James Oberg Explained

James Oberg
Birth Date:7 November 1944
Birth Place:New York City, United States
Education:Ohio Wesleyan University, B.A. mathematics, 1966;
Northwestern University, M.S. applied mathematics (astrodynamics), 1969;
University of New Mexico, M.S. computer science, 1972
Occupation:Journalist, historian, author
Spouse:Alcestis (married 1969–present)
Children:2
Awards:See
  1. Awards

James Edward Oberg (born November 7, 1944) is an American space journalist and historian, regarded as an expert on the Russian and Chinese space programs.[1] [2] He had a 22-year career as a space engineer in NASA specializing in orbital rendezvous. Oberg is an author of ten books and more than a thousand articles on space flight. He gave many explanations of UFO phenomena in the popular press. He is also a consultant in spaceflight operations and safety.

Early life and education

James Oberg was born in New York City on November 7, 1944.[3]

He received a B.A. in Mathematics from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1966, a M.S. in applied mathematics (astrodynamics) from Northwestern University in 1969 (where he was also a NASA Trainee) and a M.S. in computer science from University of New Mexico in 1972.[3]

US Air Force

At Northwestern University he started Ph.D. work in Mathematics, but was called to active duty by the United States Air Force in 1970. There he worked with modeling laser and nuclear weapons and in the years 1972–1975, while working in the Department of Defense Computer Institute, he helped design and test ARPANET, ancestor of the Internet.

NASA

After service in the United States Air Force, he joined NASA in 1975, where he worked until 1997 at Johnson Space Center on the Space Shuttle program. He worked in the Mission Control Center for several Space Shuttle missions from STS-1 on, specializing in orbital rendezvous techniques. This culminated in planning the orbit for the STS-88 mission, the first International Space Station (ISS) assembly flight.

During the 1990s, he was involved in NASA studies of the Soviet space program, with particular emphasis on safety aspects;[4] these had often been covered up or downplayed, and with the advent of the ISS and the Shuttle–Mir programs, NASA was keen to study them as much as possible. He privately published several books on the Soviet (and later Russian) programs, and became one of the few Western specialists on Russian space history.

He has often been called to testify before the US Congress on the Russian space program.[5]

In 1997 he voluntarily resigned from NASA and started a full-time free-lance career.[6] Currently he works as a consultant in spaceflight operations and safety and as a space journalist.[6]

Author and journalist

As a journalist, Oberg writes for several publications, mostly online; he was previously a space correspondent or commentator for UPI, ABC News and currently MSNBC,[7] often in an on-air role. He is a Fellow of the skeptical organization CSICOP[3] and a consultant to its magazine Skeptical Inquirer.

He has written more than a thousand magazine and newspaper articles,[3] [7] including such magazines as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Scientific American, OMNI, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, New Scientist, IEEE Spectrum, Air Force Magazine, Star and Sky, etc.

Oberg is also a space consultant and on-air commentator to NBC News, Discovery Canada and the BBC.

In December 1990, Horizon, a British television science and philosophy television documentary program, aired a three-part series, "Red Star in Orbit," based on Oberg's book of the same name. WGBH Boston adapted the Horizon series for its Nova television science series, a three-part miniseries titled "The Russian Right Stuff," which aired in February 1991.[8] HBO has optioned Red Star in Orbit for a future production. Also in 1991, Oberg launched a battle for official recognition of Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. (1935–1967) as a United States astronaut; the United States Air Force officially recognized Lawrence in January 1997, six years after Oberg had begun his campaign.[9]

In 1999, Oberg wrote Space Power Theory, sponsored by United States military[10] as a part of an official campaign in changing perceptions of space warfare, specifically deployment and use of weapons in outer space, and its political implications.[10] "In Oberg's view, space is not an extension of air warfare but is unique in itself."[10]

James Oberg is an author of ten books[3] in addition to several technical NASA publications.[11]

He also wrote encyclopedia articles on space exploration in the World Book Encyclopedia, Britannica yearbook, Grolier and Academic American Encyclopedia.[3]

Moon landing conspiracies

Oberg was commissioned by NASA to write a rebuttal of Apollo Moon landing conspiracy theories. However, NASA dropped the project after ABC's World News Tonight program ran a story about it, claiming it was beneath NASA's dignity to respond to Moon landing denialists claims. Oberg has said that he still intends to pursue the project, "depending on successfully arranging new funding sources."[12] [13]

Oberg writes that Moon landing conspiracy theories are fueled by resentment of American culture by some countries. He gives the example of Cuba, where he claims many school teachers say the landing was a fraud.[14] But besides this, the new wave of conspiracy theorists appear to use alternative publication methods to publicize their claims.

