Are UFOs posing a threat to US airspace? Here's what a new NASA report says

NASA administrator Bill Nelson claimed on Thursday that he thinks “aliens are out there” as the space agency unveiled the preliminary results of its probe into unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), also known as UFOs. However, according to the 36-page research, there aren’t enough high-quality observations of UAP to make conclusive scientific inferences regarding their nature. It also described how the American space agency would use updated technology and artificial intelligence to look into UFOs. Here are the key takeaways of the report. Also read: Are there aliens in Mexico? Why scientists have called fraud on extraterrestrial corpses UFOs ‘pose threat’ to US airspace The panel said in the report, “The threat to US airspace safety posed by UAP is self-evident,” adding that there is a particularly promising avenue for deeper integration” involving the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). It added: “Although not initially designed for UAP collection, better harnessing it for commercial pilot UAP reporting would provide a critical database that would be valuable for the whole-of-government effort (to understand UFOs).” No proof that aliens exist According to the report’s last page, “there is no reason to conclude” that the hundreds of UAP sightings NASA has looked at are the result of extraterrestrial origins. However, to get here, those things had to pass through our solar system, it said. The investigation did not reach the desired conclusion, the space agency said it could not rule out the possibility of “potential unknown alien technology operating in Earth’s atmosphere.” “The mission of NASA is to find out the unknown, I’ve said several times in my comments today that we deal openly, and we will be transparent on this,” Nelson said. Limited amount of UAP data The new report called UAPs “one of our planet’s greatest mysteries,” because there is limited high-quality data. “Observations of objects in our skies that cannot be identified as balloons, aircraft or natural known phenomena have been spotted worldwide, yet there are limited high-quality observations. The nature of science is to explore the unknown, and data is the language scientists use to discover our universe’s secrets,” the report stated. “Despite numerous accounts and visuals, the absence of consistent, detailed, and curated observations means we do not presently have the body of data needed to make definitive, scientific conclusions about UAP,” it added. It announced it is appointing a director of UAP research to “establish a robust database for the evaluation of future data.” This is in response to one of the recommendations by the independent study team, which is counsel of 16 community experts across diverse areas. “The director role will centralise communications, resources, and data analytical capabilities to establish a robust database for the evaluation of future UAP. The director also will leverage NASA’s expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and space-based observation tools to support and enhance the broader government initiative on UAP,” NASA said. Also read: Has a Harvard professor found the first-ever alien objects on Earth? Importance of unclassified data The independent study group was formed outside of NASA and used unclassified data from civilian government organisations, commercial data, as well as data from other sources. David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation and chair of the UAP independent study team said, “Using unclassified data was essential for our team’s fact-finding, open-communication collaboration, and for upholding scientific rigour to produce this report for NASA.” He added, “The team wrote the report in conjunction with NASA’s pillars of transparency, openness and scientific integrity to help the agency shed light on the nature of future UAP incidents. We found that NASA can help the whole-of-government UAP effort through systematic data calibration, multiple measurements and ensuring thorough sensor metadata to create a data set that is both reliable and extensive for future UAP study.” The name “UAP” has replaced the term “UFO” in official dictionary after the US space agency said last year that it was studying the evidence about UAP. However, mainstream science avoided the topic, despite the public’s long-standing fascination with it. In May, the independent study team revealed its initial findings, concluding that there is not enough information in the current body of knowledge and in eyewitness accounts to make certain judgements, and urging for further systematic gathering of high-quality evidence. While NASA’s astronomers search for indications of intelligent civilisations on other worlds and its robots and rovers comb the solar system for any fossils of ancient bacteria, its historical stance has been to “debunk” discoveries on Earth. The report’s authors stated during the May meeting that more than 800 “events” gathered over 27 years are believed to be two to five per cent abnormal. Also read: Are UFOs and aliens real? What is the US hiding?

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It issued a watershed report in 2021 compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in conjunction with a Navy-led task force encompassing numerous observations - mostly from military personnel of UAP. The report included some UAP cases that previously came to light in the Pentagon’s release of video from naval aviators showing enigmatic aircraft off the US East and West Coasts exhibiting speed and maneuverability exceeding known aviation technologies and lacking any visible means of propulsion or flight-control surfaces. The report said defense and intelligence analysts lacked sufficient data to determine the nature of some of the objects. The US commercial remote-sensing sector provides an effective combination of Earth-observing sensors with the capacity to directly address UAP incidents. NASA’s substantial experience should be paired with AI and ML to better understand the nature and genesis of UAP. Future air traffic management systems to collect UAP data will be designed with the help of NASA’s close collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In order to create a larger, more trustworthy UAP dataset that can be used to both identify future UAP incidents and destigmatise the study of UAP, NASA will improve citizen reporting by working with the general public and commercial pilots. Mexico’s viral ‘alien’ photos

While responding to a BBC reporter about purported extra-terrestrials presented by Mexican authorities, NASA scientist Dr David Spergel said, “Make samples available to the world scientific community and we’ll see what’s there.”

The remains of alleged “non-human” beings were presented on Tuesday at  Mexico’s first public congressional hearing on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), also known as UFOs. The two stuffed bodies recovered in 2017 in Peru were 700 and 1,800 years old, with only three fingers on each hand and elongated heads. Mexican journalist and researcher on the topic Jaime Maussan said it was a clear demonstration that the presented bodies were non-human specimens. Researchers could prove that the DNA of the two mummies did not belong to human beings. The hearing aimed to rule on the phenomenon in the Aerial Space Protection Law, which would turn  Mexico  into the first country in the world to acknowledge the presence of  aliens on the planet, local media reported.

With inputs from agencies