Bigelow Aerospace's government subsidy to study UFOs

in #corporatism6 years ago

Robert Bigelow occupies a unique space, if you will, where UFO interest and government subsidy intersect. Between 2007 and 2012, Bigelow's company Bigelow Aerospace was funded by the US government project AATIP, the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program, to study UFOs. His friend, Senator Harry Reid was the necessary insider connection for the funding and the creation of AATIP within the Defence Intelligence Agency, though Reid convinced Senators Ted Stevens and Daniel Inouye to sign on to the project, as well. The project enjoyed a budget of $22 million, some of which went to Bigelow's aerospace company.

He's the founder of both Bigelow Aerospace and Bigelow Space Operations. Bigelow Aerospace is also known for the production of BEAM (Bigelow Expandable Activity Module), which was launched on a SpaceX cargo mission in 2016 and delivered to the International Space Station. It's currently connected to the space station as a sort of warehouse and will stay docked there through 2020.

Bigelow is convinced the Earth has had extraterrestrial visitors and claims to have entered the real estate industry to acquire the resources to fund space exploration. He also claims to have had a first-hand encounter with reptilian aliens.

Bigelow's involvement with AATIP was short-lived, as the program was only in operation for five years between 2007 and 2012. The project's former head, Luis Elizondo, is now involved with Tom DeLonge's To the Stars, a private-sector extension of the AATIP program. DeLonge also has a few government connections of his own, including an email friendship with Clinton insider John Podesta, as featured, somewhat prominently, in the Wikileaks Podesta emails. Also noted in the Podesta emails is mention of Senator Reid apparently suggesting that Bigelow contact Podesta, who is also a UFO enthusiast, as indicated in a staff email to Podesta suggesting that Bigelow would “appreciate a call.”

Robert Bigelow understands that any space exploration endeavor needs the involvement of governments: “What we've always anticipated and expected is that we would be very involved in helping foreign countries to establish their human space programs...” (Which means, of course, foreign governments.) Recently, Bigelow Space Operations announced a partnership with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the organization that manages NASA's National Laboratory on the International Space Station, another very lucrative public-private partnership that defines modern-day corporatism. In fact, the entire space industry seems to be the result of government connections, according to Business Insider: “NASA has helped fund a nascent industry of private space companies, including SpaceX and Bigelow.”

Christopher Hearsey didn't quite make the venn, as he hasn't yet quite garnered a covered position in Washington, but it's not for lack of trying. He ran for Congress this year in the Democrat primary for Maryland's sixth district, but was defeated just a few weeks ago. An in-house lobbyist at Bigelow Aerospace, Hearsey described himself during his campaign as an “aerospace executive.”

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