NASA is launching a
study of UFOs as part of a new push toward high-risk, high-impact science.
The space agency announced
that it’s setting up an independent team to see how much information is publicly available on the matter
NASA considers this a
first step in trying to explain mysterious sightings in the sky known as UAPs, or unidentified aerial phenomena.
The study will begin this
fall and last nine months, costing no more than $100,000. It will be entirely open, with no classified military data used
NASA said the team
will be led by astrophysicist David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation for advancing scientific research.
In a news conference,
Spergel said the only preconceived notion going into the study is that the UAPs will likely have multiple explanations