NASA Releases Report on UFOs and Will Be More Transparent

NASA announced on Thursday, September 14, that it has appointed a new research director to look into what the U.S. government calls the unidentified strange phenomenon, or UAP, commonly referred to by the public as UFOs.

The head of the U.S. space agency said an expert panel that urged more fact-finding on the issue had found no evidence to suggest that the unidentified objects were outside Earth's origin.

NASA Chief Bill Nelson announced the appointment of the new research director without revealing who the person in question was.

They will play a more significant role in helping the Pentagon detect them. During the press conference, Nelson also expressed his opinion that there is life beyond Earth and promised that NASA would disclose all its findings.

"We, NASA, are handling this openly and we will be open about this. We are also trying to answer the question that there is a lot of concern that something is being hidden, kept secret, and that the American government is not open. Yes... we are the American government and we are open and will be open about this," Nelson said.

Over the past few years, the U.S. government has disclosed information it has collected on topics that officials had previously responded to with silence. NASA revealed that research on UFOs requires new scientific techniques, including advanced satellites and changing perceptions.

In the 33-page report, the independent team warned that negative perceptions surrounding UFOs were an obstacle to collecting data. However, officials said NASA's involvement should help reduce the stigma about UFOs. Nelson said his agency wants to change the discourse about UAPs from sensationalism to science.