Robert Bigelow

Robert Bigelow is a billionaire hotelier, developer, and aerospace magnate known for his long-standing interest in Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) and paranormal research. His company, Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS), was the primary contractor for the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AAWSAP), the precursor to the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP).¹

Interest in UAP and Paranormal Research

Bigelow has had a lifelong obsession with UAP and paranormal occurrences, and he has used his personal fortune to fund research into these mysteries. In the 1990s, he founded the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) to study UAP and the paranormal. He also purchased Skinwalker Ranch in Utah, a property known for its long history of strange and often terrifying phenomena, so that his scientists could study the anomalous activity there.¹

Role in AATIP

Through his friendship with Senator Harry Reid, Bigelow became a central figure in the establishment of AAWSAP. His company, BAASS, was awarded the $22 million contract to conduct research for the program. BAASS was responsible for investigating UAP incidents, including the Colares Incidents in Brazil, and for compiling a massive database of UAP encounters. The company also continued the investigation of Skinwalker Ranch under the auspices of the AATIP program.¹

Bigelow's involvement was crucial to the operation of AATIP, and Luis Elizondo wrote that he spent his own money to front some of the program's costs. However, his role as a private contractor also drew scrutiny from within the Pentagon and was used by detractors to create a false impression that the program had gone rogue.¹