Lockheed Martin and BAASS

"Inside the US Government Covert UFO Program: Initial Revelations." 2023. Published by RTMA LLC. Henderson, Nevada; is a recent book by James T. Lacatski; Colm Kelleher and George Knapp. It follows their 2021 book "Skinwalkers at the Pentagon." This new book is the second in a projected series of books by the three authors, about the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP.) The book covers the time period September 2008 through May 2009. The most commented upon section of the second book contains the following: 

Courtesy Amazon Books

Courtesy Amazon Books

"At the conclusion of a 2011 meeting in the capitol building with a U.S. Senator and an agency Under Secretary, Lacatski, the only one of this book's authors present, posed a question.

He stated that the United States was in possession of a craft of unknown origin and had successfully gained access to its interior. This craft had a streamlined configuration suitable for aerodynamic flight but no intakes, exhaust, wings, or control surfaces. In fact, it appeared not to have an engine, fuel tanks or fuel.

Lacatski asked" 'What is the purpose of this craft? Was it a life support craft useful only for atmospheric reentry or what? If it were a spacecraft, then how did it operate?"

Do we have any copies of original BAASS documents from around the year 2011, (apart from a number of the 38 Defense Intelligence Reference Documents dated 2011) which refer to such a "craft?" A very overlooked BAASS document does exist which may cast light on this topic. 

Mark Cecotti

French researcher Marc Cecotti submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, on 8 December 2021. In it he sought:

"...a copy of all records, including but not limited to emails, reports, memorandum, presentations, mentioning : "Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program" or the acronym "AAWSAP," "Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies" or the acronym "BAASS." Date range for record search from 1/1/2008 to 12/31/2012."

The DHS response was a one-page document with the following text:

"BAASS goals 2011/2012

Area 1:

1. Advanced Technology Analysis Center - analyze recovered AAV technology in collaboration with aerospace companies. Construct extremely secure underground lab facility.

2. Conscious interactions with, and control of, advanced AAV technology.

3. Extend Remote Communications Programs to communicate and retrieve data across dimensional/space-time barrier. Target multiple locations.

4. Identify anomalous activity in select areas of the United States and establish field research laboratories and remote communication programs on site.

Retrieve and integrate all historical data on AAVs from retirees (oral history.)

Area 2:

1. Liaison with IC, FBI, State, Local and tribal Police, FAA, DoD (including AFOSI), National Laboratories and with US Aerospace companies.

2. Collect data, including classified data, from IC/DoD entities, e.g. cockpit flight recordings of AAV performance, communications, medical autopsy reports, weapons use, AAV trajectory records (from NORAD.)

3. Classified data collection from AAV interactions with Nuclear Weapons Storage Facilities - (Northern Tier and other AFB AAV incidents.)

Area 3:

Note: unclassified separate organization.

1. Create an open organization for collection of data on AAV performance.

2. Liaise with civilian groups for AAV data collection."

Department of Homeland Security

In the first book "Skinwalkers at the Pentagon" authors Lacatski et al, state that "On February 7, 2011, Lacatski gave a very in-depth briefing to colleagues at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate. At this point in time, the opportunity arose for DHS to receive $10 million in FY13 funding..." for an AASWAP look alike program. Would it be reasonable to conclude that the one-page BAASS document was part of the briefing by Lacatski?

Advanced Technology Analysis Center

Notice from the BAASS document, the words:

"Advanced Technology Analysis Center - analyze recovered AAV technology in collaboration with aerospace companies. Construct extremely secure underground lab facility."

AAV was short for Advanced Aerial Vehicle, an alternative name for UAP.  

David Grusch 

It should also be noted that David Grusch in a recent interview with Joe Rogan , inter alia, of the fact that Senator Harry Reid was looking, under the AAWSAP contract, to have retrieved UAP material transferred from Lockheed Martin to BAASS for BAASS to undertake materials analysis. What material does this refer to? Is it Lacatski's "craft of unknown origin" or something else? Grusch stated:

"...the other government customer which was the Central Intelligence Agency for that specific Lockheed material...from the 50's...bits and pieces of hull structures."

So, not an intact craft but bits and pieces.  

The mystery of the "craft of unknown origin" continues.

The upcoming SOL Foundation Symposium

Academia

We seem to have reached a 'tipping point' as regards the involvement of academia in UAP studies. Over recent years, we have seen an increasing number of academics from various disciplines taking an active interest in the topic, e.g. Jeffrey Kripal (Religious Studies); Kimberley Engels (Philosophy); Kevin Knuth (Physics); Avi Loeb (Physics); Beatriz Villarroel (Astronomy); Garry Nolan (Immunology); and Diana Walsh Pasulka (Religious Studies.) 

