

NASA's study will be independent of the Pentagon's Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group, but the space agency "has coordinated widely across the government regarding how to apply the tools of science," it said in a statement.Ī paucity in the number of UFO observations make it difficult at present for the scientific community to draw conclusions. intelligence report last year cataloged 144 sightings that it said could not be explained.

Last month, Congress held a public hearing on UFOs, while a U.S. The announcement comes as the field of UFO study, once a poorly-regarded research backwater, is gaining more mainstream traction. With its access to a broad range of scientific tools, NASA is well placed not just to demystify UFOs and deepen scientific understanding, but also to find ways to mitigate the phenomena, a key part of its mission to ensure the safety of aircraft, said the agency's chief scientist, Thomas Zurbuchen. While NASA probes and rovers scour the solar system for the fossils of ancient microbes, and its astronomers look for so-called "technosignatures" on distant planets for signs of intelligent civilizations, this is the first time the agency will investigate unexplained phenomena in Earth's skies. "Over the decades, NASA has answered the call to tackle some of the most perplexing mysteries we know of, and this is no different," Daniel Evans, the NASA scientist responsible for coordinating the study, told reporters on a call. The project will begin early this fall and last around nine months, focusing on identifying available data, how to gather more data in the future, and how NASA can analyze the findings to try to move the needle on scientific understanding. The space agency on Thursday announced a new study that will recruit leading scientists to examine unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) - a subject that has long fascinated the public and recently gained high-level attention from Congress. So there are things we don't understand.NASA is officially joining the hunt for UFOs. I can tell you we don't know what makes up 95% of the universe. “I spent most of my career as a cosmologist. “We have to approach all these questions with a sense of humility," Spergel said.

In a news conference, Spergel said the only preconceived notion going into the study is that the UAPs will likely have multiple explanations. NASA said the team will be led by astrophysicist David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation for advancing scientific research.

It will be entirely open, with no classified military data used. The study will begin this fall and last nine months, costing no more than $100,000. NASA considers this a first step in trying to explain mysterious sightings in the sky known as UAPs, or unidentified aerial phenomena. “Our strong belief is that the biggest challenge of these phenomena is that it's a data-poor field.” “We are not shying away from reputational risk,” Zurbuchen said during a National Academy of Sciences webcast. NASA's science mission chief, Thomas Zurbuchen acknowledged the traditional scientific community may see NASA as “kind of selling out” by venturing into the controversial topic, but he strongly disagrees. KaF9IyDUB7- Thomas Zurbuchen June 9, 2022 This team will focus on identifying and collecting available data to scientifically understand UAPs. NASA is commissioning a study team to start early fall to examine unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) - observations in the sky that cannot be identified.
