Overview
A June 2009 report from Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) described plans for a heavily fortified underground vault intended to store recovered hardware, unusual biological specimens and other material associated with investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena. The document does not establish that the facility was ever constructed, nor does it confirm that BAASS obtained or stored any anomalous material.
The 134-page report, identified as DOW-UAP-D171, was included in the seventh release of UFO-related records under the Department of War’s PURSUE disclosure program on October 23, 2026, according to the source material. The plans were prepared during a period when BAASS was conducting research under a U.S. government-funded program and expanding its efforts to obtain physical evidence connected to UAP reports.
Proposed Vault
The proposed structure was to be built beneath Bigelow Aerospace’s operations in North Las Vegas. It would have covered approximately 5,000 square feet, with three-foot-thick reinforced-concrete walls, floors and ceilings. The facility was also intended to be buried under roughly 15 to 20 feet of earth, with visible entrances or above-ground features camouflaged to reduce its detectability.
Access would have been tightly controlled. The plans called for a concrete tunnel containing multiple security doors, including at least one entrance equipped with a thick steel vault door. The report also referred to multiple security barriers and armed guards, indicating that physical protection and restricted access were central to the design.
The report’s administrator said BAASS was pursuing “recovered hardware and biological samples” held by private individuals, companies and overseas research groups. Brazil was specifically cited as a possible source of material. The administrator reportedly concluded that existing facilities were not sufficiently secure to accommodate unusual specimens should they become available, prompting consideration of a purpose-built underground repository.
What the Records Establish
The documents provide evidence that such a facility was being considered and planned, including details about its proposed construction, security arrangements and anticipated timetable. They do not show that construction was completed. Nor do they provide an inventory, photographs or chain-of-custody records demonstrating that unusual tissue, biological samples or recovered craft-related hardware were ever acquired.
That distinction is significant. Architectural specifications and internal planning documents can demonstrate an organization’s intentions, but they do not independently verify the existence of the materials the facility was designed to hold. The available record therefore supports a more limited conclusion: BAASS was preparing for the possibility of obtaining sensitive physical evidence and believed its existing security arrangements might be inadequate.
Wider UAP Context
The 2009 report also reflects the broader range of subjects being discussed within the BAASS program. Related material included renewed interest in World War II reports of “foo fighters,” speculation about possible government contact with hybrid beings and skeptical analysis of the measurements underlying a recent UFO claim.
Those topics span historical reports, extraordinary biological allegations and technical scrutiny of contemporary sightings. Their inclusion illustrates the breadth of the program’s research agenda, but does not by itself validate any of the claims. In particular, the report’s references to potential biological material and alleged contact should be treated as records of investigative interest or speculation unless supported by independently verifiable evidence.
Significance
The proposed vault offers a rare look at the practical infrastructure envisioned for a private contractor involved in government-supported UAP research. Its specifications—reinforced concrete, subterranean construction, concealed access and armed security—suggest that BAASS anticipated handling material it regarded as highly sensitive.
At the same time, the central unanswered question remains whether the vault was ever built. Until construction records, later progress reports or physical evidence emerge, the document should be understood as a plan rather than proof of a secret repository or confirmed non-human material.
