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the Group of Study of the Not-identified Aerospace Phenomena mainly
owes its birth in Claude Poher, engineer with the CNES which is
interested in the phenomenon UFO in the years 1970s. Initially only
in its corner, it entâme some work on the subject (of the statistical
studies in particular), then starts to diffuse them, discussing with
his colleagues to open the spirits. Qualified, convincing, he is the
good person at the good time to take part in the response of the
French authorities to the vagueness of observations which makes
rage at that time, in 1974. This year, in a radio transmission of
Jean-Claude Bourret, the Minister for Defense Robert Galley admits
the scientific interest of the problem and indicates the procedure to
send the reports/ratios of observation to Poher, with the CNES. The
official response to a problem UFO which is done increasingly
pressing then will start to structure itself. In 1975, after an
agreement between the Research and Minister of Industry and the
soldiers, the National Gendarmerie is officially charged
systematically to collect all the reports/ratios of observation of
UFO. In the scientific circle, Poher collects the efforts suitable to
institute an official group of study of the phenomenon UFO and
submits a proposal to the Directorate-General of the CNES. The
initiative is examined. Poher uses of all its charisma to convince,
and even makes play the whole of its relations, including near the
President of the French National Assembly of the time, Alain Poher.
After having made from the draft-agreements of collaboration with
the National Gendarmerie, the Civil aviation, the Weather-France
and Air Force, like after a benevolent report/ratio of the IHEDN, the
creation of the GEPAN is accepted by the CNES. Poher It is on May
1, 1977 that the CNES announces officially the birth of the GEPAN
to firstly study the aerospace phenomena that its experts had not
managed to identify close to the Space Center of Toulouse (CST),
under the direction of Poher. In fact during the first 6 months Poher
is only with a secretary to classify the file and to answer the mail. In
spite of the assistance of 4 or 5 voluntary researchers in France, it
cannot answer at the request of investigations on the territory at the
end of the vagueness of observations, and misses it resources is
done quickly and cruelly to feel. The scientific Council In
September, Poher types fist on the table and asks for a greater
support of the CNES. Hubert Curien then authorizes it to call upon
the voluntary help of his engineers, and agree to set up a scientific
council of the GEPAN. The GEPAN, which will consist of ten
scientists carrying out their part-time task, will be supervised by
this council of 7 high level scientists who will have to meet every
year on average to evaluate carried out work and to lavish advice
and recommendations. Among the members of this Council, one
finds: Hubert Curien, president of the CNES Rene Pellat, of CNRS,
directing scientific of the CNES Jean Hulled grain, secretary of this
Scientific Council, which carries out the debates Guy Monnet,
astronomer Roland Omnès, senior of the Faculty of Science of
Orsay, specialist in cosmology an engineer of France weather (very
critical) [Poher] a magistrate, member of the Higher Council of the
Magistrature [Poher] Henri Faure? psychiatrist/professor of social
psychology, which will be most active and will appoint a researcher
of its laboratory to take part in the investigations into the ground
the commander Cochereau, of the gendarmerie a representative of
the direction of the Air Force a physicist, specialist in limed, who
will never attend in fact the meetings. Andre Weil Jean-Pierre
Rospars Pierre Guerin? Curien and Bignier, directing general of
the CNES, adopt a neutral attitude on the question of the UFOs. On
the other hand, the work of the GEPAN is supported by Gruau
Bourdais, G.: IUR-4-25. A certain number of private individuals also
will take part in the activities of the GEPAN, such Christian Perrin
de Brichambaut or Thierry Pinvidic, to advise for documentation.
Poher also asks for the participation of other scientists interested
by the UFOs, like Jean-Pierre Petit and Maurice Viton of the CNRS,
which already undertook experiments on the MHD, a technology
candidate with the propulsion of certain UFOs. But CNRS sees all
that of a very evil eye: some of them, threatened of sanctions by
their Scientific department, are constrained with the abandonment,
and must quickly take their distances with the GEPAN Petit. During
its 1st year of existence, the GEPAN completes statistical work on
more than 300 reports transmitted by the Gendarmerie, and carries
out a checking of the studies already led by Poher to title deprived
since 1974, like work of other ufologists. In December, work is
submitted to the 1st meeting of the Scientific Council. On December
14, this last approves the interdisciplinary approach: The Scientific
Council recommends the continuation of the activities of the GEPAN
within the framework of the CNES with mission of coordinating the
data-gathering on a national scale and of proceeding to the study of
the data. It recommends that sufficient means are released to fulfill
these missions. However, it also suggests the improvement of the
harvest of the cases, of the methodology of research, the
procedures of selection and analysis of the data. It invites the
GEPAN to present a more complete report/ratio at the next meeting,
and suggests not publishing the results: The Council recommends
to keep a great vigilance as for the diffusion and the publication of
the studies and the results. It will be consulted before any
publication. In June 1978, the GEPAN submits to the Council a
semi-annual report/ratio in 5 volumes of more than 500 pages. 3 of
these volumes are devoted to the description and the analysis of 11
cases of a high degree of strangeness, subjected to a new very
detailed investigation. An explanation is found only in 1 only cases.
On 354 official reports transmitted by the Gendarmerie and
analyzed using mechanized procedures, 25% remain unexplained.
