Groupe d'études et d'informations sur les phénomènes aérospatiaux non identifiés

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Groupe d'études et d'informations sur les phénomènes aérospatiaux non identifiés

GEIPAN logo
Supervisory authority Center National d'Etudes Spatiales
founding 1977 (2005)
Headquarters Toulouse
Authority management Xavier Passot (as of November 2014)
Servants 2 full-time / indefinite part-time employees
Web presence http://www.geipan.fr/

The Groupe d'études et d'informations sur les phénomènes aérospatiaux non identifiés ( GEIPAN , French for study group for information on unidentified aerospace phenomena ) is a division of the French National Center for Space Studies ( Center national d'études spatiales , CNES ) . The department was established in 2005 and is based in Toulouse . It is the successor to the GEPAN (1977–1988) and SEPRA (1988–2004) departments.

The task of GEIPAN is to collect, analyze and archive reports on unidentified aerospace phenomena, so-called UFOs , and to inform the public about the results.

history

Prehistory (1945–1977)

The first UFO sightings in France that attracted major attention occurred after World War II. The reports were at the headquarters of the French Air Force , in the office for long-term studies ( fr. Bureau Prospective et Etudes sent). At the beginning of the 1950s, the gendarmerie began to record reports and forward them to the air force. As the reports grew steadily and there was increasing interest in UFOs, it was decided to set up a separate department for their investigation.

GEPAN (1977–1988)

In 1977, on the initiative of the French government, the Groupe d'étude des phénomènes aérospatiaux non-identifiés ( GEPAN , French for study group for unidentified aerospace phenomena ) was founded. This should investigate the UFO phenomenon as a permanent study group. The first leader of the group was the astrophysicist and space engineer Dr. Claude Poher, who previously headed the Systems and Projects department at CNES. In the first detailed report from 1978, which covers the years 1974 to 1978, GEPAN was unable to clear up 263 of the 678 cases examined. This corresponds to 38% (cases with insufficient data are not included).

During their investigation, the investigators came to the conclusion that in some cases the unidentified “ objects were compatible with flying machines whose flight physics are unknown to our experts. “In 1979 Poher presented to the scientific steering committee, which heads GEPAN, his conviction that the UFO phenomenon could not be explained conventionally. In the same year Poher left GEPAN for personal reasons and was replaced by Alain Esterle. While the funds only increased in the following years, they were steadily reduced due to changed political conditions and general budget problems of the CNES at the beginning of the 1980s and the group was finally dissolved in 1988.

SEPRA (1988-2004)

The successor to GEPAN was the Service d'expertise des phénomènes de rentrée atmérique ( SEPRA , French for expert department for re-entry phenomena in the atmosphere ) under the direction of Jean-Jacques Velasco, the former deputy of Esterle. SEPRA was now responsible for monitoring satellites and rocket parts that re-entered the atmosphere . UFOs were only secondary and the means for their investigation were very limited. Own scientific investigations could no longer be commissioned. However, all reports of UFO sightings by the official bodies and Air France continued to be received by SEPRA, so that at least data collection and analysis was still possible, albeit to a comparatively small extent.

In 2001, the new director of CNES, Gérard Brachet, initiated a SEPRA review. A complete closure of the department was also up for grabs, as was the reactivation of the former GEPAN.

Reasons for the review and its results are also seen in the COMETA report 1999 and the publication of the book Ovnis: L'Evidence (in German: UFOs: The evidence ) by Velasco 2004. Both the COMETA report and Velasco in his book come to the conclusion that the UFO phenomenon cannot be explained conventionally and that it is very likely that it originated from extraterrestrial intelligence.

The review finally recommended a reactivation of GEPAN, which led to the dissolution of SEPRA and the establishment of GEIPAN.

