NASA’s U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama features many attractions. (Mike Damante)
NASA’s U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama is more than just a monument to aerospace history, and hands-on exhibits; the facility hosts past and present NASA engineers currently working on pushing the next step in space exploration.
As the topic of UFOs move more into mainstream talk, it’s always good to get a professional perspective on one of the most baffling questions ever, and some at NASA aren’t going to shy away from if there is extraterrestrial life.
Craig Sumner spent 25 years at NASA and 17 in the private sector. Sumner worked on the Lunar Roving vehicle, Teleoperator Retrieval System, Space Launch System and other big projects that included some secret Department of Defense projects that featured a focus on things terrestrial in origin.
“There have been black projects going on that the U.S. Government won’t discuss,” Sumner said. ”The SR-71 flew for so many years before people knew about it. When I was a deputy project manager on the Space Shuttle Eternal Tank I saw a lot of launches and videos from the cabin. I saw a lot of things that at first seemed like it was something different out there, and through further investigation it was something coming off of insulation or ice was something we saw many times.”
Andrew Schorr shows what he’s currently working on; a project that involves a lot of money and moving parts. (Mike Damante)
Sumner, like many in his field, are open minded to the idea of possible extraterrestrial life out there, but is waiting on more proof.
“I always lived by the philosophy if you can bring me some data, and we can analyze it I can get on board,” Sumner said. “There’s a lot you will find in the industry convinced that there is something out there, and there probably is, but I haven’t seen it or being given the evidence yet of something that didn’t come from the earth.”
All three NASA officials interviewed for this story were mostly unaware of the recent increase in UFO coverage in the media; namely the Nimitiz Tic-Tac UFO, and To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science. Once explaining some of the names involved in TTS, the efforts of past Pentagon officials, and the professional pilot testimonials at the Nimitiz UAP incident, they seemed to be intrigued.
Andrew Schorr is the current assistant manager of the SLS Spacecraft ,and knows propulsion. His current project partners with powerhouses like Lockheed Martin and Boeing. When showed the Tic-Tac video, and was presented with the idea of it possibly being from out of this world Schorr was open.
“It’s possible; It wouldn’t necessarily be surprising to me that they exist, and there is some evidence of that,” said Schorr. “Just because we can’t comprehend it doesn’t mean it is not possible.”
Not all are open to the idea of advanced civilizations. Holly Griffith works at NASA’s Space Center Houston. Her resume includes current work in safety as an engineer on Orion in the Environmental System. If these UFOs flying in our sky aren’t alien in origin could the U.S. military or other nation’s produce these types of advanced crafts?
“If it's not alien then I believe that any nation, in theory, can produce this technology because it is physically possible to be produced,” Griffith said. “Realistically, if another country has this technology and the U.S. has seen it in some form, then it probably won't be long before we're able to reproduce it in some form. The same with the EU or any other country on par with the U.S. in terms of technology, and that has the resources to fund such research.”
The work of the engineers, scientists and technicians at NASA helped pave the way for the Elon Musks and Robert Bigelows of the world, which delights Schorr to see the inspiration and hard work across the board to advance human life. For an advancement and better understanding of the universe it will take many talented, and open-minded individuals to push the pace in space.
“Space is too big, and too infinite it is really hard for me to believe that there is other life out there than can ultimately manifest itself as UFOs,” Schorr said.
-By MIKE DAMANTE