2008 in UFO history
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 📅 Year
Contents 5
| Year | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Events | 15 |
| Decade | 2000s |
| Topics | Secrecy & cover-up (topic), Government programs (topic), Beings & bodies (topic), Propulsion & physics (topic) |
| Timeline | 2008 on the UAP Timeline |
2008 in UFO history — the UAP Timeline records 15 events in 2008, mostly about secrecy & cover-up and government programs. People named in these events include Jacques Vallée, Robert Bigelow, Harold Puthoff, Dan Burisch, Bob Lazar.
Overview
In 2008 the Defense Intelligence Agency's new UFO program got under way. Through a contract awarded to Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS), AAWSAP produced a 494-page report on UFO sightings worldwide and funded 38 technical studies.[1] On 2 October Robert Bigelow told Jacques Vallée that the project had officially begun but that the DIA had not delivered the access it promised, such as introductions to contractors that might once have worked on UFOs.[2] On 17 October MUFON formed a technical group that signed a contract to supply BAASS with case data and papers.[2] On 29 October Christopher "Kit" Green told Vallée that AAWSAP funding could reach $240 million. On 24 November Vallée met potential European co-sponsors in Zurich.[2] On 24 December a BAASS team member told Vallée he was trying to approach an aerospace contractor through the "back door."[3]
On 14 May Britain's Ministry of Defence released its first files on UFO sightings, dating from 1978 to 1987, to the National Archives. More files were released on 20 October 2008.[4] In October the JASON scientific advisory group concluded in a report that proposed national-security applications of high-frequency gravitational waves were not possible.[5] In June a DARPA budget document first disclosed an "Advanced Aerospace System Concepts" project.[6]
Other entries are claims and testimony. Bill Richardson said on 28 June that Los Alamos and the Pentagon had refused him information about Roswell.[5] Manhattan Project contractor Chester Lytle said he once saw a domed disc at Kirtland Air Force Base.[6] Residents near Needles, California, reported a crash on 14 May. Dan Burisch made claims about an alien called "J-Rod" at S-4.[6][7]
Events
- Fort Worth HFGW jamming claim (2008) — An anonymous website claims UAP communications jamming was tested near Fort Worth.
- Dan Burisch and J-Rod (2008) — Dan Burisch claims he studied an extraterrestrial being at the S-4 facility.
- Chester Lytle's Kirtland sighting (1 January 2008) — A Manhattan Project contractor says he saw a domed disc through a telescope during a nuclear test.
- Needles crash reports (2008) (14 May 2008) — Residents near Needles, California report a crash followed by helicopters and convoys.
- DARPA Advanced Aerospace System Concepts (June 2008) — A DARPA budget line describing advanced aerospace concepts becomes public.
- Bill Richardson and the Roswell records (28 June 2008) — Bill Richardson says Los Alamos and the Pentagon refused his questions about Roswell.
- Navy officer on the Montauk claims (4 August 2008) — An anonymous forum poster says a Navy officer dismissed some Montauk claims as nonsense.
- JASON report on high-frequency gravitational waves (October 2008) — The JASON science advisers evaluate high-frequency gravitational waves for national security.
- AAWSAP begins (2008) (2 October 2008) — Bigelow tells Vallée the DIA's AAWSAP project has started but promised access hasn't arrived.
- MUFON–BAASS contract (17 October 2008) — MUFON forms a technical team that signs a contract with Bigelow's company.
- Projected AAWSAP funding (29 October 2008) — Kit Green tells Vallée AAWSAP funding could reach $240 million.
- Zurich AAWSAP meeting (24 November 2008) — Vallée meets possible AAWSAP partners in Zurich.
- Cape Canaveral Chronicles (3 December 2008) — An alleged former NASA employee claims a saucer landed near Kennedy Space Center.
- BAASS "back door" approach (24 December 2008) — A BAASS team member says he tried to get 'back door' access to an aerospace contractor.
- Obama White House meeting interest (2008) (24 December 2008) — Puthoff tells Vallée the White House is interested in a meeting about the phenomenon.
People
- Jacques Vallée — Computer scientist and astronomer, author of the Forbidden Science journals and a central figure in UFO research.
- Robert Bigelow — Businessman who founded NIDS and Bigelow Aerospace and ran the AAWSAP contract.
- Harold Puthoff — Physicist who co-founded the SRI remote-viewing research and later worked on AAWSAP and To The Stars Academy.
- Dan Burisch — Man who claims he studied an alien called J-Rod at S-4.
- Bob Lazar — Man who claimed in 1989 that he worked on alien craft at S-4 near Area 51.
- Chester Lytle — Manhattan Project engineer who described a UFO at Kirtland.
- Robert Hastings — Researcher who has collected accounts of UFOs at nuclear weapons sites, author of UFOs and Nukes.
- William Blanchard — Roswell base commander in 1947 who later became Air Force vice chief of staff.
- Kevin Randle — Roswell researcher and author of many books on crash-retrieval claims.
- George Knapp — Las Vegas journalist who broke the Bob Lazar story and co-wrote Skinwalkers at the Pentagon.
Nearby years
2007 in UFO history · 2009 in UFO history
References
- Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- UAP timeline published with Michael Shellenberger's 2024 congressional testimony, entries for 2 October to 24 November 2008 · oversight.house.gov
- UAP timeline (Shellenberger testimony), entries for December 2008 · oversight.house.gov
- Unidentified flying object — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- UAP timeline (Shellenberger testimony), entries for 28 June to October 2008 · oversight.house.gov
- UAP timeline (Shellenberger testimony), entries for 1 January to June 2008 · oversight.house.gov
- UAP timeline (Shellenberger testimony), undated 2008 entries · oversight.house.gov
Facts in this article are drawn in part from the Wikipedia articles “Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program”, “Unidentified flying object”, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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