TRAVEL NOTES by Milton W. Hourcade

UAPSG-URUGUAY: A REWARDING EXPERIENCE

From midst of February to the end of March, I have been in Uruguay, visiting friends and family, and also colleagues in the UAP area.

As a result of this visit, the Uruguayan branch of the UAPSG had a very important meeting where two experts on the subject who have been members of CIOVI for 30 years, joined the Group.

As we welcome Luis Alberto González, and Arch. Sergio Olivera, we wish good luck to the group that will be meeting every third Wednesday of each month at the Montevideo Planetarium.

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MYSTICAL TRIPS

 While in Montevideo, I’ve found a business place that deals with many kinds of esoteric issues and alternative therapies. Among the services this people bring there are what they call “mystical trips” to some particular places.

Those places have been wrongfully associated with UAPs, and commercially exploited in what we consider an infamous trade with the credulity of certain people.

One of the things that caught my attention and shocked me was to know the prices for those trips.  

They charge the equivalent to 674 US dollars to go to Capilla del Monte in Cordoba, Argentina, where there is the Uritorco hill, an “see” the so-called “intraterrain city of Erks” a myth created locally by one of the many swindlers that “guide” people ready to believe in whatever tale is told to them.

The other place of economic exploitation is the Father Pio place, across the La Aurora ranch, where since the seventies a myth have been developed about the presence of extraterrestrial ships, energetic vortices, etc.etc. The trip is short, it is within the Uruguayan territory and they charge 242 US dollars.

We think that authorities should put an end to this fraud.

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AN INTERVIEW WITH A TEAM OF “THE HISTORY CHANNEL”

I thank Engr. Adolfo Gandín Ocampo who suggested my name to be included in a 10 chapter’s series prepared by the History Channel that is going to be broadcasted on TV stations throughout Latin America, starting on June, 2013.

I made a quick trip to Buenos Aires, from where I returned in the same day to Montevideo, and I was interviewed by Mr. Jorge Luis Suckdorf, in charge of the project.

We dealt with many issues related directly or indirectly with the UAPs, and as usual, I gave my pondered and sincere opinion about all of them.

Now we expect to see the series and verify where and how I will appear. 

I extend my special thanks to Jorge Luis and his wife Veronica for their kind reception.

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LECTURE AT A ROTARY CLUB

Kindly invited by the “Villa Colón Melilla” Rotary Club, (thanks to the efficient steps taken by our colleague Mr. Gonzalo Piano) I gave there a lecture about the Unusual Arial Phenomena investigation and study, with special reference to the UAPSG.

A very receptive attendance followed with real interest my exposition after which they pose good questions.

I want to thank warmly the President and members of that Rotary Club for such a fruitful meeting, and I wish them success in their endeavors.

APUNTES DE VIAJE: por Milton W. Hourcade

GEFAI-URUGUAY: UNA EXPERIENCIA GRATIFICANTE

Desde mediados de Febrero hasta fines de Marzo he estado en Uruguay, visitando a amigos y familiares, y también a colegas en el área de los FAI.

Como resultado de esta visita, la rama uruguaya del UAPSG-GEFAI tuvo una muy importante reunión donde dos expertos en la materia que han sido miembros del CIOVI durante 30 años, se unieron al Grupo.

Al darles la bienvenida a Luis Alberto González y al Arqto. Sergio Olivera, le deseamos buena suerte al grupo que se reunirá cada tercer miércoles de cada mes en el Planetario de Montevideo.

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VIAJES MISTICOS

Mientras estaba en Montevideo, encontré un negocio que se vincula a muchos temas esotéricos y terapias alternativas. Entre los servicios que esta gente brinda hay lo que llaman “viajes místicos” a algunos lugares especiales.

Esos lugares han sido equivocadamente asociados con los F.A.I. y comercialmente explotados en lo que consideramos un infame negocio con la credulidad de ciertas personas.

Una de las cosas que me llamó la atención y me impactó fue saber los precios de esos viajes.