Amazon.com.au : pasulka diana

In addition, learned bodies such as the Society for UFO Studies have emerged, as well as Foundations dedicated to researching UAP, e.g. The European Echo Foundation, and now the U.S. based The Sol Foundation. 

What is the SOL Foundation?

From the Foundation's website we learn that:

"The SOL Foundation brings together experts from academia and government to address the philosophical, policy and scientific problems caused by the likely presence on the Earth of UAP."

The Executive Director of the Foundation is Dr. Garry Nolan. 

"Dr. Nolan is the Rachford and Carlota A. Harris Professor in the Department of Pathology at Stanford University School of Medicine."

The Foundation's Director of Research is Dr. Peter Skafish, who is:

"...a sociocultural anthropologist who has held faculty and research positions in France, Canada, Germany and the United States."

Research

 "Where the science of UAP is concerned, we will support...studies of potential material components of UAP, the possible physics and engineering of their 'propulsion' and energy technology and the biological effects of human exposure to them."

"As for the humanities and social sciences we are seeking researchers in fields such as anthropology, history, philosophy, religious studies and sociology to help us understand the impacts that confirmation of the reality of UAP would have for human society, cosmologies, and political systems the world over."

Symposium

On 17 and 18 November 2023, the Foundation will hold a symposium on the grounds of Stanford University, 35 miles south of San Francisco, California, USA. It is sponsored by the Nolan Laboratory and the Stanford School of Medicine. In person attendance is by invitation only. 

Speakers

 The schedule of speakers, and the titles of their presentations are listed below:

17 November

Avi Loeb. "The New Frontier of Interstellar Objects."

Beatriz Villarroel. "Multiple Transients and the Search for ET Probes."

Kevin Knuth. "The Physics of UAP, with Some Clues about Their Detection, Monitoring and Engineering."

Garry Nolan. "The Material Science of UAP."

Jacques Vallee. "The UFO Phenomenon: A Genuine Scientific Problem."

Diana Walsh Pasulka. "Rewriting the Myth of Prometheus: Innovation Through Off-Planet Research, Data and Environments."

Peter Skafish. "Conceptualizing Nonhuman Intelligence Anthropomorphism and Ontology."

18 November

Timothy Gallaudet. "The U.S. Government's UAP Apathy is Another Case of Massively Misplaced Priorities."

Jairus Victor Grove. "Crowded Skies: Atmospheric and Orbital Threat Reduction in an Age of Uncertainty."

Karl Nell. "The Schumer Amendment and Controlled Disclosure."

Jonathan Berte. "The European Union and Disclosure: Government, Industry and UAP Research."

Christopher Mellon. No title available.

Charles McCullough III. A fireside chat.

Iya Whitley. "Observation in Data: Trusting and Learning from Pilots."

Paul Thigpen. "They Are All God's Children; Insights from Catholic Theology on UAP and Nonhuman Intelligence."

Jeff Kripal. "To Shoot Down Souls: Some Paradoxical Thoughts on the UFO Phenomenon from an Historian of Religions."

In conclusion

As will be seen from the above speakers' schedule, the Symposium promises to be an excellent mix of academics from diverse disciplines. I look forward to the availability of videos of the sessions, in order to digest the impressive range of topics being discussed.

Updated CUFOS website

Center for UFO Studies

The U.S. Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) was founded by the late Prof. J. Allen Hynek in 1973, making this year, the Center's 50th anniversary. Its purpose is to advocate for serious scientific study of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), as well as to act as an archive for material relating to UAP. The Center has just updated its website.

J. Allen Hynek - courtesy CUFOS

Scanned material

Now available are scanned issues of:

* The International UFO Reporter (IUR) - 1976-2012

* The Journal of UFO Studies (JUFOS) - series one 1979-1983 and series two 1989-2006

* CUFOS Associates Newsletter - May 1980-Jun/Jul 1985.

I am particularly delighted to see the scanned issues of both the IUR and JUFOS, as I was an occasional contributor of articles to both of them, over several years.

In addition, there are scanned copies of many of the CUFOS monographs, such as Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos' "Catalogue of 200 type-1 UFO events in Spain and Portugal" and Jennie Zeidman's "A Helicopter-UFO encounter over Ohio."

Also available, are scanned copies of all the publications of the former National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) between 1975-1980, including:

* The UFO Investigator

* UFO Quarterly Review

* NICAP Special Bulletins.

These are a much-appreciated collection of documents.

Other features

Other features of the updated website are:

* A comprehensive timeline of cases and events

* An outline, with sample cases of the Hynek classification system

* A detailed description of the 192,000 UFOCAT-2023 case database.

All in all, a very useful compilation of UAP research documentation, as well as other resources not mentioned above.