Within UFO Hackers
What Did Mc Kinnon Say NASA Hid?
McKinnon's NASA claims include a cigar-shaped object and image files he said he could not save or verify publicly.
On this page
- The Building 8 image story
- The alleged object description
- Why no public file proves it
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
Gary McKinnon’s most famous NASA claim is narrow but striking: he said he accessed image files at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, in a department connected with Building 8, and briefly saw an image of a silvery, cigar-shaped object before being disconnected. The claim matters because it is often retold as if McKinnon “proved” NASA hid UFO evidence. The public record does not support that stronger version. What exists is McKinnon’s own account, repeated in interviews, alongside official records showing he was accused of unauthorised access to US military and NASA systems. No public image file, screenshot, file path, technical log, or independent authentication has ever established that the object he described was real, anomalous, or hidden by NASA. [WIRED]wired.comUFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundWIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundJune 21, 2006 — 21 Jun 2006 — A NASA photographic expert said that there was a Building 8 at Johnson…
That distinction is the key to understanding McKinnon’s place among UFO hackers. The hacking case is documented; the NASA UFO claim remains an unverified personal account.
The Building 8 Image Story
McKinnon told Wired in 2006 that his NASA search was shaped by testimony from the Disclosure Project, a UFO-oriented campaign that presented witnesses claiming government knowledge of alien technology. In his version, a “NASA photographic expert” had said that Building 8 at Johnson Space Center was used to remove UFOs from high-resolution satellite imagery. McKinnon said he then accessed a NASA department where large picture files were stored in paired forms: “filtered and unfiltered”, or “processed and unprocessed”, versions. [WIRED]wired.comUFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundWIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundJune 21, 2006 — 21 Jun 2006 — A NASA photographic expert said that there was a Building 8 at Johnson…
The important point is that McKinnon did not claim he found a labelled folder saying “alien spacecraft” or a formal NASA document admitting image manipulation. His claim was more circumstantial: he believed he had reached a photographic area matching what he had heard about, and he interpreted the existence of processed and unprocessed image files through that prior UFO-cover-up framework. In normal imaging work, processed and unprocessed files can exist for many reasons, including calibration, enhancement, compression, contrast correction, annotation, or routine workflow. Without the files themselves, the labels alone cannot show what was being altered or why.
McKinnon’s account also includes a technical bottleneck that later became central to the credibility dispute. He said he was using a slow 56K dial-up connection while remotely viewing a NASA desktop, and that the image file was extremely large. To see anything at all, he said he lowered the remote display to 4-bit colour and a low screen resolution. That means the image he described was, by his own account, not a clean saved original but a brief, degraded remote view during an unauthorised session. [WIRED]wired.comUFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundHe claims to have discovered a NASA department that airbrushes UFO images from high-resolution photos and an Excel spreadsheet titled "No…
This does not prove the claim false, but it sharply limits what can be inferred from it. A fleeting low-colour remote display gives no public chain of custody. It also makes later reconstruction difficult because there is no preserved file, no metadata, no original resolution, no known instrument, no date, no coordinates, and no independent analyst who can inspect the image.
The Alleged Object Description
McKinnon’s most repeated description is vivid. He said the image showed a “silvery, cigar-shaped object” with “geodesic spheres” on either side, no visible seams or rivets, and no clear size reference. He believed the picture had probably been taken from above, by a satellite looking down, and said the object did not look man-made to him. [WIRED]wired.comUFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundWIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundJune 21, 2006 — 21 Jun 2006 — A NASA photographic expert said that there was a Building 8 at Johnson…
Those details explain why the story spread so widely in UFO culture. The description sounds specific enough to be memorable but not specific enough to verify. “Cigar-shaped” has a long history in UFO reporting, while “geodesic spheres” gives the image an unusual mechanical geometry. Yet McKinnon’s phrasing also leaves open basic interpretive questions: whether the object was in space, in the atmosphere, on the ground, over Earth’s horizon, or even a misread artefact in a processed image. He said there was no size reference, which removes one of the first checks an image analyst would need.
An earlier Guardian profile presented the Johnson Space Center episode more cautiously, saying McKinnon had looked at photographs of cigar-shaped objects that “might have been UFOs” but that he himself said were “probably satellites”. That version is less dramatic than later retellings, but it is useful because it shows how the claim could be framed with more uncertainty close to the period when his case was active. [The Guardian]theguardian.comThe Guardian Game over | Gary Mc KinnonThe GuardianGame over | Gary McKinnonJuly 9, 2005 — 9 Jul 2005 — At the Johnson Space Centre he spied on photographs of cigar-shaped obje…
The gap between those two tellings matters. In the strongest UFO retellings, McKinnon is said to have seen a non-human craft. In the more careful version, he saw something he could not confidently identify. A reader should treat the latter as closer to what the evidence can bear: McKinnon claimed a brief sighting of an unusual object inside NASA image files, not a publicly demonstrated discovery of extraterrestrial hardware.
