Project Blue Book was a systematic study of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) conducted by the United States Air Force from March 1952 to its termination on December 17, 1969. The project, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, was initially directed by Captain Edward J. Ruppelt and followed projects of a similar nature such as Project Sign established in 1947, and Project Grudge in 1948. Project Blue Book had two goals, namely, to determine if UFOs were a threat to national security, and to scientifically analyze UFO-related data.
Thousands of UFO reports were collected, analyzed, and filed. Of these 701 remain “Unidentified.” The project was terminated in 1969 after a report by Edward Condon concluded that UFOs did not constitute a national security threat, and that the scientific evidence did not support the hypothesis that UFOs were of extraterrestrial origin.
Project Blue Book is the inspiration for the drama series Project Blue Book, which began airing on the History Channel in January 2019.
Despite its termination, Project Blue Book remains one of the most well-known and well-documented UFO investigations in history. The project’s files are now available to the public at the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland.
The project’s investigation of UFOs was controversial, and its findings were not universally accepted. Some critics have argued that the project was biased against the UFO hypothesis, and that it downplayed or ignored credible evidence. Others have argued that the project’s methods were unscientific.
Despite these criticisms, Project Blue Book remains an important source of information about UFOs. Its files contain detailed accounts of thousands of UFO sightings, as well as analyses by Air Force scientists. The project’s work has helped to shape our understanding of UFOs, and it continues to be studied by researchers and enthusiasts today.