We Still Want to Learn
Moon formation remains one of the strongest examples of how violent early solar system events shaped planetary bodies. The Giant Impact Hypothesis, supported by isotopic similarities and space science modeling, continues to explain how Earth and its Moon became connected billions of years ago.
Even with strong evidence, researchers still study unanswered questions about exact impact conditions and long-term evolution. As new missions return more data, the history of the moon will continue to become clearer, deepening our understanding of how the moon was formed and how Earth's closest companion came to be.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How was the Moon formed according to scientists?
Scientists believe the Moon formed after a massive collision between early Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia. This impact ejected material into orbit that eventually formed the Moon. The debris slowly clumped together over time. This is known as the Giant Impact Hypothesis.
2. Why is the Giant Impact Hypothesis widely accepted?
It explains key evidence such as isotopic similarities between Earth and Moon rocks. It also matches computer simulations of early solar system collisions. Other theories fail to explain these details as well. That is why it is the most supported model.
3. Did the Moon form at the same time as Earth?
No, the Moon formed after Earth had already begun forming. It likely developed from debris created by the collision with Theia. This makes its origin different from Earth's early formation. However, both share material from the same event.
4. What is the lunar magma ocean?
The lunar magma ocean was a deep layer of molten rock covering the early Moon. As it cooled, minerals separated and formed the crust. This process created the Moon's first solid surface. It played a key role in shaping lunar geology.
During its more than decade-long mission on Mars, the Curiosity rover has encountered many surprises. However, the latest discovery surprised even NASA’s most experienced experts. On April 25, 2026, the Mars rover began a routine procedure: it drove its rotary percussion drill into a Martian rock named “Atacama.” The objective was standard: to grind the rock sample into a powder for further chemical analysis. However, when Curiosity tried to pull the tool out, a 13-kilogram boulder came up to the surface along with it. As the agency notes, no such incident has ever occurred in the 13.5 years of the device’s operation.
A massive 13-kilogram boulder got stuck on the Curiosity rover. Photo: Unsplash
“In the past, the drilling process could have split the rock or chipped away the upper layers, but the rock has never before become lodged on the drill bit,” NASA officials explained.
The main problem is that Martian geology is always a gamble. Engineers on Earth can conduct hundreds of crash tests, but it is impossible to predict how alien soil will behave hundreds of millions of kilometers away. Microcracks, differences in material hardness, or variations in the bonding between rock layers can radically change the stone’s response to physical stress. And these properties can only be determined when the drill bit comes into direct contact with the surface.
Complex history of Curiosity’s drilling
The rover’s relationship with the Martian terrain has always been complicated. The Curiosity instrument combines rotational motion with powerful impact force to effectively grind rock into dust, which is then analyzed by onboard instruments. However, this complex mechanism has malfunctioned on more than one occasion.
As far back as 2015, short circuits and brake system issues were reported due to debris getting into the system. By the end of 2016, the situation had deteriorated to such an extent that drilling operations had to be suspended. Only in 2018, after extensive testing, engineers found an unconventional software workaround that allowed them to resume their research. These efforts were not in vain: subsequently, the drill helped identify long-chain alkanes in the mudstones—complex molecules whose origin is very difficult to explain solely through non-biological processes.
Rescue operation
Fortunately, the massive rock didn’t stay on the robotic arm for long. The ground crew’s initial attempts to simply “shake” the boulder with a light vibration proved futile. On April 29, the procedure was repeated: sand fell away from the “Atacama,” but the rock remained firmly in place.
The peak moment came on May 1. The engineers took a comprehensive approach: they tilted the drill bit further, combined rotation with vibration, and rotated the drill bit. Although the team had prepared to repeat the procedure, the rock broke loose on the very first attempt and crashed loudly onto the Martian surface.
The mission continues, despite the wear and tear
Originally, the Curiosity mission was planned to last only two years. However, during this time, the rover has completely transformed our understanding of Mars: it has investigated the history of water on Mars, climbed Mount Sharp, analyzed the bed of an ancient lake in Gale Crater, and detected preserved organic molecules.
The rover is already showing noticeable signs of wear and tear, but it continues to operate at full capacity. And the main contribution to this belongs to the team of engineers on Earth, who come up with creative solutions every time the Red Planet throws another unexpected challenge their way.
Former President Barack Obama has poured cold water on alien conspiracy theories
(Image: Getty Images)
Barack Obama has shut down rumours of a Pentagon alien cover-up, insisting the US government is far too leaky to keep a secret that big. Despite Donald Trumpand Capitol Hill bigwigs teasing the release of top-secret UFO files, the former President claims there are no "little green men" stashed away in Area 51.