Oberg says that belief in the conspiracy is not the fault of the hoaxists, but rather of educators and people (including NASA) who should provide information to the public.[12] NASA does not, in Oberg's opinion, provide an adequate reaction to the theorists' claims.

North Korean satellite launch inspection

In April 2012 Oberg traveled to North Korea as an NBC space consultant[15] to observe the launching of the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 satellite and determine whether it is a military launch. Together with a team of journalists[16] he inspected the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, the Unha rocket and the satellite. According to Oberg, North Korea "showed everything but the important things"[17] and did not manage to demonstrate peaceful intent.

UFO investigation

James Oberg often writes about alleged UFO sightings, giving scientific explanations to seemingly extraterrestrial phenomena, or otherwise debunking them as hoaxes.

Oberg categorized UFO sightings (excluding those identified as hoaxes) into one of three groups:[18] [19] [20]

  1. Super-High Plumes – rocket or missile plumes, especially lit by the Sun on a dark sky;
  2. Space "Dandruff" – ice flakes, fragments of insulation, etc. flying alongside a space vehicle, especially seen by backward-facing cameras;
  3. Twilight Shadowing – objects that move from shadow into sunlight in space appear as if coming from behind the clouds or from beyond the edge of the Earth.

List of UFO explanations

DatePhenomenonExplanation
style=text-align:rightJohn Glenn in the Mercury capsule saw three objects following and then overtaking the capsuleSmall space debris – "snowflakes"[21]
style=text-align:rightScott Carpenter in Mercury-Atlas 7 photographs "a saucer"Tracking balloon ejected from the capsule
style=text-align:rightX-15 pilot Joe Walton photographed five discsComplete fabrication by ufologists; pilot's actual name was Joseph A. Walker
style=text-align:rightX-15 pilot Robert Michael White photographed objects close to the planeSmall objects, probably ice flakes from fuel tanks
style=text-align:rightWalter Schirra on Mercury-Atlas 8 reported large glowing objects over the Indian OceanLightning-lit cloud masses, misquotations
style=text-align:rightGordon Cooper on Mercury-Atlas 9 reports a greenish UFO and other mysterious sightingsFabrications, misquotations
style=text-align:rightRussian cosmonauts on Voskhod 2 report an UFO while entering Earth's atmosphereProbably man-made satellite
style=text-align:rightThree Russian cosmonauts report being surrounded by fast moving discsComplete fabrication
style=text-align:rightGemini 4 UFOsExaggerations and misquotations by ufologists
style=text-align:rightFrank Borman and Jim Lovell on Gemini 7 photographed two oval-shaped UFOsComplete fabrication
style=text-align:rightKecksburg UFO incidentKosmos 96 satellite, explanation later disproved[22]
style=text-align:rightJohn Young and Michael Collins on Gemini 10 photographed a large cylindrical object accompanied by two smallerFabrication – no photos were taken, astronauts reported bright fragments near their spacecraft, probably pieces of the booster of some other satellite
style=text-align:rightRichard F. Gordon, Jr. and Pete Conrad on Gemini 11 report and photograph a yellow-orange UFOA satellite
style=text-align:rightJim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin on Gemini 12 report 4 UFOs linked in a rowDiscarded trash bags; misquotations
style=text-align:rightFrank Borman and Jim Lovell on Apollo 8 report a "bogie" (an unidentified object)Misplaced quotations, pieces of debris associated with separation from the booster rocket
style=text-align:rightApollo 10 'space music'Radio interference between the Command Module and the Lunar Module landing vehicles[23]
style=text-align:rightApollo 11 UFO incidentsComplete fabrication of photos and transcripts; all data available to the public[24]
style=text-align:rightPete Conrad, Alan Bean and Richard Gordon on Apollo 12 report a UFO preceding them on the path to the MoonMisunderstood the meaning of conversation with ground control; reflection of the Moon
style=text-align:rightSkylab 3 UFO PhotographsSpace debris[25]
style=text-align:rightUFO observed over the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in ChileKosmos 1164 launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome[26]
style=text-align:rightUFO over Russia and then South AmericaKosmos 1188 satellite launch
style=text-align:rightUFO over Argentina and ChileKosmos 1317 satellite launch
style=text-align:rightUFO observed in eastern EuropeSS-X-25 ICBM test launch[27] [28] [29]
style=text-align:rightPhobos 2 spacecraft photographs mysterious structures on the surface of MarsShadow of Phobos moon elongated due to slow acquisition of the image by scanning radiometer[30] [31]
style=text-align:rightUFO observed by airline crewsRe-entry of the Proton-K rocket carrying Gorizont 33 satellite across France and Germany[32]
style=text-align:rightSTS-48

several objects appearing

Ice particles hit by a thruster plume[33] [34] [35]
style=text-align:rightUFO observed by airline crewsLaunch of Progress M-21 spacecraft
style=text-align:rightSTS-80 unusual phenomenaNearby sunlit debris[36]
style=text-align:rightSTS-88 "Black Knight" or "Phantom Satellite"Insulation blanket dropped by astronauts[37] [38]