Cobran el equivalente a 674 dólares estadounidenses por ir a Capilla del Monte, en Córdoba, Argentina, donde está el cerro Uritorco, para “ver” la llamada “ciudad intraterrena de los Erks” un mito creado localmente por uno de los tantos embaucadores que “guían” a las personas dispuestas a creer cualquier cuento que se les haga.

El otro lugar de explotación económica es el del Padre Pío, un terreno ubicado frente a la estancia La Aurora, donde desde la década de los años 70 se ha desarrollado un mito acerca de la presencia de naves extraterrestres, vórtices energéticos, etc.etc. El viaje es corto, están dentro del territorio uruguayo y cobran 242 dólares estadounidenses.

Pensamos que las autoridades deberían poner fin a este fraude.

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UNA ENTREVISTA CON UN EQUIPO DEL “HISTORY CHANNEL”

Agradezco al Ing. Adolfo Gandín Ocampo quien sugirió mi nombre para ser incluido en una serie de 10 capítulos preparada por el History Channel, que se va a presentar en estaciones de televisión de toda América Latina comenzando en Junio de 2013.

Hice un rápido viaje a Buenos Aires, desde donde retorné el mismo día a Montevideo, y fui entrevistado por Jorge Luis Suckdorf, a cargo del proyecto.

Consideramos varios temas relacionados directa o indirectamente con los FAI, y como es habitual, dí mi ponderada y sincera opinión acerca de los mismos.

Ahora esperamos ver la serie y verificar dónde y cómo apareceré.

Extiendo mi especial agradecimiento a Jorge Luis y a su esposa Verónica por su amable acogida.

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PRESENTACIÓN EN UN CLUB ROTARIO

Amablemente invitado por el Club Rotario de Villa Colón Melilla, (gracias a la eficiente gestión de nuestro colega Gonzalo Piano) dí allí una conferencia acerca la la investigación y estudio de los Fenómenos Aéreos Inusuales con especial referencia al GEFAI.

Una asistencia muy receptiva siguió con verdadero interés mi exposición luego de la cual hizo buenas preguntas.

Agradezco sinceramente al Presidente y miembros de ese Club Rotario por tal provechosa reunión, y les deseo éxito en sus emprendimientos.

NAMED AS “NASA UFO” IT TURNED OUT TO BE SOMETHING ELSE

Recently, there is a surge of web pages –everyday appears a new one—repeating the same story as if it were a real discovery.

This is as old as Ufology. It is like when some writers copied and repeated without a minimum of research or intellectual honesty, that Capt. Thomas Mantell persecuted a UFO with his F-51 jet.

The fighter airplane Mustang P-51 (the P was for Pursuit)  or F-51 (the F is for Fighter) as it was designated in 1948, was a single internal combustion engine craft. Not a jet.

NASA published long time ago a picture of the Earth taken by the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia during their Mission STS61-C.  In two of the photographs appears a black triangular object.

The fantasy prone mentality of many of those who call themselves “ufologists” had made them to publish and republish any of those two pictures under the title “NASA UFO photograph”.

Well, we go to the credible sources (1) and to what NASA has already said about the object that appears there. 

Here is the photo and the explanation.

STS-61-C
Piece of thermal insulation tile floats near the Shuttle Columbia
Credit: NASA

Case closed!

( 1 ) http://www.astronautix.com/flights/sts61c.htm#chrono

EL LLAMADO “OVNI DE LA NASA” RESULTÓ SER ALGO DIFERENTE

Recientemente hay un brote de páginas web –todos los días aparece una nueva—repitiendo la misma historia como si fuese un descubrimiento.

Esto es tan viejo como la Ovnilogía. Es como cuando algunos escritores copiaron y repitieron sin un mínimo de investigación o de honestidad intelectual, que el Capitán Thomas Mantell persiguió un OVNI en su F-51 a reacción.

El avión de combate Mustang P-51 (la P por Persecución) o F-51 (la F por Fighter) como fue designado en 1948, era un aparato con un solo motor de combustión interna. No un avión a reacción.

La NASA publicó hace mucho tiempo una imagen de la Tierra tomada por la tripulación del transbordador Columbia durante su Misión STS-61-C. En dos de las fotografías aparece un objeto triangular negro.

