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.
SOllie of the UFO Ii teratlJfe has cOlltcnueJ thut a larger thvTJ usual
number of UFO reports occur at the times of i'lartian oppodtion.~,. I11'~
contention is that thlS indicates that some UFOs cume From ~lars at these
particularly favorable times. 111e claimed c.orrelation is quite un-
founded; the idea is not supported by observational dvta. (VaHee and
Vallee, 1966, p, 138).
~Ia:!'s is much smaller than Earth, havi ng a diarnett.>r of 4,200 mi les,
in comparison with 8,000 mi.les. Mars' mass is aootlt one-telr:h the
Earth's, and gravity at ~lars' surface is ahollt O..;8 that of 1:.a1'th. The
~Iartian escape velocity is 3,1 mile/sec.
At the favorable opposition of J.n77, r;. V. Schiaparelli. an
Italian astronomer, observed a.ntl marped some surface markings on Mars
which he calleJ "I,;analt,." I,cuni.ng "channels" in Italian. The word was
mjstran111ateJ as "canals" in !;nglish and the idea was pu,: forwe.nl.
partlc1.11arl)· vigore-lsI)' by Percival Lm"ell, founder of th~ Lowell
Observatory of Flagstaff, Arizona, that the canals on Mars were evidence
of a gigantic pla'wtary iJrigation scheme, developed by LIte supposed
inhabitants of ~1'.\I'S (Lo\l'cdl, 1908). These markings have been the sub-
ject of a great df'al of £~tudy since their' discovery. Astr0nomers
generally nOI'/ reject the idea that they nfford any kind of indication
that Mars is inhabited by Intelligent [wings.
Mars has two moons named Phobo5 anc1 lJelmos, 'T1w5e are exceedingly
~mall. Phobos being t.'stimatcd at ten JIIil(~5 in tI. amct~r and LJeimos at
five mill's, bas0(\ all their lJrightllC>'s, a:~s\)min6 . he reflecting pOlo/er
of their material to [w th,.' ~amc a~; that ,)f til\' !,l.llict. The perioJs
- h" ,tn f . 1'1 I . ")hI Sill r I' .'I -l • J .arc' I ,)~1 '01' IO"JS llllll .,' . for h~11110Ci ••.~>' WCl'e l.~lScoverc In
:\ut,:1Jst 1877 b~: Asap;, 1\;:\1] tl':ing tht' th('rl reI, ~)C,-inch r~~fIactor of the
1I.~), ~av;ll Obscrv:.lt:n,' III \\'asl~ington. An llPSUCl":"" "Ful search for moons
..)f ~lar~~ '.,a:; 'nUlL' I\'jth a ·\8-inch 111j"j,;t' during the ,.;ppo::.it.iull of 18(,2.
S. ':hk()v~kii (19SSl) pl1hJish:J a :,cn:-;;... tI1art iall 0PPO! i tion.',. n\,~
contention is that thlS jndicates that some UFOs cume ~rolll Mars at these
particul arly favorab 1e times. '111e clai mod corTe 1 at i on is qui te un-
founded; the idea b not supported by observational dvta. (VaHee and
Vallee, 1966, p. 13~).
~Ia!'s is much smaller than Earth, having a diarnetl'r of 4,200 mi les,
in comparison with B.,OOO mlles. f'lars' mass is illJOllt. one-ten-:h the
Earth's, and gravity at ~lars' surface is ahout O ..;8 that of l:.a1'th. The
~lfHtian escape velocity is 3.1 mile/sec.
At the favorable opposition of I1l77, r;. V. Schiaparelli, an
1 tali an astronomer, observed anti ma),p(.d ~ome surface markings on Mars
which he cal1('c.l "I;anal.i ," '.,euni.llg "channels" in Italian. The word was
mistran!'lated as "cana)s" in I:llg1.1sh and the idea was pu,: fOTW"J'(I.
partlclllaJ'ly vigorC'Js 1)' by I'crci. IIa1 Lowell, founder of th~ Lowell
Observatory of Flagstaff, Ari zona, that the canals on Mars were evidence
of a gigantic pla'1etary irrigation scheme, developed tJy Lile supposed
inhabitants of ~hrs (Lowel.1, 1908). These markings have been the sub-
ject of a great df'al of £:tudy since their discovery. Astr01Wmt'tS
generall;: nO\·1 I'eject the idea that they nfford any kind of indication
that Mars is inhabited by liltellig\>llt ht'in.l'.s.
~!ars has two moons named Phobu:, anr1 lJelmos. '~t'se aro exceedinglY
"mall, Phobos b('ing ctor of the
1I.:i. :\;lv.11 Db:Hrv:\t'JJI' In \~a~l;il\fton. An IIPSlICl;I";;Ful seard. for moons
.,)f ~I;n~' ',,,,-a:. 11Htt'C I,' j th a ,\Il-inch III i t'l ,; r' (luI' i ng the ,.;Jlpo~ i tj Cll1 of 18(,2.
:~ . ':hk .. av~ki i (19:'(1) puh J ish .:d ,'\ ::-~cns;..~t! OTt:1 I L·U( gc~tion in a
:"1o~ ;m; detws~.lal\\;' r thlt tl\l's (' moon:.; \.oJC rp r e a.11y arti fi <.:i al :'.:telli tcs
I-.h: \ I';J'\ beep put U!' by suppo:-;ed inhabitants of ~1::trs a~; a pl'lcC of 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.