Institute of Noetic Sciences

The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) is a U.S. nonprofit research organization focused on noetics, consciousness, and human potential. It was co-founded in 1973 by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who described his lunar mission as a catalyst for deeper interest in consciousness and interconnectedness. In the UAP story, IONS is not evidence for extraterrestrial origin; it is a biographical and cultural bridge showing how Mitchell moved from spaceflight into frontier questions about consciousness, psi research, and human perception. Official IONS pages document the organization’s origins, current work, and video material; Wikipedia describes IONS as a parapsychological research institute.