Symposium on unidentified flying objects: hearings before the Committee on Science and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninetieth Congress, second session, July 29, 1968.

136
(5) In
order
to
justify
such
an
experiment
and
associated studies,
it is
not
necessary to
presuppose
the
existence
of
intelligent
extra-
terrestrial life
operating in the environs
of
the
earth,
or
to
make
dubious
speculations
either
concerning "their"
advanced
scientific
and
engineering
capabilities
or
"their"
psychological
motivations
and
be-
havioral
patterns.
In
the
light
of
these conclusions,
I
will
make
the
following
recom-
mendations:
(1)
In
order
to obtain
information
-rich
hard
and
soft
data
on
anomalistic
phenomena, an
interdisciplinary,
mobile
task force
or
team
of
highly
qualified
scientists
should
be
organized.
This
team
should be
established
on a
long-term
basis,
well
funded,
and
equipped
to
swing
into action
and
investigate
reports
on
anomalistic
phenomena
immediately
after
such
reports
are
received.
Because
of
the
relatively
low
frequency
of
substantive reports
(see
p.
1968)
,
immediate
results
should
not
be
anticipated,
but
in
the
interim periods
between
their
investigations
in
the
field,
their
time
could
be
productively
spent in
making
thorough
analyses
of
data
collected
by
them
previously,
and
in
"sharpening
up"
their analysis
tools.
(2) In
concert
with the aforementioned
task
force,
a
sensor
sys-
tem
should
be
developed
expressly
for
detecting
and
recording
anom-
alistic
observational
phenomena
for
hard
-data
evaluation.
The
sys-
tem might
include
one
or
more
phased
-array
radars
(certainly
not
having
the
cost
or
capability
of
the
FPS
-85,
but
operating in
a
limited
fashion that
would
be
similar
to the
FPS
-85).
A
phased
-array
radar
would have
the
advantage
over
a
conventional
"dish" radar
in that
it
could track
at
high
rates
and
divide
its
energy
in
an
optimum
fash-
ion
between
detection
and
tracking.
The
control
system
would
beunique,
and
would
necessitate
the
development of
a
sequential
data-
processing
controller
that
would
increase
the
state
variables describing
the
object's
path
from
a
six
-dimensional
position
and
velocity
estima-tion
to
a 12
-dimensional
acceleration
and
jerk estimation
(Baker
(1967)
)
in order to follow
erratic
motion.
In
addition,
the data base
would have
to
be
especially
designed, to
avoid
manmade
space
objects
and
(if
possible) airplanes, birds,
com-
mon
meteors,
etc.
It should,
however, be
designed to
detect
and
track
nearby
cometoids, macrometeorites
(fireballs)
,
ball
lightning,
and any
other
erratic
or
anomalistic object
within
its
range. Optical
cameras
(including spectrographic
equipment)
should
be
slaved
to the radar,in order to provide
more
comprehensive
data.
Because of the
afore-
mentioned
low
frequency of
anomalistic data,
alarms
from
the system
should not occur very
frequently
and
could
be communicated
directly
to
the
recommended
task force.
(3)
A
proposed
new
-generation,
space-based
long-wave
-length
in-
frared
surveillance sensor
system should be funded and
the
associated
software should be
modified to include provisions for the addition
of
anomalistic objects
in
its
data
base.
The
specific
sensor
system cannot
be
identified
for reasons
of
security,
but
details
can probably be ob-
tained
from
the
Air
Force. This
sensor system, in particular,
could
provide
some
data (perhaps incomplete)
on
anomalistic objects
which
exhibit
a
slight
temperature contrast with the space background, on
a
basis
of noninterference with
its
military mission.
The
system rep-resents
a promising technological development, and no
other novel