NASA has appointed a research director to oversee investigations into UFO sightings and has taken steps to develop a scientific, evidence-based approach to understanding unidentified events.
NASA associate administrator Nicola Fox said the agency initially said Thursday it would not name the official but said the person had been in the position for some time. However, by the end of Thursday, NASA had changed its mind and named the administrator Mark McInerney.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced the appointment at a news conference Thursday, after the agency released a Report The findings of an independent research team on how NASA can better identify UAPs, or unidentified anomalies. The group recommends creating a systematic reporting framework that makes greater use of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
“This is the first time NASA has taken concrete action to investigate drones,” Nelson said.
McInerney will be responsible for developing and overseeing the conduct of research into observations of unidentified events in the sky, commonly known as UFOs.
Dan Evans, NASA’s assistant deputy associate administrator for research, said one of the reasons NASA initially wanted to keep the person’s identity secret was fear of threats and harassment, which some team members experienced during the UAP study . Still, the team said NASA will be transparent about what it finds in the sky.
In an update on McInerney’s name released Thursday afternoon, NASA clarified that he had served as NASA’s liaison to the Department of Defense, a position that allowed him to oversee drone flights in a limited capacity Task.
Nelson said he hopes to destigmatize UAP research and “shift the conversation from sensationalism to science.”
Svlook
