NASA holds a news conference on the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Independent Study Report.
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00:00 Hello and welcome.
00:02 We are here today at NASA headquarters in Washington,
00:05 D.C. for a press briefing on a report
00:08 from an independent study team
00:10 on unidentified anomalous phenomena.
00:13 We have four speakers here today.
00:16 We have Bill Nelson, our NASA administrator;
00:19 Nikki Fox, the associate administrator
00:21 for the Science Mission Directorate; Dan Evans,
00:24 the assistant deputy associate administrator for research
00:28 within the Science Mission Directorate; and David Spurgill,
00:31 who is the president of the Simons Foundation
00:33 and was also the chair
00:35 of this particular independent study team.
00:38 I will ask everybody in the room
00:39 to please silence your cell phones.
00:42 We will get started with everybody giving a few
00:46 opening remarks and then we will take questions.
00:49 We will take questions both in the room
00:50 and then from the phones.
00:53 And for now, I will hand it over to the administrator.
00:58 >> Thanks so much and thanks for coming today.
01:02 NASA searches for the unknown in air and space.
01:07 It's in our DNA.
01:10 From digging on Mars with the Perseverance rover
01:14 in those little titanium tubes that we intend to go back
01:19 and pick up, digging in a dry lake bed near the mouth
01:25 of a river, now we're going up to the top of the cliff
01:31 where the scientists feel that there could be the best examples
01:37 of if there were life there millions of years ago.
01:44 Whether we're dealing with Perseverance
01:47 or the James Webb Space Telescope, which searches
01:52 for exoplanets with signs of habitability, we are looking
01:59 for signs of life, past and present.
02:03 And it's in our DNA to explore
02:07 and to ask why things are the way they are.
02:13 In June of last year, NASA commissioned an independent
02:17 study team to examine unidentified anomalous
02:21 phenomena.
02:24 We did so with a few goals in mind.
02:27 First, to examine how NASA can use our expertise and instruments
02:32 to study UAP from a scientific perspective.
02:39 Second, shift the conversation about UAP
02:45 from sensationalism to science.
02:50 And to make sure that whatever we find or whatever we recommend,
02:58 to make sure that information is shared transparently
03:02 around the world.
03:05 There's a global fascination with UAP.
03:09 On my travels, one of the first questions I often get is
03:15 about these sightings.
03:18 And much of that fascination is due to the unknown nature of it.
03:25 Think about it.
03:27 Most UAP sightings result in very limited data.
03:31 That makes it even more difficult
03:33 to draw scientific conclusions about the nature of UAP.
03:40 And so this independent study team brought together some
03:44 of the world's leading scientists,
03:46 data and artificial intelligence experts,
03:51 aerospace safety specialists, all with a specific charge from me,
04:00 which is to tell how to apply the full focus
04:04 of science and data to UAP.
04:09 And this is the first time that NASA has taken concrete action
04:14 to seriously look into UAP.
04:18 And this independent study team was just that, independent.
04:25 Now, NASA has a statutory authority to look
04:33 for life in the universe.
04:35 And when you think of the universe
04:38 and especially what we have learned
04:41 from the James Webb Space Telescope, how vast that it is,
04:48 we knew before, and it was a NASA scientist, Dr. John Mather,
04:52 who got the Nobel, that determined
04:56 that the universe was 13.8 billion years old.
05:02 And over the years, particularly accelerated
05:06 in the last century, we have an understanding that, of course,
05:12 ours is not the only galaxy.
05:15 And there are billions and billions of galaxies.
05:19 And each of those galaxies, including our own,
05:24 have billions and billions of stars.
05:27 And with the James Webb looking at the exoplanets,
05:33 we are now beginning to discover.
05:38 And somewhere out there, we will discover another medium-sized,
05:46 stony planet around a medium-sized sun or star
05:53 at just the right distance, not too far, not too close,
06:00 with a tilt in its axis that rotates, that has carbon,
06:05 that will have a habitable atmosphere.
06:12 If you ask me, do I believe there's life in a universe
06:17 that is so vast that it's hard for me
06:21 to comprehend how big it is, my personal answer is yes.
06:29 But I asked some of our scientists.
06:32 As a matter of fact, the Washington Post editorial board
06:36 asked us to come down to the question,
06:40 what is the mathematical probability that there is life
06:43 out there in the universe?
06:46 And if you calculate in billions of stars, in billions
06:54 of galaxies, that there's replicated what I just said,
07:01 another stony planet, the answer was, what's the likelihood?
07:09 At least a trillion.
07:12 That's from our scientists.
07:15 So we start this without any preconceived notions,
07:23 but understanding that we're in a world of discovery.
07:28 And we have taken, we NASA, have taken for the first time,
07:32 concrete action to seriously look into UAP.
07:38 And this independent study team is exactly that.
07:43 It's independent.
