Fly Into the UFO Capital of the World and Learn Just WhatHappened in 1947 – The Roswell Incident

Have you heard of the Roswell incident? In 1947, something crashed on a ranch in New Mexico. The military initially admitted that it was a UFO, then retracted their statement, saying that they only found a weather balloon. After that, the incident was quickly forgotten and not rediscovered until 1978. What really happened? Do you believe in extraterrestrials, UFOs and alien technology? Well, it’s time to kick the tire and light the fire, because we’re going to fly into the history, the theories, and the strange evidence that might just make you want to hop in your airplane and touch down at the Roswell Air Center Airport (ROW) to investigate the facts, theories and conspiracies for yourself.

Post-War 1947

Nineteen forty-seven was the year Miracle on 34th Street was released. People were listening to Jack Benny and Bing Crosby on the radio. Frank Sinatra was topping the charts, and people were driving their new Chevrolet Fleetmasters and Ford F-1 pickups. The world was post-war. The U.S. Air Force had just become its own branch of the military. Technology was advancing rapidly, and UFOs were about to make their first appearance in modern times.

Roswell’s Flying Crescents in 1947

On June 24, 1947, Kenneth Arnold was flying over the Cascade Mountains in an effort to help the air force find a lost and presumed crashed military aircraft. Instead of finding the lost aircraft, he spotted nine mysterious objects. They were shaped like crescents, flying at 10,000 feet and traveling at a speed in excess of 1,100 miles per hour. That was faster than any aircraft at the time.

To put it in context, the fastest airplane in 1947 could only fly at a maximum speed of 891 mph, and that was the Bell X-1, which was flown by Chuck Yeager on October 14. It was also the first aircraft to break the sound barrier. However, just a few months earlier, at the time of Kenneth Arnold’s flight, the fastest aircraft was the Lockheed P-80R Shooting Star. It could fly at a maximum speed of 623 mph.

The flying objects that Kenneth spotted were flying almost twice as fast as the fastest aircraft at that specific time. He described the crescent’s movements like someone skipping a saucer across water. The news outlets picked up on the phrase as they published their articles, and in the wake of the sighting, the term “flying saucer” was coined.

Crashed Roswell Weather Balloon

Slightly more than a week later, on July 7, Mac Brazel, a local rancher, called the local sheriff. He had spotted some debris on his land a few days earlier. However, it was commonplace for weather balloons from the nearby Army base to crash onto his property. Mac normally called the base, picked up the pieces and turned them in for any reward money that might be offered. However, the current debris didn’t look like a weather balloon, so he wasn’t in a hurry to report it until he saw the news coverage of the nine unidentified flying saucers.

Once he realized that the debris might have been from the flying objects, he brought samples to the sheriff. The sheriff immediately called the local Army base. The base sent Jesse Marcel, who was an intelligence officer. Mac took Jesse to the crash site to collect more debris.

Marcel transported it back to the base, and an official announcement was made by Walter Haut, the base’s public information officer. In that announcement, Haut said the Army found a flying disc, and the object has been taken into custody. The local headline read, “RAAF Captures Flying Saucer On Ranch in Roswell Region.”

The revelation was shocking. However, less than one day later, the Army retracted the announcement. The military said that the object was not a flying saucer but instead a weather balloon that had crashed. At that time, the populace was more trusting of official government news, and after the weather balloon announcement, the incident was largely forgotten.

1978: The Roswell UFO Files Resurface

Stanton T. Friedman, a UFOlogist who used to be a nuclear physicist, rediscovered the 1947 Roswell documents in 1978 and was told that there was a man he might like to talk to about the incident. That man was Jesse Marcel.

Stanton interviewed Marcel about the Roswell incident and his part in it. Marcel told him that the weather balloon story was a cover-up. When asked about the authenticity of the official photos, Marcel said they were staged with weather balloon debris, not the crash debris that Mac found. Marcel went on to suggest that the wreckage appeared otherworldly.

Over the next few years, Stanton, along with other researchers, dug deeply into the Roswell incident and interviewed several retired military personnel who had been at the base in 1947. This new research led to movies, TV shows and documentaries, as well as a plethora of conspiracy theories, including the theory that alien bodies were taken to Area 51.

The 1990s UFO Conspiracy Theories

The 1990s were a great time for UFO conspiracies. By this time, conspiracy theories alluded to alien bodies at the crash site and mysterious, advanced technology. Some even theorized that the rapid advancement of aircraft and spacecraft was the result of reverse-engineering alien technology.

UFO fever was beginning to grip the nation. It was fueled by decades of Roswell lore combined with various TV shows, like “Project UFO” from 1978 to 1979, “In Search Of” by Leonard Nimoy from 1977 to 1982, and “Sightings” from 1991 to 1997.

It was also during this time that the International UFO Museum & Research Center in Roswell opened to the public. The year was 1992, and just two years later, the U.S. government would release its first official report on the UFO crash in Roswell. The second government report came out in 1997.

Visiting the International UFO Museum in Roswell

The UFO museum is open every day from 9 AM until 5 PM. However, it’s important to note that the museum will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The museum does charge a small admission fee. Once inside, patrons can view the exhibits and models. There’s even a gift shop, and you can even bring your pet.

Stop by the Roswell Visitors Center

Start off your UFO journey by stopping in at the Roswell Visitors Center. Don’t forget to download their SeeRoswell app so you can go on a scavenger hunt. Inside, you’ll find maps and pamphlets on things to do and places to see. The visitors center even has a gift store where you can buy official Roswell items, like t-shirts with aliens, postcards, stickers and campfire mugs. The visitors’ center is open from 9 AM to 5 PM.

Spaceport Roswell

Spaceport Roswell is a virtual reality attraction. It offers a journey through space and time by taking patrons on various journeys. There is a journey back to 1947. In this virtual adventure, guests ride along in an alien spaceship that experiences mechanical issues and crashes into the desert of New Mexico. The second adventure is the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Spaceport Roswell is located across the street from the UFO museum.

Roswell UFO Spacewalk and Gallery

More alien fun can be found at the Roswell UFO Spacewalk and Gallery. This blacklight art maze is filled with glowing extraterrestrial murals, trippy planets, and enough lasers to make your inner sci-fi fanatic weep with joy. Take your time wandering through the neon corridors, admiring the artwork, and imagining all the aliens who might be watching from the skies… or walking among us already.

Land at the Roswell Air Center

The Roswell Air Center (ROW) airport is located three miles south of the city. Runway 3/21 is 13,000 feet long and 150 feet wide. That’s long enough to land everything from a Cessna 152 to a Boeing 777 to a C-17 Globemaster III. In fact, if we want to get hypothetical, it’s also probably long enough to land an alien space shuttle. Runway 17/35 is only a little shorter than Runway 3/21. It’s 10,008 feet long and 100 feet wide. The airport also has two helipads that are 55 by 55 feet. ROS has 100LL, Jet-A and Jet-A1. They offer minor airframe and powerplant services and low bulk oxygen. Tiedowns and hangars are available.

If you love alien lore, UFOs and wild technology, you’ll love Roswell. It’s the UFO capital of the world. In fact, you can even go to the UFO festival that’s held each summer. However, if you’re thinking about attending this fall or winter, you’ll be pleased to know that you can find alien-themed food and drinks at several of the restaurants. For example, Peppers Grill and Bar has an Alien Amber, and Stellar Coffee offers alien-themed drinks. Whatever you choose, you’re sure to have an out-of-this-world good time when you fly into Roswell.