UFOs - unidentified flying object , in the media any celestial phenomenon , the nature of which the observer can not determine. It is usually assumed that there was a compact moving object like a flying machine , the appearance of which is associated with a visit to Earth from space aliens . The term UFO is a direct translation of the English UFO - unidentified flying object, entered into use in 1950-1955 . In Russian , especially in the works of trying to bring the scientific basis for the study of UFOs, are sometimes used , and other related terms : abnormal atmospheric phenomenon ( AAP ) , the anomalous aero- space object ( AAO ) , the unidentified aerospace phenomena ( NYE ) .
Unexplained observation of atmospheric and celestial phenomena is not an " invention " in 20 . Human history is replete with cases of " heavenly signs ". Especially a lot of reports of UFO sightings have been reported by eyewitnesses ( and jokers ) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries . , During the creation of the first airships and airplanes. Outbreak of mass interest in UFOs began in the heyday of aviation and the establishment of missile technology.
Birth of a sensation. The first report of a UFO that caused a huge public interest and an avalanche of publications , has made the American pilot Kenneth Arnold . Flying day June 24, 1947 near Mount Rainier in Washington State, he observed nine strange objects . One of them looked like a crescent with a small dome in the middle, and eight other looked like a flat disc , shining in the rays of the sun. According to Arnold , struck his objects were moving at a speed of about 2700 km / h Speaking about their appearance, Arnold compared them to the " tailless aircraft ." He noted that the move was strange objects , "like the glider , rushing through the waves ," or " like a saucer , thrown on the surface of the water." It thus came the now popular term "flying saucer " or " flying saucer ."
The first publication of the case with Arnold was received with skepticism, but after a few weeks, the media filled the testimony of other witnesses . Began to leave magazines and books on the subject.
The official investigation of UFOs. As in the armed forces of some countries while testing a new weapon, a suspicion that reports of unexplained phenomena in the atmosphere can be associated with these tests . The Air Force United States began in 1948, the collection and systematization of UFO reports in order to find out their military value . In this work were involved in civilian scientists and engineers . Several times , an analysis of collected facts for the CIA and the U.S. military leadership . This work, known as Project " Blue Book ", continued with varying degrees of activity until 1969.