Project Hessdalen Bulletin - Vol 2 No 1 - 1984 No 1

Magazine Overview

This document is a bulletin from Project Hessdalen, specifically vol.2 No 1, published in 1984. The bulletin, dated February 7th, 1984, originates from Project Hessdalen in Norway and is addressed to supporters and interested parties. It details recent activities, ongoing investigations, and the financial situation of the project.

Project Activities and Test Weekends

The bulletin begins by apologizing for delays, stating that the team is now working on the practical aspects of the project. A significant event was a test weekend held from January 21st to 23rd, 1984, involving 24 hours of observation over two days and nights. The observations from this weekend are to be detailed later, with a request for patience from the readers.

The project is sending bulletins to 42 specially selected supporters who signed on to support the project in London. The project relies on financial support, with some individuals donating £20 semi-annually. The bulletin makes an urgent appeal for more donations, as the project is running out of money and facing potential bankruptcy. They mention that in Scandinavia alone, approximately 2000€ has been collected from members of UFO-Norway and UFO-Sweden, with the Coordination Committee also bearing expenses.

The project highlights its unique approach, involving taking pictures with special equipment for spectral analysis of light, which they claim has never been done before for such aerial phenomena. They believe that if the results are good, it will be a major sensation. The difficulties faced include challenging working conditions, long travel distances (1200 km round trip for the author), expensive equipment, very cold weather, and a severe lack of money.

The core motivation for the project is stated: "SOMETHING going on up there, and we are the kind of people that will TRY to find out WHAT." They are committed to a scientific approach, hoping to find answers or at least guide scientists in new directions. They welcome collaboration with scientists.

An intensive phase of the project was scheduled to begin on Friday, February 10th, with 24-hour watches for the following two weeks.

Meeting Report and Planning

A separate section details a meeting report from Tønsberg, Norway, dated December 17th, 1983. Participants included Håkan Ekstrand, Jan Fjellander, Leif Havik, Odd-Gunnar Røed, Erling Strand, Christer Nordin, Hans Kr. Moe, and Christin Wallgren, all members of the Coordination Committee.

The main task of this meeting was to plan the field investigation and discuss instrumentation. The investigation was planned in two parts: the first from January 21st to 23rd, 1984, and the second from February 12th to March 10th, 1984. The first part was intended as a learning experience for the second, requiring 10 people, while the second part needed 18 to 25 people.

Field Setup and Stations:

• First Part: Two or three stations were planned. A base station on "Aspåskjølen" (a caravan with instruments), a second base station at Jon Arvid Aspås' place, and a field station at "Fjellbekkhøgda". All stations were to have radio communication.
• Second Part: One base station on "Aspåskjølen" (station 1), one field station on "Litlfjellet" (station 2), and one on "Fjellbekkhøgda" (station 3). An additional second base station at Jon Arvid Aspås' place was possible if enough people were available. Stations 2 and 3 required a minimum of 4 persons each, operating 24 hours with 2 on duty. The base station needed 8 people (4 on duty), with two inside monitoring radar and spectrumanalyser, and two outside with cameras. Two pilots were to be ready at Røros airport. Total personnel for the second part: 18-25.

Timetable for the First Part:

• Sat. 21. Jan. 10:00 a.m.: Information at Jon A. Aspås' place.
• 3:00 p.m.: People move to base stations.
• Sun. 22. Jan. 10:00 a.m.: People move to the field station.
• Mon. 23. Jan. 10:00 a.m.: Meeting at Jon A. Aspås place.
• 1:00 p.m.: End of the first part.

Instrumentation:

Each station required 3 cameras (50mm lens, Tri-X film, with and without filters, and possibly color film). A minimum of 9 cameras were needed. The project would supply Tri-X film and retain rights to the pictures. The base station would have one radar and one frequency-analyser, with results continuously monitored by TV-camera and videoplayer. Each station would also be equipped with a "UFO-detector".

Contacts and Pre-Test Weekend Activities

Erling Strand's report details contacts made before the test weekend. On January 19th, 1984, he met with Dr. E. Thrane at FFI (Norwegian Defense Research Establishment) for a day-long meeting on "Project Hessdalen". Instrumentation was discussed, and some needed instruments were procured. Despite FFI's engagement with the "MAP" project, they recognized the value of Hessdalen and provided a writer and a field intensity meter. FFI also agreed to help analyze the results.

