Lori Hile - Aliens & UFOS

Martin, Michael. Alien Abductions (Edge Books: The Unexplained). Mankato, Minn.:Capstone, 2006.

Mason, Paul. Investigating UFOs and Aliens . (Fact Finders: Extreme). Mankato, Minn.:Capstone, 2009.

Rooney, Anne. UFOs and Aliens (Amazing Mysteries). Mankato, Minn.: Smart Apple Media,2010.

You will find lots of great information about UFOs on the Internet. Just keep inmind that lots of people have strong views about UFOs, and some of these views havelittle or no basis in scientific fact. When browsing the Internet, make sure younote the source of the information and consider why the author might be presentingit. Here are a few recommended web sites:

www.kidskonnect.com/subjectindex/15-science/107-ufo.html This site contains fun UFOfacts and links to web sites.

starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question24.html

This NASA page explores how scientists search for alien life in the universe.

www.ufoevidence.org This web site gives international evidence for UFOs, includingsighting accounts, photos, physical evidence records, government reports and studies,physics studies and theories, as well as links to other resources.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Sony Pictures, 1977). After a man has a life-changingencounter with a UFO, he meets others who have had similar visions, as well asgovernment researchers who believe that aliens are preparing to make contact withhumans.

Contact (Warner Brothers, 1997). When a radio astronomer discovers Earths firstextraterrestrial radio signal, she must decide what it means.

Fire in the Sky (Paramount, 1993). This is based on the real-life 1975 account ofTravis Walton, a logger who encountered a huge UFO with his friends. His friendsfled, but Travis was missing for several days and claims he was abducted.

UFOs and Aliens (New Video, 2011). This History Channel special explores differentstories about UFOs and aliens in depth.

UFOs: The Secret History (UFO TV, 2010). Find out about the origins of the UFO phenomenonand the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis.

• What are some ways to tell if a UFO photo is fake?
• Sightings of black triangles, like the Belgian triangle, have been on the rise inrecent years. What are some theories for what these objects could be?

Is it a bird? A plane? Have you ever looked up at the sky and seen something youdidnt recognize? Something that looks and behaves differently than birds, airplanes,stars, planets, or clouds? Then you might have witnessed a UFO, or Unidentified FlyingObject! For centuries, people have noticed odd objects in the sky, but only in thelast century have many of these sightings been carefully recorded.

Some people also claim to have seen strange creatures on board these unidentifiedobjects. Often these creatures look a lot like humans, only with different coloredskin, bigger eyes or heads, fewer fingers, or shorter, thinner bodies. Because theyare unlike ordinary humans, these creatures are called extraterrestrials (ETs)or aliens and are believed by many to be visitors from outer space.

But what do we really know about UFOs and aliens? Do they truly exist? And, if so,are they really from outer space? In the first part of this book, you will read dramatic,real-life accounts from people who have witnessed odd, unidentified objects in thesky. Some of them have even described encounters with aliens. The second part ofthe book uses science to examine exactly what it is that so many people have reportedseeing.

A mysterious object hovers over the desert. Is it a UFO?

Pilot and businessman Kenneth Arnold soared through the clear blue skies over Washingtonstates Cascade Mountains in his small airplane. It was June 1947, and Arnold wassearching for the remains of an airplane that had recently crashed. Suddenly, hissearch was interrupted by a blinding flash of light! Arnold peered out of the window,but all he could see was a distant airplane.

Soon, another series of flashes caught his eye. When Arnold looked out, he was startledby what he saw. Nine peculiar-looking aircraft were flying in formation over thetops of the mountains! These wingless metallic objects were unlike anything Arnoldhad ever seen before.

They were moving so quickly that Arnold decided to calculate their speed. Accordingto his estimates, they were moving at 1,700 miles (2,735 kilometers) per hour, threetimes faster than any airplane could travel in 1947and twice the speed of sound!

Arnold opened the window to make sure the objects were not simply reflections. Buthe could still see the objects skipping like saucers through the air.

When Arnold landed, he reported his sighting to the airport manager. The next day,a newspaper reporter interviewed Arnold and published an article announcing Arnoldsflying saucers. Although people had viewed strange flying objects before, Arnoldssighting was one of the first official UFO reports. Afterward, many people came forwardwith their own UFO stories.

On September 19, 1976, puzzled residents called the Iranian Air Force command centerin Tehran, Iran, reporting a strange, bright object in the sky. Some people saidit looked like a helicopter with a shining light. The officer on duty knew thatno helicopters were in the area, so he told the residents they must be seeing a star.But after workers at the control tower reported the same object, he decided to lookfor himself. The object shone like a star, but it was bigger and brighter than theSun! And it appeared to be moving. Worried that it might be a secret enemy weapon,the officer ordered an F-4 fighter plane to investigate.

The fighter jet climbed swiftly, but when it reached within 25 miles (40 kilometers)of the brilliant light, its communications devices and instrument panel suddenlyfailed! As soon as the pilot turned away from the UFO, the jet regained communicationand instrumentation.

Soon, another F-4 jet was sent up to identify the UFO. But when the second planegot within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of the light, the UFO sped up. The F-4 was flyingfaster than the speed of sound, but it still couldnt catch up with the UFO! Thepilot tried to get a good look at the object, but all he could see were bright, multicoloredlights that rotated so quickly that they blurred together.