The US government officially refers to UFOs as “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” or UAP. However, members of an independent NASA panel examining UFOs said in their first public meeting on Wednesday that a lack of high-quality evidence and a pervasive stigma pose the biggest obstacles to solving such riddles.
NASA UFO panel in first public meeting: Eminent scientists from various fields, including physics and astrobiology, established the 16-member group last year. They recently attended a four-hour meeting aired live on a NASA webcast to discuss their early results. Based on their findings, the group is expected to publish a report later this summer.
According to the panel’s head, astronomer David Spergel, the committee’s aim was “not to resolve the nature of these events” but rather to provide NASA with a “roadmap” for future investigation.
According to NASA officials, several panelists have experienced harassment and unspecified “online abuse” after starting their employment in June of last year.
In her opening remarks, Nicola Fox, the science leader at NASA, stated, “It is disheartening to hear of the harassment that our panelists have faced online because they’re studying this topic.” Harassment, in my opinion, serves to increase stigmatization.
Panelists raised the biggest issue regarding the lack of scientifically valid techniques for capturing UFO sightings. These sightings often involve reports of objects that appear to be moving outside the realm of known science and natural laws.
They argue that the lack of precise monitoring and measurement of these oddities stems from the fact that the cameras, sensors, and other technology typically used to discover and document such events are not specifically designed or calibrated for that purpose.
If I were, to sum up what I think we’ve learned in one sentence, Spergel remarked, “We need high-quality data.” “Alone, the available data and eyewitness reports are insufficient to provide conclusive evidence about the nature and origin of each UAP event,” the statement reads.
There are still taboos surrounding the subject.
Although the Pentagon has recently urged military pilots to record UAP incidents, Spergel claimed that many commercial pilots are still “very reluctant to report” them because of the ongoing stigma associated with such sightings.
The US space agency sponsors a UFO investigation through the NASA advisory group for the first time, marking a departure from when military and national security personnel maintained exclusive and secretive control over this subject.
US defense and intelligence officials have examined sightings claimed by military aviators in recent years, which led to a recently formalized Pentagon examination. However, it is important to note that this investigation is separate from the NASA probe.
Sean Kirkpatrick, head of the recently established All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, at the Pentagon, claimed that the US military had recorded more than 800 incidents over the past 20 years.
The expert claimed they attribute most cases to common causes like aircraft, balloons, debris, or atmospheric reasons. Furthermore, they believe that only a small percentage of the cases defy simple explanations.
Government’s Shifting Stance on UFOs: NASA and Pentagon Initiatives Mark a Turning Point
The government has spent decades dismissing, refuting, and discrediting claims of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, dating back to the 1940s. The parallel NASA and Pentagon initiatives mark a turning moment for the government.
However, both NASA and the Pentagon have emphasized the necessity of defending US airspace, and by extension, public safety and natural security, in finally tackling the matter head-on.
NASA’s team is considering solely unclassified reports from civilian observers in contrast to the Pentagon, a decision Spergel said allows the free exchange of information among scientific, commercial, and international groups and the general public.
The acronym UAP has replaced the term UFOs, which people have commonly used for a long time to connote ideas about flying saucers and aliens.
Recent US legislation modified the UAP abbreviation previously limited to “aerial” occurrences to represent “unidentified anomalous phenomena.” This change broadens the NASA study team’s investigation, including puzzling incidents in space or at sea.
Panelists primarily focus their research on aerial phenomena.
Despite not ruling out intelligent alien life, NASA and defense-intelligence officials have underscored that they have not uncovered any evidence that indicates an extraterrestrial explanation for UFO encounters.
Spergel stated, “We have not seen extraordinary evidence that would allow us to claim what we observe as proof of non-human intelligence.”