Russian pistol aboard ISS

James Oberg wrote several articles as a publicity campaign to remove guns from the ISS.[39] [40] The TP-82 Cosmonaut survival pistol was stowed in the Soyuz emergency landing survival kit and was added there for hunting and self-defense after landing in inhospitable environment. It had three barrels and a folding stock that doubled as a shovel and contained a machete. The gun was only carried by Russian members of the ISS. Oberg suggested that it might be an invitation to a future disaster and proposed it to be put in a compartment accessible only from outside, after landing.

In 2014 Oberg asked Samantha Cristoforetti, an Italian ISS astronaut, about the pistol and she admitted the gun is removed from the list, or more precisely, it is still on the official list of kit contents, but the committee meets before every mission to review the list and vote to remove the pistol for the specific flight.[41]

Private life

Oberg has been married since 1969 and lives with his wife Alcestis in Dickinson, Texas. He has two grown sons (born 1977 and 1984).[3] [7] [42]

He has a conversant knowledge of Russian, French and Latin, and has some familiarity with German, Swedish, Spanish, Kazakh and Japanese.[3]

Awards and memberships

Bibliography

Popular publications

  1. Book: Oberg. James. Edmondson. Harold. Famous Spaceships of Fact and Fantasy. 1979. Kalmbach Publishing Company. 978-0890245392.
  2. Book: Oberg, James. Foreword by Jack Williamson. New Earths: Restructuring Earth and Other Planets. Stackpole Books. 1981. Harrisburg, PA. 978-0-452-00623-2.
  3. Book: Oberg, James. Foreword by Tom Wolfe. Red Star in Orbit. Random House. 1981. New York. 978-0-394-51429-1.
  4. Book: Oberg, James. Foreword by G. Harry Stine. Mission to Mars: Plans and Concepts for the First Manned Landing. Stackpole Books. 1982. Harrisburg, PA. 978-0-81170-432-8.
  5. Book: Oberg, James. UFO's and Outer Space Mysteries: A Sympathetic Skeptic's Report. Donning Company Publishers. 1982. Norfolk, VA. 978-0-89865-102-7.
  6. Book: Oberg, James. Foreword by Ben Bova. The New Race for Space: The U.S. and Russia Leap to the Challenge for Unlimited Rewards. Stackpole Books. 1984. Harrisburg, PA. 978-0-8117-2177-6. registration.
  7. Book: Oberg. James. Oberg. Alcestis R.. Foreword by Isaac Asimov. Pioneering Space: Living on the Next Frontier. McGraw-Hill. 1986. New York. 978-0-07-048039-1.
  8. Book: Oberg, James. Uncovering Soviet Disasters: Exploring the Limits of Glasnost. Random House. 1988. New York. 978-0-394-56095-3.
  9. Book: Oberg. James. Sullivan. Brian R.. Introductions by Colin S. Gray and Howell M. Estes III. Space Power Theory. US Air Force Academy. 1999. Colorado Springs, CO. 41145918.
  10. Book: Oberg, James. Star-Crossed Orbits: Inside the U.S.-Russian Space Alliance. McGraw-Hill. 2001. New York. 978-0-07137-425-5.
  11. Book: Oberg, James. It's vital to verify the harmlessness of North Korea's next satellite. TheSpaceReview. 2017. Texas.

Other books

[44]

