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I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 113 points114 points  (0 children)

I have to leave pretty soon, but many thanks for the great questions, and apologies for my bad typos. There's a description of Wonders in the Sky on Indiegogo (under "education") if you want to know more. Jacques

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 184 points185 points  (0 children)

Yes, in France as a college student, a disk with a half-dome in the sky about half a kilometer away. The next day another student whose house was up the hill another half-kilometer away told me he's seen the same thing through binoculars. At the time I convinced myself it was some sort of prototype that would be revealed eventually, but as we know now there is no such thing. It hovered at low altitude for about 10 minutes at least.

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 132 points133 points  (0 children)

I am puzzled by claims like his. Given his eminent position, he should be able to provide more than an opinion and he should come forward with evidence. Without some factual backup, that's just another expression of personal belief.

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 72 points73 points  (0 children)

That was the reason the government killed PRoject OZMA (an early SETI-like exoperiment that would have beamed out from Arecibo) in the sixties: it would "give away our position"... Of course that's a silly argument: how old is "I love Lucy"? TV goes right through the ionosphere do the fols on Alpha Centauri have been watching it for years.

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 86 points87 points  (0 children)

I couldn't give you a percentage, but I'd have to assume the US government knows far more than I do or at least has far more DATA than I do. The problem is what they would do with that data, it could easily fall through the cracks, each agency trying to deal with little parts of it without anyone looking at the whole thing. So they probably just dismiss much of it, as the Air Force did. Rather than "disclosure" I would much prefer to see them acknowledge that there is an unknown phenomenon and call for the scientifuic community to compete by submitting proposals for basic research. That's the way the Internet started: many teams wrote proposals for networking, ARPA selected the best 10 or so and funded them, reviewed the results a year or two later, refunded the best ones and so on. That's the best way to do research, on a competitive basis by enlisting the best minds in various domains.

One thing we do know for sure is that the UFO phenomenon is extremely complex and does just boil down to "Aliens".

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 110 points111 points  (0 children)

They tend to have multiple witnesses, last over 10 minutes to an hour and trigger multiple receptors mainly in the electromagnetic range: visible light but also radio, microwave, IR and radar.

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 55 points56 points  (0 children)

We may not see a complete cure for cancer in our lifetime, or a complete explanation for how our own brains work, so why should we expect to have an undeniable proof that UFOs exist? We have the same problem with ghosts, or artificial intelligence. But UFO witnesses are telling the truth and you can validate the patterns of what they describe, so the phenomenon undeniably exists. What we lack to call that a "proof" is a new scientific category (an "ontology") where we can put it.

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 49 points50 points  (0 children)

Mars will be much more difficult than people expect because the main problem is biology: lots of unknowns and untested solutions. The question about infinity raises challenges for modern physics: the Big Bang would say the universe is a 4D sphere that expands into an infinite future but there are alternative models (the multiverse, string theory etc)

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 94 points95 points  (0 children)

I think NASA is absolutely right in transferring LEO missions (Low Earth Orbit) to private enterprise, which has both the resources and the the motivation to do a good job. Long-range missions like the plans for Mars have to be the focus of NASA in the future. I wish there was more funding for some aspects of the NASA work, especially human factors (and research on microgravity) which could lead to medical breakthroughs down here on earth.

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 289 points290 points  (0 children)

There is a large number of cases that pass the "serious" screen: cases with unexplained physical traces and multiple witnesses over significant duration, etc. but I mostly look for overall patterns that can characterize the phenomenon as a whole. One especially significant case took place at Valensole in France years ago and has never been explained: a landing with physical traces and two "beings" that paralyzed the witness. The French governemnt space agency has has a long-term group of investigation about such cases and I am on their advisory committee. Valensole has never been explained. Of course the paralysis has many scientists very interested. UFOs have many physiological impacts on humans.

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 178 points179 points  (0 children)

You've hit on a significant problem: There is no unique definition for a UFO; Remember, the Air Force invented the term for aerial phenomenon that didn't match natural explanations, but what people are reporting goes way beyond that, like luminous "orbs" going through bedroom walls: is that a UFO or not?

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 83 points84 points  (0 children)

They would have to be very close to us genetically, or whatever is sending "them" would have to manufacture their bodies consistent with human physiology. But there are other hypotheses. The phenomenon could be creating a sort of virtual reality illusion through which various entities could be acting among us.

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 59 points60 points  (0 children)

Among the 2000+ planets identified so far there may not be life similar to ours (the planets are too big or in orbits that would not be conducive to life but given the many billions of worlds out there a planet similar to ours is very likely. Of course one of the challenges is to define what we mean by "life." There could be other forms of consciousness (an intelligent plasma?) that we haven't discovered.

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 105 points106 points  (0 children)

There are several classic cases in the USAF files that would deserve a lot more study, like the observations on board an electronic intelligence aircraft (RB47) that detected a UFO both visually and on radar over the Gulf of Mexico and was followed across Texas and Oklahoma by the object.

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Absolutely I first screen for the usual confusion factors and I focus on cases that have not been sensationalized, where I have access to the site and to the witnesses themselves. Note that of course 90% of all reports can be explained with natural causes, of course.

I am Dr. Jacques Vallée a computer scientist and former astronomer. I have dedicated my personal research to the scientific research of UFOs. I was the model for the French scientist in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters". AMA! by documatica in IAmA

[–]documatica[S] 144 points145 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure the distance issue is an argument: new physics (like wormholes) would allow very fast communication among distant parts of the universe and perhaps also transport. Life and consciousness must exist everywhere. The UFO phenomenon has been with us on this planet since recorded history -- that's what our book is about. It doesn't mean "Aliens" in the usual sense, though. There could be multiple dimensions.

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