James Oberg

James Edward Oberg (born November 7, 1944) is an American space journalist, historian, and former NASA engineer specializing in orbital rendezvous and Russian/Chinese space programs. After U.S. Air Force service, he worked 22 years at NASA's Johnson Space Center (1975-1997) on Space Shuttle missions, including STS-1 and STS-88 for ISS assembly. He authored ten books, over 1,000 articles, and encyclopedia entries on space exploration. In UAP/UFO contexts, Oberg is a prominent skeptic, providing prosaic explanations for sightings in media, with 29 documented debunkings and the book 'UFOs and Outer Space Mysteries: A Sympathetic Skeptic's Report.' He consulted on space operations and safety, earning NASA's Sustained Superior Performance Award (1997) and other honors.