NASA establishes UFO research team

space agency America The focus will be on identifying the data available, the best ways to collect it in the future, and how to use that information to advance the scientific understanding of the issue.

NASA selected David Spergel, formerly head of Princeton University’s astrophysics department, to lead the science team, and Daniel Evans, a senior researcher on NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, to lead the study.

Daniel Evans said the team of scientists will be convened in the fall, then will spend about nine months developing a public report on UFO-related findings. According to Evans, NASA will spend no more than $100,000 on the effort.

The announcement comes a year after the US government released a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, in conjunction with a task force led by the US Navy, detailing observations of most of the US intelligence agencies. Navy member on “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAP). Two Pentagon officials testified on May 17 at the first congressional hearing on UFOs in half a century.

“We’re looking at the Earth in new ways, and we’re looking at the sky in new ways. What we’re really trying to do is start an investigation regardless of the outcome.” Thomas Zurbuchen, chief science officer at NASA, shared.

U.S. officials describe UAP as a national security issue on which NASA also agrees. “Unidentified atmospheric phenomena are of concern to both national security and aviation safety. Identifying which events are natural provides an important first step toward identifying or mitigating those events. Such a phenomenon is consistent with one of NASA’s goals to ensure the safety of aircraft,” NASA said in a statement.

Last year’s report said that US defense and intelligence analysts did not have enough data to determine the nature of the UAPs observed by military pilots, including whether it was advanced technology in the air. Earth, atmosphere or extraterrestrial origin. Last month, two Pentagon officials acknowledged that many observations remained beyond the government’s ability to explain.

“There is no evidence that the UAPs are of extraterrestrial origin,” NASA said in a statement.

NASA’s involvement in the investigation UFO to provide more data, with the goal of leveraging NASA’s scientific talent, satellites and sensors that are already tasked with monitoring Earth’s climate or observing atmospheric conditions, Zurbuchen said.