On January 5th, 1984, Strand spoke with Prof. Egeland at the University of Oslo, who was also interested in "Project Hessdalen" and received the bulletin. Talks were also held with Research Manager Holme and Tom Blix at FFI, and Berg at "Norsk Institutt for Luftforskning". Berg indicated that his institute's lack of government funding would make it difficult to provide free assistance. Hans Kr. Moe contacted the "Meteorological Institutt" (Weather Office) for instruments but found they had none available.

The Test Weekend (January 21-23, 1984)

During the test weekend, the following instruments were used:

• Spectrumanalyser (Tektronix 7L14 with 7603 mainframe)
• Spectrumanalyser (Hewlett-Packard 8554B, 8552B with 141T mainframe)
• Radar (Atlas, max. 33km)
• Seismograph (MEQ-800, with writer)
• Radio interference and field intensity meter (Singer NM-25T, 150KHz-32MHz)
• IR-Viewer
• He-Ne Laser (633nm, 50mW)
• Spectroscopy gratings (Paton Hawksley TE.216E, 300 lines/mm; one 200 1/mm; one 1500 1/mm; total 6 gratings)
• Four Geiger counters (three with sound, one digital readout)
• Two writers (total three writers)
• Many cameras, tripods, and other camera equipment.

On Saturday, most equipment was installed at the base station on Aspåskjølen. The seismograph was installed in November 1983, and the radar the day before. A Tektronix spectrumanalyser was coupled to a broad-band antenna, adjusted to show radio-spectra from 10KHz to 1.0GHz, with detailed looks at 10KHz to 100MHz. Results were written out and captured by a Polaroid camera.

The basestation was also equipped with a laser, IR-viewer, and two cameras with gratings (one TE.216E). Other cameras with color film were used for documentation. The field intensity meter was used to measure the intensity and direction of unknown radiosources, potentially discovered by the spectrumanalyser. Two Geiger counters were also present.

The second spectrumanalyser was not used the first night due to having only one basestation. The field station at Fjellbekkhøgda had one TE.216E grating on one camera. The station on Finnsåshøgda had one Geiger counter and two cameras with gratings. The third field station, at Litlfjellet, had one TE.216E grating on one camera and was not active until Sunday. On Sunday, the basestation switched to the HP analyser.

Some results were obtained on the first night, and the following week yielded interesting observations. Many pictures were taken for analysis. The team was not large enough to operate all instruments during the first weekend. Most instruments were to remain in Hessdalen until the end of February. Assistance from FFI was strictly confidential.

Sightings in Hessdalen and Nearby Areas

The bulletin lists several specific sightings:

• Thursday, Nov. 24 (06:00-09:00 PM): Witness on Hessdals-Kjølen saw blinking lights near Finnsåhøgda and Litjfjellet. At 06:23 PM, an oblong object with 3 red lights in front and 1 white in the end was seen. At 09:58 PM, the same object was seen near Vårhuskjølen.
• Nov. 30 (04:50 PM): From Aspås, a globe-looking object was seen moving south, then east.
• Wednesday, Dec. 14th (05:35 PM): Witness Åge Moe saw an object north of Hessdalen while driving from Ålen.
• Thursday, Dec. 15th (08:06 PM): Witness J. Johansen saw a "star" dive behind a mountain near Rødstenen, then saw the same object move slowly north/east.
• Friday, Dec. 16th (10:50 PM): Witness P. Rekstad and his wife saw a yellow globe passing near Singsås from south/west to north/east. Another globe approached from the opposite direction and disappeared upon meeting.
• December 22nd (05:05 PM): Jon Aspås and his daughter saw a cigar-shaped object with a red light in front, then a yellow light, and two yellow lights in the end. It appeared larger at the end, possibly projectile-shaped, and passed near Finnsåhøgda.
• December 22nd (11:20 PM): An oblong object with red light in front and yellow lights in the end was seen moving from Finnsåhøgda to north/east, then north, and suddenly disappeared.
• December 23rd: A woman in Haltdalen saw an object west to Finnsåhøgda, near Ledalen.
• January 4th, 1984 (10:54 PM): Witness R.M. Moe saw an object with lights of different colors passing from south/west to north/east, above Aspås.
• January 8th (Late evening): H. Kosberggrind from Bjørgen saw a shining object in the south, shining in different colors (possibly Sirius).

Other Reports and Seismology

A list of other reports received since page 3 includes sightings from April 1983 to Autumn 1983 in Hessdalen and Soknedal.

Under "Seismology", it is noted that earthcracks in Pakistan are registered, and a small local crack is registered in middle Norway. However, the bulletin concludes that the Hessdalen phenomena are unlikely to be caused by earthcracks, given the frequency of sightings.