Technical materials for NASA

[11]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Soviet Saucers. Oberg. James. April 1994. Omni. General Media, Inc.. June 23, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090207104956/http://debunker.com/texts/soviet.html. February 7, 2009.
  2. Web site: Catscan 14: 'Memories of the Space Age'. Sterling. Bruce. Bruce Sterling. Electronic Frontier Foundation. Oberg is a recognized Soviet Space expert, sometime NOVA host on PBS, special consultant to the Sotheby's auction house for Soviet space memorabilia, and the author of the definitive tome Red Star in Orbit (Random House 1981).. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20091004115836/http://w2.eff.org/Misc/Publications/Bruce_Sterling/Catscan_columns/catscan.14. 2009-10-04. Catscan archive homepage here.
  3. Web site: Oberg. James. U.S./Russian Aerospace Consultancies. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20160331100926/http://jamesoberg.com/resumeconsultancies.html. 2016-03-31.
  4. Web site: Oberg. James. Aerospace Career Specialities. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20160331035215/http://jamesoberg.com/resumeaerospace.html. 2016-03-31.
  5. Web site: Testimony of James Oberg. October 7, 1998. In Space Today. Houston Space Society. https://web.archive.org/web/19990505182605/http://houstonspacesociety.org/ist/oberg.html. May 5, 1999. May 10, 2013.
  6. Web site: Oberg. James. FAQ. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20160505164235/http://www.jamesoberg.com/faq.html. 2016-05-05.
  7. Web site: Oberg. James. Profile. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20160505164742/http://www.jamesoberg.com/profile.html. 2016-05-05.
  8. Web site: NOVA : Past Television Programs : Season 18: January–December 1991 : PBS. PBS Online. WGBH. Boston, MA. May 12, 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20131001184522/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/listseason/18.html. October 1, 2013.
  9. Book: Gubert. Betty Kaplan. Sawyer. Miriam. Fannin. Caroline M.. Distinguished African Americans in Aviation and Space Science. 2001. Oryx Press. Westport, CT. 978-1-57356-246-1.
  10. Book: Handberg, Roger. Seeking New World Vistas: The Militarization of Space. 2000. Praeger Publishers. Westport, CT. 978-0-275-96295-1.
  11. Web site: Oberg. James. Books – NASA. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20160328135037/http://jamesoberg.com/nasa.html. 2016-03-28.
  12. Oberg. James. March–April 2003. Lessons of the 'Fake Moon Flight' Myth. Skeptical Inquirer. Amherst, NY. Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. 23, 30. April 27, 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20130624135823/http://www.jamesoberg.com/042003lessonsfake_his.html. June 24, 2013. Reprinted in Frazier, Kendrick (ed.) (2009). Science Under Siege: Defending Science, Exposing Pseudoscience. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. .
  13. News: Nasa pulls Moon hoax book. August 26, 2009. November 8, 2002. David. Whitehouse. BBC News. London. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090203053109/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2424927.stm. February 3, 2009.
  14. News: Getting Apollo 11 Right. James. Oberg. James Oberg. August 13, 2009. ABC News. ABC. New York. July 1999. I'm told that this is official dogma still taught in schools in Cuba, plus wherever else Cuban teachers have been sent (such as Sandinista Nicaragua and Angola).. https://web.archive.org/web/20030402094521/https://abcnews.go.com/ABC2000/abc2000science/oberg2000.html. April 2, 2003.
  15. Web site: What we learned from North Korea's rocket no-show. Oberg. James. 2012-04-27. NBC News. 2016-08-25. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160928001442/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/47204491/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/what-we-learned-north-koreas-rocket-no-show/. 2016-09-28.
  16. [Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3#Media coverage]
  17. Web site: Using "rocket science" to understand North Korea's space and missile efforts. Oberg. James. 2012-12-03. The Space Review. 2016-08-26. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160914185744/http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2262/1. 2016-09-14.
  18. Web site: Giaimo. Cara. How One Man Has Explained Almost Every Internet UFO Theory. Atlas Obscura. 6 June 2016 . 2016-08-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20160804110917/http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-one-man-has-explained-almost-every-internet-ufo-theory. 2016-08-04.
  19. Web site: Pavlou. George. Former NASA Employee Explains Almost Every UFO Sighting. The LAD bible. 2016-08-04. 2016-06-08.
  20. Web site: Didymus. Johnthomas. UFOs debunked? Former NASA employee James Oberg explains away ufo sighting claims. INQUISITR. 8 June 2016 . 2016-08-08. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160807190744/http://www.inquisitr.com/3181942/ufos-debunked-former-nasa-employee-james-oberg-explains-away-ufo-sighting-claims-video/. 2016-08-07.
  21. Oberg. James. Astronaut "UFO" Sightings. The Skeptical Inquirer. 1978. III. 1. Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160609093223/http://www.debunker.com/texts/astronaut_ufo.html. 2016-06-09.
