NASA has enlisted the best of the best to unravel the mysteries of unexplained natural phenomena seen in the sky, hoping to uncover hundreds of sightings. Astronaut Scott Kelly, who famously spent nearly a year in space, is one of 16 team members who will study unclassified UFO data to help the space agency "create scientific conclusions" about what is really going on. The independent study is due to start on Monday (24.10.2022) and will continue for the next nine months - the team is expected to share its findings with the public in mid-2023. The programme, announced in June, follows the first US congressional hearing in 50 years to show video clips showing 144 "unidentified aerial phenomena" seen by military personnel since 2004.
The panel, which includes scientists, data and artificial intelligence experts and aerospace security experts, will determine how data collected by civilian government agencies, commercial data and data from other sources could potentially be analysed to shed light on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs). Experts could also review footage and data from previous missions to help investigate any anomalous encounters, a source told DailyMail.com in May. The NASA official in charge of organising the study is Daniel Evans, assistant deputy deputy administrator for research in NASA's Science Mission Directorate. As previously announced, the independent research team is led by David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation. "NASA has brought together some of the world's leading scientists, data and artificial intelligence experts, and aerospace safety experts, all with a specific mission: to tell us how to apply all the science and data to UAP," Evans said in a statement.
"The results will be released in accordance with NASA's principles of transparency, openness and scientific integrity." NASA has previously confirmed that there is no current evidence of extraterrestrial origin for UAP or any indication of alien life, but the limited number of observations makes it difficult to draw scientific conclusions. Thomas Zurbuchen, deputy administrator for science at NASA headquarters in Washington, said: "NASA believes the tools of scientific discovery are effective and applicable here as well. "We have access to a wide range of Earth observations from space, and this is the lifeblood of scientific research. "We have the tools and the team that can help us better understand the unknown. This is the very definition of what science is. It's what we do. The topic of UFOs has long appealed to science fiction fans and telescope owners, but has recently caught the attention of the US Congress.
A public congressional hearing on UAP was held in May, and a new law mandated a government UAP task force. A US intelligence report was published last year documenting 144 sightings over the past two decades, which it said could not be explained. They suggested the events could be caused by "airborne disturbances" created by humans, such as escaped balloons or plastic bags, or the result of natural phenomena caused by ice crystals, moisture or heat. The report acknowledged that they had no evidence to suggest or rule out an alien origin. It said: "UAPs would also pose a threat to national security if they are platforms for gathering data from foreign adversaries or provide evidence that a potential adversary has developed either breakthrough or disruptive technology. However, it also states that the observations "could be the result of sensor errors, spoofing or observer misperception and require additional careful analysis."
Ronald Moultrie, a senior Pentagon intelligence official, and Scott Bray, deputy director of naval intelligence, testified before the commission. Moultrie said the Pentagon did not rule out the possibility that the incidents could be linked to extraterrestrial life. "There are elements of our government that are busy ... searching for extraterrestrial life," Moultrie said. "Our goal is not to potentially hide something, but to understand what might be out there." However, Bray said officials have found no evidence that the UAE has extraterrestrial origins. "We will go where the data leads us," he said. "We have removed the stigma," Bray added. "We are all curious and eager to understand the unknown. And as a lifelong intelligence professional, I am impatient. I want an immediate explanation of this as much as anyone else. However, understanding can take considerable time and effort. That's why we've tried to focus on this data-driven process to get fact-based results," Bray said. "We want to know what's out there as much as you do," Moultrie said, adding that he's a science fiction fan. "Yes, I've been following science fiction. I've been to conventions, I'll say that on the record. ... There's nothing wrong with that. You don't have to dress up."
