NASA announces 16 people who will study UFOs to see what's natural—and what isn't

What is the reason for all these occurrences of unexplained flying objects? It is possible that we will find out.

16 people are going to spend the next nine months studying unidentified aerial phenomena.

The team will use unclassified data to look at how the data is gathered by the public and other sources. The goal is to have a road map for NASA's data analysis on the flying objects and determine what events are natural or not.

"Exploring the unknown in space and the atmosphere is at the heart of who we are at NASA," Thomas Zurbuchen said in a statement. Understanding the data surrounding unidentified aerial phenomena is important to helping us draw conclusions about what is happening in our skies. Data is the language of science.

There has been renewed interest in unexplained phenomena. In June 2021, the office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence released a highly anticipated report, but no "firm conclusions" could be drawn on more than 140 instances.

The federal government continues to monitor UAPs because they are seen as a national security threat. The Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization was created by the Department of Defense in November of 2021.

NASA doesn't believe that the phenomena are extra-terrestrial in origin. Observations make it hard to draw conclusions.

Who will study alien life forms for NASA?

Astronomers, scientists, aviation officials, and a former astronauts are among the research group picked by NASA.

The people are going to be part of the study.

• David Spergel: Chair of the study, founding director of Simons Foundation's Flatiron Institute for Computational Astrophysics.
• Anamaria Berea: Computational and data science associate professor at George Mason University.
• Federica Bianco: Physics and astrophysics professor at the University of Delaware, the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration and senior scientist at the Multi-city Urban Observatory.
• Paula Bontempi: Biological oceanographer and dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island.
• Reggie Brothers: Operating partner at AE Industrial Partners and former undersecretary for Science and Technology at Department of Homeland Security.
• Jen Buss: CEO of the Potomac Institute of Policy Studies.
• Nadia Drake: Freelance science journalist and contributing writer at National Geographic.
• Mike Gold: Executive vice president of civil space and external affairs at aerospace manufacturer Redwire.
• David Grinspoon: Senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute.
• Scott Kelly: Former NASA astronaut, test pilot, fighter pilot and retired U.S. Navy captain.
• Matt Mountain: President of The Association of Universities for Research and Astronomy.
• Warren Randolph: Deputy executive director of the Federal Aviation Administration's Accident Investigation and Prevention for Aviation Safety department.
• Walter Scott: Executive vice president and chief technology officer of space technology company Maxar.
• Joshua Semeter: Professor of electrical and computer engineering, director of the Center for Space Physics at Boston University.
• Karlin Toner: Acting executive director of the FAA's Office of Aviation Policy and Plans.
• Shelley Wright: Associate professor of physics at the UC San Diego's Center for Astrophysics and Space Studies.

The public will be able to read the full report in mid-2023.

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