Orbiter

History

Orbiter launched in October 1987 from 43 Harrison Street, Reading, Massachusetts 01867, edited by Jim Melesciuc. It replaced the Massachusetts MUFON Newsletter, carrying the subtitle "The New England Aerial Phenomena Report." The publication ran through 37 issues to November/December 1992, later operating from P.O. Box 652 at the same Reading address. A sighting hotline at (617) 944-0686 was monitored by Melesciuc and MUFON section directors, with messages distributed to appropriate investigators.

The editorial stance was declared in the first issue: Orbiter would "take an objective and scientific point of view on the physical aspects of unidentified flying objects." Melesciuc wanted "a serious regional newsletter" that would "clarify the reliable evidence" of the phenomenon, which he felt had been "clouded by a fog of fringeness and mysticism." This positioned Orbiter firmly in the scientific-investigative tradition and against the contactee and New Age material that filled many contemporary publications.

The first issue set the tone immediately with a detailed, sceptical analysis of the MJ-12 documents. Drawing on Barry Greenwood's CAUS research (published in Just Cause No 13), Orbiter detailed the physical flaws: the manipulated plastic file cover, the drawn CIA emblem, the non-standard typestyle and language, the memo that Moore, Shandera, and Friedman had quietly stopped citing. The conclusion was blunt: "a giant black eye on the face of Ufology." That willingness to challenge popular claims within ufology defined the publication's editorial character.

Content maintained a dual focus: New England regional case coverage and national-level analysis of major controversies. The January 1989 issue (No 15) typified the mix: a commentary on government helicopter surveillance, a reproduction of a 1981 Sputnik article on the nature of UFOs, an update on the Gulf Breeze "Demon Photos" by Dr. Willy Smith of the UNICAT Project, and a 1947 Glastonbury, Connecticut UFO police report with original New York Herald Tribune clippings. Each issue opened with a Radio/TV log noting local media coverage of UFO topics.

The publication tracked developments across the organised UFO research community. Issue 1 noted the formation of SINE (Skeptical Inquirers of New England), a local CSICOP chapter based in Malden, Massachusetts. Project Visual, founded in 1974 by James Gregory in Ludlow, Kentucky (Volunteer Investigators that Study Unidentified Airborne Lights), advertised for field investigators. The Night Siege book by Hynek, Imbrogno, and Pratt on the Hudson Valley sightings received prominent notice as one of Hynek's final pieces of work.

Melesciuc enforced operational security within his MUFON chapter: "Telephone numbers of MUFON members are not to be given out under any circumstances." Reports came through the hotline and were distributed to section directors. This reflected an awareness, shared by many 1980s UFO organisations, that researchers could face harassment, ridicule, or worse for their involvement.