10.06.2022
NASA DETAILS PLANS FOR NEW STUDY TO INVESTIGATE UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA
NASA has announced new plans to commission a study team to investigate unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), according to agency officials who spoke during a press conference on Thursday.
The study, which is set to begin in the fall of 2022, “will focus on identifying available data, how best to collect future data, and how NASA can use that data to move the scientific understanding of UAPs forward,” according to a statement online.
The research effort was announced just days after news reports indicating that NASA would be the latest government agency to weigh in on the scientific implications, as well as potential aviation risks, posed by UAP.
The space agency defines UAPs as “observations of events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena,” emphasizing that its own studies of these phenomena are to be “from a scientific perspective.”
“NASA’s mission is of course to explore the unknown in air and space,” says Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the agency’s Science Mission Directorate, who during a call on Thursday added that the space agency’s study of UAP falls well within the purview of NASA’s overall goals.
“The study will focus on identifying available data, how to best collect future data, and how NASA can use these data to move the scientific understanding of UAPs forward,” Zurbuchen said.
Also joining Zuburchen during Thursday’s call was David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation who will lead the NASA study, and Daniel Evans, SMD assistant deputy associate administrator for research.
Spergel called the forthcoming study “a really exciting project,” adding that “the most exciting things in science are things that we don’t understand.”
“There are phenomena that we don’t understand,” Spergel said, expressing that NASA plans to work with government agencies, civilian nonprofit groups, and others to attempt to gather the best data for use in the study.
“We want to start by synthesizing the data we have and see what information we have, and what information we need,” said Spergel, who also emphasized that the space agency endeavors to conduct “an open inquiry that we hope will advance our understanding.”
Evans evoked NASA’s long history of engaging with some of nature’s most perplexing mysteries, making it an ideal agency to lead an effort to openly and transparently evaluate unusual aerial phenomena.
“NASA is uniquely positioned to study UAP,” Evans said. “Because who other than us can release the power of data and science with what’s happening in our skies?”
“Quite frankly, this is why we do what we do.” Evans added, also noting that a full report of NASA’s findings will be delivered to the public once the study is completed.
“Very much consistent with our principles of openness, transparency, and scientific integrity, the full report will be made available to the public,” Evans said, also stating that a public meeting to discuss the findings would likely be held.
Zurbuchen also addressed the attitudes of dismissal and ridicule that seem to prevail with the UAP subject, even despite increased attention it has received from the Pentagon in recent years.
“It’s clear that in a traditional kind of science environment, kind of talking about some of these issues may be considered selling out, or kind of talking about things that are not actual science. I just really vehemently oppose that,” Zurbuchen said, adding that “I really believe that the quality of science is not only measured by the outputs that come behind it but also the questions we’re willing to tackle.”
Similar sentiments about openness to new scientific possibilities were expressed by Evans, as well as the notion that there may be several phenomena within the context of UAP studies that should be examined.
“We should be open to the idea that we’re looking at several different phenomena,” Evans said. “There’s a pretty wide range of what might be accounting for these events,” although he added that he has “not looked at all of the data that’s available.”
When asked about NASA’s budget allocation for this fall’s UAP study, Evans said that NASA plans to allocate “between a few tens of thousands of dollars,” but “certainly not more than 100k.”
Whether or not the study will produce conclusive results about the nature and origins of UAP is another question, which Evans made a point to emphasize.
“At the end of the day we may conclude that we still don’t understand many aspects of [UAP],” Evans added.
Responses to NASA’s call on Thursday drew attention from other proponents of science applied toward UAP studies, including the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU), a nonprofit organization composed of professionals from a number of disciplines whose aim is to study these phenomena.
“NASA’s media presentation displayed an open minded, scientific approach to the UAP issue,” said SCU Executive Board Member Robert Powell in an email to The Debrief. “Their involvement helps bring mainstream science to bear on a resolution to this enigma and as they rightly pointed out, could be due to multiple causes.”
While commending NASA’s willingness to become involved with the UAP issue, Powell also told The Debrief that he would like to see involvement from scientists outside of the space agency, some of which have already collected data that may be useful in the NASA study set to begin later this year.
