Limits on Kinematic Inference from the PURSUE Airborne Sensor Videos

Abstract

This paper analyzes the 112 sensor videos released under the PURSUE (Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters) initiative. Redactions to on-screen displays limit information available for identifying the reported unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). Converting the rate at which any object transits across part or all of a frame from pixels per frame to a physical velocity requires (1) the range to the object, (2) the velocity of the observing aircraft, (3) the aspect angle between the object's path and observer, and (4) the field angle of the camera. No PURSUE video provides this set of information. In one clip (DOW-UAP-PR113), the object crosses depression-angle markings, which allows reconstruction of the camera's field of view. Even this clip does not provide sufficient information to distinguish between a bird flying at close range and a large craft traveling at Mach 5 a kilometer away. A second clip (DOW-UAP-PR149) includes a vessel of known size in the frame, which can be used as a reference to calculate an upper bound of Mach 0.4 on the object's relative velocity. Without further information, the PURSUE sensor videos in their present form cannot fully resolve unidentified cases or conclusively indicate anomalous velocities.