Visions of Aerial Phenomena: A Contemporary Myth? V.J. Ballester Olmos
I am addressing this note to academics of social sciences: sociologists, anthropologist, historians, journalists, folklorists, and others interested in examining the causes by which people claim to observe ‒especially during certain acute periods‒ strange flying machines in the sky that, apparently, defy state-of-the-art science and technology. In the last two centuries, at least, society has shown peaks of intense reporting of aerial devices with features surpassing current-day technology. These periods have been called “waves” or “flaps” in the ufological jargon. Over the decades, such flying objects have been termed differently: “airships” in 1896-1897, “phantom ships” in the 1910s, “mystery airplanes” in the 1930s and WW2, “ghost rockets” in 1946, and ·”flying saucers” since 1947. A comprehensive bibliography on works devoted to the study of these waves of accounts on sky contrivances has just been released in the official web site of the GEIPAN, an agency from the French National Center of Space Studies (CNES) devoted to the study of unexplained aerospace phenomena: http://www.cnes-geipan.fr/typo3conf/ext/dam_frontend/pushfile.php?docID=11383 Associated to this publication, a second paper has proposed an academic review of the references compiled, aimed to condense any findings and assess the value of the data and methodology used and the conclusions reached. The purpose is to obtain an objective and accurate insight into what has generated this recurring and stressful social phenomenon. See the following link: https://www.academia.edu/19729160/The_UFO_Waves_Review_Project Therefore, this is a formal invitation to you, as a member of the broad social sciences community. I would like to encourage you to participate in this exercise to prepare critical summaries on the contents of selected bibliographical items (press articles, papers, monographs, or books) and so contribute to a collective, joint paper that will form the basis of knowledge on this phenomenon of waves of weird things seen in the skies. If you are willing to become part of this international team, please feel free to write to the editor of this project, Mr. Julio Plaza del Olmo (
[email protected]) who will assist you in the process by providing guidelines and a writing template. Your participation will be most appreciated and welcome.
