After a yearlong study into UFOs, NASA said that the study of UFOs will require new scientific techniques, including advanced satellites as well as a shift in how unidentified flying objects are perceived.
A 33-page report by an independent team commissioned by NASA said that the negative perception surrounding UFOs poses an obstacle to collecting data. But officials said NASA’s involvement should help reduce the stigma around what it calls UAPs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena. (There prefer UAP instead of UFO.)
“We want to shift the conversation about UAPs from sensationalism to science. If you ask me, do I believe there’s life in a universe that is so vast that it’s hard for me to comprehend how big it is, my personal answer is yes.” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. He promised an open and transparent approach.
Officials stressed the panel found no evidence that UAPs had extraterrestrial origin. But Nelson acknowledged with billions of stars in billions of galaxies out there, another Earth could exist. His own scientists put the likelihood of life on another Earth-like planet at “at least a trillion.”
When asked by reporters on whether the U.S. or other governments are hiding aliens or otherworldly spaceships, Nelson said: “Show me the evidence.”
While NASA doesn’t actively search for unexplained sightings, it does operate a fleet of Earth-circling spacecraft that can help determine, for example, whether weather is behind a strange event.
NASA recently appointed a director of UAP research, Mark McInerney, who previously served as a liaison on the subject of UAPs between the space agency and the Defense Department. He’s also worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Hurricane Center.
The study was launched a year ago and cost under $100,000.