Oct 28, 2022
This week, 16 experts will begin a study of UFOs. The team includes former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly. The team also includes professors and scientists. NASA picked the people on the team.
David Spergel will lead the squad. He is an astrophysicist, Simons Foundation president, and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow. The team will follow a plan created by Daniel Evans. He's a senior NASA researcher.
“UFO” is a term for what are now officially called UAPs. That stands for unidentified aerial phenomena. The study will focus on putting together publicly available data about UAPs. The team will try to figure out how to gather future data. They'll also determine how the data could be used. NASA will publish a report with the results next year.
More US officials say we need to understand UAPs better. They say it's a matter of national security. NASA’s announcement follows the first congressional hearing on UAPs in more than 50 years. It was held in May. In July, the Pentagon said it would create an office to track reports of UAPs.
In May, congressional members reviewed a Pentagon report from June 2021. It showed 144 UAP sightings by US Navy pilots in 2004. The UAPs had unusual flight behaviors. The UAP flights couldn't be explained by existing technologies.
NASA officials said at the moment there is no evidence UAPs come from space. That possibility is not ruled out, though. One NASA official said, “Frankly, I think there’s new science to be discovered.” He expects the study will be the starting point for a future research program.
Photo by Albert Antony courtesy of Unsplash.
Overview: Weather, Global Warming and Climate Change
This NASA article describes the difference between weather and climate, and defines the terms climate change and global warming.
Global Warming Since 1880
This NASA video animation illustrates the average surface temperature of the Earth, which has been increasing.
How NASA Satellites Help Model the Future of Climate
In this video, climate scientists demonstrate the importance of NASA satellites in improving climate models to predict and record various aspects of climate variables.