GEIPAN (since 2005)

The GEIPAN again had the same area of ​​responsibility as the former GEPAN, the investigation of UFOs. The first head of the department was the engineer Jacques Patenet. Patenet had previously worked for CNES in the rocket launches department for many years. GEIPAN presides over a scientific steering committee consisting of representatives of the gendarmerie, civil aviation, army, as well as national institutes for research and meteorology . The chairman is Yves Sillard, former director general of CNES. From 2006, GEIPAN began to make its files freely accessible on the Internet (see web links).

state of research

Categorization of UAPs, GEIPAN, 2007

Until 2008, GEIPAN classified all cases in one of 4 categories: A (phenomenon identified), B (phenomenon probably identified), C (phenomenon not identifiable due to lack of data), D (phenomenon unidentified). In the last statistics from 2007, the number of unidentified cases in category D since the group was founded is 448 out of approx. 1600, which corresponds to 28%.

Since 2009, however, a new, more differentiated evaluation system has been used and the various cases have been recategorized.

The official position of GEIPAN regarding UFOs is that no explanation is favored. In addition to data collection and analysis, GEIPAN tries to interest the scientific community more in the phenomenon, since, according to GEIPAN, “ truly revolutionary scientific discoveries ” could be hidden behind the UFO phenomenon .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Why the French state has a team of UFO hunters - BBC News , November 4, 2014; accessed on March 24, 2016.
  2. ↑ GEIPAN: Vos questions. GEIPAN, 2009, accessed on April 11, 2012 (French): " L'équipe GEIPAN est constituée de deux agents CNES à temps plein "
  3. ^ France - UFO investigations commissioned by the state. MUFON-CES , 2001, accessed March 24, 2016 .
  4. ↑ Dr. Claude Poher: Press conference on November 12, 2007 at the National Press Club, Washington DC (Video) (No longer available online.) Exopolitik.de, November 12, 2007, formerly in the original ; Retrieved on October 9, 2009 (English, with, German, uT).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / blip.tv  
  5. ^ Gildas Bourdais: From GEPAN to SEPRA: Official UFO Studies in France. (PDF; 107 kB) (No longer available online.) IUR, 2001, p. 3 , archived from the original on July 16, 2009 ; Retrieved on August 23, 2009 (English): "Poher came to the conclusion that UFOs are real, and presented his findings to the Scientific Council of GEPAN" Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ufoevidence.org
  6. ^ Report of a private group, which is mainly composed of the environment of the French Ministry of Defense under the leadership of General Denis Letty. See also article Ufology
  7. ^ Gildas Bourdais: On The Death & Rebirth of Official French UFO Studies: 2004 - 2007. IUR, March 2007, accessed on August 23, 2009 (English).
  8. ↑ COMETA Report, Part 2: UFOs and Defense: What Should We Prepare For? (COMETA report). (PDF; 2.1 MB) (No longer available online.) Ufoevidence.org, July 1999, p. 38 , archived from the original on July 16, 2009 ; accessed on May 31, 2009 (English): "[...] almost certain physical reality of completely unknown flying objects [...], apparently operated by intelligent [beings].", "A single hypothesis sufficiently takes into account the facts [...] . It is the hypothesis of extraterrestrial visitors. “ Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ufoevidence.org
  9. ↑ Gildas Bourdais: On The Death & Rebirth of Official French UFO Studies: 2004 - 2007. ufodigest, March 2007, accessed on May 31, 2009 (English): “Mr. Velasco was just completing a book [...] OVNIS: L'évidence . Velasco meant that the reality of UFOs is obvious, and he spoke his case by adding that their ET origin is very probable. "
  10. ↑ GEIPAN: GEIPAN UAP investigation unit opens its files. GEIPAN, March 26, 2007, accessed June 9, 2009 .
  11. ↑ GEIPAN: GEIPAN UAP investigation unit opens its files. GEIPAN, March 26, 2007, accessed on August 23, 2009 (English): "GEIPAN is hoping to focus the attention of the scientific community on these unexplained phenomena, which could conceal truly revolutionary scientific discoveries."