Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program (AATIP)program<\/a>, I had recalled that many FAA manuals had BAASS listed as a place of contact for commercial pilot UFO reports.<\/p>\nThe dates that Bigelow Aerospace\/BAASS entered into the manuals very much coincide with the start of the AATIP program.\u00a0 Prior, the manuals reference Bigelow Aerospace\u2019s previous project called NIDS starting in 2002.\u00a0 However, all references to Bigelow Aerospace\/BAASS have been removed, which coincides with the actual cancellation of the AATIP program (although this \u2018cancellation\u2019 date that is controversial, since Mr. Elizondo has gone on the record saying the program continued). It appears, however, that the removal of Bigelow Aerospace\/BAASS from the FAA manuals coincides completely with this cancellation date.\u00a0 The FAA now recommends contacting private organizations like the National UFO Reporting center to report their sightings.<\/p>\n
In January of 2018, I requested under the FOIA all communications between Bigelow Aerospace\/BAASS and the FAA.\u00a0 I received a stack of communications on March 23, 2018, which include most of the communications about the change of contact within the FAA manuals.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, there were no other communications.\u00a0 What I intended, was to get a hold of any reports that may have come in to the FAA, and forwarded to Bigelow Aerospace\/BAASS.\u00a0 By the below FOIA release, nothing was ever forwarded from 2005 on.<\/p>\n
So, it appears that if anything was reported during this time frame, it went directly to Bigelow Aerospace\/BAASS.\u00a0 Sadly, in THIS specific case, all of those reports from any commercial pilot made DIRECTLY to\u00a0Bigelow Aerospace\/BAASS, would never be subject to the FOIA (unless\u00a0Bigelow Aerospace\/BAASS included any of the reports they received in any documents they submitted under their AATIP contract.\u00a0 That is still being determined.).<\/p>\n
Regardless of the fact that I didn\u2019t quite find what I was looking for, it still is an interesting look into the fact that the FAA had this in their manuals to report to Bigelow Aerospace\/BAASS, but then had removed it.<\/p>\n
Document Archive<\/h3>\n