2023-09-14 18:30:04
Bill Nelson, head of NASA, Thursday during the press conference to present the expert report on the study of Pan. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
The head of the space agency has appointed a director in charge of studies on “unidentified abnormal phenomena”, in conjunction with the agency in charge of the file at the American Department of Defense.
After a little over a year of study, the 16 independent experts appointed by NASA reported on Thursday their report on unidentified abnormal phenomena (Pan), or what the most outdated “UFO” (unidentified flying object) described, but also events that could take place at sea or on land. These experts (a former astronaut, scientists and engineers) are careful not to give an opinion on the possible extraterrestrial origin of the unexplained phenomena. But they recommend that the American space agency put its expertise and its scientific and technical resources at the service of the rigorous study of these unexplained phenomena.
“The importance of detecting” these phenomena with “multiple, well-calibrated sensors are essential”and NASA has a great deal of expertise in this area. «expertise»which could be used as part of a “rigorous data collection campaign”underlines the report.
Transparency
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“The expert team did not find that the Pan had an extraterrestrial origin, explained NASA boss Bill Nelson in a press conference. But what is their explanation? We do not know it. But we’re going to try to figure it out, and we’re going to do it in an open and transparent way.”
The NASA version of transparency, however, has its limits… Bill Nelson announced that he had appointed a director in charge of the file, who would liaise with the Pentagon agency studying UFO cases, the All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office. All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, AARO). But when asked about the identity of this new director, Bill Nelson refused to reveal his name.
We want to move away from sensationalism and focus on the scientific study of these phenomena.
Bill Nelson, NASA administrator.
NASA’s use of the term “unidentified anomalous phenomena” (UAP in English) in place of the more popular UFO (UFO in English) is clearly a way of destigmatizing a term often associated with more or less serious. “We want to move away from sensationalism and focus on the scientific study of these phenomena”assured the boss of the American agency. “Most Pan can be explained by conventional objects, planes, balloons or other aerial phenomena, but a very few cases remain unexplained”, summarized David Spergel, the astrophysicist who led the group of experts for NASA. For these few cases, finding an explanation is akin to “looking for a needle in a haystack”with disability “not knowing what the needle looks like.”
A half century head start for France
For once, France is almost half a century ahead of the United States in this area. It is exactly this concern to treat the phenomenon seriously and without first who presided over the creation in 1977 of an office dedicated to the subject at Cnes, the French space agency. This office, the study group for unidentified aerospace phenomena (Gepan), still exists, and an “I” was added to its name in 2005 (Geipan) to evoke its public information role. In almost 50 years, the organization has processed more than 3,000 observations, of which only 100, or 3%, were not identified after investigation.
NASA’s announcement comes in a very specific context in Washington. For several years, the subject of UFOs has been discussed openly at the highest levels of government, with videos declassified by the Department of Defense, congressional committees devoted to the subject, and even the testimony of a former soldier who claimed, without providing proof, that the Pentagon was secretly holding alien spacecraft for study. A movement which concretely resulted in July 2022 by the creation of a government body responsible for investigating the subject, the AARO.
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