Mysteries of Space & Sky UFO Con ~ 2009

Mysteries of Space & Sky UFO Conference!
Saturday, Oct 24th, 2009

Dr. Peter Resta's One-Day UFO Seminar!

Dr. S. Peter Resta

Welcome and Keynote

Dr. Resta has had a lifelong fascination with UFOs and psychology. His psychological studies culminated in his earning a PhD, enabling him to maintain a clinical counseling practice as well as a teaching career at several institutions of higher learning in the state of Maryland. His two passions have come together for Peter, as he has been able to hold numerous one-day UFO seminar classes at various community colleges, as well as develop an advanced psychology course at UMBC on critical thinking and the paranormal. Whether it's the Pasgagoula abduction case, the Coyne helicopter case, or the latest mass sighting, Dr. Resta continues to argue that psychological theories simply cannot explain away the best cases. Come hear his latest insights.

Budd Hopkins

Art, Life and UFOs: A Memoir

Hopkins has led an exciting New York City adventure for much of his life. From his humble origins in West Virginia to his hip Manhattan abode; Budd's life story is rich with connections to icons of the 20th-century New York art scene as well as players in the most astonishing UFO abduction cases in history. Arguably, Hopkins is THE pioneer in the UFO abduction field. His own UFO sighting played a role in fanning his curiosity, as did bizarre and serendipitous conversations he had at cocktail parties and art show openings. It seems that others had seen things, too. And they experienced strange amnesiac periods which Hopkins came to call "Missing Time" (the title of his first book). Hear Budd Hopkins describe in his own words how a nice NY artist (with pieces in major museums around the world) became obsessed with resolving the UFO abduction mystery. Budd has published numerous books and articles, been the subject of a TV mini-series and is active with the group he founded, Intruders Foundation.

Col. Charles Halt (Ret. USAF)

Update on the 1980 Rendlesham-Bentwaters UFO Case

Col. Charles Halt retired from the USAF in 1991 as a Base Commander and as Director, Inspections Directorate for the DOD IG, having inspection oversight of all military and defense agencies. In late December 1980, then-LtCol. Charles Halt experienced a UFO incident in the Rendlesham forest area, located near the RAF/USAF Bentwaters base where he was stationed in Suffolk England. The base, home of the largest Tactical Fighter Wing in the Air Force was experiencing strange lights on the night of Dec 26th-27th. The next night, bizarre lights were again seen and Halt left the base Christmas party to investigate. A team of 5 men led by Halt (the Deputy Base Commander) went to investigate, armed with a tape recorder and other equipment. At some point they spotted a red pulsating object navigating through the woods. Smaller objects exploded out of the main object, which in turn shot pencil-thin laserlike beams at various "targets" on the base. One beam landed at the feet of Halt's team, causing alarm. Through much of the encounter, Halt recorded his radio communication with the base. Skeptics claim the mystery lights were simply the Orford Ness lighthouse beacon and the indentations in the ground from the UFO landing were nothing more than "rabbit holes." Come join us as Col. Halt tears "holes" in their theories! Hear the latest corroborating evidence and check out the plaster casts of the UFO landing trace for yourself!

Capt. Robert Durant

Roswell: Inconvenient Facts The Skeptics Don't Want To Hear

Retired airline pilot and Roswell researcher Capt. Robert Durant reviews the claim by the Air Force and the skeptics that the Roswell Incident was a misidentified spy balloon, nothing more. Was it a spaceship? Durant is unsure. Was it a Project Mogul balloon array? No way, insists Captain Durant. The Roswell, New Mexico case has held the imagination ever since it occurred in 1947. It led Bob Durant to conduct some original research and communicate his expertise in a well-received video project, Roswell? Yes! Durant has been interviewed and featured in various Roswell documentaries for the SCI-FI Channel and others. He has played the role as host and narrator on DVD projects about sundry paranormal topics, lending his deep baritone voice to enhance the productions.

Rosemary Ellen Guiley

Shadow People: Just What Are They?