“The SCU would urge NASA’s study team to begin by reaching out to other scientists and scientific organizations that have already begun studying the UAP issue,” Powell says. “Examine what is already known.”
Powell believes that his organization may be among those organizations capable of providing such data.
“The Scientific Coalition of UAP Studies can provide NASA with information gleaned from projects that have already been initiated in the study of this phenomena,” Powell told The Debrief.
Chris Impey, a University Distinguished Professor with the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona, Tucson, also expressed interest in NASA’s forthcoming study.
“NASA has many experts on aircraft, spaceflight, and advanced technologies, so they are well-placed to gather high
quality data and interpret it thoroughly but skeptically,” Impey told The Debrief in an email.
Impey also emphasized NASA’s reputation as a government agency known for its transparency.
“Also, NASA has high public respect as an independent and transparent government agency,” Impey said. “In David Spergel, they have picked a senior and highly accomplished astronomer to lead the study. They start their project with open minds.”
However, Impey also believes NASA will have to carefully navigate the hurdles associated with a topic that has long been a subject of ridicule, in addition to being rife with conspiracy theories.
“They will have to navigate waves of interest from UFO acolytes, conspiracy theorists, and people who are convinced
they already know the answer,” Impey told The Debrief. “There will be criticism, some of it reflexive and unconsidered. At a cost of under $100k, they can tell people it’s a small price to pay to potentially answer one of the biggest mysteries in science.”
Throughout Thursday’s call, it seemed evident that Zurbuchen also expects NASA’s forthcoming UAP study to generate some of the controversy Impey alludes to.
“In some domains this will not be met with utter enthusiasm,” Zurbuchen said at one point, acknowledging the issues scientists who engage with the UAP topic still face. When asked about whether some UAP might have exotic origins, Zurbuchen was quick to point out that he was unsure, while acknowledging that unknown factors in the study of UAP are part of the scientific process.
“If somebody asks me, do I really think that there is evidence for intelligent life here,” Zurbuchen said, “I would give an answer that is absolutely acceptable as a scientist: I don’t know.”
“I think additional data will really bring us to learning a lot more. How much closer we get to answering that question… is something we don’t know yet.”
“We need to do the research before we can answer that.”
This article was updated to include statements from Arizona astronomer professor Chris Impey and SCU Executive Board Member Robert Powell, an organization of which the author is also a member.
Quelle: The Debrief
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Nasa will mehr über UFOs herausfinden
- Die US-Raumfahrtbehörde Nasa hat eine neue Studie zu unidentifizierten Flugobjekten in Auftrag gegeben.
- Ein unabhängiges Team soll mehr über die bestehende Datenlage herausfinden.
- Die Nasa betont gleichzeitig, es gäbe keine Hinweise darauf, dass die UFOs ausserirdischen Ursprungs seien.
Die Studie unter der Leitung des Astrophysikers David Spergel solle ab Herbst vorhandene Daten identifizieren, herausfinden, wie künftig am besten Daten gesammelt werden können und wie die Nasa auf Basis dieser Daten unidentifizierte Flugobjekte künftig wissenschaftlich besser verstehen könne, teilte die Behörde mit.
«Angesichts des Mangels an Beobachtungen ist unsere erste Aufgabe, einfach das robusteste Datenset zu sammeln, das wir sammeln können», sagte Spergel. Die Forscher wollten demnach identifizieren, welche Daten existieren – von Zivilisten, der Regierung, Nicht-Regierungsorganisationen und Unternehmen.
Keine Hinweise auf Aliens
Die Studie werde voraussichtlich rund neun Monate dauern und alle Ergebnisse würden öffentlich gemacht. Es gebe keine Hinweise darauf, dass unidentifizierte Flugobjekte ausserirdischen Ursprungs seien, betonte die Nasa. Mitbeteiligt an der Untersuchung ist der amerikanisch-schweizerische Astrophysiker Thomas Zurbuchen.
