Gordon Cooper
Gordon Cooper, one of NASA’s original Mercury Seven astronauts, gained widespread attention not only for his contributions to space exploration but also for his accounts of encountering unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and speculating about their possible extraterrestrial origins. Cooper’s reputation as a seasoned military and space pilot added weight to his claims, which remain subjects of interest and controversy.
In 1951, while serving as a military pilot stationed in Germany, Cooper reported his first encounter with a UFO. Gordon Cooper in his testimony, recalls multiple sightings, starting with an incident while he was a pilot stationed in Germany. Cooper describes a fleet of disk-shaped objects performing advanced maneuvers that mirrored the formations flown by his squadron of F-86 fighters. The UFOs, he noted, executed turns and maneuvers impossible for any conventional aircraft at the time. These objects, appearing in “typical saucer shape” with double-integral lenticular designs, behaved as though they were controlled by intelligent pilots in communication with one another. Cooper was confident that neither the U.S. nor the Soviet Union possessed such technology.
He further explained that these objects seemed to originate from beyond Earth, stating that they exhibited capabilities far beyond the engineering of any terrestrial vehicles. Cooper believed that the government chose to keep this information secret, fearing public panic and having to maintain layers of deception that have grown more complex over time.
Cooper described a second encounter in 1957 at Edwards Air Force Base. While supervising a military camera crew during a test, Cooper reported that a saucer-shaped craft approached, hovered, deployed landing gear, and settled on the dry lake bed. The crew, in shock, filmed the event and approached the craft. However, before they could get close, it lifted off, retracted its landing gear, and sped away. Cooper promptly reported the event through official channels and sent the film to Washington, though he never saw it again and was unaware of its final destination.
In later years, Cooper had conversations with colleagues in commercial aviation who recounted similar experiences. He mentioned one airline captain who saw a large, glowing saucer off his wing during a nighttime flight. The object seemed to react to the pilot’s maneuvers, matching his turns and eventually departing with a steep climb.
Cooper’s commitment to the UFO subject was further demonstrated in 1977 when he joined other astronauts in signing a petition to the United Nations, urging the establishment of an international UFO research initiative.
Determined to bring attention to these phenomena, Cooper eventually approached the United Nations. He met with Kurt Waldheim and the UN Security Council, advocating for an unbiased international committee to investigate and share data on UFOs. In his proposal, he expressed a firm belief that these extraterrestrial vehicles and their occupants were visiting Earth, suggesting they were technologically superior to human civilization. Cooper speculated that governments kept these encounters confidential, possibly due to the advanced nature of the UFOs and the potential ramifications of such knowledge becoming public.
