NASA Seeks to Move UFO Discussions from Sensationalism to Science, Publishes Report
NASA announced on Thursday that the examination of UFOs will necessitate novel scientific methodologies, such as cutting-edge satellites, and a change in the perception of unidentified flying objects. After conducting a year-long investigation into UFOs, the space agency published its findings in a 33-page report. An independent team appointed by NASA cautioned that the unfavorable perception surrounding UFOs hinders the collection of data. However, officials expressed confidence that NASA’s participation will aid in diminishing the stigma associated with what it terms UAPs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the agency wants to move the UAP debate from “sensationalism to science.” Nelson added that the panel found no evidence that the UAPs originated outside the country.
The 16-member panel concluded that artificial intelligence and machine learning are essential for identifying rare events, including UFOs.
“NASA is doing this transparently,” Nelson said.
In the only public meeting held earlier this year, an independent panel selected by the space agency insisted that there is no conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial life associated with UFOs.
Scientists, aerospace and artificial intelligence experts and retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, the first American to spend nearly a year in space, were denied access to the top-secret files. Instead, the 16-member team relied on unclassified data to try to better understand unexplained sightings in the sky.
NASA said there are too few high-quality observations to draw scientific conclusions.
The government refers to the unexplained sightings as UAP vs UFO. NASA defines those observations in the sky or elsewhere that cannot be easily identified or scientifically explained.
The study began a year ago and cost less than $100,000.
NASA remains involved in the controversial UFO search
(AFP Science And Technology) NASA officially joined the UFO search on Thursday – but because of the stigma attached to the field, the US space agency did not identify the head of a new program tasked with tracking down mystery flying objects.
The official’s appointment is the result of a year-long NASA intelligence report on what NASA calls “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP).
“At NASA, it’s in our DNA to explore — and to ask why things are the way they are,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.
An independent panel of 16 researchers concluded in the report that the search for UAPs “requires a rigorous, evidence-based approach.”
NASA is well positioned to play a significant role due to its satellite capabilities and other technical capabilities. However, the agency emphasized in its report that findings of a possible extraterrestrial origin “must be a hypothesis of last resort – an answer to which we turn only after ruling out all other possibilities.”
Although NASA has long explored the skies, the search for the origin, identity, and purpose of the growing number of unexplained objects flying over Earth presents unprecedented challenges.
Military and civilian pilots continually provide numerous reports of strange sightings. But decades of alien movies and sci-fi books mean the whole subject is mostly laughed off by audiences as the domain of cranks.
That atmosphere explained NASA’s unusual decision to refuse to testify about the identity of a senior UAP official.
“We need to make sure that the scientific process and methods are free,” said Daniel Evans, who worked on the year-long NASA report that led to the announcement.
“Some of the threats and harassment have been, quite frankly, beyond the pale,” Evans said.
– 800 events –
Over 27 years, more than 800 “events” have been collected, of which 2 to 5 percent are believed to be potentially anomalous, the report’s authors said at the May meeting.
These are defined as “anything that’s not easily understood by the user or the sensor” or “something that does something weird,” said team member Nadia Drake.
The U.S. government has begun to take the UAP problem more seriously in recent years, in part because of concerns that they are linked to foreign surveillance.
One example of a still-unexplained phenomenon was a flying metal ball spotted by an MQ-9 drone at an undisclosed location in the Middle East that was shown to Congress in April.
NASA’s work, based on unclassified material, is separate from the parallel Pentagon research, although the two coordinate the application of scientific tools and methods.
In July, a former US intelligence officer made headlines when he told a congressional committee that he “absolutely” believes the government is in possession of unidentified anomalous phenomena – along with the remains of their space operators.
“My testimony is based on information provided to me by individuals with long experience of legitimacy and service to this country — many of whom also shared compelling evidence in the form of photographs, official documents and classified oral testimony,” David Grusch told lawmakers.
Earlier this week, the alleged bodies of two “non-human” creatures were presented at a congressional hearing in Mexico, prompting a mixture of surprise, disbelief and derision on social media.
The alleged mummified remains, with a grayish color and human-like body shape, were brought by Jaime Maussa, a controversial Mexican journalist and researcher who said he found them in Peru in 2017.
