NASA builds team to research Unidentified Aerial Phenomena

Oct. 21 (UPI) -- NASA announced Friday the selection of 16 people for its new independent study team to research Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.

The team, which includes accomplished professors, researchers and leaders in science, will begin their studies on Monday. They will set a basis for future UAP studies by reviewing unclassified data.

UAPs, also commonly referred to as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), are events or objects in the sky that cannot be identified as either aircraft or any known natural phenomena.

"Exploring the unknown in space and the atmosphere is at the heart of who we are at NASA," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington. "Understanding the data we have surrounding unidentified aerial phenomena is critical to helping us draw scientific conclusions about what is happening in our skies. Data is the language of scientists and makes the unexplainable explainable."

Daniel Evans, assistant deputy associate administrator for research, is charged with leading the study team. He said the team's findings will be released to the public "in conjunction with NASA's principles of transparency, openness and scientific integrity."

No timeframe has been announced.

Astrophysicist David Spergel will chair the new team. He is the president of the Simons Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to "advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences."

UAPs are more than just fodder for science fiction and public curiosities. They are of interest to the air traffic industry, national security and anyone who means to safely traverse the skies. NASA hopes to not only learn from that data at hand, but also learn what new data could be collected to help uncover the mysteries of UAPs.

In 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence published a report, stating it did not have enough information to conclude an explanation for 143 of 144 UAP reports received since 2004.