The National Archives and Records Administration hosts declassified UAP photographs across multiple record groups, all publicly accessible and downloadable with attribution to NARA. The archive spans from the early Cold War through the Space Age — these are the images the US Air Force and NASA compiled during official investigations and which have been in the national archive for decades.
What NARA’s Photo Collection Contains
Record Group 255 (NASA): Seven photographs designated “Flying Saucer” from the series Photographs Relating to Agency Activities, Facilities and Personnel, 1960–1991. National Archives Identifiers: 303938024, 303938034, 305558925, 305558927, 305558929, 305558934, 305558936. Available at catalog.archives.gov.
Record Group 341 (USAF Air Staff): The complete Project Blue Book photograph series (1954–1966, Local Identifier 341-PBB, National Archives Identifier 542184). Includes film stills from investigations in Alamogordo NM, Montville OH, Naha Okinawa (October 1962), and dozens of other locations.
Record Group 342 (USAF Commands): Multiple photographic series from USAF Commands and organisations. Includes the 342-B-01-103 series with numbered USAF photographs from multiple investigations.
The Project Blue Book Images
The Blue Book photographs are among the most significant in the collection. They represent the official US Air Force visual record of UAP investigations from 1947 through 1969. Many have never been widely published. The series spans hundreds of items, organised by location and date, each with a catalog identifier that gives direct access to the digital file. The collection is searchable at catalog.archives.gov — search “Project Blue Book” or “341-PBB”.
How to Access
All NARA UAP photographs are available at archives.gov/research/topics/uaps/photographs. Items with National Archives Identifiers can be viewed and downloaded directly from catalog.archives.gov — enter the identifier number in the search bar. Items marked “not available online” require an onsite visit to the Moving Image and Sound Research Room at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. Items linked from the NARA photographs page are downloadable and can be republished with attribution to NARA — they are public domain.
Source: archives.gov/research/topics/uaps/photographs. National Archives Catalog. Record Groups 255, 341, 342. Public domain.