- The team was studying unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs.
- While UFOs are commonly associated with aliens, NASA doesn’t think the phenomena are “extra-terrestrial in origin.”
NASA’s much-anticipated public hearing on UFOs took place Wednesday amid harassment concerns faced by the agency’s 16-person team studying “events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or as known natural phenomena.”
The team, assembled about seven months ago, includes experts in astrophysics and other disciplines. Among its stars is Scott Kelly, a former astronaut and test pilot who commanded three International Space Station expeditions.
Technically the group is studying unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs. NASA says UAPs are of interest for national security as well as air safety. And without access to an extensive set of data, it is nearly impossible to verify or explain any observation, NASA says.
“I want to emphasize this loud and proud: There is absolutely no convincing evidence for extraterrestrial life associated with” unidentified objects, NASA’s Dan Evans said after the hearing.
Still, hundreds of questions from the public that poured in ahead of time were skeptical and veered into conspiracy theories.
“It is our collective responsibility to investigate these occurrences with the rigorous scientific scrutiny that they deserve,” Evans, an associate administrator at the space agency, said at the hearing. “It’s an opportunity for us to expand our understanding of the world around us. This work is in our DNA.”
Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, said understanding data surrounding UAPs is crucial to drawing “scientific conclusions about what is happening in our skies. Data is the language of scientists and makes the unexplainable explainable.”
The panel gathered at NASA’s headquarters in Washington, but the public took part remotely. The panel’s final report is expected this summer.
NASA announces 16 people who will study UFOs to see what’s natural – and what isn’t
Other developments:
∙ In June 2021, the office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence released a report examining unidentified aerial phenomena, determining that no “firm conclusions” could be drawn on more than 140 instances.
∙ In July 2022, the Pentagon set up the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office to, among other things, identify unidentified anomalous phenomena that might pose a threat to national security.
∙ Last May, Congress held its first public hearing on UFOs in more than 50 years.
Panel members subject to online harassment
Evans said that some members of the team have faced online harassment for participating in the study and that NASA security was addressing it. He did not reveal details of the harassment.
“We at NASA are acutely aware of the considerable public interest in UAPs,” Evans said. “However, it is critical to understand that any form of harassment toward our panelists only serves to detract from the scientific process, which requires an environment of respect and openness.”
He urged Americans to allow for “respectful discourse” that befits the panel’s expertise and the significance of its work.
Safe skies, national defense are top priorities
The team is trying to determine how data gathered by civilian government agencies, commercial data and data from other sources can be analyzed to shed light on UAPs. It will then recommend a “road map” for potential UAP data analysis by the agency going forward.
Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, says the majority of unidentified objects reported to his agency appear to be nothing more than balloons, unmanned aerial systems, clutter, natural phenomena or other readily explainable sources, he said.
“We cannot answer decades of questions about UAP all at once, but we must begin somewhere,” Kirkpatrick said in front of a Senate subcommittee last month. “I assure you that AARO will follow scientific evidence wherever it leads.”
Study may shed little light on UFOs
The study will focus solely on unclassified data. A full report containing the team’s findings will be released, but don’t look for fantastic revelations surrounding the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down in February. Or any highly classified government files out of Area 51, a remote and secretive U.S. Air Force testing facility in the Nevada desert. The area draws UFO fanatics from around the world, and the small town of Rachel has become a popular tourist destination on the “Extraterrestrial Highway.”
“Science is built on evidence, it thrives on scrutiny, it demands reproducibility and above all objectivity,” Evans said. “We do not come in with an agenda. … The primary objective of this incredible team of experts is not to go back and look at grainy footage of UAPs, but rather to give us a road map to guide us for future analysis.”
Contributing: Jordan Mendoza; The Associated Press