Geological, Radar, and Map Information

• Geological: Air photos from Hessdalen have been received, and the Geological Institute in Trondheim will examine them.
• Snow-scooters: Can only be used on Fjellbekk-Høgda and Finnså-Høgda.
• Radar: The ATLAS 2000 radar was tested and found to be operational for the project.
• Map: A map shows the middle part of Norway with marked dates of sightings, noted as not 100% correct. The map also indicates areas where dynamite was used for "water-power-stations" (Innerdal/Brattset Kraftstasjon and Falningssjøen/Ulset Kraftstasjon), including specific "blow-out" dates and large power usage. No work on these stations is scheduled during the Hessdalen project period (January-February 1984).

Specific Sightings Details (from page 10)

• Jan 21 (06:05 PM): At Aspåshøgda, a red blinking light, appearing also in silver, turned out to be two objects, possibly related to a position south in Hessdalen. Photos were taken.
• Jan 21 (07:22 PM): A yellowish object was seen coming from the south, jumping up and down, moving smoothly through the valley, then taking off east. It was estimated at 700 meters altitude and less than a kilometer distance. Two planes were heard clearly at 6000 meters altitude five minutes later.
• Jan 21 (09:20 PM): Flashing lights appeared over Litjfjellet, appearing intermittently throughout the evening and night. Photos were taken.
• Jan 22 (07:20 PM): Similar flashing lights as the previous night appeared again.
• Jan 22 (07:44 PM): A light, similar to the 07:22 PM sighting, came from the south with variations in speed and height. Photos were taken.
• Jan 25 (05:32 PM): A blinking light from the south passed the headquarter and disappeared north/west. It was tracked by radar and fieldglasses, appearing oblong with irregular red and white blinks.
• Jan 27 (10:58 PM): After a northgoing plane, a shining ball of light appeared over Brattbekken, disappearing at high speed to the northwest. It was registered on radar at a distance of 22.409 meters, with a speed calculated at 28,300 kilometers per hour based on two blips 2.5 seconds apart.
• Jan 28 (03:49 PM): Radar detected an object between Finnsåhøgda and HQ (less than 500m distance). It was not visual, but pictures were taken. The object was 463 meters long, lasted 10-12 seconds, and traveled at 1620 km/hr. The blips were about 1/3 larger than an echo from a single-engine aircraft.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this bulletin are the ongoing investigation of unexplained aerial phenomena in Hessdalen, the detailed planning and execution of field tests, the use of scientific instrumentation, and the critical need for financial support. The editorial stance is one of determined scientific inquiry, facing significant practical and financial obstacles but driven by a desire to understand the phenomena. There is a clear emphasis on documenting sightings and analyzing data rigorously, while also appealing to a community of supporters for continued involvement and funding. The project positions itself as a serious, science-based endeavor seeking to unravel mysteries that conventional science may overlook.

This document is a scanned page from a publication titled "UFO Norge", likely a magazine or newsletter focused on UFO phenomena. The content pertains to radar observations made in January 1977 in Norway. The page includes dated entries detailing specific incidents, a hand-drawn map of a geographical area, and signatures of observers.

Radar Observations - January 1977

January 29, 1977

At 04:19 on January 29th, a radar observation was made that was described as similar to a previous one, but in the opposite direction. The distance and speed were noted as being the same, but there was no visual contact. A significant note highlights that these detections were coincidental, occurring after prolonged periods of no radar activity. The observer, Jon Aspås, was reportedly working in the woods underneath the object's presumed location but saw nothing, only observing two ravens take flight. This suggests a phenomenon that was detectable by radar but not visually apparent to someone on the ground.

January 31, 1977

At 07:01 on January 31st, three radar echoes were registered originating from Rognefjellet. These echoes passed the station, but again, no visual contact was made. This entry is signed by O-G Røed and L. Havik, indicating they were the observers or reporters for this event.

Geographical Context

A hand-drawn map is included, depicting a mountainous region with several named locations: FINNGANGADA, FJELLBE EKA, HOGDA, ALMANIA FJELLET, LITUFJELLET, and HOFJELLET. There are also annotations such as "bnautick/1 pal." and time stamps like "21.134-18.10" and "22.184-04.27", which may relate to radar data or previous sightings. The map appears to be centered around the Rognefjellet area, where the radar contacts were made.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme is the detection of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) primarily through radar, with a consistent lack of visual confirmation. The editorial stance, as suggested by the "NOTE" on the January 29th observation, seems to emphasize the elusive nature of these phenomena and the role of chance in their detection. The publication appears to be documenting and investigating such events, providing detailed accounts and geographical context for the reported sightings.