Sitting down with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, Obama put the brakes on conspiracy theories, arguing that if the government actually had its hands on extraterrestrial tech, it would have been all over social media by now.
Obama says there are no 'little green men' buried underground
(Image: DoD/AFP via Getty Images
Obama was quick to pour cold water on the idea of a massive intergalactic conspiracy.
He said: "Here's the thing: For those of you who still think that we've gotten little green men underground somewhere, one of the things you learn as president is the government is terrible at keeping secrets.
"This idea of conspiracy theories - if there were aliens oralienspaceships or anything under the control of the United States government that we knew about, seen, photographs, what have you…I promise you some guy guarding the installation would have taken a selfie with one of the aliens and sent it to his girlfriend to impress her. There would be leaks."
Donald Trump has pledged to reveal the US government's alien secrets
(Image: Pool/ABACA/Shutterstock)
The former Commander-in-Chief admitted he actually hopes we aren't alone and and he's already volunteering to be Earth's first representative to our galactic neighbours.
He said: "First contact, I think I would be a good emissary for the planet. I've got some experience at statecraft and diplomacy. I'm friendly. So I actually think I could do a pretty good job."
But for those hoping for a close encounter anytime soon, he added a reality check: "But it hasn’t happened yet."
Obama's scepticism comes as Donald Trump continues to position himself as the "disclosure president."
The property mogul recently claimed the Pentagon is sitting on some "very interesting" data regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP).
Trump recently said: "We're going to be releasing a lot of things that we haven't. I think some of it's going to be very interesting to people."
In April, he said: "The first [UFO] releases will begin very, very soon… So you can go out and see if that phenomena is correct. You'll figure it out."
While Trump previously ordered the release of records surrounding the JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. assassinations, the documents failed to produce any "smoking gun" evidence, leaving many wondering if the upcoming UFO files will be similarly underwhelming.
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All you need to know as Barack Obama shuts down UFO cover-up conspiracy theories
Barack Obama has laughed off UFO cover-up claims, arguing the government is too leaky for secrets, while Donald Trump promises to reveal 'very interesting' files.
Barack Obama has dismissed claims that the US government is hiding evidence of alien life
(Image: @Brian Tyler Cohen/Barack Obama/YouTube)
Barack Obama has dismissed the idea of an alien cover-up at the Pentagon. He insists that the US government is simply too disorganised to keep such a massive secret hidden from the public.
The former President joked that "little green men" aren't being hidden at Area 51. He claims that if the government actually had alien technology, someone would have leaked it by now to look cool.
The "leaky" nature of the government means a conspiracy is almost impossible. Obama argued that a guard would have definitely taken a selfie with an alien and sent it to his girlfriend to impress her.
During a chat with Stephen Colbert, Obama was grilled about his past comments on UFOs. He admitted that while people didn't believe his previous denials, he stands by the fact that there is no hidden stash of spaceships.
Despite the lack of evidence, Obama says he is ready and willing to meet our galactic neighbours. He joked that he would be a great "emissary" for Earth because he has plenty of experience in high-level diplomacy.
Donald Trump is taking a very different approach by promising to reveal top-secret files. The current President has teased that the Pentagon is sitting on "very interesting" data regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.
Trump has vowed that big UFO disclosures will be released to the public "very soon." He wants people to see the evidence for themselves so they can decide if the alien phenomenon is actually real.
Some critics remain sceptical about whether these new files will actually show anything "smoking gun." Previous document releases regarding JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. failed to provide any major shocks.
Obama dismisses UFO theories, says federal government is 'terrible' at keeping secrets
Declassified U.S. Navy FLIR footage of the Tic-Tac UAP — released by the Pentagon in 2020 after years of denial that the footage existed
David Fravor’s Tic-Tac: The Encounter That Changed Everything
An 18-year Navy aviator with 6,000 hours of flight time describes an object that mirrored his movements, vanished instantly, and reappeared sixty miles away.
Commander David Fravor is not a casual observer. He spent eighteen years in the United States Navy as a carrier-based aviator, logging over 6,000 flight hours and accumulating combat experience in multiple deployments. At the time of the November 2004 encounter, he commanded Strike Fighter Squadron 41 — the Black Aces — flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet from the USS Nimitz. His career record and professional credibility are the reason his account carries the weight it does. He is, in the taxonomy of UAP witnesses, exactly the kind of person whose testimony cannot be easily dismissed.
On the morning of 14 November 2004, Fravor and his wingman were vectored toward an anomalous radar contact approximately 100 miles off the coast of San Diego. The controller aboard the USS Princeton, which had been tracking the object for two weeks, directed them to a position where they could attempt a visual intercept. Below Fravor’s aircraft, he observed a disturbance on the ocean surface — a circular churning of water approximately 50 to 100 feet across — and above it, a white elongated object roughly the size of an F/A-18, with no wings, no exhaust ports, no visible means of propulsion. It hovered in place.
