Unidentified flying objects .. NASA confirms the study of 800 cases, some of which are “unexplained”

Members of NASA’s Independent Commission for the Study of “Atmospheric Mysteries” are calling on the US government to collect better data in an effort to find answers to unexplained events that have captured the public’s imagination, according to a New York Times report .

A group of 16 experts from various scientific fields, including physics and astrobiology, gathered together last year to form a panel. Recently, they held a four-hour session to discuss initial findings and are expected to release a report later this summer. This information was reported by Reuters.

According to a Pentagon official, the Department of Defense is currently reviewing over 800 cases spanning the last 27 years.

The New York Times reports that only a small portion, specifically 2 to 5 percent, of these incidents are deemed as “truly unjustified.”

According to the “New York Times”, although people are intrigued by the idea of “aliens,” the unexplained occurrences are typically caused by drones and balloons, rather than extraterrestrial visits.

Nadia Drake, a committee member, stated that there is currently insufficient evidence to confirm that these phenomena originate from beyond the planet.

The committee members were accused of lying or covering up evidence about the existence of aliens, which resulted in them being subjected to online harassment.

According to the panelists, the main difficulty is the lack of scientifically proven methods to record occurrences of “Unidentified Flying Object” phenomena. These are typically sightings of objects that seem to move in ways that are beyond the limitations of currently known technologies and natural laws.

According to them, the main issue is that the cameras, sensors, and other equipment used to detect and record the phenomena are not capable of accurately monitoring and measuring their characteristics.

One reason for the poor data on these phenomena is that the military cameras, radar, and other sensors that collected the videos are usually tuned for other purposes.

Committee chair and astrophysicist David Spergel stated that it is essential to obtain high-quality data as relying solely on existing data and eyewitness reports is inadequate to determine the nature and origin of each event.

According to a Reuters report, despite the Pentagon’s encouragement for military pilots to report mysterious events, numerous commercial pilots remain hesitant to do so.

Optical illusions?

“When flying, whether in the air or in space, optical illusions abound,” said former astronaut Scott G. Kelly. 

According to Kelly, while he was flying an F-14 Tomcat, the flight officer sitting behind him thought he spotted a “flying saucer.” However, upon investigation, Kelly found that it was just a balloon.

Initially intriguing, many of the recorded occurrences of these phenomena are ultimately explained by mundane causes.

The video captured by a P-3 reconnaissance aircraft depicted three dots that seemed to be moving in a back-and-forth motion. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the dots were actually planes located about 40 miles away, waiting to land at the airport.

Last year, a drone recorded a video in the Middle East showing a silver ball flying in the sky, and the incident remains unexplained.

According to the New York Times, experts have repeatedly emphasized that the data collected from most of the unexplained incidents were of “low quality.” Consequently, it was challenging to draw conclusions from many of these incidents.

What then?

NASA is expected to release a report with recommendations to the government from its task force by the end of July. However, it should be noted that improving data collection to quickly solve mysterious phenomena is a process that will require time.