“THE HERCULES PROJECT”: THE HISTORY OF THE BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT'S RECOGNITION OF UFOLOGIST AS AN OCCUPATION

On the night of May 30, 2024, in an emotional virtual meeting organized by the Latin American Academy of Scientific Ufology (LAASU), several ufologists from Brazil and other continents met with the aim of celebrating the recognition by the Brazilian government of the profession of ufologist as an occupation after a long process of technical evaluation. The intensification of activities and research by scientific entities such as LAASU, local and federal government entities in Brazil, the U.S. government through the Pentagon, Congress, NASA, and some media, all contributed to create an environment conducive to this heroic feat. The "Hercules Project" is described herein, which was conceived inside the LAASU with the objective of the Brazilian government's recognition of the profession of ufologist as an occupation with social, economic and scientific value and ended in a total success. Although this process was an initiative of LAASU, the merit belongs to scientific Ufology worldwide and especially in Brazil, which has contributed with studies, researches and publications over several years. This article aims to discuss the rational basis supporting that Ufology can be considered a profession. Additionally, this article aims to describe the history of the recognition by the Brazilian government through the Ministry of Labor and Employment of the profession of ufologist as a legitimate occupation. The struggle for the recognition of the ufologist as an occupation is an epic story of faith, struggle, and overcoming obstacles, that ended in May 2024