Nasa is to begin a major study into unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), saying the research is an important part of its work to ensure the safety of spacecraft, the Independent reports. The study, which is expected to take nine months to complete, will examine existing data and identify the best ways to collect data in a bid to improve its understanding of unidentified flying objects.
Nasa said the research will be shared publicly on completion - but stressed there is “no evidence UAPs are extra-terrestrial in origin”. It comes after years of speculation about bodies in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or natural phenomena.
Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at Nasa, said: "Nasa believes that the tools of scientific discovery are powerful and apply here also.
“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 US interest in UAPs has grown significantly recently - although the first congressional hearing on UFOs in decades, which took place last month, offered little new information on the origins of mysterious lights in the sky.
US Undersecretary of Defence for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie, who oversees a new Pentagon programme investigating UFOs, said: "We want to know what’s out there as much as you want to know what’s out there.
“We get the questions not just from you; we get them from family members and we get them night and day, not just in committee hearings. So finding what’s out there is important.”
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