The conclusion of the GEPAN is that they are flying machines of
unknown origin. The Scientific Council expresses its satisfaction as
for carried out work, recommends to continue its activities and to
imply the ufologists amateurs if possible, in order to create a
network of collection of data. Last meeting In September the
French ufologists receive, individually, an invitation with a bipartite
meeting GEPAN/groupings private. If the official objective is to
present the GEPAN at the ufologists, one announces more semi-
officially than it is about a kind of test, to determine with which the
GEPAN would be most likely to collaborate. The meeting takes
place close to the CST, where a hundred comes from people
representing more than 40 associations. Poher presents the
structure and the activities of the GEPAN, in which collaborate - in
addition to the Director and the secretary - about fifty people of the
CNES, divided into 7 working groups (fast intervention, taking away
of traces, alarms radars, evaluation of the cases, public records,
coding and statistics, optical simulator SIMOVNI).
G. E. P. A. N.
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Poher
C'est le 1er mai 1977 que le CNES annonce officiellement la
naissance du GEPAN pour étudier prioritairement les phénomènes
aérospatiaux que ses experts n'étaient pas parvenus à identifier près
du Centre Spatial de Toulouse (CST), sous la direction de Poher.
En fait pendant les 6 premiers mois Poher est seul avec une
secrétaire pour classer les dossier et répondre au courrier. Malgré
l'aide de 4 ou 5 chercheurs bénévoles en France, il ne peut répondre à
la demande d'enquêtes sur le territoire à la fin de la vague
d'observations, et le manque de ressources se fait rapidement et
cruellement sentir.
Conseil scientifique
Dernière réunion
Esterle
C'est alors l'ingénieur mathématicien Alain Esterle qui est placé à la
tête du GEPAN. A partir de 1979, celui-ci promeut une activité intense
et tous azimuts : plusieurs recherches sur des cas à haut indice
d'étrangeté (dont le plus fameux est l'enlèvement de Cergy-Pontoise
cette année-là), l'élaboration d'un modèle épistéologique original, la
participation à des conventions et rencontres ufologiques à l'étranger,
la diffusion d'un fascicule de présentation des activités du GEPAN, un
stand au salon de l'aéronautique du Bourget, de fréquentes interviews
dans les journaux et à la télévision, et par-dessus tout, la publication
des 2 premières Notes Techniques, disponibles également pour le
grand public, dans lesquelles sont publiées les activités du groupe :
création d'archives nationales, techniques d'évaluation des cas, codes
mécanographiques, statistiques élémentaires sur les rapports
d'observation transmis par la gendarmerie. Cependant, à la différence
de son prédécesseur, Esterle refroidit les rapports avec les ufologues
privés et, petit à petit, ceux-ci commencent à manifester de la
défiance envers l'organisme.
• Documents de travail
1. ...
2. ...
3. Zappoli, Bernard: Programme de Recherches 1981/1982, 28 octobre 1981
4. Esterle, A.: L'étude des phénomènes aérospatiaux non-
identifiés - 1977/1981 : résultats et perspectives, 18 décembre
1981
• Notes techniques
sur les principes du pre-traitement, étude des problèmes liés à la création d'un fichier informatique
par Jean-Pierre Rospars, méthodes de traitement de I’information appliquées aux phénomènes ovni)
etc.)
Velasco
En 1983, le GEPAN ne correspond donc clairement plus à l'image
que le CNES souhaite donner de ses services. Plutôt que de risquer
une confrontation ouverte avec le public et les médias
traditionnellement assez attachés aux ovnis, les autorités choisissent
la douceur. Après avoir subit ne vives critiques — l'organisme s'avére
extrêmement prudent sur la réalité des ovnis ce qui irrite nombre
d'ufologues — qu'il considére comme injustifiées, une réforme du
groupe est menée. Le Conseil Scientifique ne se réunit plus, et le
nouveau directeur, Jean-Jacques Velasco, n'a plus de comptes à
rendre à qui que ce soit, hormis sa hiérarchie. Sous sa direction le
GEPAN, mis à part quelques interview télévisées, tient un profil bas.
SEPRA
En novembre 1988 une lettre d'information du CNES annonce la
cessation d'activité du GEPAN qui est remplacé par le SEPRA, au sein
de la Direction des Systèmes Opérationnels (Département Sciences).
Le nom change mais l'organigramme est maintenu (2 personnes à
temps plein : le directeur Velasco et une secrétaire). A partir de ce
moment cesse officiellement toute activité de divulgation (en
particulier la publication de Notes Techniques qui ne sont plus
accessibles au public), le Conseil Scientifique est supprimé et les
objectifs sont modifiés : suivre les rentrées atmosphériques des
satellites ; recueillir et pré-élaborer des informations sur les
phénomènes aérospatiaux non-identifiés, en organisant des
recherches, mettant les données à disposition des entités de recherche
qui souhaitent les utiliser, dans le cadre éventuel d'une coordination
d'études inter-disciplinaires.
UFO-Revue Information Ufologique n° 11 juillet 1992 (c) CISU Roussel 1994 From GEPAN
to SEPRA - Official UFO studies in France par Gildas Bourdais (IUR 4-25), traduit Du GEPAN au
SEPRA - Les études officielles sur les OVNIS en France (UFOCom) Menace(s) sur le SEPRA ?
par Thibaut Canuti
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