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Identified reports are those for which sufficient specific information has been accumulated and
evaluated to permit a positive identification or explanation of the object.
Reports categorized as Insufficient Data are those for wHich one or more elements of informa-
tion essential for evaluation are mis~ing. Some examples are the omission of the duration of the
sighting, date, time, location, position in the sky, weather conditions, and the marmer of appearance
or disappearance. If an element is missing and there is an indication that the sighting may be of a
security, scientific, technical, or public interest value, the Project Blue Book Office conducts an
additional investigation and every attempt is made to obtain the information necessary for identifi-
cation. However, in some instances, essential information cannot be obtained, and no further action
can be taken.
The third and by far the smallest group of evaluations is categorized as Unidentified. A sight-
ing is consider~d unidentified when a report apparently contains all pertinent data necessary to
suggest a valid hypothesis concerning the cause or explanation of the report but the description of
the object or its motion cannot be correlated with any lmown object or phenomena.
TYPES OF UFO IDENTIFICATIONS AND EVALUATIONS
There are various types of UFO sightings. Most common are reports of astronomical sightings,
which include bright stars, planets, comets, fireballs, meteors, auroral streamers, and other celes-
tial bodies. When observed through haze, light fog, moving clouds, or other obscurations or unusual
conditions, the planets, including Venus, Jupiter, and Mars have been reported as unidentified fiying
objects. Stellar mirages are also a source of reports.
Satellites are another major source of UFO reports. An increase in satellites reported as UFOs
has come about because of two factors. The first is the increase of interest on the part of the public;
the second is the increasing number of satellites in the skies. Positive knowledge of the location of all
satellites at all times enables rapid identification of satellite sightings. Keeping track of man-made
objects in orbit about the earth is the responsibility of the North American Air Defense Command
Space Detection and Tracking System. This sophisticated electronic system gathers complex space
traffic data instantly from tracking stations all over the world.
Other space surveillance activities include the use of ballistic tracking and large telescopic cam-
. eras. ECHO. schedules are prepared by theNASAGoddardSpace Flight Center at Greenbelt, Maryland,
and schedules of the South/North equator crossings are prepared by the Smithsonian Institution at
Cambridge, Massachusetts. From the data produced by these agencies, satellites mistakenly reported
as UFOs can be quickly identified. Some of these are visible to the naked eye.
Aircraft account for another major source of UFO reports, particularly during adverse weather
conditions. When observed at high altitudes and at some distance, aircraft can have appearances rang-
ing from disc to rocket shapes due to the reflection of the sun on their bright surfaces. Vapor or con-
densation trails from jet aircraft will sometimes appear to glow fiery red or orange when reflecting
sunlight. Afterburners from jet aircraft are often reported as UFOs since they can be seen from great
distances when the aircraft cannot be seen.
The Project Blue Book Office has direct contact with all elements of the Air Force and the Fed-
eral Aviation Agency civil air control centers. All aerial refueling operations and special training
flights can be checked immediately. Air traffic of commercial airlines and flights of military aircraft
are checked with the nearest control center, enabling an immediate evaluation of aircraft mistakenly
reported as UFOs. However, since many local flights are not carried, these flights are probable causes
of some reports.
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