Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) will need to be studied using new scientific methods, including cutting-edge satellites, according to NASA, which announced this on Thursday.
The results of a year-long investigation on UFOs were disclosed by the space agency.
An independent team hired by NASA issued a 33-page report that included a warning that the public’s misperception of UFOs makes it difficult to gather data. The presence of NASA, however, according to experts, should help lessen the stigma associated with what is known as UAPs, or unidentified abnormal phenomena.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that the focus should be on science rather than sensationalism when talking about UAPs. He pledged to take an open, honest attitude.
Officials emphasized that the panel found no proof that UAPs originated from extraterrestrial life. Nelson recognized that another Earth might exist, given that there are billions of stars and billions of galaxies in the universe.
At a news conference, Nelson responded, “My personal response is yes. If you ask me, do I believe there is life in a cosmos that is so enormous that it’s hard for me to grasp how big it is? His own experts estimate that there are “at least a trillion” chances that there is life on other planets like Earth.
When questioned by journalists about whether the United States or other governments are concealing aliens or extraterrestrial spacecraft, Nelson responded, “Show me the evidence.”
According to NASA, it doesn’t aggressively look for mysterious sightings. However, it runs a fleet of satellites that orbit the Earth and can be used to, for instance, ascertain whether a weird event is being caused by the weather.
The 16-member panel highlighted that machine learning and artificial intelligence are crucial for spotting unusual phenomena like UFOs.
To avoid the type of threats and harassment experienced by the panel members throughout the investigation, NASA recently recruited a director for UFO research. However, they are not disclosing the individual’s identity.
“Science needs to be free, which is one of the reasons we are not publicizing the name of our new director. You need the freedom of thinking to be able to conduct science in a real, thorough, and logical manner, according to Dan Evans, NASA’s liaison with the panel.
The scientists, aviation and AI experts, and retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly—the first American to spend nearly a year in space—did not have access to any top-secret information. Instead, in an effort to comprehend unexpected sky-sightings, the team relied on unclassified data.
According to officials, there aren’t enough reliable observations to make any conclusions from science. According to panel chairman David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation, the majority of events can be ascribed to balloons, drones, airplanes, or meteorological circumstances.
UAPs, as opposed to UFOs, are how the government refers to unexplained sightings. They are described by NASA as celestial or other observations that defy easy scientific classification.
The study was started a year ago and didn’t cost more than $100,000.