Robert Bigelow

Robert Bigelow established Bigelow Aerospace with ambitions for commercial space habitats. He also financed research into unexplained phenomena at Skinwalker Ranch.¹²

Bigelow provided grants to organizations studying consciousness and potential life beyond Earth, continuing to sponsor unconventional research.³⁴⁵

  Role in AAWSAP (2008–2010)

In 2008 Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) won the $22 million Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) contract from the Defense Intelligence Agency to collect and analyse UAP data.⁶⁷ BAASS oversaw field investigations, commissioned 38 technical papers and hired many long-time Bigelow consultants such as Hal Puthoff and Eric Davis.

  Skinwalker Ranch Investigations

Bigelow purchased Utah's Skinwalker Ranch in 1996, turning the property into a "living laboratory" for high-strangeness research.⁸ Phenomena reported by BAASS and visiting DIA officials ranged from luminous craft to poltergeist-like activity and were later chronicled in Hunt for the Skinwalker and the 2021 insider account Skinwalkers at the Pentagon.

  Public Claims and Influence

Bigelow has stated on national television that he is "absolutely convinced" extraterrestrials have visited Earth and that their presence is "right under people's noses."⁹ His financial backing persuaded Senator Harry Reid to shepherd the AAWSAP earmark through Congress and has kept fringe aerospace and consciousness studies funded when federal support waned.

  Criticism and Controversy

Skeptics note that Bigelow donated to Senator Reid's campaigns during the period he received the AAWSAP contract, raising concerns about favoritism.¹⁰ The Pentagon has since said AAWSAP uncovered no confirmed alien technology, and independent reporters argue much of the ranch evidence remains un-corroborated.¹¹

A 2023 Washington Spectator feature noted that Bigelow became Governor Ron DeSantis's largest donor, giving roughly $30 million across the 2022 re-election bid and the 2024 presidential campaign, prompting speculation that he hopes to revive federal funding for paranormal research.¹²

  References

1. bigelowaerospace.com ↩

2. en.wikipedia.org ↩

3. lasvegasnow.com ↩

4. scientificamerican.com ↩

5. history.com ↩

6. politico.com ↩

7. twz.com ↩

8. newyorker.com ↩

9. CBS 60 Minutes interview, 2017-05-28. ↩

10. Politico, "The Pentagon's Mysterious UFO Program," 2017-12-16. ↩

11. The Guardian, "Pentagon officials found no evidence AAWSAP discovered spaceships or aliens," 2024-03-22. ↩

12. washingtonspectator.org ↩