One of the most intriguing characteristics reported in UAP encounters is trans-medium travel — the apparent ability of objects to transition seamlessly between air and water without observable deceleration or structural compromise.
The Engineering Challenge
Water is approximately 800 times denser than air. An object traveling at high speed in air encounters enormous resistance upon entering water. The reverse transition is equally challenging, requiring overcoming surface tension and transitioning between fundamentally different flight regimes.
What Military Sensors Have Recorded
The most well-documented case involves the 2004 USS Nimitz encounter, where the "Tic Tac" was tracked descending from 80,000 feet to sea level in less than a second, and was subsequently observed beneath the surface by sonar operators.
The 2019 USS Omaha incident documented multiple objects entering the water off San Diego without creating debris fields. In 2021, F/A-18 pilots reported objects descending into the Atlantic and reappearing at different locations.
Theoretical Frameworks
Dr. Kevin Knuth at the University of Albany proposes that UAPs may generate a plasma envelope reducing friction in both air and water. Dr. Hal Puthoff suggests gravitational field manipulation could allow an object to fall through any medium without conventional drag. Others explore quantum vacuum engineering as a medium-independent propulsion mechanism.
The Data Gap
Military sensors were not designed to study UAP physics. What is needed is dedicated scientific instrumentation at likely trans-medium event locations. The Galileo Project at Harvard represents one such effort, though its focus has been primarily on aerial phenomena.
The trans-medium question represents perhaps the most scientifically significant aspect of the UAP phenomenon, potentially pointing toward new principles of propulsion and energy generation.