US NASA Launches Scientific Study on UFOs... Establishes Dedicated Team

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States is reportedly forming a dedicated team to conduct scientific research on unidentified flying objects (UFOs), Bloomberg News reported on the 9th (local time).

The news agency cited a statement released by NASA on the same day, announcing that a dedicated team to study unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), known as UFOs, will be launched this fall. UAP refers to observations in the sky that cannot be explained by aircraft or natural phenomena, and the term UFO, which implies extraterrestrial spacecraft, is generally avoided.

NASA explained that this research team will collect data on UAP from a scientific perspective. NASA stated, "We are interested in the issue of unidentified aerial phenomena not only from a security standpoint but also from an aviation safety perspective," adding, "There is currently no evidence that UAPs originate from extraterrestrial sources."

David Spergel, chair of the Simons Foundation and an astrophysicist leading the research, said, "We start with hypotheses similar to those tested when searching for life on Mars," and explained, "This (UAP) is a phenomenon we do not understand, and we will collect more data." He added, "Observations are absolutely insufficient, so the first task is to gather the most robust data possible."

Daniel Evans, Deputy Director of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, stated that the research will begin in early fall and continue for nine months, with costs not exceeding $100,000. The investigation results will be published and made available to the public, and open discussions and meetings will also be held.

Earlier, the U.S. House Intelligence Committee’s Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence held a hearing on UAP for the first time in 50 years on the 17th of last month, with Department of Defense officials in attendance. Voices were raised at the hearing emphasizing the need to report sightings to the public due to national security concerns. Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Science Missions, stressed, "We do not know whether intelligent life exists beyond Earth, but researchers will be helped in getting closer to answering this question."

The Department of Defense and intelligence agencies have formed a separate task force to investigate the reality of UAP. Scott Bray, Deputy Director of the Naval Intelligence, testified at the hearing that the task force’s investigation has increased the number of UAP cases to 400, and that there is still no material evidence suggesting that UAPs have a non-terrestrial origin.

In June of last year, the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies also submitted a report related to UAP to Congress. According to the report, out of 144 UAP sightings observed by military aircraft over 17 years since 2004, only one was identified as a balloon, while the rest remain unidentified.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.