One of the most controversial topics among space enthusiasts is the idea of UFOs. While many scientists agree that there’s a good chance there might be life elsewhere in the universe, and organizations like SETI have been searching for evidence of this for decades, astronomers don’t take the idea of extraterrestrials visiting Earth seriously. Even so, the concept of a mysterious alien spacecraft in the sky is one that has stuck with the public.
Now NASA is stepping in to take what it calls a “scientific perspective” on the subject of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs). Because while the agency is unequivocally clear, “There is no evidence that UAPs are extraterrestrial in origin,” there are certainly many objects sighted in the atmosphere that are not easily identified, from weather balloons to airplanes to light phenomena. The US military was recently studied this topic and NASA says it wants to participate in the study for similar reasons, specifically to protect aircraft.
NASA is funding an independent study of UAPs led by astrophysicist David Spergel. The idea is to look at the limited data that exists on UAPs and consider how best to collect data on similar phenomena in the future.
The idea is bound to be controversial, from scientists who will scoff at the idea of spending time and money on stripped-down pseudoscience, to true UFO believers who hardly believe anything NASA says anyway.
But NASA Assistant Science Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen dismissed the view that this was not an issue worth investigating: “In a traditional scientific setting, it can be seen as a kind of sell-out when you talk about some of these subjects is talking about things that are not actually science,” he said in a telephone conference. “I’m vehemently opposed to that. I truly believe that the quality of science is not only measured by the results behind it, but also by the questions we are willing to tackle with science.”
The study is expected to last around nine months, including consultations with scientists and experts in the fields of aeronautics and data analysis. After that, the report will be shared publicly.
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