Cosmic Consciousness

A Visionary of Space, the Paranormal and Consciousness

Born May 12, 1944

Robert Bigelow is not just an American businessman—he’s a trailblazer whose unrelenting curiosity has shaped both the commercial space industry and the fields of UFO research and consciousness studies. His life is a testament to the power of vision and determination, built on a foundation of personal experience and relentless exploration of the unknown.

Building a Legacy: From Real Estate to the Stars

Bigelow’s journey started conventionally enough, with studies in banking and real estate at the University of Nevada, Reno, and Arizona State University. But from the beginning, he was charting a course toward something much bigger. His investments in Las Vegas real estate during the 1970s laid the groundwork for his future ventures. The creation of Budget Suites of America in 1988, an extended-stay hotel chain, provided him with the financial backing to pursue his true passions: space exploration and paranormal research.

His real estate fortune fueled his dream of pushing humanity into space. In 2006, Bigelow Aerospace launched its first inflatable module, Genesis I, into orbit. The launch of Genesis II in 2007 further demonstrated the viability of expandable space habitats. Bigelow’s success didn’t stop there—his Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), launched to the International Space Station in 2016, remains in use today.

A Lifelong Fascination with the Unknown

Bigelow’s connection to the paranormal runs deep, rooted in a story from his childhood. In 1947, when he was just three years old, his grandparents, Tom and Delta Thebo, encountered a glowing UFO while driving near Mount Charleston, Nevada. The event left them shaken, and though they wouldn’t speak about it much, the story – told to him by his mother – sparked something in Bigelow. By the age of 10, this fascination had begun to take hold, shaping his desire to know more about the mysteries beyond Earth.

In his youth, Bigelow has said he also experienced encounters of his own. Around age seven, he began seeing strange figures in his bedroom—three small beings, wearing hooded monk-like robes, who appeared at his bedside. Though he kept these experiences to himself for years, they lingered in his mind, especially as he later became a student of phenomenology and met with people who worked with contactees. These early events were part of what led Bigelow down a path of inquiry that would last a lifetime.

Another influence in Bigelow’s life is his connection to the Nevada nuclear tests that he witnessed as a child. He has said he was no more than 9 years old when he heard his first atom bomb explosion from his bedroom at his parent’s house, in Las Vegas. This may have been April 22, 1952, at that time, around 200 reporters from across the country gathered on the edge of Yucca Lake in Nevada. The journalists and cameramen had been invited to witness and broadcast the detonation of a 31-kiloton nuclear bomb on United States soil (Nagasaki was 20-kiloton).

“I grew up here in Las Vegas; this was a unique town because it was the only place where you could stand out in your yard and watch rocket launches or a nuclear bomb go off.” Robert Bigelow

Timeline of Key Events

• 1970s: Bigelow started investing in real estate in Las Vegas, creating a fortune that would fund his future ventures.
• 1988: Founded Budget Suites of America, an extended-stay hotel chain that became highly profitable.
• 1995: Created the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS), a research organization dedicated to investigating UFOs, paranormal phenomena, and anomalous events.
• 1996: Purchased Skinwalker Ranch, a site infamous for UFO sightings and other strange occurrences. His team studied the ranch extensively before Bigelow sold it to Brandon Fugal in 2016.
• 2006: Bigelow Aerospace launched Genesis I, its first inflatable module, into space.
• 2007: Launched Genesis II, proving the viability of expandable habitats in space.
• 2008: Created Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) to continue UFO research.
• 2013: Signed an agreement with NASA to develop an inflatable module for the International Space Station.
• 2016: BEAM was launched to the ISS, further cementing Bigelow’s role in space technology.
• 2020: Bigelow Aerospace laid off most of its staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic but maintained its focus on future space exploration.
• 2021: Bigelow founded the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies (BICS) to fund research on life after death, providing grants for the best evidence of the survival of consciousness.

