NASA is officially getting involved in the search for UFOs.
The space agency announced a new study Thursday that will recruit leading scientists to investigate unidentified aerial phenomena — a topic that has long fascinated the public and recently received high levels of attention from Congress. .
The project will begin early this fall and last about nine months, focusing on identifying available data, how to gather more data in the future, and NASA findings to try to move the needle on scientific understanding. How to analyze .
“For decades, NASA has answered calls to tackle some of the most perplexing mysteries, and this one is no different,” Daniel Evans, the NASA scientist responsible for coordinating the study, told reporters on a call.
While NASA probes and rovers scour the solar system for fossils of ancient microbes, and its astronomers look for so-called “technological signatures” on distant planets for signs of intelligent civilizations, this is the first time the agency has explored Earth’s unexplained Will investigate the incidents. Sky
With its access to a wide range of scientific instruments, NASA is well positioned not only to demystify UFOs and deepen scientific understanding, but also to find ways to mitigate the occurrence, which can protect aircraft. To be sure is an important part of his mission, he said. The agency’s chief scientist, Thomas Zurbuchen.
The announcement comes as the field of UFO studies, once poorly regarded research backwaters, is gaining more mainstream traction.
Last month, the US Congress held a public hearing into UFOs, while a US intelligence report last year listed 144 sightings, saying it could not be explained. This did not rule out foreign origins.
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 government on how to implement the science instruments,” it said in a statement.
The reduction in the number of UFO observations currently makes it difficult for the scientific community to draw conclusions. So, said astrophysicist David Spergel, who will lead the research, the group’s first task will be to identify the range of data from sources including citizens, government, nonprofits and companies.
Another broad goal of NASA is to deepen credibility in this area of study. “There is a huge stigma associated with UAPs between our naval aviators and the aviation community,” Evans said.
“One of the things we hope to do as part of this study is to help remove some of the stigma attached to it, by talking about it openly, and that’s, frankly, up to the data.” Will increase reach, more reports, more views.”