Tall sinister figures that stand by the bed at night and watch us. Black silhouettes that peek around doorways. We call them Shadow People. Our usual gut reaction: Fear. Panic. Terror. Are they dark ghosts of human beings, or could there be a connection between Shadow People and ET’s? Unexpectedly, Rosemary's data suggest just such a connection. Shadow People bear a strong resemblance to Men in Black: odd men, dressed all in black, who visit ET/UFO experiencers and warn them not to talk. And Shadow People often manifest through the wall, like a typical gray alien of the bedroom abductor variety. Could some Shadow People be artificial intelligence drones programmed to monitor our thoughts and consciousness, even while we sleep? Join Rosemary, paranormal expert and prolific author of more than 30 books, as she explores these possibilities.

Video Tribute to Richard Hall -- In His Own Words

Commentary by Don Berliner

Richard Hall's life history is intertwined with the very history of ufology. It almost seems incomprehensible now that such a true giant had made himself so accessible to other researchers and had been toiling away right up to the end on his periodical, the Journal of UFO History. He seemed timeless; spanning the birth of NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena) in 1956, to presiding over the the Fund for UFO Research for many years, to mixing it up with the latest generation of ufologists on web-postings and e-mail volleys. His passing in July of this year will leave a void that will be felt for some time. Come join us as we enjoy excerpts from speaking presentations that Dick has given over the years. Brief commentary and UFO tribute will be given by the current Chairman of the Fund (and past NICAP'er), Don Berliner.

Nicholas Roesler

In Focus: Photographic Evidence of UFOs

Nick Roesler is a young Milwaukee-based ufologist who is debuting with his first book hot off the press. Roesler has been the official photographer at MUFON for many years and has been a student of photography, both of the conventional emulsion-film variety and digital. His book is a handbook of sorts including a primer on the development of photography and how it can be an invaluable tool in any UFO case lucky enough to have extant photographic evidence. Nick profiles some famous UFO photo cases that you would expect to see, such as the 1942 Battle of Los Angeles, the 1950 Trent McMinville photos and the 1965 Heflin series. But he also shares with us a more obscure case, (local to him), the 1976 Colfax, Wisconsin photos by an on-duty police officer with his department-issued camera. Join Nick as he discusses the evidential nature of photography in UFO investigations.

Robert Swiatek

MUFON Close-Encounter Cases of 2009

Billionaire Robert Bigelow has stepped back into funding UFO research. His earlier forays supporting ufology brought the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR), the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) and the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) together to collaborate. Though the funding arrangement did not last long, valuable communication channels between the groups continue to this day. Bigelow also founded the National Institute of Discovery Sciences (NIDS), which was involved in cattle mutilation studies and the famed Skinwalker ranch. After a hiatus, Robert Bigelow is back and funding MUFON to investigate reported UFO sightings for later analysis by his many scientists. Long-term researcher and MUFON Board member Rob Swiatek sees this as an opportunity to accomplish serious laboratory work that the field so desperately needs. Swiatek, who is also Secretary-Treasurer for FUFOR, will fascinate you with the latest findings.

Susan Swiatek

Unidentified, Flying, Organic? Biological UFOs

Amid the usual reports of metallic machine-like flying objects are manifestations that seem to fit more into the realm of living things. Some have wings and resemble giant birds or insects, others fly seemingly without benefit of wings, or have appendages so vestigial that they seem incapable of flight -- but fly they do. From large birds reported in the Blue Book files, to Trevor Constable's flying amoebas, to West Virginia's Mothman, weird living things in the sky keep being seen. Join Susan, MUFON's Virginia State Director, on a somewhat offbeat journey into the fringes of what may be described as the nexus between cryptozoology and ufology. Susan has been a student of ufology since childhood and has had her very own cryptozoo sighting (but that's another story).

Peter Franks

Explore the Human Mind

Peter Franks is a retired police officer and private detective. His interest in the paranormal side of life has led him to consult psychics on cold cases, experiment with pyramid energy and pursue the UFO subject with dedicated interest for many years. His life-long law enforcement training has led him to become a keen student of human perception, which plays a key role in any criminal, UFO or paranormal investigation. As we round out the evening on a thought-provoking note, join Peter Franks as he explores the human mind, with the audience as an active participant.