NASA Aeronautics and Space Database Search Results on UFOs (1960-Present)

This document is a compilation of records from the NASA Aeronautics and Space Database regarding Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) from 1960 to the early 2000s. It includes a series of result set records detailing various technical reports, journal articles, and conference papers that mention UFOs, often in the context of satellite communications, SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), or atmospheric phenomena. A significant portion of the document consists of internal NASA correspondence from 1977 and 1978 regarding a request from the White House, specifically from President Jimmy Carter's Science Advisor, Frank Press, for NASA to become the focal point for UFO inquiries and to form a panel of inquiry. The correspondence reveals that NASA leadership, including Administrator Robert A. Frosch and Associate Administrator for Space Science Noel Hinners, were reluctant to commit the agency to a formal UFO research program. They cited a lack of tangible physical evidence and the potential for such a program to be unproductive or to negatively impact NASA's scientific reputation. The internal memos, particularly those written by Dr. Richard C. Henry, provide insight into the internal debate, with some officials suggesting that while a formal program might be unwise, NASA should remain open to analyzing credible physical evidence if it were presented. Ultimately, NASA decided against establishing a formal UFO research activity, maintaining that it would continue to respond to public inquiries with form letters and that it would only analyze physical evidence if it were brought to them by credible sources. The document also includes an invited essay by Richard C. Henry titled 'UFOs and NASA,' which provides a retrospective look at these events, confirming that the agency's stance was to avoid becoming a 'focal point' for UFO research to protect its scientific mission.