At an unusual public meeting in Washington, a group of experts appointed by NASA to study the sensitive issue of UFOs stressed on Wednesday the need to collect more data to explain the phenomena in the future, AFP reported.

radar images of UFOsPhoto: US DEFENSE / Sciencephoto / Profimedia

“Existing data, as well as eyewitness accounts, are insufficient to provide conclusive evidence as to the nature and origin of each event,” said David Spergel, an astrophysicist tasked with chairing the commission. “We need high-quality data.”

A report detailing how this can be achieved is due to be published in the summer.

NASA announced the start of this work last year, and in October appointed at least 16 experts to lead it. Among them are well-known scientists, as well as officials from the US Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority (FAA) and former astronaut Scott Kelly.

800 unknown aerial phenomena

However, their purpose is not to review UFO phenomena in order to explain them one by one, but to provide NASA with guidance on how to carefully study them in the future.

About 800 unidentified aerial phenomena have been collected to date, Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the Department of Defense’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Office (AARO), said Wednesday.

But “maybe only 2% to 5%” are “really abnormal,” he said.

NASA stressed on Wednesday that the issue is very serious, involving both national security and air traffic safety.

But it is also of great interest because of the clearly defined term UFO.

“Currently, we do not have clear data that would indicate a connection between unknown anomalous phenomena and extraterrestrial life,” said David Grinspoon, one of the scientists who are part of the commission.

Nicola Fox, NASA’s associate administrator, opened the session by denouncing online harassment of commission members.

The hearing, which lasted several hours on Wednesday, was streamed live on the Internet, with a section devoted to questions from the public submitted online in advance.

This transparency is emphasized by the US space agency, which insists on the need to “destigmatize” the subject.