MUFON Statement on NASA UAP Taskforce

October 30, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network, applauds NASA for creating its own Independent Study on

Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. MUFON is dedicated to the scientific study of UFOs and UAP in order to

benefit humanity. MUFON is the longest-serving organization of its kind, having been in existence since

1969. As an organization, MUFON has long investigated UAP sightings and has collected the critical data

needed to educate the public on the UAP phenomenon and its potential impact on society.

   “I am encouraged that NASA is taking this critical first step in evaluating what is already known,” said

MUFON Executive Director David MacDonald. “Through our knowledge and database of sightings, we

know that there are many unanswered questions. With over 10,000 reports a year, MUFON has a 92%

rate of being able to explain the sightings. We know that dozens of astronauts and others associated

with the civilian components of the space program have reported UAP for decades - even making

deathbed confessions about what they have experienced during space flight. MUFON stands ready to

assist NASA in any capacity,” said MacDonald.

 After many years of being taboo, discussions regarding UAPs are becoming mainstream. Over the past

two years, the NDAA has included legislation regarding UAP twice, and the House Intelligence

Committee held its first hearing in over 50 years. MUFON continues to educate Members of Congress on

this issue and raise awareness about this important issue for national security and scientific discovery.

MUFON’s 1,100 volunteers nationwide, and 46 international chapters with 4,600 members globally,

tuned in to watch the hearings this year. Now that the conversation regarding UAPs is mainstream, a

more significant bipartisan collective effort is needed to push for better legislation and more in-depth

information to be released to the public. MUFON stands ready to assist the federal government on UFO

sightings and the best way to collect and handle the data from those sightings.

MUFON would love to acknowledge the activities of our Europeans affiliates especially France, Belgium

and Italy!

Earlier this October, members of MUFON France &Belgium including their director, as well as the

Director of MUFON Italy, attended the CAIPAN Conference in Europe. I am speaking specifically of Jean-

Francois Opsomer, National Director of France & Belgium and Edoardo Russo, MUFON’s Italian National Director for MUFON.

Prominent speakers at the highly esteemed conference included Jacques Vallee and Vincente-Juan

Ballester Olmos.

CAIPAN is a prestigious Continental UFO conference. CAIPAN is short for “Collection and Analysis of

Information on Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena” or, in the original French, “Collecte et Analyse des

Informations sur les phénomènes aérospatiaux non-identifiés” Our Europeans chapters take the topic of

UFOs “VERY” seriously and make a point of attending! Kudos to MUFON France & Belgium and MUFON Italy for carrying the banner forward for MUFON International! We are grateful for their efforts!

Jean-Francois Opsomer, our National Director in France, has provided us with exquisite photos from that

conference. Included in those photos are members of MUFON France & Belgium as well as a cordial

invite into their group of Edouardo Russo, our National Director for MUFON Italy and, of course, Jacques

Vallee!

Pictured above: CAIPAN Conference Poster, MUFON French National Director Jean Francois Opsomer

with Italian National Director Edoardo Russo and last, Jean Francois with Jacques Vallee.

We cannot underestimate here at MUFON HQ how much value is placed on our International Chapters

and their hard-working National Directors!

In addition, MUFON, would also like to give credit to MUFON France & Belgium for an incredible job of

getting out MUFON’S message that we investigate the UFO Phenomenon using the scientific method!

How does MUFON France do this? Well, they do it via various media means including their monthly

magazine called CONTACTS!

Few weeks ago, we reported on an Austrian orb account from 1840 with a very imprecise translation.

Also, we mentioned a 1968 UFO encounter over Spain involving a Spanish fighter jet! We received some

very important emails from giants in the fields of UFOlogy and Fortean Research as a result!

First, I would like to give a credit to Kay Coggin who, for decades, has scoured news sources over several

centuries looking for anomalous activities around the world in various archives! It was Kay who originally

found the Austrian sighting from 1840.

Another prominent Fortean named Claude Mauge has a very interesting comment on the article and

translation I shall post here as follows:

France not Austria indeed! WOW! Claude! Thank heavens for researchers like you! Much Appreciated!

Lastly, concerning the 1968 fighter jet sighting over Spain, an old friend of MUFON, namely Vincente-

Juan Ballester Olmos, researcher extraordinaire, dropped us this note:

Thank you, Vincente-Juan! It’s nice to hear from an old friend!

MUFON would also like to extend a kudos to one of our field investigators namely Tim Kaney of

Wisconsin ([email protected])! MUFON had logos designed for all 50 state chapters but none were

designed for our chapters abroad! When MUFON Great Britain and MUFON Virgin Islands came to us

looking for an official logo, we reached out to Tim who is a graphics designer. After sending him our

logos, he manufactured two really professional renderings for our two international groups. He did it

gratis knowing we are an all-volunteer network of professionals giving our time to the scientific study of

UFOs.

Tim’s resume in our field investigator directory states the following: Marketing Director, Manager,

Coordinator, Assistant, Designer, Visual Communicator, Desktop Publishing Specialist, Fine Artist,

Freelance Artist, Concept Artist, Creative Problem Solver, etc. Much work with digital graphics and

image processing programs over man years. Tim can be reached at [email protected].

Thank you, Tim!

53rd Annual MUFON International Symposium will take place in Cincinnati, OH on August 24-27, 2023

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