Documents / Report
This is the final report of the Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects, conducted by the University of Colorado under Air Force contract F44620-67-C-0035, with Edward U. Condon as scientific director and Daniel S. Gillmor as editor. It was submitted to the National Academy of Sciences on 15 November 1968 for review. The report includes field studies, photographic and radar analyses, case studies, historical chapters and appendices such as the Robertson Panel report and the Twining letter.
they develop to
they have
long space
fhe dimen~3ions of the unberse are hard for th~ mind of man tv
concei ve. A light-year is the distanc:e light travels in one year of
31.56 million seconds, at the rate of 186,000 miles per second, that
is, a distance of 5.88 million million miles. 1be nearest known star
is at a distance of 4.2 light-years.
Fifteen stars are known to be within 11.5 light-ye:t!'s of the Sun.
Our own galaxy, thp ~Ii lky Way ,is a vast flattened distribution of
some lOll stars about 80,000 light-years in dlameter, with the Sun
located about 26,000 light-years from the center. To gain. a little
perspective on the meaning of such distances relativ:.~ to human affairs,
we may observe that the news of Onist's life on Earth could not yet
have reached as much as a tenth of the Jistance from the Earth to the
c~nter of our galaxy,
Other galaxies are inconceivably remote. The faintest ohservable
galaxies are at a distance of some two billion light-yeaTs. 'mere are
some 100 million such galaxies within that distance, the average
distance oetween galaxies being some eight million light-years.
Authors of UFO fanta~~y literature casually set all of the 1aws of
physics ~side in order to t.ry tc evade t.his cOhclusion, but serious
consideration of their lJeas hardly belongs in a report on the scien-
tific study of UFOs.
Even assuming that ulfficl..'ties of this s'Jrt could be overcome,
",'e have no right to assume that in life communities everywhere there
is a steady evolution in tne directions of both greater intelligence
and grea.ter technological competence. Human beings now know enough to
destroy all tife on Farth, and they may lack the intelligence to work
out sodal controls to keep themsel V{~s from doing so. I f other ci. viI i-
zatic·r·s have th~ samt' limitation theI~ it might be that
the point where they destroy themselves utterly before
developed the tecilnology needed to en~)le them to make
voyages.
Another po~.~ i bi 1ity is that the groHth of intel1 iger::o precedes
38
flie c1imen~,ions of the uni'Jerse are hard for thp mind of man tJ
cancei ve, A light-year is the distance light travels in one year of
,31.56 million seconus, ut the rate of 186,000 miles per second, that
is, a distance of S.88 million million miles. The nearest known star
is at a distance of 4.2 light-years.
Fifteen 5 tars are known to be within 11.5 ligh t-Ve'lTS of the Sun.
Our own galaxy. thp 'Ii iky \~;ly, .LS iI vast flattened distribution of
some 1011 stars about 80,000 light-years in dIameter, with the Sun
located about 26,000 light-years from the center. To gain a little
perspe-.:tive on the meaning of such distances relativ'_~ to human affairs,
we may observe that the news of Onist's life on Earth could not yet
h,lve reached as much as a tenth of the distance from the Earth to the
c::!nter of our galaxy.
Other galaxies are inconceivably remote. The faintest observable
galaxies are at a distance of some two billion light-yeaTs. There are
some 100 mi Uion such ga 1axi es within that dis tance, the average
distance oetween galaxi es being some eight million light-years,
Authors of UFO fantao~y literature casually set all of the laws of
physics aside in order to t.ry tc evade this cOlldusion, but serious
consideration of thei~ ideas hardly belongs in a report on the scien-
tific studt of UFOs.
Even assuming that ell ffi ct.,: ties of this s:Jrt could be overcome,
we hav!'! no nght to assume that in life communi ties everywhere there
is a steady evolution in tne directions of both greater intelligence
and greater technologi cal competence. Iluman beings now know enough to
des troy all t ife on Larth, and chey may I ack the i nte lligencc to work
out social controls to keep themselv{~s from doing so. If other civili-
zatiu'5 have the samf limitation the!, it might be that they develop to
the point I.here tl\ry destroy thell1selves utterly before they hu.ve
developed the technology needed to enable thern to make long spat:e
voyage s '
Another [JO:,~ibility is that thE: grol-lth of intelliger::e precedes
38 Report, from the classic collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 1497 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.