On Wednesday, May 31st, 2023, NASA held its first-ever public meeting with their UFO panel following a year of the team's investigation into unexplained sightings. This four-hour meeting allowed experts on the NASA UFO team to discuss their findings and put the final touches on a report that will be sent out by the end of July.Related read: 4 Military UFO Sightings That Made Us Question Everything

The NASA UFO Team & Findings

NASA’s UFO team, put together in 2022, was created to perform a study examining unclassified sightings of UFOs. Yet, the term UFO also received an update. Instead of unidentified flying objects, NASA has decided to call them unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). The UAP acronym is now the standard nomenclature. The UFO’s new name came to be in an effort to get rid of the stigma surrounding UFOs. For NASA, aliens are not the default explanation behind the sightings, though it remains a popular theory in the UFO community. At first, the space agency was calling them unidentified aerial phenomena but changed aerial to anomalous to be inclusive of different domains such as the sea.This NASA UAP team was formed last June as an independent advisory board by Administrator Bill Nelson who wanted to gain a better understanding of UFOs based on his time in the Senate. The team includes sixteen members, all of whom were NASA’s first choices and experts in their field.Team members include:

• Astrophysicist Daniel Sperger
• Astrobiologist Anamaria Berea
• SETI Researcher/Astrophysicist Shelly Wright
• Retired NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly
• Satellite Tech Walter Scott
• Astrophysicist/Data Scientist Federica Bianco
• Astrophysicist David Grinspoo
• Oceanographer Paula Bontempi
• Government Industry Leader Reggie Brothers
• Tech-trend Analyst Jen Buss
• Artemis Accords Leader Mike Gold
• Science Journalist Nadia Drake
• Telescope Scientist Matt Mountain
• Aeronautics Expert Karlin Toner
• Aerodynamicist Warren Randolph
• Lonosphere Researcher Joshua Semeter

NASA's Transparent UFO Research

The team’s primary task is to make recommendations and give advice to NASA related to their findings. The study was funded for the purpose of protecting U.S. airspace as well as public safety and overall national security. In the meeting on Wednesday, NASA representatives said that they feel a responsibility to lead this effort as NASA is known for being open and credible. They also believe with NASA's advanced science and technology that they are best suited to run the investigation.The NASA UFO team has two objectives, and they are to remain as transparent as possible with the public and to remove stigmas about reporting UAP sightings. Because of this, the team will only be examining unclassified reports so they can speak freely about their findings.Suggested read: Inquiries Grow as Navy Withholds UAP Footage

The Meeting's UFO Update

Meeting Audio- UAP Independent Study Event 05/31Panelists joined at NASA headquarters in Washington to update the public on their progress from the study. The team revealed that they have examined over 800 mysterious reports over the last year. This uptick in reports is primarily from the FAA database with its voluntary military reporting program. Unfortunately, for alien conspiracy theorists, there was no evidence found to suggest an extraterrestrial origin for any of the sightings. Astrophysicist Daniel Sperger stated that “To make the claim that we see something that is evidence of non-human intelligence would require extraordinary evidence, and we have not seen that.”Although panelists point out that the origin of the UAPs is not their primary focus. NASA’s UAP advisory board states that only a few reports are unexplained. Most have conventional explanations such as aircraft, military equipment, hot air balloons, and atmospheric debris. There also seems to be a common theme when it comes to unexplained sightings—low-quality data and evidence.

The Future of UAP Investigation

Team members discuss the need for better technology and high-quality data for investigating UAPs. Panelists say that surveillance systems are to be put in place to achieve a better understanding of what is normal and what is an anomaly. The experts even talk about the creation of a mobile app that will allow you to point your camera at an object and have it identify what it is based on advanced technology that's already present on your device.A Pentagon-based investigation has also started with the new All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). NASA has commented on this investigation's announcement by clarifying that the two studies are very different as NASA is taking a more scientific approach.In general, NASA hopes to diminish the stigma around UAPs and push past barriers such as online abuse and harassment in relation to their research to help provide a safer environment for the nation.Read next: What Scott Kelly & More Big Names in NASA UFO Study Hope to Find