Interpreting the MUFON Stephenville UFO radar report: What does it say?

By Steve Hammons

What are some of the key points in the report released Thursday, July 10, 2008, that was prepared by Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) investigators?

The “special research report” is titled “Stephenville Lights: A Comprehensive Radar and Witness Report Study Regarding the Events of January 8, 2008, 4 pm to 8 pm.”

The report’s authors, Glen Schulze and Robert Powell, are identified as highly-trained experts in technical and scientific fields relevant to this investigation. Schulze in particular is reported to have an extensive background in radar systems.

Although the report itself includes many sections of a highly technical nature, much of the language in it is plain-spoken.

POINTS TO CONSIDER

According to Schulze and Powell, the following elements emerged in their investigation:

1) Several radar facilities in the region surrounding the Stephenville, Dublin and Selden region provide radar coverage for that area. Some of this data was provided to the investigators.

2) Military commands in the area did provide some helpful information, but other information did not seem to be forthcoming in response to Freedom of Information Act requests by the investigators.

3) Several military aircraft were in the skies the evening of Jan. 8, 2008, and were conducting flights in the nearby military operating area (MOA). Some of these military aircraft had transponders turned on and some had transponders turned off. Some military flights veered into civilian airspace over the Stephenville region. There is no immediate explanation for this.

4) The investigators suspect that an Airborne Warning and Command System (AWACS) aircraft was circling the area, based on radar data.

5) A very large unidentified craft or object was detected by radar. According to the report, “This object had no transponder and was tracked on radar for over an hour. Most of the time, the object was either stationary, or moving at speeds of less than 60 mph. At 7:32 pm, the object was tracked accelerating to 532 mph in 30 seconds and then slowing to 49 mph only 10 seconds later.”

6) The location and direction of flight of this object correlated with the reports from reliable eyewitnesses on the ground.

7) In the report summary, the authors state, “As to what these witnesses saw, it is difficult to determine. It was not any known aircraft. The enormous size of the object, its complete silence, and its ability to travel at high rates of speed and to also remain stationary or travel at slow speeds, is not explained by any known aircraft.”

8) The object or craft proceeded in a direction toward the Bush ranch at Crawford for over one hour and eventually was detected as being 10 miles away from the ranch. According to the report, “There was no indication that any of the military jets reacted to the unknown aircraft that was without a required transponder …” (However, see point number 9.)

9) Witnesses on the ground did report that military jets were apparently in pursuit or accompanying an unusual object. The report’s authors point out that, “These jets do not show up on radar. If their altitude was under 2000 feet, as described by the witnesses, then they would have been too low to be detected by the nearest FAA radar.”

NATURAL QUESTIONS

There are many other important points in the MUFON report by Schulze and Powell. If we read these details and also read between the lines, we might come up with the same kinds of questions that the witnesses in the Stephenville area have about the UFOs they saw.

Some of these questions might include the following:

1) Was the object seen by multiple highly reliable witnesses, including several experienced law enforcement officers, a secret advanced or experimental U.S. craft or device?

2) If so, why would it be operating over a populated area where it could be easily observed?

3) Is it an unknown or truly unidentified object that has not previously been seen or encountered by U.S. defense and intelligence personnel?

4) Is it a known flying object or craft that is familiar to U.S. defense and intelligence personnel?

5) If so, what is its point of origin?

6) If so, is the object or craft dangerous or was it trespassing in a manner that was unacceptable?

7) Was the object or craft believed to be friendly, hostile, neutral or is this unknown?

It is natural for intelligent Americans to wonder about these kinds of questions. Although we realize that there are sensitive matters that cannot be released to the general public (and our adversaries around the world), it could be helpful for American citizens to understand more about these kinds of puzzling situations.

In fact, people around the world have had similar strange encounters and the governments, researchers, media and the public in other countries also wrestle with these kinds of situations.

According to some sources, there is an ongoing process of acclimation to prepare Americans and people internationally for more information about these kinds of scenarios.

