At NASA, people tend not to believe in aliens, but the scientists are still interested in inexplicable sightings of mysterious flying objects. This is now to be explored as part of a study.
Again and again people see inexplicable lights or flying objects in the sky, some even film or photograph them. Such sightings seem to be particularly common in the USA. So far, flight security, the FBI and the police have primarily dealt with such incidents there. But who would have more expertise in investigating such phenomena than NASA?
The American space agency wants to start a new type of study later this year, which scientifically analyzes documented UFO sightings. However, one does not expect to find evidence of the existence of extraterrestrials who have visited Earth – although nobody at Nasa would like to rule out the possibility. It’s more about safety aspects. Because unidentified flying objects can not only be dangerous for regular air traffic, they could also be spy drones from abroad.
Nasa is concerned with the scientific aspect
“Nasa believes that the usual tools of science can also be used here,” says Thomas Zurbuchen of NASA headquarters in Washington. “We have access to a whole range of images of the Earth from space, which is incredibly useful for scientific investigations. We have the tools and the people who can help us explore the unknown. That’s what science is all about , so we know each other.”
Astrophysicist David Spergel is to lead the study. However, he directly mentions a major problem with this: “Considering the sparse number of sightings, the first thing we have to do is gather all the reliable data that is possible. We will then analyze which data – from civilians, governments, organizations or companies – there is and what else we need.”
More espionage than alien visits
It is said that he currently has no evidence that the objects are extraterrestrial spaceships. Rather, one expects the identification of natural phenomena – and possibly also of foreign spy drones. The study will run for about nine months and cost less than $100,000. As is customary at NASA, all results should be shared transparently with the public. So if the scientists unexpectedly come across evidence of UFOs – we will find out!
Sources: Nasa, “NZZ”