What happened next is the part of the account that has defined the case. As Fravor descended toward the object in a circular intercept pattern, the object began mirroring his movements — ascending as he descended, tracking his arc. When Fravor committed to a direct intercept run, the object accelerated away and vanished. Not rapidly. Instantly. Gone from visual range and from the Princeton’s radar simultaneously, in a way that no known aircraft can achieve.
The Princeton then picked up the object’s radar return sixty miles away at the combat air patrol rendezvous point that Fravor’s flight had been heading toward. The object appeared to have known the destination and positioned itself there before the aircraft arrived. Fravor’s wingman, Lieutenant Alex Dietrich, also observed the encounter. She confirmed Fravor’s account publicly in 2020 — the first time she had spoken on the record. Two trained combat aviators, from two separate aircraft, describing the same object making the same impossible manoeuvres.
In 2019, Fravor testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Under oath, he described the object’s performance characteristics in technical aviation terms: instantaneous acceleration with no visible propulsion system, hypersonic speed with no thermal bloom, the ability to hold station against a 60-knot wind without control surfaces, and an intercept pattern that suggested awareness of his intentions. His conclusion, stated directly, was that no nation on Earth possesses this technology. He has repeated that assessment in every subsequent public appearance.
The distinction between the FLIR1 infrared video and Fravor’s visual intercept is important and often missed. The video shows what a later crew’s infrared camera recorded — a thermal signature at range. Fravor’s account is based on direct visual observation at close range from a combat aircraft. He has noted repeatedly that the video does not capture what he saw in terms of the object’s manoeuvrability. The visual encounter and the filmed encounter are separate data points that corroborate each other but do not duplicate each other.
Fravor has become the most credible single witness in the history of modern UAP research — not because of what he believes, but because of who he is and what he has consistently described. His 2019 Senate testimony is the pivotal document in the shift from UAP as a fringe subject to UAP as a national security matter. When the Pentagon established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office in 2022, and when Congress passed the UAP Disclosure Act in 2023, it was Fravor’s account — unchanging, technically precise, and delivered under oath — that most clearly made the case that the subject required serious institutional attention.
Watch: Commander David Fravor — Full Senate Armed Services Committee Testimony (2019)
Fravor’s complete testimony under oath before the Senate — describing the object’s performance characteristics in technical aviation terms and explaining why no known technology accounts for what he observed.
Watch: The Official FLIR1 Tic-Tac Video — U.S. Department of Defense Release (2020)
The declassified infrared footage of the Tic-Tac object, officially released by the Pentagon in 2020 and confirmed as genuine by the U.S. Navy.
Churches told to prepare now for UFO disclosure that could challenge core religious beliefs
Influential pastors say they’ve been privately warned to prepare their followers for possible UFO disclosure that could challenge core religious beliefs.
Evangelist Perry Stone a well-known evangelist, author and Bible teacher from Tennessee, claims a small group of Christian leaders were invited to a confidential meeting with U.S. intelligence officials. According to him, they were told the government may soon release reports, and possibly videos, suggesting the existence of non-human intelligence, advanced craft, and even “reptilian” beings.
These officials allegedly cautioned that such revelations could lead some believers to question the Bible’s account of creation, potentially causing a crisis of faith. At the same time, they warned that others might panic and turn to churches for answers.
The reported meeting involved approximately six Christian leaders, including Bishop Alan DiDio of the Revival Nation Church, who confirmed that he was a part of the extraordinary gathering. He echoed concerns about the impact of disclosure on religion. They also suggested the process could be framed in a way that portrays Christians negatively or undermines their beliefs.
Separately, political momentum for disclosure appears to be building. Donald Trump has called for the release of UFO-related files, while whistleblower David Grusch says pressure is increasing in Congress, with potential escalation in transparency efforts within the next 60–90 days.
Overall, these pastors urge churches to prepare now, warning that any official disclosure may be both shocking and spiritually destabilizing for many.
Note: I think this is just more hype. It’s always the same pattern, secret meetings, unnamed insiders, and claims that can’t be verified. Then come the shifting timelines and vague predictions like “a big reveal in 60–90 days,” followed by nothing and a new deadline. This cycle has repeated for years.
And even if governments did confirm non-human intelligence someday, it wouldn’t automatically disprove religion. History shows that when beliefs are challenged, religions tend to adapt rather than collapse.
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Dire wolf pups that were brought back from extinction are now ready to breed, the company behind the breakthrough has revealed.
Last year, Colossal Biosciences announced it had managed to 'de–extinct' the species, 12,000 years after it vanished from Earth.