Why No Public File Proves It
The central weakness in the NASA claim is simple: McKinnon did not produce the image. He told Wired that because he was using a Java application, the picture did not end up in his temporary internet files, and he could only have captured a screenshot. He said that at the crucial moment someone at NASA noticed the intrusion and disconnected him. [WIRED]wired.comUFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundWIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundJune 21, 2006 — 21 Jun 2006 — A NASA photographic expert said that there was a Building 8 at Johnson…
That explanation is internally coherent as an anecdote, but it does not create evidence other people can test. A public proof would need at least one of the following: the original file, a screenshot with intact metadata, a verifiable file path, logs correlating his session with the alleged image, another witness who saw the same file, or a later official release matching his description. None of those has emerged.
This is why the claim sits in a different evidential category from the intrusion case itself. US Justice Department records state that McKinnon was indicted for computer fraud and related activity, and that the case involved intrusions into US Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of Defense and NASA systems. Those allegations are part of an official legal record. The UFO image claim, by contrast, is not substantiated by an official release or independently reviewable dataset. [Department of Justice]justice.govDepartment of JusticeLondon, England Hacker Indicted Under Computer Fraud…Gary McKinnon, of London, England, was indicted in Alexandri…
The absence of a file also prevents ordinary image-forensics questions from being answered. No one can check whether the image was a satellite, spacecraft, lens artefact, processing error, calibration target, terrestrial structure, ordinary aerospace object, or something more unusual. Nor can anyone confirm whether “filtered” meant censorship, enhancement, or routine image processing. The evidential ceiling is therefore low: the story can be reported as McKinnon’s claim, but not as proof of NASA concealment.
The “Non-Terrestrial Officers” Detail Is Related, But Not the NASA Image
McKinnon’s “Non-Terrestrial Officers” claim is often blended with the Building 8 image story, but it is a separate allegation. In the same Wired interview, he said he accessed Excel spreadsheets, one titled “Non-Terrestrial Officers”, containing names and ranks of US Air Force personnel and information about ship-to-ship transfers. He also said he had not seen the ship names elsewhere. [WIRED]wired.comUFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundWIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundJune 21, 2006 — 21 Jun 2006 — A NASA photographic expert said that there was a Building 8 at Johnson…
That phrase has become one of the most mythologised parts of the McKinnon case because it sounds like a secret space-fleet reference. Yet McKinnon himself accepted uncertainty when asked whether it might have been a military strategy game or hypothetical scenario, saying it was “hard to know for certain”. [WIRED]wired.comUFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundWIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundJune 21, 2006 — 21 Jun 2006 — A NASA photographic expert said that there was a Building 8 at Johnson…
For this NASA-focused page, the spreadsheet matters mainly as a caution. It shows the pattern of the broader case: McKinnon described suggestive labels and unusual material, but without recoverable files. The NASA image story is stronger as a visual anecdote because it includes a concrete object description. It is weaker as evidence because the claimed image cannot be inspected.
What the Claim Can and Cannot Support
McKinnon’s account can support a modest conclusion: he says that while searching NASA systems for UFO evidence, he accessed image files he believed were connected to a cover-up claim and briefly saw an unusual cigar-shaped object. That is the claim as a claim.
It cannot support the stronger conclusion that NASA hid a proven extraterrestrial craft. The reasons are evidential, not merely sceptical:
- No public image exists. The alleged object cannot be examined, enhanced, dated, located, or compared with known spacecraft or satellites.
- The viewing conditions were poor. McKinnon described a slow dial-up connection, remote desktop access, low resolution, and 4-bit colour. [WIRED]wired.comUFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundHe claims to have discovered a NASA department that airbrushes UFO images from high-resolution photos and an Excel spreadsheet titled "No…
- The file context is unknown. “Processed” and “unprocessed” can indicate ordinary imaging workflow as well as deliberate alteration.
- The source is single-witness. The public UFO claim rests on McKinnon’s memory and interpretation, not on corroborated documentation.
