However, some experts believe that there have been plenty of more credible encounters and that there has been a concerted effort to mock those who share them so they won't be taken seriously. And in some cases, those "abductions" could have been psychological warfare experiments carried out by the CIA – and one astrophysicist claims he has seen documents proving it.

Many in ufology attribute what little credibility is given to this field to French astrophysicist Dr. Jacques Vallee. The researcher, who has written several books about UFOs, knows more about the topic than most people. He helped to develop NASA's first computerized map of Mars in 1963 and worked as a staff engineer on the network information center for the internet precursor ARPANET.

Dr. Vallee has met with many of the field's most prominent experts, along with top-ranking politicians and military personnel. Throughout his career, he has investigated countless UFO case reports and other alleged extraterrestrial encounters. He is often credited with getting some in the mainstream scientific community to consider the evidence in this realm despite potential ridicule.