La mentalidad con tendencia a la fantasía de muchos de quienes se llaman a sí mismos “ufólogos” les ha hecho publicar y re-publicar cualquiera de esas dos fotos bajo el título “Fotografía de un OVNI, de la NASA”.

Bueno, nosotros vamos a fuentes creíbles (1) y a lo que la NASA ya ha dicho acerca del objeto que allí aparece.

Aquí está la foto y la explicación:

STS-61-C

Trozo de una losa de aislamiento térmico cerca del Transbordador Columbia

Crédito: NASA

¡Caso cerrado!

(1)  http://www.astronautix.com/flights/sts61c.htm#chrono

        

World Economic Forum: the potential discovery of alien life

The World Economic Forum convened a meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, on January 7, 2013 to prepare a Global Risks 2013 report.

As part of the Global Risks 2013 report, the World Economic Forum’s Risk Response Network has identified five "X Factor" risks in partnership with Nature. These look beyond mainstream risks to five emerging potential game-changers.

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Given the pace of space exploration, it is increasingly conceivable that we may discover the existence of alien life or other planets that could support human life. What would be the effects on science funding flows and humanity’s self-image?

It was only in 1995 that we first found evidence that other stars also have planets orbiting them. Now thousands of “exoplanets” revolving around distant stars have been detected. NASA’s Kepler mission to identify Earth-sized planets located in the “Goldilocks zone” (not too hot, not too cold) of sun-like stars has been operating for only three years and has already turned up thousands of candidates, including one the size of Earth. The fact that Kepler has found so many planet candidates in such a tiny fraction of the sky suggests that there are countless Earth-like planets orbiting sun-like stars in our galaxy. In 10 years’ time we may have evidence not only that Earth is not unique but also that life exists elsewhere in the universe.

Suppose the astronomers who study exoplanets one day find chemical signs of life – for example, a spectrum showing the presence of oxygen, a highly reactive element that would quickly disappear from Earth’s atmosphere if it weren’t being replenished by plants. Money might well start flowing for new telescopes to study these living worlds in detail, both from the ground and from space. New funding and new brain power might be attracted to the challenges of human space flight and the technologies necessary for humanity, or its artificial-intelligence emissaries, to survive an inter-stellar crossing.

The discovery would certainly be one of the biggest news stories of the year and interest would be intense. But it would not change the world immediately. Alien life has been supposedly discovered before, after all. Around the turn of the 20th century, the US astronomer Percival Lowell convinced many people (including himself) that Mars was crisscrossed by a vast system of canals built by a dying civilization. But the belief that humankind was not alone did not do much to usher in an era of goodwill and earthly harmony, nor did it stop the outbreak of World War I in 1914.

The discovery’s largest near-term impact would likely be on science itself. Suppose observations point to a potential future home for humankind around another star, or the existence of life in our solar system – in the Martian poles, in the subsurface oceans of Jupiter’s frozen moon Europa, or even in the hydrocarbon lakes of Saturn’s moon Titan. Scientists will immediately start pushing for robotic and even human missions to study the life forms in situ – and funding agencies, caught up in the excitement, might be willing to listen.

The fledgling space economy had a big year in 2012, which saw the birth of space trucking when the first commercially built and operated spacecraft had a successful rendezvous with the International Space Station, and a host of celebrity billionaires declared intentions to make asteroid mining a reality. Discovery of an Earth 2.0 or life beyond our planet might inspire new generations of space entrepreneurs to meet the challenge of taking human exploration of the galaxy from the realm of fiction to fact.

Over the long term, the psychological and philosophical implications of the discovery could be profound. If life forms (even fossilized life forms) are found in our solar system, for example, the origin of life is “easy” – that any place in the universe life can emerge, it will emerge. It will suggest that life is as natural and as ubiquitous a part of the universe as the stars and galaxies. The discovery of even simple life would fuel speculation about the existence of other intelligent beings and challenge many assumptions that underpin human philosophy and religion.

Through basic education and awareness campaigns, the general public can achieve a higher science and space literacy and cognitive resilience that would prepare them and prevent undesired social consequences of such a profound discovery and paradigm shift concerning humankind’s position in the universe.