"The commercialization of such claims is pretty bad. The public could be easily misled by such activities," -- Dr. Thulsi Wickramasinge, astronomy professor

Because of all the talk, the Air Force released a "Report on Roswell" in 1994 to clarify its position. It again claimed that the craft was a weather balloon involved in a "Project Mogul."

Other official reports said that the files of the Air Force Chief of Staff in 1947-48 "do not in any way suggest that U.S. Army Air Forces recovered a flying saucer or its alien occupants."

Government officials are not the only ones to debunk these claims of aliens and crashing spaceships. Dr. Thulsi Wickramasinge, an astronomy professor at The College of New Jersey, said, "There have been many UFO phenomenon observed and finally disproved scientifically. As far as I know, no astronomers have ever seen such."

Wickramasinge is also worried about the attention given to such supernatural events like Roswell. "The commercialization of such claims is pretty bad. The public could be easily misled by such activities," he said.

Even though the government and many from the scientific community insist that there is no validity to the UFO and alien claims, that hasn't stopped the public from enjoying the theories.

A model of the UFO that many believe crashed in Roswell, N.M. in 1947.

Throughout the years, there have been innumerable movies and television shows depicting strange creatures visiting earth, including "Species", "The X- Files", and two recent blockbuster movies, "Independence Day" and "Men in Black."

With Hollywood productions like these, the line between fact and fiction blurs even more. For example, the FOX television network's "Alien Autopsy" supposedly depicted an autopsy of one of the actual Roswell aliens.

In addition to media coverage, many stores now carry extraterrestrial-themed merchandise. You can easily buy an alien candle, notebook, body oils or an "I've Been Abducted" bumper sticker. Even mainstream stores like K-Mart and Bradlees carry alien products.

Whether or not an alien spacecraft crashed at Roswell will probably never be determined. But one thing is certain: more and more people are interested in UFOs. It is no longer a topic discussed only by conspiracy theorists or science fiction buffs. The popularity of UFOs has enabled anybody to learn a little more about alleged incidents such as Roswell and the possibility of extraterrestrial interaction.

And to think it all started in a dusty little town over 50 years ago.

Photos courtesy of Natalee Krall.