The Case for the Term ‘Exotic Vessel’
Over the past century, our skies and oceans have been witness to numerous unexplained phenomena. Objects moving at seemingly impossible speeds, defying our known laws of physics, and disappearing without a trace have mystified observers. Traditionally, we’ve referred to these as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs), Unidentified Submersible Objects (USOs), or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. However, the question remains: are these terms truly comprehensive enough to encapsulate these extraordinary occurrences?
The Evolution of Terminology
In the 1950s, the United States Air Force coined the term UFO to describe any airborne object that couldn’t be identified by the observer. This term, though broad, had its limitations. It was often associated with extraterrestrial life and conspiracy theories, which often led to dismissal or stigmatization of the subject within scientific circles.
To focus more on their scientific aspects, the U.S. government introduced the term UAP in its 2021 preliminary report on unidentified aerial phenomena. The term UAP seemed more neutral, accurate, and less burdened by cultural baggage.
However, even this term has its constraints. It limits the phenomena to aerial occurrences, overlooking similar unexplained incidents in our oceans and beyond.
In general, we should refer to these occurrences simply as ‘phenomena’ and, until their nature is discerned, as ‘unidentified phenomena.’ Within this broad categorization, objects demonstrating movement should be specifically identified as ‘Exotic Vessels.’ This provides an organized, hierarchy-based approach to studying these phenomena, placing ‘Exotic Vessels’ as a specific subset within the larger umbrella of unidentified phenomena.
The Case for “Exotic Vessel”
An argument can be made that a term like “Exotic Vessel” might be more encompassing. The word “vessel” is broad enough to include a variety of entities, and “exotic” implies the unconventional or unknown nature of these entities or their behavior. It’s a term that doesn’t limit the context to our atmosphere, our physical laws, or even our universe.
The terminology we use to refer to these unexplained phenomena impacts public perception. As found by a 2022 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 63% of Americans believe that UFOs are evidence of intelligent life beyond Earth. This suggests that our choice of words can influence people’s understanding of these occurrences. A term like “Exotic Vessel” could potentially steer the narrative away from the extraterrestrial and towards an open-ended scientific inquiry.
Unexplained phenomena have demonstrated capabilities that challenge our current understanding of physics:
- Some have reached hypersonic speeds without generating sonic booms or heat signatures, a phenomenon that contradicts conventional aerodynamics (source: The 2004 Nimitz Incident).
- Others have performed maneuvers that subject them to gravitational forces exceeding what should be tolerable based on our understanding of physics (source: The Belgian UFO wave, 1989-1990).
- Some vessels have appeared to submerge in water without causing a splash or other disturbance, defying our known laws of fluid dynamics (source: Puerto Rico Agua Viva, 2013).
The term “Exotic Vessel” aligns with these observations by acknowledging the ‘exotic’, or unconventional, nature of these vessels’ behavior, and by avoiding assumptions about their origins.
The term “vessel” presents a more accurate and encompassing terminology when discussing these observed phenomena. Traditionally, a vessel is defined as a craft for travel on water, but it has evolved to be understood as any major structure that can transport things, including people, goods, or a means of transportation in general. Vessels could range from ships to aircraft, submarines, and even spacecraft. By using “vessel”, we free ourselves from the spatial constraints implied by terms like ‘flying’ or ‘submersible’, opening up for the phenomena that might traverse multiple domains – air, water, space or even dimensions.
“Exotic”, on the other hand, signifies something that is foreign, unusual, or significantly different from the norm. Applying it in this context denotes that the vessels in question operate outside our known laws of physics, exhibiting behavior or characteristics that are yet to be fully understood, or which challenge current scientific understanding. The word “exotic” captures this unknown, non-standard nature of the phenomena, which has been the crux of their intrigue.
Therefore, merging these two words to coin “Exotic Vessel” is an intelligent move. It not only broadens the scope of our conversation to include all possible environments these phenomena might traverse, but it also emphasizes the unique, yet-to-be-understood nature of their operation. “Exotic Vessel” prioritizes the empirical reality of these observations, focusing on the fact that these are tangible, observable phenomena with unusual characteristics, without limiting or predetermining their potential origin or nature. The term invites an open-minded, science-based approach towards further investigation of these compelling occurrences.
Despite the ongoing debate, the term “Exotic Vessel” presents an intriguing prospect for reframing our understanding of these phenomena. By providing a scientifically neutral term that encompasses observations across all environments, it encourages a focus on empirical observation and paves the way for more serious scientific investigation.
As we continue to observe and attempt to understand these phenomena, the term “Exotic Vessel” allows us to focus on the core of the issue – there are objects operating in our environment in ways we do not yet understand.