Die Untersuchung sei mit der US-Regierung abgesprochen, aber nicht Teil von deren eigenen Nachforschungen. Im vergangenen Jahr hatte das US-Verteidigungsministerium einen mit Spannung erwarteten Bericht der «Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force» zu dem Thema veröffentlicht, wonach es zumindest bislang keine Erklärungen für rund 140 Himmelserscheinungen aus den vergangenen zwei Jahrzehnten gibt.
Gleichzeitig wurde festgestellt, dass diese Phänomene ein Sicherheitsrisiko für den Flugverkehr seien und möglicherweise auch ein nationales Sicherheitsrisiko für die USA darstellen könnten. Deswegen solle nun ein Plan entworfen werden, wie sie besser untersucht und verstanden werden könnten. Im Mai hatte es die erste Anhörung im US-Repräsentantenhaus zu dem Thema seit mehr als 50 Jahren gegeben.
Quelle: SRF
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Nasa startet Studie zu unidentifizierbaren Flugobjekten
Ufos faszinieren die Menschheit – doch gibt es sie wirklich? Die Nasa will bei dem Thema mitmischen – und die entstehende Studie öffentlich zugänglich machen.
Washington D.C. – Sind wir alleine im Universum? Diese Frage ist wohl eine der ältesten der Welt – und dürfte der Grund sein, warum viele Menschen von Ufos fasziniert sind. Doch wer über Ufos spricht, gar meint, eines gesehen zu haben, wird häufig schief angeschaut. In den USA tut sich bei dem Thema jedoch langsam etwas: Zuletzt hatte der US-Kongress eine Anhörung zum Thema „Unidentified Aerial Phenomena“ (UAP) abgehalten– ein neuer Begriff, der den bisher gängigen Begriff „Unidentified Flying Object“ (Ufo) ablösen soll. Das Pentagon und US-Geheimdienste beschäftigen sich bereits mit den bislang unerklärlichen Sichtungen von US-Pilotinnen und -Piloten, die beispielsweise ein Flugobjekt beschreiben, das physikalisch unmögliche Flugmanöver über Wasser absolviert haben soll.
Nun will die US-Raumfahrtorganisation Nasa das Phänomen „Ufo“ wissenschaftlich untersuchen. Die Behörde stellt dafür ein Team zusammen, das „Beobachtungen von Ereignissen untersuchen wird, die nicht als Flugzeuge oder bekannte Naturphänomene identifiziert werden können“, wie es bei der Nasa heißt. Geplant sei, die bisherigen Bemühungen des Verteidigungsministeriums und der Geheimdienste durch eine wissenschaftliche Perspektive zu ergänzen, zitiert die Washington Post den Nasa-Wissenschaftschef Thomas Zurbuchen. Es handele sich um eine „risikoreiche, hochwirksame“ Forschung, vor der die Nasa nicht zurückschrecken sollte, auch wenn es sich um ein umstrittenes Forschungsgebiet handele.
Nasa startet Ufo-Studie – Mehr als 140 Sichtungen sind in den USA bekannt
In den USA gibt es mehr als 140 Sichtungen von Flugobjekten, die nicht identifiziert werden können. Viele von ihnen wurden von Marinefliegerinnen und -fliegern gesichtet. Beweise dafür, dass es sich bei den Flugobjekten um eine fortschrittliche Raumfahrttechnologie handelt, die von China, Russland oder einer anderen Nation entwickelt wurde, gibt es den Angaben zufolge nicht. Hinweise darauf, dass die Objekte von Außerirdischen stammen, gibt es ebenfalls nicht.
