NASA Independent UAP Study Team
In 2022, NASA set up a 16-member independent expert team to examine unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) from a scientific perspective. In its report released in 2023, the panel primarily made methodological recommendations and did not analyze specific UAP cases.
In June 2022, NASA set up an independent study team to examine how the available scientific tools could be used to better understand unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). The 16-member team was led by astrophysicist David Spergel, and its members included astronomers, data analysts, former astronauts and aviation experts.
What the team claims
In its report released in September 2023, the panel did not examine specific UAP cases but instead analyzed the methodological and technical obstacles to the scientific study of the phenomenon. According to its findings, most reports are based on poor-quality, non-standardized sensor data, which makes it difficult to draw scientific conclusions. The team recommended that NASA's existing satellite and atmospheric observation systems also be brought into data collection, and that the social stigma surrounding the topic be reduced, because in the team's view it discourages pilots and other witnesses from reporting.
Official consequences
Following the report, NASA appointed a director of UAP research and announced that it would work more closely with the U.S. Department of Defense's office called AARO (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office). The team stressed that it had so far found no evidence of extraterrestrial origin, but it also pointed out that some of the phenomena currently cannot be explained by known aerial or atmospheric causes, which warrants further, more systematic data collection.