Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Soar Together @ Air and Space - UFOs: Fact or Fiction?

UFOs or “unidentified flying objects” are fascinating to people because of the mystery around these objects and the curiosity they inspire. 

The United States Congress was curious too.  Requested by the Senate, a report was published last June by a government office called the Office of the Director for National Intelligence about UAPs – unidentified aerial phenomena – the term the government is now using instead of UFOs.

We’re taking a closer look at what the aviation world considers a UAP, and learn how and why they are studied. We’ll also explore how the possibility of UAPs have inspired us to be creative and think about the unknown.

Ready to explore UAPs and UFOs? Check out these activities.

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Draw a UFO 

What we imagine for UFOs to look like can be influenced my the movies or TV show we watch, or the books we read!     

Mistaken Identity 

Check out these aircraft that look different from the aircraft shapes you may be used to seeing.   

UFO Sights and Sounds

In this activity, create a UFO shaker to create the visual and sound effects of your very own UFO!      

Identifying UFOs

For this activity,  your family is roleplaying as a group of new employees at a government agency tasked to keep the airspace safe.  Your job is to go through a UFO report and answer the question – unidentifiable or identifiable flying object?


Science Topics
Aviation
Engineering Topics
Aerospace
K-6, Middle School
3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

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