Die begrenzte Zahl von UAP-Beobachtungen macht es der Forschung bisher nicht leicht, wissenschaftliche Schlussfolgerungen zu ziehen. Weil die nicht identifizierten Phänomene in der Atmosphäre jedoch sowohl für die nationale Sicherheit als auch für die Flugsicherheit von Interesse sind, beschäftigt sich nun auch die Nasa damit. „Die Nasa ist davon überzeugt, dass die Werkzeuge der wissenschaftlichen Entdeckung mächtig sind und auch hier Anwendung finden“, erklärt Zurbuchen in einer Nasa-Mitteilung. „Wir haben die Werkzeuge und das Team, das uns helfen kann, das Unbekannte besser zu verstehen. Das ist die eigentliche Definition von Wissenschaft. Das ist es, was wir tun.“
Nasa-Team soll Ufo-Studie durchführen – Bericht wird öffentlich gemacht
Doch vor der Analyse der Daten müssen die Forschenden sich mit einer anderen Aufgabe beschäftigen: „Angesichts der geringen Anzahl von Beobachtungen besteht unsere erste Aufgabe einfach darin, so viele zuverlässige Daten wie möglich zu sammeln“, erklärt der Leiter des Ufo-Teams, der Astrophysiker David Spergel in einer Nasa-Mitteilung. „Wir werden herausfinden, welche Daten – von Zivilisten, Behörden, gemeinnützigen Organisationen und Unternehmen – vorhanden sind, was wir noch sammeln sollten und wie wir sie am besten analysieren können.“
Die Studie soll den Angaben zufolge im Herbst starten und etwa neun Monate dauern. Beteiligt werden sollen Fachleute aus den Bereichen Wissenschaft, Luftfahrt und Datenanalyse; ein Ziel ist es, herauszufinden, wie man am besten neue Daten über Ufo-Sichtungen sammeln und die Beobachtung von UAPs verbessern kann. „Im Einklang mit den Nasa-Grundsätzen der Offenheit, Transparenz und wissenschaftlichen Integrität wird dieser Bericht öffentlich zugänglich sein“, betont der Nasa-Mitarbeiter Daniel Evans, der die Studie orchestrieren soll. „Alle Daten der Nasa stehen der Öffentlichkeit zur Verfügung – wir nehmen diese Verpflichtung ernst – und wir machen sie für jedermann leicht zugänglich, um sie zu sehen oder zu untersuchen.“ (tab)
AudIo: Media telecon on new Aerial Phenomena Study
NASA is commissioning a study team to start early in the fall to examine unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) – that is, observations of events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena – from a scientific perspective. The study will focus on identifying available data, how best to collect future data, and how NASA can use that data to move the scientific understanding of UAPs forward.
The limited number of observations of UAPs currently makes it difficult to draw scientific conclusions about the nature of such events. Unidentified phenomena in the atmosphere are of interest for both national security and air safety. Establishing which events are natural provides a key first step to identifying or mitigating such phenomena, which aligns with one of NASA’s goals to ensure the safety of aircraft. There is no evidence UAPs are extra-terrestrial in origin.
“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 agency is not part of the Department of Defense’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force or its successor, the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group. NASA has, however, coordinated widely across the government regarding how to apply the tools of science to shed light on the nature and origin of unidentified aerial phenomena.
The agency’s independent study team will be led by astrophysicist David Spergel, who is president of the Simons Foundation in New York City, and previously the chair of the astrophysics department at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Daniel Evans, the assistant deputy associate administrator for research at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, will serve as the NASA official responsible for orchestrating the study.
“Given the paucity of observations, our first task is simply to gather the most robust set of data that we can,” said Spergel. “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.”
The study is expected to take about nine months to complete. It will secure the counsel of experts in the scientific, aeronautics, and data analytics communities to focus on how best to collect new data and improve observations of UAPs.
“Consistent with NASA’s principles of openness, transparency, and scientific integrity, this report will be shared publicly,” said Evans. “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.”
Although unrelated to this new study, NASA has an active astrobiology program that focuses on the origins, evolution, and distribution of life beyond Earth. From studying water on Mars to probing promising “oceans worlds,” such as Titan and Europa, NASA’s science missions are working together with a goal to find signs of life beyond Earth.
Furthermore, the agency’s search for life also includes using missions such as the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and Hubble Space Telescope, to search for habitable exoplanets, while the James Webb Space Telescope will try to spot biosignatures in atmospheres around other planets – spotting oxygen and carbon dioxide in other atmospheres, for example, could suggest that an exoplanet supports plants and animals like ours does. NASA also funds space-based research that focuses on technosignatures – that is signatures of advanced technology in outer space -- from other planets.
Learn more about NASA’s astrobiology program online at:
https://www.nasa.gov/astrobiology/