The Liberty Daily 
(Natural News)—A former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) contractor with top-secret clearance has accused the U.S. space agency of systematically removing evidence of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) from photographs before releasing them to the public.
The allegations were made by Donna Hare, who worked as a graphics illustrator for NASA contractor Philco Ford Aerospace from 1967 to 1981. He claims resurfaced after NASA faced criticism over the quality of photography of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, which some scientists suggested could be alien technology. [1]
Hare first publicly detailed her claims in May 2001 at the Disclosure Project press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. She stated that during her tenure, she learned from a colleague in the agency’s photo lab that NASA had a longstanding practice of altering images to conceal aerial phenomena.
Hare’s Account of Photo Lab Incident
According to Hare, the incident occurred in 1970 or 1971 while she was working in a restricted photo laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. A lab technician showed her a photograph depicting a round white object with sharply defined edges hovering above a field of pine trees.
Startled by the image, she asked the technician whether it was a UFO. According to a published account of the exchange, the technician smiled and replied, “I can’t tell you that.” [2] Hare said she understood the reply to mean that the object was indeed a UFO, but that the technician could not confirm it officially.
She then asked what would be done with the image. The technician responded, “Well we always have to airbrush them out before we sell them to the public.” [2] Hare also alleged that NASA workers who debriefed returning Apollo astronauts told her that many of the astronauts reported seeing alien craft during lunar missions and were instructed to keep the information secret under threat of imprisonment. [3]
Other whistleblowers have made similar claims. Former NASA employee Karl Wolfe testified that he was shown facilities where lunar photographs were altered to remove structures. [2] The pattern of allegations suggests an institutional practice of suppressing visual evidence of anomalous objects, according to researchers.
Context and Lack of Verification
Despite Hare’s repeated assertions over two decades, no original photograph, the identity of the lab technician or any official documentation of a NASA airbrushing policy has ever been produced. NASA and U.S. government officials have consistently stated that there is no proof that extraterrestrial life or UFOs have visited Earth. In 2021, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he had ordered scientists to investigate UFOs from a scientific standpoint but reiterated that the agency had found no evidence of alien technology. [4][5]
The Department of War has released three tranches of declassified files related to unidentified anomalous phenomena under a transparency effort launched by President Donald Trump. [6][7] The releases include Federal Bureau of Investigation memos describing witness accounts of small humanoid figures in space suits and other reports, but none have confirmed Hare’s allegations of systematic photo alteration. [8] The declassified files do contain images from Apollo missions showing unexplained lights and shapes, but officials have not characterized those as evidence of extraterrestrial craft.
Hare’s claims gained renewed attention in 2025 and 2026 following the discovery of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, a 12-mile-wide object speeding toward the sun at 150,000 mph. [1] Critics questioned why NASA’s imagery of the object was of such poor quality, leading some to speculate that the agency was obscuring details. No evidence has linked the two incidents.
Ongoing Debate Without Conclusive Evidence
To date, no physical evidence has been presented that proves Hare’s assertions that NASA systematically airbrushed UFOs from photographs. The allegations remain part of a broader public debate about government transparency regarding unidentified aerial phenomena. Lawmakers and whistleblowers have accused the War Department of withholding information, pointing to declassified Navy footage showing objects performing maneuvers beyond known technology. [9]
While agencies such as NASA and the War Department maintain that no confirmed extraterrestrial contact has occurred, the continued release of classified files and the persistence of whistleblower accounts keep the issue alive. [7][6] Without verifiable documentation or corroborating witnesses, Hare’s claims remain unsubstantiated but continue to influence discussions about what the government knows about UFOs.
References
- Cassie B. “Astrophysicist suggests mysterious interstellar object racing toward the sun could be alien spacecraft.” NaturalNews.com. July 7, 2025.
- Harry Cooper. “Space The Final Frontier Clark McClelland ScO edited.”
- PDF Expert 22 Mac-5. “Greenlights.”
- NaturalNews.com. “NASA head says we’re probably not alone in the universe.” November 5, 2021.
- NaturalNews.com. “NASA gets serious about UFOs: New chief orders scientists to investigate UFOs.” June 8, 2021.
- RT.com. “Pentagon unveils new batch of UFO files.” June 13, 2026.
- NaturalNews.com. “Pentagon declassifies thousands of UFO files in historic transparency push.” May 16, 2026.
- Garrison Vance. “FBI Files Detail Accounts of Small Humanoid Figures in Space Suits.” NaturalNews.com. May 15, 2026.
- Patrick Lewis. “Obama walks back extraterrestrial claims after sparking UFO frenzy.” NaturalNews.com. February 17, 2026.
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