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UFO, an alien plate soars in the sky, hovering motionless in the air. Unidentified flying object, alien invasion, extraterrestrial life, space travel, humanoid spaceship mixed medium.


An independent report found that NASA could play a crucial role in collecting more data on UFOs — or what are officially known as unidentified anomalous phenomena, the space agency announced Thursday.

The report comes from an independent group of experts and scientists who set out in 2022 to create a road map for NASA to begin aiding research into UAP, sifting through data to determine whether and how the mysterious phenomena can be studied scientifically. The team found no hard evidence that the unexplained occurrences come from intelligent alien life.

Ultimately, the group determined that NASA should be using satellites and other instruments to seek more information about the phenomena. In response to the findings, the space agency also announced Thursday it is appointing its first director of UAP research.

“This is the first time that NASA has taken concrete action to seriously look into UAP,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a news conference. “We start this without any preconceived notions but understanding that we’re in a world of discovery.”



Diving deeper

The 33-page report, which relied on unclassified data so that it could be discussed publicly, is careful to make clear that aliens are not the only — or even a likely — explanation for UAP, but the search for definitive answers is ongoing.

“Recently, many credible witnesses, often military aviators, have reported seeing objects they did not recognize over U.S. airspace,” the report reads. “Most of these events have since been explained, but a small handful cannot be immediately identified as known humanmade or natural phenomena.”


NASA can expand its efforts to seek answers using existing technology, the report suggests. Nelson also mentioned the possible use of artificial intelligence to mine vast data troves for answers, allowing scientists to cross-reference information collected by various instruments to provide a clearer picture of what is happening at the time these unexplained events occur.