  22. [Kecksburg UFO incident#Kosmos 96]
  23. Web site: Radford. Ben. Benjamin Radford. Explaining Apollo 10 Astronauts 'Space Music'. Seeker. 2016-07-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20160726095231/http://www.seeker.com/explaining-apollo-10-astronauts-space-music-1770921767.html. 2016-07-26. 2016-02-23.
  24. Book: Oberg. James. UFOs and Outer Space Mysteries. 1982. Donning Press. Virginia Beach, VA. 978-0-89865-102-7. 3. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140811020949/http://debunker.com/texts/apollo11.html. 2014-08-11.
  25. Web site: Oberg. James. Skylab 3 UFO photos. The UFO Skeptic's Page. Robert Sheaffer. 2016-08-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20160819150950/http://www.debunker.com/texts/SkylabUFO_1973.html. 2016-08-19. 2011-12-21.
  26. Oberg. James. Giant UFO Over Two Continents. FATE. January 1983. 2016-08-24. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170404124835/http://debunker.com/texts/giant_ufo.html. 2017-04-04.
  27. Web site: Oberg. James. The Black Box Approach To UFO Perceptions. The Debunker's Domain. Robert Sheaffer. 2016-08-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20160819064309/http://www.debunker.com/texts/black_box_approach_to_ufo_perceptions.html. 2016-08-19.
  28. Web site: The Minsk UFO Case: Misperception and Exaggeration. Oberg. James. www.csicop.org. The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. 2016-08-22. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160919015450/http://www.csicop.org/si/show/minsk_ufo_case_misperception_and_exaggeration. 2016-09-19.
  29. Oberg. James. January 2009. The Minsk UFO Case: Misperception and Exaggeration. Skeptical Inquirer. 33. 1.
  30. Web site: Oberg. Jim. The Strange Case of Fobos-2. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20160812055151/http://www.jamesoberg.com/the_strange_case_of_fobos_2.pdf. 2016-08-12.
  31. Web site: Oberg. Jim. The Strange Case of Fobos-2. dead. Space.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20100503004630/http://www.space.com/sciencefiction/phenomena/fobos_mystery_000630.html. 2010-05-03.
  32. Web site: Oberg. James. Case studies in pilot misperceptions of UFOs. James Oberg: Insights. 'Science' of Ufology. 2016-08-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20160322125418/http://outtahear.com/beyond_updates/casestudies.html. 2016-03-22.
  33. Web site: Oberg. James. STS-48. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20160328080105/http://www.jamesoberg.com/sts48.html. 2016-03-28.
  34. Web site: STS-48: Debunking Kasher's Five "Can't-Be-Ice" Proofs. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20160824080219/http://www.jamesoberg.com/kasher-5.pdf. 2016-08-24.
  35. Web site: Oberg. James. NASA STS-48 "UFO" VIDEO. The Debunker's Domain. Robert Sheaffer. 2016-08-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20160819051719/http://www.debunker.com/texts/sts48_ufo.html. 2016-08-19.
  36. Web site: Farrell. Mike. NASA STS-80 Debunked?. Best UFO Resources. 2016-08-23. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160604011234/http://www.hyper.net/ufo/vs/m20-015.html. 2016-06-04.
  37. Web site: Oberg. James. Phantom satellite? What IS it? What ISN'T it? WHY the confusion?. The UFO Skeptic's Page. Robert Sheaffer. 2016-08-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20160819111524/http://www.debunker.com/texts/sts88%20and%20black-knight.pdf. 2016-08-19.
  38. Web site: Oberg. James. Phantom satellite? What IS it? What ISN'T it? WHY the confusion?. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-23. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170120122042/http://www.jamesoberg.com/sts88_and-black-knight.pdf. 2017-01-20.
  39. Web site: Oberg. James. Russia has the corner on guns in space. NBC news. 12 February 2008 . 2016-08-08. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160316151418/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23131359/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/russia-has-corner-guns-space/. 2016-03-16.
  40. Web site: Oberg. James. The Russian Gun at the International Space Station. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20160310105739/http://www.jamesoberg.com/russiangun_tec.html. 2016-03-10.
  41. Web site: Oberg. James. How I Stopped Cosmonauts From Carrying Guns. IEEE Spectrum. 13 November 2014 . 2016-08-08. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160415193637/https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/aerospace/space-flight/how-i-stop-cosmonauts-carrying-guns. 2016-04-15.
  42. Web site: Oberg. James. Journalism. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20160331053349/http://jamesoberg.com/resumejournalism.html. 2016-03-31.
  43. Oberg. James. The failure of the 'science' of UFOlogy. New Scientist. 1979-10-11. 2016-08-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20160819112825/http://www.debunker.com/texts/ObergCuttySark.html. 2016-08-19.
  44. Web site: Oberg. James. Books. JamesOberg.com. 2016-08-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20160505161955/http://www.jamesoberg.com/books.html. 2016-05-05.

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