Skinwalker Ranch and Beyond: Exploring the Paranormal

In 1995, Bigelow founded the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS), which was focused on investigating paranormal phenomena, including UFOs, cattle mutilations, and other mysterious events. NIDS employed a number of scientists, investigators, and researchers, and it gained attention for its involvement with Skinwalker Ranch, a site in Utah known for reports of UFO sightings and other anomalous activity.

In 2007, a secret, unclassified US government program, The Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program (AATIP), began investigating UFOs. The program had a $22 million budget and Robert Bigelow received much of that money.

Between 2007 to 2012, Bigelow’s BAASS investigated UFO reports, collect data, and analysed evidence. This collaboration brought Bigelow into closer contact with military and intelligence agencies interested in unexplained aerial phenomena. The existence of AATIP was revealed in 2017, sparking widespread interest in UFOs and government transparency on the subject.

Bigelow’s involvement with Skinwalker Ranch is legendary. Located in northeastern Utah, this ranch is infamous for reports of UFO sightings, cattle mutilations, and other paranormal phenomena. Bigelow purchased the ranch in 1996 through his National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS), which was created to study unexplained phenomena. Bigelow’s team of researchers studied the site for years, exploring strange occurrences. Bigelow sold the ranch in 2016 to Brandon Fugal/ Adamantium Real Estate, LLC.

While Skinwalker Ranch remains the most famous site he’s connected to, it’s not the only one.

Mt. Wilson Ranch, located in rural Nevada, is another property associated with Bigelow. This ranch has a history of UFO sightings and paranormal activity, similar to Skinwalker Ranch. Bigelow purchased Mt. Wilson Ranch to investigate these claims. While not as well-known as Skinwalker, the ranch also attracts those interested in paranormal research, and some link its mysteries to Bigelow’s broader interests in extraterrestrial life.

Bradshaw Ranch is located near Sedona, Arizona, an area famous for its scenic beauty and vortexes, which some believe are centers of energy. The ranch has a reputation for strange phenomena, including UFO sightings, unexplained lights, and even cryptid reports. It was once owned by Hollywood stuntman Bob Bradshaw, who rented it out for movie productions before paranormal researchers took interest in its mysterious events. Although Bigelow hasn’t publicly been as linked to Bradshaw Ranch as with Skinwalker, there are claims he acquired or had involvement with the property as part of his broader research efforts.

These ranches have developed cult-like followings for those seeking to understand what lies beyond the physical world.

Tragedy and Transformation: The Personal Quest for Understanding Life and Death

Part of Bigelow’s relentless drive to explore life’s deepest mysteries is rooted in a series of profound personal tragedies.

At just 18, he was devastated by the sudden death of his father, Leroy Edward Bigelow in a plane crash—a loss that left lasting scars. The heartbreak only deepened in 1992, when his son, Rod Lee Bigelow, tragically ended his own life at the age of 24. That pain was compounded when his grandson succumbed to a drug overdose. These life-shattering events fundamentally reshaped his worldview, but it was the death of his wife, Diane, in 2020—after a long and painful struggle with bone marrow disease and brain cancer—that cemented Bigelow’s resolve to find answers to the mysteries of the afterlife.

He launched the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies (BICS) in 2021, offering grants to researchers who could provide the best evidence for the survival of consciousness after death. This move reflects Bigelow’s long-standing interest in the mysteries of human existence and his own unexplained experiences. His search to understand consciousness isn’t just academic—it’s deeply personal, it’s fuelled by a desire to understand what happens to “life” after our physical aspect is no longer visible in this world.

Pushing Boundaries: A Visionary’s Personal Philosophy

Robert Bigelow’s work spans industries and fields, but the common thread is his unshakable belief in possibilities beyond the ordinary. His conviction that UFOs represent non-human entities, and that the US government is aware of them, reflects his broader view of reality—one that goes beyond what we can see or prove.

For Bigelow, the pursuit of space technology and the study of consciousness aren’t separate—they are different sides of the same coin. His willingness to invest millions into investigating the unknown is a testament to his courage, curiosity, and belief that there’s far more to the universe than meets the eye.

Bigelow’s decades long involvement and interest in UFOs and the paranormal connects him to other well known individuals in this field – I’ll write more about that in another post.