Sean Kirkpatrick

A former director of AARO, Sean Kirkpatrick offered sceptical readings of several cases in the archive. On the Calvine photograph of 1990, he saw a reflection in water. Critics noted there is no water body on that hillside. After the 2023 Lake Huron shootdown, he said the objects were balloons. The U.S. government has never publicly identified the Lake Huron object. He was also a critic of David Grusch's claims at the 2023 congressional hearing, where he said Grusch had refused to speak with AARO.

Stories5

Apollo 11 and Buzz Aldrin's "L-shaped" object

July 1969 · Translunar space, between Earth and the Moon, roughly a day from lunar orbit

UAP · Other · 36 sources

33Partially documented

Former AARO director who commented on the 2026 release

The Calvine UFO Photograph

August 4, 1990 · Moorland above Calvine, near Pitlochry, Perth and Kinross

UAP · Diamond · 56 sources · 3 photos

41Partially documented

Former AARO director who suggested the image shows a reflection

The Cube Inside a Sphere: Navy Near Miss off Virginia Beach

2014 · Warning Area W-72, over the Atlantic east of Virginia Beach, Virginia

UAP · Sphere · 40 sources

34Partially documented

Former AARO chief, reported as saying next-generation drones are spherical

The Mosul Orb: MC-12 Footage Over Iraq

April 16, 2016 · Mosul, Nineveh Governorate, northern Iraq

UAP · Sphere · 25 sources · 2 photos

34Partially documented

The Lake Huron "Octagonal" Object Shootdown

February 12, 2023 · Lake Huron, about 15 nautical miles off Michigan's Upper Peninsula

UAP · Other · 32 sources · 4 photos

76Well documented

Former AARO director who said the objects shot down were balloons