NASA has appointed a new director to lead research into "unidentified anomalous phenomena" (UAP), commonly referred to as unidentified flying objects (UFOs). The announcement comes on the heels of an independent panel's recommendation to bolster NASA's involvement in studying these enigmatic sightings. However, the panel's findings assert that there is no evidence to support an extraterrestrial origin for these objects.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson revealed the appointment of the new research director but did not disclose their identity. This move follows the panel's call for NASA to intensify its efforts in gathering information on UAP and expand its role in assisting the Pentagon in identifying them.
"There's a global fascination with UAP. On my travels, one of the first questions I often get is about these sightings. And much of that fascination is due to the unknown nature of it," said Nelson during a news conference.
He also shared his personal belief in the existence of extraterrestrial life, stating;
"If you ask me do I believe there's life in a universe that's so vast that it's hard for me to comprehend how big it is, my personal answer is, 'Yes.'"
However, Nelson tempered expectations by asserting that the chances of extraterrestrial beings visiting Earth are low.
The independent panel, composed of experts from various fields including physics and astrobiology, was established in the previous year and held its first public meeting in June. Their report concluded that there was no evidence to suggest UAPs have an extraterrestrial origin, emphasizing the need to shift the conversation from sensationalism to science.
In recent years, the U.S. government has made several disclosures about UAPs, marking a significant departure from its previous stance of official silence. A pivotal report issued in 2021, compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in collaboration with a Navy-led task force, documented numerous observations, primarily by military personnel, of UAPs.
"The mission of NASA is to find out the unknown," Nelson affirmed. "Whatever we find, we're going to tell you," he added, promising transparency in sharing any discoveries.
The newly appointed UAP research director will be responsible for centralizing communications, resources, and data analytical capabilities to establish a comprehensive database for evaluating future UAP sightings, according to NASA.
Nelson does not know the identity of the new director. Dan Evans, a senior research official at NASA's science unit and a member of the study team, cited public harassment of other panel members during their work as a reason for keeping the director's identity confidential.
The panel's report highlighted NASA's existing and planned Earth and space observing assets as valuable tools for understanding UAPs. It also underscored the need to leverage NASA's extensive archive of historic and current data sets in this pursuit.
Nicky Fox, NASA's science chief, declined to specify the funding allocation for the ongoing UAP-tracking effort.
The 2021 government report included several UAP cases, some of which were previously made public through the release of naval aviator videos by the Pentagon. These videos depicted unidentified aircraft exhibiting exceptional speed and maneuverability, surpassing known aviation technologies and lacking conventional means of propulsion.
The report concluded that defense and intelligence analysts lacked sufficient data to determine the nature of some objects, while others might be attributed to atmospheric phenomena, advanced foreign aircraft, or benign objects like weather balloons.
In its closing remarks, the new report labeled UAPs as "one of our planet's greatest mysteries" and stressed the importance of collecting consistent, detailed, and curated observations to draw definitive scientific conclusions about these phenomena.
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