Despite the popular media habit of ridiculing those who have witnessed UFO's and then spoken up about it, there are some witnesses to these events that are deemed above reproach. Since the very beginning of the American space program's journeys above our Earth, our astronauts have been routine witnesses to these unidentified flying craft. In the words of Scott Carpenter, "At no time, when the astronauts were in space were they alone: there was a constant surveillance by UFOs."

Major Gordon Cooper was making a 22-orbit trip around the planet on May 15, 1963 in a Mercury space capsule when he reported a glowing greenish object approaching him. It was also picked up on the Muchea (Australia) tracking radar. Despite Cooper's mention of the UFO being broadcast on the NBC television network, reporters were warned not to ask about the event when he got back to Earth.

A few years later, June 1965, and astronauts Ed White and James McDivitt were sailing far above Hawaii in their Gemini capsule when they spotted a strange looking metallic object in orbit with them. Rather than a saucer shape, this UFO had a number of long "arms" sticking out from it. Despite taking photographs and motion pictures of the object, none of these images have been released for the public to see. Later that year, in December, James Lovell and Frank Borman were aboard Gemini 7 when they reported a bogey at 10 o'clock. Gemini Control asked if they were just seeing the booster rocket. Lovell replied that, "We have several actual sightings. We also have the booster in sight."

Since first being used by Walter Schirra on his Mercury 8 flight, the code name "Santa Claus" has been used to indicate to ground control when a UFO has been spotted tracking an Earth space capsule. This was to minimize public knowledge of just what was going on in the space above our planet when we ventured outward. Knowing this code helps remove the jauntiness of James Lovell's comment when he first came out from behind the moon on his Apollo 8 fly-around and greeted the world with the words, "Please be informed that there is a Santa Claus."

The ultimate close encounter with "Santa Claus" was to be experienced by Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin made their historic moon landing in Apollo 11 in July of 1969. After reporting a "light" in or on the crater wall, Mission Control asked for more details and then the public broadcast from the astronauts was cut. Several ham radio operators with their own VHF receivers did record the following conversation, which was cut from the "official" broadcast.

NASA: "What’s there? Mission Control calling Apollo 11..."

Apollo 11: "These "Babies" are huge, Sir! Enormous! OH MY GOD! You wouldn't believe it! I'm telling you there are other spacecraft out there, Lined up on the far side of the crater edge! They're on the Moon watching us!"

If we cannot believe the words of our own spacefaring heroes about the reality of extraterrestrial life and spacecraft, whom then can we believe?

There would have been absolutely no UFO problem if the only strange thing seen in the sky were some pecks glinting in sunlit sky or few oddly moving lights. But unfortunately for those people who would like to dismiss the subject, there have been many close encounters of the unidentified strange objects. Not only this, physical evidences in various forms have been left behind and witnesses have also experienced physical effects including severe burns and injuries.

It is said that of all the UFO sightings reported only 10% of them are real. If you think that majority of the UFO reports remain unidentified because there is insufficient information or detail then you will find it very hard to explain how the Batelle Institute which carries out analysis of UFO reports that a good report, the one which is detailed, was twice a likely as a poor, a one which is sketchy report, to be categorized as unidentified.

On the other hand if you think that UFO reports remains unidentified because the witnesses are perpetrating hoaxes then it very important for you to know that there is no major study conducted have ever found more than a few percent of UFO reports hoaxes or fake.

You will be very wrong if you think that only unreliable persons are witnesses of such sightings. The strange events in skies are witnessed by many scientists, military personnel, government officials, police forces and experienced pilots.

Generally all the human beings are very good witnesses. It may happen that they may fail to identify an object which they see but they definitely provide vital information for the experts to do so. So there is a very small room of mistake or misinterpretation when an object is within yards of the witness. And when such kind of incidents is witnessed by multiple people then this case becomes even more reliable and stronger. And with physical evidences such as burnt tree top, burnt grounds and swirled grass, it becomes a reality that something strange has happened at that site.

These UFO’s do land on earth and when they do so, they simply hover at low altitudes thereby producing swirled grass. In some other cases, they extend landing gear as reported many times.

Analysis of various such UFO landing sites tells that UFO’s release some kind of odor. This odor is reported as “ozone” or “formaldehyde” and is highly irritating and causes nausea and vomiting.