Workers press wash the NASA logo in the vehicle assembly building before SpaceX sends two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station aboard their Falcon 9 rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida , USA, May 19, 2020. REUTERS / Joe Skipper
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WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) – NASA said on Thursday it plans to convene a team of scientists to examine “unidentified aerial phenomena” – commonly called UFOs – in the latest signal of the seriousness with which the US government is taking the problem.
The U.S. space agency said the focus will be on identifying available data, the best ways to gather future data, and how it can use that information to advance scientific understanding of the problem. NASA used David Spergel, who previously headed the astrophysics department at Princeton University, to lead the scientific team, and Daniel Evans, a senior researcher in the NASA Science Mission Directorate, to orchestrate the study.
A team of scientists is due to convene in the fall, and then spend about nine months developing a public report on their findings, Evans said. NASA will spend “from a few tens of thousands of dollars” to no more than $ 100,000 in effort, Evans added.
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The announcement comes a year after the U.S. government issued a report, compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence along with a task force led by the Navy, detailing the observations mainly of U.S. intelligence personnel. Navy of “unidentified aerial phenomenon” or UAP. Two Pentagon officials testified on May 17 at the first congressional hearing on UFOs in half a century.
“We are looking at the Earth in new ways, and we are also looking at the other side, the sky, in new ways,” Thomas Zurbuchen, head of NASA’s scientific unit, told reporters at a conference call. “What we’re really trying to do here is start an investigation without a result in mind.”
U.S. officials have described UAPs as a national security issue, which NASA echoed.
“Unidentified phenomena in the atmosphere are of interest to both national security and aviation security. Establishing which events are natural provides a key first step in identifying or mitigating these phenomena, which is aligned with one of the NASA targets to ensure the safety of aircraft, “NASA said. he said in a press release.
Last year’s report said U.S. defense and intelligence analysts did not have enough data to determine the nature of UAPs observed by military pilots, including whether they were advanced ground-based, atmospheric, or home-based technologies. extraterrestrial. The two Pentagon officials acknowledged last month that there are many remarks beyond the government’s ability to explain.
NASA said in a press release: “There is no evidence that the UAPs are of extraterrestrial origin.”
The agency’s involvement aims to provide more data, with the goal of leveraging NASA’s scientific talent, satellites and sensors that are otherwise responsible for monitoring the Earth’s climate. or observe weather conditions, Zurbuchen said.
“The first step is to find out what data is on hand,” Evans said.
NASA’s involvement in the Pentagon’s efforts to characterize the UAPs has been previously acknowledged by U.S. officials.
The Pentagon has released a video of enigmatic objects with speed and maneuverability that surpass known aviation technology and have no visible means of propulsion or flight control surfaces.
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Report by Joey Roulette; Editing by Will Dunham
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