NASA Ames Research Center
Photo: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
NASA Ames Research Center occupies Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley, serving as one of NASA's premier research facilities since 1958. The center spans thousands of acres and houses over $3 billion in capital equipment, supporting 2,300 research personnel with an annual budget of $750 million. Visitors today can see massive wind tunnels, supercomputing facilities, and mission control centers that have guided groundbreaking space missions. Named after physicist Joseph Sweetman Ames, a founding member of NACA, the facility transformed from a 1939 aeronautics laboratory into a cornerstone of America's space exploration efforts. Ancient Aliens theorists have suggested that NASA Ames' 2013 discovery of potentially habitable exoplanets Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f—ocean worlds in the habitable zone—may connect to fish-like beings described as deities across ancient Egyptian, Chinese, African, and Mesoamerican cultures. However, mainstream exoplanet scientists emphasize that identifying a planet as theoretically capable of supporting life is fundamentally different from evidence of past visitation to Earth, and that water-dwelling deities appear across cultures as independent mythological developments tied to local geography and human experience with aquatic environments.
Timeline
Founded as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laboratory
NACA dissolved and assets transferred to newly created NASA on October 1st
Scientists announce discovery of Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f, among the most Earth-like exoplanets found
What the Show Claims
- ›NASA Ames Research Center's announcement of Kepler-62e and 62f — ocean-covered water worlds in the habitable zone — represents possible home worlds of the amphibious fish-like beings described as gods in ancient cultures across China, Africa, Central America, and EgyptS14E22
Theorist Takes
“These half‐human, half‐fish‐type gods that are like us but are still aquatic are coming from these water planets.”
“The question we have to ask ourselves is whether the whole concept of kinetic energy weapons is something new or if it already existed in the ancient past. And with Thor, we have such a reference.”
From the Transcripts
“Mountain View, California. April 2013. NASA scientists at the Ames Research Center announce that the Kepler space telescope has discovered two new exoplanets that seem highly promising for life. Named Kepler‐62e and 62f.”
“At the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California... scientist Peter Schultz is studying the enormous power of kinetic energy using a device called a vertical gun.”
“NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. On December 5, 2011, astronomers working with the Kepler space telescope announced the discovery of a planet they called Kepler-22b.”
What Archaeology Says
While NASA Ames Research Center is a modern facility rather than an archaeological site, its role in space exploration has profound implications for understanding ancient mysteries. The center's management of the Kepler space telescope mission led to revolutionary discoveries about potentially habitable worlds beyond our solar system.
In April 2013, scientists at Ames announced the discovery of Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f, located approximately 1,200 light-years away in the constellation Lyra. These exoplanets were identified as among the most Earth-like worlds discovered at that time, both orbiting within their star's habitable zone where liquid water could theoretically exist on their surfaces. The planets' size and orbital characteristics suggested they could be ocean worlds.
The scientific consensus recognizes these discoveries as significant steps in identifying potentially habitable exoplanets. Researchers used sophisticated analysis of light variations as the planets transited their host star to determine their size, orbital period, and estimated surface conditions. The Kepler mission's methodology represented a breakthrough in exoplanet detection capabilities.
What remains genuinely intriguing is the question of whether such water-rich worlds could harbor life, and if so, what forms that life might take. The discovery of these ocean worlds adds scientific weight to speculation about aquatic life forms that may have influenced ancient human cultures, though any direct connection remains purely theoretical.
Mysteries & Fun Facts
NASA Ames houses some of the world's most powerful supercomputers for space mission simulations
The facility's wind tunnels have tested designs for everything from spacecraft to commercial aircraft
Kepler-62e and 62f are estimated to be 40% and 60% larger than Earth respectively
The center was originally built on land that was once San Francisco Bay salt ponds
Planning a Visit
NASA Ames Research Center is generally accessible to visitors through organized tours, though security restrictions apply and advance arrangements are typically required. The facility offers educational programs and public events that showcase its research capabilities and space exploration achievements.
San Jose, approximately 15 miles southeast
Tours and public events are typically scheduled year-round, with California's mild climate making visits comfortable in any season.
Featured Locations2 sites within this area
NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California
United StatesAncient astronaut theorists use experiments at the NASA Ames vertical gun range to argue that Thor's hammer Mjolnir may have functioned as a kinetic energy weapon, with the gun's destructive power seen as a modern analog to the mythological hammer's mountain-crushing force. The facility's scientists present the vertical gun range as a tool for studying high-speed kinetic impacts for planetary science research.
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field
United StatesThe episode presents this facility as the institutional home of NASA scientists working with the Kepler space telescope, suggesting the search for Earth-like planets may be driven by foreknowledge of extraterrestrial life. Mainstream scientists at Ames describe the Kepler mission as an open scientific effort to characterize exoplanet populations and identify potentially habitable worlds.
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Featured In1 episodes
Historical data sourced from Wikipedia