NASA Is Assembling A Scientific All Star Team To Study Mysterious UFO Sightings

NASA is aiming to answer the question of whether or not observations of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) were an aircraft or simply a natural phenomena. Unlike the government, the agency does not plan on marking any of the information as "Top Secret" either.

The space agency stated in a recent blog post that it will be looking at UAPs "from a scientific perspective" that will include identifying available data, the best way to collect future data, and how NASA itself can use that data to "move the scientific understanding of UAPs forward." NASA says that UAPs are of interest for both national security and air safety, and that establishing which of those events are derived from natural phenomena is essential in identifying or mitigating such phenomena. It adds that there is currently no evidence UAPs are extra-terrestrial.

"NASA believes that the tools of scientific discovery are powerful and apply here also," stated Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We have access to a broad range of observations of Earth from space, and that is the lifeblood of scientific inquiry. We have the tools and team who can help us improve our understanding of the unknown. That's the very definition of what science is. That's what we do."

The team will not be part of the Department of Defense's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force or its successor, the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group. It will, however, work closely with the government in terms of how to apply the tools of science to give insight into the the nature and origin of UAPs.

"Given the paucity of observations, our first task is simply to gather the most robust set of data that we can," remarked David Spergel, who will lead the agency's independent study team. "We will be identifying what data-- from civilians, government, non-profits, companies-- exists, what else we should try to collect, and how to best analyze it."

The team believes the study will take around nine months to complete. It will include the counsel of experts in the scientific, aeronautics, and data analytics communities in order to focus on the best approach in collecting new data and improving observations of UAPs moving forward.

There will be no need to worry about any findings being hidden or covered up, as the agency says it will keep to its policy of sharing information with the public. "All of NASA's data is available to the public, we take that obligation seriously, and we make it easily accessible for anyone to see or study."

NASA says the search for life beyond Earth will continue with its various missions. Once the James Webb Space Telescope is fully operational, it will search for biosignatures in atmospheres around other planets as well. Perhaps one day we will finally be able to definitively answer the age old question of whether or not we are truly alone in the Universe.

Top Image Credit: Pixabay