NASA Panel Recommends Improving Data Collection and Using Science to Study Unidentified Flying Objects

This Wednesday we have been able to witness a small preview of a report that, if all goes well, will be Will publish at the end of July. In this document, 16 experts from different disciplines and professional fields will present a series of recommendations to improve the study of these enigmatic phenomena. “A lot of the data we have on sightings of ufos son incomplete, inconsistent or with little documentation. We need to improve the collection of information to be able to carry out quality scientific research and understand what it is about,” he said. Federica Whiteone of the scientists who has collaborated in this work.

As the panelists announced this Wednesday, this new “road map” for the study of UFOs will include recommendations such as, for example, improving the collection of high-quality images of these sightings (“the recordings of mobile phones have very limited value due to the resolution of the cameras,” the report warns), use both Earth observation satellites and state-of-the-art scientific instruments to improve data collection, review the cases so far archived and create international alliances with other institutions to advance in the study of these phenomena.

unexplained observations

One of the main problems that experts have warned about is the lack of reliable data to understand these phenomena. Especially since, until now, the vast majority of sightings have been reported in isolation, with different parameters and without much data to corroborate the stories. “We have to break the stigma both in the scientific community and in society about this debate,” said Dan Evans, head of science missions at NASA. “Deepening the study of these phenomena gives us a unique opportunity to expand our knowledge of the world that surrounds us, understand the inexplicable and, above all, realize what is happening in our airspace”, he added.

In the last thirty years, according to Pentagon data, about 800 sightings have been detected of unidentified flying objects around the world. In most cases, these objects have been detected at the height of the planes. As Sean Kirkpatrick, a Pentagon spokesman, explained, in the vast majority of cases a convincing explanation for these events has been found (including natural atmospheric phenomena or detection of military technology). There are only between 2 and 5% of the cases that are still classified as “anomalous” and of which, today, we cannot attest to the origin.

“We have no conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial origin. of these phenomena”, added the astrophysicist Nadia Drake, one of the experts on this independent panel, in relation to one of the most frequently asked questions about the study of UFOs. The existence of alien life that, for now, has been ruled out. But even so, the experts insist on the need to approach this type of study “without taboos”, “with an open mind” and, above all, with all available scientific tools.

Investigation programs

Until now, the vast majority of studies on UFO sightings have been done through secret military programs. And the reason has nothing to do with conspiracy and speculation about the existence of aliens. In the first place, the study of these phenomena that has historically fallen to military institutions and intelligence services because, in most cases, the sightings take place in the airspace. And secondly, these investigations have always been carried out under the strictest secrecy because, basically, the fact of explicitly acknowledging the lack of understanding of some of these phenomena could also uncover possible gaps. for national security.

But now all this could change. “We need more transparency and collaboration to study these phenomena. We are facing a challenge that requires joining the forces of all citizens, scientists and institutions“, has argued Karlin Toner, one of the scientists appointed by NASA to channel the new ‘road map’ for the study of UFOs. If everything continues as planned, in just a few months the final report will be presented to understand that Although we still cannot understand the origin of many of these phenomena, the unknowns are actually an incentive to keep looking for answers.