Keeping our feet on the ground, with strong hearts and calm minds, we can continue to learn more about the Stephenville UFO incidents and possibly even more useful information.

UFOs over Stephenville neared Bush ranch, according to new MUFON report

By Steve Hammons

In a one-two punch within the past 24 hours, two more significant elements of the Stephenville, Texas, UFO sightings have occurred.

The information is astounding. And there may be more to come.

Late Thursday night, the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) released an extraordinary report about radar evidence pertaining to activities in the skies in the Stephenville region on Jan. 8, 2008.

Then, this evening, the widely-watched CNN program “Larry King Live” featured the two authors of the MUFON report, several of the Stephenville witnesses, the former local newspaper reporter who first broke the story and other guests.

The combined impact of these two developments has again put attention on this rural region of northeast Texas approximately 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth, the people who live there, investigators looking at the situation and the news media reporting about it all.

The authors of the MUFON report, Glen Schulze and Robert Powell, obtained radar information through the filing of 10 requests through the federal Freedom of Information Act. They received information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Weather Service, all nearby military bases, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Services and the 21st and 30th Air Force Wing Commands, according to published reports.

They concluded that there were multiple non-military aircraft in the region that were unidentified and these correlated with witness reports. There was also unusually heavy military air traffic in the region that night.

BUSH RANCH AT CRAWFORD

Ever since news of the multiple sightings by highly-credible witnesses in areas around Stephenville and nearby Dublin, there has been speculation that the military jets seen in the area at the same time as the UFOs could be related to security for the Bush Ranch at Crawford, about 40 miles to the southeast.

Larry King asked about this on his show. Angelia Joiner, the former local newspaper reporter whose articles first caught the attention of the mainstream media, noted that many local people had wondered if there was some connection to the Bush ranch. But she indicated she had no specific information.

Now, the MUFON report clearly states that there were aircraft flying in the area that night without the transponders – aircraft identifier devices – and at least one appeared to be flying in the direction of the no-fly protective zone around the Bush ranch.

The MUFON investigators claim that one unknown object without a transponder was within 10 miles of the Bush ranch.

According to the MUFON report, "The object was traveling to the southeast on a direct course towards the Crawford Ranch, also known as President Bush's western White House.”

“The last time the object was seen on radar at 8 p.m., it was continuing on a direct path to Crawford Ranch and was only 10 miles away. During the entire episode of over an hour, there is no indication that any of the military jets reacted to this unknown craft," the report concluded.

The object was tracked by radar heading in the direction of the Bush ranch for approximately one hour, the report stated. Moving at a speed of 532 miles per hour at one point, the object primarily was traveling at 60 mph.

MEDIA ON THE JOB

As usual, CNN host Larry King asked intelligent and common-sense questions of his guests.

The MUFON investigators pointed out that the extensive radar data indicated an extremely high level of activity – and unusual activity at that – in the region that includes Stephenville and Crawford that night.

King also interviewed witnesses Lee Roy Gaitan, a local law enforcement constable, and Ricky Sorrells, a resident.

Gaitan spotted strange lights himself and has had contact with fellow law enforcement officers in the region who also witnessed strange objects. One local officer claims he was able to determine the speed a low-flying and slow-moving craft with his police radar gun used to ticket speeders.

Sorrells told King he saw a massive dark gray metallic object 300 above him in a wooded area where he was deer hunting one day. The object was so large Sorrells said he could not determine the edges of it as far as the eye could see.

He said it was in a stationary position above him one minute and then, in the blink of an eye, it had taken off at a 45 degree angle while remaining horizontal, and was gone.

While King has exemplified responsible reporting by the media about the Stephenville case, he has not been alone. Associated Press reporter Angela K. Brown first picked up the early indications that something was going on from reports in the small Stephenville Empire-Tribune newspaper by Angelia Joiner who was then a reporter at the paper.

When the AP article was widely published and posted on the Web, other media outlets and journalists followed up. In general, media coverage appeared to be professional, diligent and responsible.

Now, with the surprisingly thorough scientific data and conclusions in the MUFON report, we may see similar follow-through by the media.