- Even McKinnon’s related claims included uncertainty. On the “Non-Terrestrial Officers” spreadsheet, he acknowledged possible non-extraordinary explanations. [WIRED]wired.comUFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundWIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundJune 21, 2006 — 21 Jun 2006 — A NASA photographic expert said that there was a Building 8 at Johnson…
That does not make the story irrelevant. It explains why McKinnon became the archetypal UFO hacker: unlike a passive believer, he actually entered restricted systems looking for hidden evidence. But the evidential outcome is frustratingly thin. The case offers a powerful story about belief, secrecy and unauthorised access; it does not offer a public NASA file that proves a UFO cover-up.
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to What Did Mc Kinnon Say NASA Hid?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The Demon-Haunted World
Rating: 4.5/5 from 43 Google Books ratings
Closely matches modern evidence standards discussed in UAP reviews.
American Cosmic
Explores the intersection of UFO beliefs, technology communities and claims of hidden knowledge that motivate figures like UFO hackers.
The Hacker Crackdown
Provides historical context on hacking, computer intrusion cases and the culture surrounding high-profile cyber investigations.
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Example marketplace items related to this page. Use the search link to explore similar finds on eBay.
Endnotes
-
Source: wired.com
Title: ‘UFO Hacker’ Tells What He Found
Link: https://www.wired.com/2006/06/ufo-hacker-tells-what-he-found/Source snippet
WIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He FoundJune 21, 2006 — 21 Jun 2006 — A NASA photographic expert said that there was a Building 8 at Johnson...
Published: June 21, 2006
-
Source: justice.gov
Link: https://www.justice.gov/archive/criminal/cybercrime/press-releases/2002/mckinnonIndict.htmSource snippet
Department of JusticeLondon, England Hacker Indicted Under Computer Fraud...Gary McKinnon, of London, England, was indicted in Alexandri...
-
Source: justice.gov
Title: Department of Justice British National Charged with Hacking Into N.J
Link: https://www.justice.gov/archive/criminal/cybercrime/press-releases/2002/mckinnonIndict2.htmSource snippet
seven-count Virginia [Indictment]({{ 'indictment/' | relative_url }}) charges McKinnon for intrusions into 92 computer systems belonging to the U.S. Army, Navy, A...
-
Source: justice.gov
Title: 06.30.23. – Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant
Link: https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-07/06.30.23.%20–%20Mar-a-Lago%20Search%20Warrant%20-%20Interim.pdf -
Source: justice.gov
Link: https://www.justice.gov/archive/oip/lawrevart.pdf -
Source: justice.gov
Title: 02.14.23. Protests Supreme Court Residences Part 1
Link: https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-02/02.14.23.%20–%20Protests%20Supreme%20Court%20Residences%20–%20Part%201.pdf -
Source: theguardian.com
Title: The Guardian Game over | Gary [Mc Kinnon]({{ ‘mc-kinnon/’ | relative_url }})
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2005/jul/09/weekend7.weekend2Source snippet
The GuardianGame over | Gary McKinnonJuly 9, 2005 — 9 Jul 2005 — At the Johnson Space Centre he spied on photographs of cigar-shaped obje...
Published: July 9, 2005
-
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Gary Mc Kinnon
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_McKinnon -
Source: theguardian.com
Title: gary mckinnon no uk charges
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/14/gary-mckinnon-no-uk-charges
Additional References
-
Source: youtube.com
Title: Ancient Aliens: Hacking NASA Secrets (Season 12, Episode 9) | History
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20rWFDfh68YSource snippet
Gary McKinnon Case (Interview from 2009)...
-
Source: youtube.com
Title: The Man Who Hacked the U.S. Government
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND0zQX1rGdgSource snippet
Ancient Aliens: Hacking NASA Secrets (Season 12, Episode 9) | History...
-
Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/16r2dmr/does_anyone_remember_gary_mckinnon_a_british/ -
Source: cybereason.com
Link: https://www.cybereason.com/blog/malicious-life-podcast-the-u.s-vs.-gary-mckinnon -
Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/16in31n/reminder_gary_mckinnon_caught_nasa_editing_uap/ -
Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/xl3ezx/the_bbc_interviews_gary_mckinnon_hacker_who_saw/ -
Source: malicious.life
Link: https://malicious.life/episode/us_vs_gary_mckinnon/ -
Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/r2ssj9/what_are_your_thoughts_on_gary_mckinnon/ -
Source: welivesecurity.com
Title: gary mckinnon reveals detail on nasa data breach and extraterrestrial life
Link: https://www.welivesecurity.com/2015/12/08/gary-mckinnon-reveals-detail-on-nasa-data-breach-and-extraterrestrial-life/ -
Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFd7XzTf6_k
Topic Tree