NASA has commissioned a study to examine unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), which it defines as “observations of events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena.”
The nine month study will examine UAPs from a scientific perspective, focusing on identifying available data, how best to collect future data, and how NASA can use the data to advance understanding of UAPs, according to a press release posted on NASA’s website.
“NASA believes that the tools of scientific discovery are powerful and apply here also,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We have access to a broad range of observations of Earth from space – and that is the lifeblood of scientific inquiry. We have the tools and team who can help us improve our understanding of the unknown. That’s the very definition of what science is. That’s what we do.”
The term UAP has also been colloquially known as UFO (unidentified flying object). But, while UFO describes an object known to be flying but is simply unidentified, UAPs may include phenomena that are not necessarily solid material.
NASA says there is no evidence UAPs are extra-terrestrial in origin and that establishing which events are natural is the first step in identifying or mitigating phenomena.
“Given the paucity of observations, our first task is simply to gather the most robust set of data that we can,” said David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation in New York City. “We will be identifying what data – from civilians, government, non-profits, companies – exists, what else we should try to collect, and how to best analyze it.”
NASA has a long history of information to sort through.
Some of the earliest sightings of UAPs were during World War II. An Associated Press reporter first broke the story of Allied pilots seeing UAPs they called “Foo Fighters.” Some of the mysterious objects were reportedly glowing red and were seen flying at 200 miles per hour, alongside Allied aircraft. Some researchers and scientists speculated the craft could be secret advanced technology developed by German Nazis.
Declassified Central Intelligience Agency (CIA) files have also revealed claims by a German engineer that the Nazis had disc-shaped aircraft capable of reaching speeds of 2,500 mph and heights exceeding 40,000 feet in just three minutes.
At the end of WWII, the U.S. government recruited more than 1,600 Nazi German scientists, engineers, and technicians and brought them to the U.S. through a secret intelligence program called Operation Paperclip. The purpose of the program was to give the U.S. a military and space advantage against the Soviet Union. Britain, France, and the Soviet Union also sought to enlist German scientists, as well, according to USA Today.
(Image Credit: CIA Archives)
Perhaps the most famous scientist to make his way into NASA was Wernher von Braun, a Nazi rocket engineer and member of Adolf Hitler’s SS. He played a pivotal role in developing the first U.S. ballistic missile and worked for NASA as head of strategic planning, according to NASA’s website.
More recently, over the last decade, there have been countless sightings of UAP phenomena by military pilots, commercial airline pilots, and civilians on the ground. The Pentagon has publicly released UAP footage. NASA plans to make its report public as well.
“Consistent with NASA’s principles of openness, transparency, and scientific integrity, this report will be shared publicly,” said Daniel Evans, the NASA official tasked with overseeing the study. “All of NASA’s data is available to the public – we take that obligation seriously – and we make it easily accessible for anyone to see or study.”
The announcement of NASA’s study comes only one year after the U.S. intelligence community released its own detailed report on UAPs.
