2023-09-14 14:33:08
NASA announced on Thursday that it wanted to scientifically tackle the question of UFOs, these unidentified aerial phenomena which arouse fascination, but for which there is no proof that they are of extraterrestrial origin, according to a new expert report published by the American space agency.
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After months of work, an expert report recommended, Thursday, September 14, that NASA play in the future “a leading role” in the study of UFOs.
At the same time, NASA announced the creation of a position of director responsible for research into these phenomena. However, the name of the person occupying this new role has not yet been revealed, for fear that he or she would be harassed, as was the case for the sixteen authors of the report.
The American space agency announced last year the launch of this independent investigation into this delicate subject, led by a group of eminent scientists and aeronautics experts.
This work marks “the first time that NASA has taken a concrete step to seriously look into” these unexplained events, Bill Nelson, the head of the space agency, declared at a press conference. The goal is for the debate to move “from the terrain of sensationalism to that of science,” he insisted. “We don’t know what these unidentified anomalous phenomena are, but we will try to find out.”
More data needed
NASA defines these phenomena as “events in the sky that cannot be scientifically identified as an aircraft or a known natural phenomenon.”
Most of the strange observations, reported in particular by pilots, “are explainable”, declared Thursday David Spergel, astrophysicist responsible for chairing the work of the group of experts. They often turn out to be “planes, balloons, drones, weather phenomena”, or even to be linked to the observation instruments themselves, he said. But some remain unexplained.
According to the report, this is largely due to the lack of precise data available for each event.
Experts therefore call for a “rigorous data collection campaign”. “The importance of detecting” these phenomena with “multiple and well-calibrated sensors is essential”, and NASA has great “expertise” in this area, he underlines.
NASA can, for example, observe whether certain meteorological phenomena coincide with the observation of these phenomena, he says.
Collect recordings taken with cell phones
The report also recommends that the general public be more involved, with the development of a system to collect recordings taken, for example, with mobile phones.
NASA will work to collect more data, including through observations of citizens and pilots, Nicola Fox, associate administrator for science at NASA, said Thursday.
“We want private, commercial and military pilots to know that if they see something, they should say it,” she said.
‘No evidence to suggest’ existence of UFOs
American intelligence and the Pentagon have also recently looked into the issue, which concerns both national security and that of air traffic.
The experts, who also advocate the use of artificial intelligence for data analysis, only worked from public (unclassified) information, to be able to discuss it freely.
Read alsoUFOs: in the flood of decades of investigations, the disturbing testimony of a former American agent
NASA insisted on this desire for transparency, necessary according to it to combat preconceived ideas linked to the word UFO (for “unidentified flying objects”).
In the current state of knowledge, “we have no evidence to suggest” that the observed phenomena “are of extraterrestrial origin,” recalled David Spergel.
The head of the American space agency also wanted to dispel accusations of cover-up once morest the American government: “whatever we find, we will say it,” he promised.
And confided: “If you ask me if I think that there is life in a Universe so vast that it is difficult for me to conceive of it, my personal answer is yes.”
With AFP
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