UFOs, or unidentified flying objects, have long been a source of fascination and mystery for many. And now, after months of investigation, NASA has released a report on their UAP, or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, that suggests these strange sightings are not of extraterrestrial origin.
The agency's new report, which was led by a UAP Independent Study Team, was released on Thursday and outlines how misidentification, data quality issues, and stigma have made it difficult to analyze these phenomena from a scientific perspective. The agency does not have any evidence to suggest that UFOs have an alien source.
"The NASA independent study team did not find any evidence that UAP have an extraterrestrial origin," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a press conference. "But we don’t know what these UAP are.”
To aid in future research on UAP, NASA has appointed a director of UAP research, although the agency has not released the individual’s name due to safety concerns. As explained by Daniel Evans of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, some of the team's members have been harassed and even received threats—indicating how seriously the agency takes their work.
The report didn’t include any data from ongoing military investigations, such as the potential Chinese spy balloons recently observed in American airspace. It also only outlines what data could be collected in the future, not what evidence has already been collected from past occurrences.
Sightings of anomalous activity are usually explained away by factors like conventional aircraft and drones. But David Spergel, chair of the UAP Independent Study Team, said that bias surrounding UFO reporting hinders the ability to collect reliable data.
"Stigma has limited reporting by pilots, both civilian and military. So we know there's missing data," Spergel argued.
When asked why the team avoided the more familiar term “UFO” in the report, Evans cited the while there are more transparent means of discussing strange happenings in the sky, there’s still a stigma attached to the phrase.
"This is a serious business," Evans explained.
Despite the lack of evidence indicating an extraterrestrial origin for UAP, the Administrator believes life exists beyond Earth.
"If you asked me, 'Do I believe there’s life in a universe that is so vast it’s hard for me to comprehend how big it is? My personal answer is ‘yes’," Nelson said.
NASA hopes its report will inspire more scientific investigations into today’s UAPs and shift the conversation about these enigmatic occurrences away from sensationalism and into scientific discussions.