The first litter included two male pups, Romulus and Remus, who were joined six months later by a female called Khaleesi.
The apex predators, made famous by Game of Thrones, are healthy and have continued to thrive under the watchful eye of keepers at a secure preserve in the US.
They have reached several milestones so far, including learning how to pick apart a whole deer carcass. And now, another landmark moment has been reached – as they are ready to breed.
The company has announced plans to create more pups later this year to expand the gene pool of the group and allow the animals to begin naturally growing their pack.
'The plan is to create an inter–breedable population of dire wolves in which they would eventually breed naturally to create a sustainable population of the world's first de–extinct species,' Matt James, the company's chief animal officer, told The Telegraph.
'We will grow the population through assisted reproduction initially and then eventually only rely on natural breeding.'
Colossal Biosciences says it has plans to engineer two to four more dire wolf pups to introduce into the pack before they will be allowed to breed
Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, the first genetically engineered dire wolf pups, are growing bigger than most gray wolves
To create the dire wolves, Colossal Biosciences started by reconstructing their genome from DNA found in ancient fragments of bone.
Using this genome as a reference, scientists then genetically modified grey wolf embryos so that they closely resembled the extinct dire wolf.
This meant inserting traits for a white coat, larger teeth, a more muscular build and a distinctive howl.
The hybrid embryos were then implanted in surrogate dog mothers, who gave birth by caesarean section to minimise the risk of complications.
'The dire wolves are doing great,' Ben Lamm, the chief executive and co–founder of the company said.
'The three dire wolves live on a 2,000–acre secure, expansive ecological preserve that allows us to monitor and manage them while providing them a semi–wild habitat to thrive in.
'We hope to have more dire wolf pups by the end of the year.'
The wolves are being kept in an undisclosed location where they are fed beef, deer, horse meat and a specially formulated dried pet food.
The dire wolves were created by Colossal Biosciences, a Texas–based company using cutting–edge genetic engineering to bring extinct species back to life, including the woolly mammoth, dodos, and Tasmanian tigers
After being extinct for around 12,000 years, Colossal Biosciences turned Game of Thrones' author George R. R. Martin's dire wolves into a reality. Pictured: George R. R. Martin holding a dire wolf pup
What is the dire wolf?
The dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) is an extinct wolf species that roamed the Americas as recently as 12,000 years ago.
Dire wolves were as much as 25 per cent larger than grey wolves and had a slightly wider head, light thick fur and stronger jaw.
As hyper–carnivores, their diet comprised at least 70 per cent meat from mostly horses and bison.
Dire wolves went extinct at the end of the most recent ice age.
'The dire wolf pack is actually breeding–aged at this point,' Mr James continued.
'But we will initially grow the pack through assisted reproduction while we create new, genetically diverse individuals to grow our pack.'
The company has said it plans to engineer two to four more dire wolves over the coming years.
Future wolves will be engineered from different cell populations so that the pack has more genetic diversity.
Once the pack contains multiple dire wolves at different ages, natural pack dynamics and hierarchies should start to emerge.
Experts have previously warned a large pack of ice age predators could become dangerous.
Nic Rawlence, a palaeontologist at the University of Otago, previously told the Daily Mail: 'If released into the wild in large enough numbers to establish a self–sustaining population, this new wolf could potentially take down prey larger than that hunted by grey wolves.
'There would also be the potential for increased human and wolf conflict. This sort of conflict is increasing as wolf populations recover in the USA.'
Some critics have also pointed out that animals scientists had created were not 'dire wolves' but simply genetically modified grey wolves.
Likewise, ecologists have questioned whether a species can safely be reintroduced to an ecosystem that has changed so thoroughly in its absence.
After the company revealed it was planning to bring back the giant Moa bird, experts pointed out that this could lead to unintended consequences.
Professor Stuart Pimm, an ecologist at Duke University who was not involved in the study, told AP at the time: 'Can you put a species back into the wild once you've exterminated it there?
'I think it's exceedingly unlikely that they could do this in any meaningful way.'
Inside the ambitious plan to 'de–extinct the Dodo': How scientists are using stem cell technology to bring back the extinct species
It's one of the most famous extinct animals of all time, ruthlessly hunted to extinction by humans in just a few decades.
US startup Colossal Biosciences, based in Dallas, Texas, is using stem cell technology and genome editing to create a modern approximation of the species.
At a cost of over $225 million (£180 million), it is 'de–extincting' the dodo more than 350 years after it was wiped out from Mauritius by European explorers.
Scientists have already achieved the monumental feat of sequencing the full genome of the extinct species, from bone specimens and other fragments.
The next step is to gene–edit the skin cell of a close living relative, which in the dodo's case is the Nicobar pigeon, so that its genome matches that of the extinct bird.
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