The Ministry of Defence is in the process of releasing its entire archive of UFO files. These go back decades and are packed with thousands of fascinating cases, including UFOs seen by police officers and pilots, and UFOs being tracked on radar. Nick Pope will explain the history of the British government's involvement with this fascinating subject, setting out the policy on the issue, detailing how investigations are undertaken and revealing what conclusions were reached. Finally, Nick will dip into these files and discuss some of the most extraordinary cases that he and his colleagues investigated.
Nick Pope
Author and journalist Nick Pope worked for the Ministry of Defence for 21 years. Between 1991 and 1994 he was posted to a division where his duties included investigating UFOs. Initially sceptical, his official research and investigation convinced him that the UFO phenomenon raised important defence, national security and flight safety issues. He was particularly interested in cases where the witnesses were pilots, or where UFOs were tracked on radar. Nick is now recognised as a leading authority on UFOs and the unexplained. He lectures all around the world, is a regular contributor to various TV and radio shows, and writes for a number of newspapers and magazines.
Call in at any time between 10am and 4.30pm during our Close Encounters festival and experience a whole range of activities taking place all around the Hall; enjoy great space-themed food and drinks; win competition prizes; and meet our friendly alien stewards!
Food & Drink
Visit the Hall during Close Encounters week and sample some extra-planetary food and drink delights including alien invasion cup-cakes, martian munch-boxes, sweeties from our cosmic candy shop, and a range of mocktails and cocktails including the Milky-Way, E-tini and Barbarella on the Beach!
Close Encounters Revealed
Ever wondered what those in authority have been doing about Close Encounters through the years? You can get a small taste of how the British Government has kept an eye on Unidentified Flying Objects with a mini exhibit. This will showcase documents which were released earlier in 2010 through a Freedom Of Information request by Dr David Clarke, a UFO consultant to the National Archives. An interview of Dr Clarke by The Young Journalist Academy, who work with the Hall's Learning & Participation team, will be playing to shed more light on these intriguing documents.
The Scopic Game
What has staring down a microscope to do with stargazing? Have you ever wondered what the inside of your lungs or an exploded star looks like? Surely cell biology and astronomy are about as far removed as you can get in time and space. And yet our inner and outer worlds can look uncannily similar... The Scopic Game challenges participants to match up paired images from inner and outer space using an interactive whiteboard. Find out more about the Scopic project and download the game at www.myscopic.co.uk
About the Close Encounters festival
Enter the Royal Albert Hall Mother Ship and enjoy a multi-sensory intergalactic experience for adults and families alike! Events include free space-themed concerts; talks, exhibitions and family workshops in partnership with the Royal Observatory; retro-cool film screenings including E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind; inflatable planetariums and much more… a great mix of arts, science, fun and education! Go to the Events tab for more details.
Close Encounters is kindly supported by Mad World Fancy Dress. For all your fancy dress needs visit www.madworldfancydress.com