Jack Kasher

Academic Career and Credentials

John C. 'Jack' Kasher is a Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), holding a Ph.D. in Physics from Boston College. From 1975 to 1992, he served as a consultant and summer employee at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he specialized in electromagnetic theory and contributed to Strategic Defense Initiative research. In summer 1991, Kasher worked at NASA's Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and has maintained research collaborations with NASA studying solar surface phenomena.

The STS-48 Analysis

Kasher's most significant contribution to UFO research came in 1991 when he conducted a detailed scientific analysis of video footage recorded during Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-48 mission. The footage showed anomalous objects moving in the vicinity of the shuttle with what appeared to be controlled, intelligent maneuvering. While official explanations attributed these objects to ice particles or debris, Kasher applied rigorous physical analysis to the object trajectories, velocities, and behavioral patterns. His conclusion—that the objects' movement characteristics could not be reconciled with ice particle physics or conventional debris behavior—suggested they might represent extraterrestrial spacecraft or advanced technological artifacts. His analysis became one of the most-cited scientific examinations of UFO footage by a credentialed physicist.

MUFON Leadership and Investigative Methodology

Kasher serves as Nebraska State Director for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), North America's oldest and largest civilian UFO research organization. Leading a team of seven field investigators, he has overseen hundreds of UFO case investigations in Nebraska and the Midwest. Kasher's approach exemplifies scientific rigor: investigators systematically cross-reference sighting reports against weather data, star charts, aviation records, and radar data to distinguish genuine anomalies from astronomical misidentifications, weather balloons, military aircraft, and satellites. His philosophy reflects cautious empiricism: "All these people can't be wrong, so there must be something to it," balanced against disciplined methodological skepticism that eliminates conventional explanations before entertaining extraordinary hypotheses.

Recognition and Legacy

Kasher's media appearances in productions like Riddle of the Skies, Secret Space UFOs: Fastwalkers, and Maussan's UFO Files brought scientific credibility to mainstream UFO discourse. The Jack Kasher Scholarship in Physics at UNO, established through the University of Nebraska Foundation, honors his contributions to the field. As one of few tenured physicists actively investigating UFO phenomena with peer-reviewed scientific standards, Kasher bridges the gap between institutional science and UFO research communities.