07:45 They work to develop recommendations
07:48 about how NASA could better examine them
07:51 from a scientific perspective.
07:54 And the top takeaway from the study is
07:57 that there is a lot more to learn.
08:00 The NASA independent study team did not find any evidence
08:05 that UAP have an extraterrestrial origin.
08:09 But we don't know what these UAP are.
08:16 That's why I'm announcing
08:17 that NASA has appointed a NASA director of UAP research.
08:25 They are being tasked with developing
08:28 and overseeing the implementation
08:31 of NASA's vision for UAP research.
08:35 We will use NASA's expertise to work
08:39 with other agencies to analyze UAP.
08:44 We will use AI and machine learning to search the skies
08:50 for anomalies as we have been searching the heavens.
08:55 And we'll continue to search the heavens for habitability.
09:00 And NASA will do this transparently.
09:05 So while today is a significant step for NASA,
09:08 it's certainly not our final step.
09:11 And we're going to share more with you.
09:13 And I want to introduce you to Dr. Nikki Fox, who is the head
09:18 of our science mission director.
09:22 Nikki.
09:29 >> Good morning.
09:30 And thank you so much, Administrator Nelson.
09:32 It's always tough to follow Bill.
09:34 He's such a great speaker.
09:36 But I want to thank the independent study team
09:40 for their amazing service on the study.
09:43 And for their continued contributions towards the
09:46 advancement of our nation's understanding
09:49 of unidentified anomalous phenomena.
09:52 UAP, as Bill just eloquently said,
09:55 UAP are one of our planet's greatest mysteries.
09:59 And it's really due to the limited number
10:01 of high-quality data that surrounds such incidents
10:05 and often renders them unidentifiable.
10:08 While there are numerous eyewitness accounts
10:11 and visuals associated with UAP, they're not consistent.
10:14 They're not detailed.
10:16 And they're not curated observations that can be used
10:19 to make definitive scientific conclusions about the nature
10:23 and the origin of UAP.
10:26 The language of scientists is data.
10:29 And data points towards a scientific conclusion
10:32 to what the nature and the origin of UAP could be.
10:36 That leads us to why we're here today.
10:39 The independent study team's report is now public.
10:43 And it can be found at NASA -- sorry, science.nasa.gov/uap.
10:50 While NASA is still working to evaluate the report
10:53 and to assess the independent study team's findings
10:56 and recommendations, NASA is committed
10:59 to immediately contributing
11:01 to the federal government's unified UAP effort.
11:05 And as you heard, we have appointed a director
11:08 of UAP research.
11:10 In their role, they will centralize communications,
11:14 resources, and data analytical capabilities
11:17 across the federal government to establish a robust database
11:22 for the evaluation of any future data.
11:25 Additionally, our director
11:27 of UAP research will also leverage NASA's expertise
11:31 in artificial intelligence, machine learning,
11:34 and space-based observation tools that will support
11:38 and enhance the broader government initiative into UAP.
11:43 They will serve as NASA's point of contact
11:45 for government entities, but especially
11:48 for the All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or ARRO.
11:52 And this will ensure coordinated efforts
11:56 and effective communication channels.
11:59 Beyond our director of UAP research,
12:02 NASA will also advance citizen reporting by working
12:06 with the public and commercial pilots
12:08 to collect a broader set of data to add
12:11 to the vast data repositories to not only contribute
12:15 to a broader, more reliable data set for future UAP incidents,
12:20 but to also contribute to the destigmatization
12:23 of the important study of UAPs.
12:27 And with that, it is my great pleasure to hand
12:30 over to Dr. Dan Evans, who is the NASA official responsible
12:35 for supporting this amazing study.
12:38 [ Pause ]
12:46 >> Good morning.
12:47 I'd like to begin by expressing my sincere thanks
12:50 to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson for directing this study.
12:55 We at NASA believe that understanding UAP is vital
12:59 for several reasons.
13:01 First and foremost, it provides an opportunity for us
13:05 to expand our understanding of the world around us.
13:08 At NASA, we are committed to charting the uncharted.
13:13 So this work aligns with who we are.
13:16 Secondly, this study aims to enhance situational awareness.
13:21 The presence of UAP raises serious concerns
13:24 about the safety of our skies.
13:26 And it's this nation's obligation
13:28 to determine whether these phenomena pose any potential
13:31 risks to airspace safety.
13:34 Let's not forget that the first A in NASA is aeronautics.
13:39 So by understanding the nature of UAP,
13:42 we can ensure that our skies remain a safe space for all.
13:47 Administrator Nelson directed us to put together an independent
13:51 and external team of world-leading experts
13:55 to produce a report containing a roadmap with a series
13:59 of recommendations that describe how NASA could best help
14:03 in the cross-government response to UAP.
14:07 Months of meticulous fact-finding,
14:09 cross-disciplinary collaboration,
14:11 and scientific rigor gave the team insights
14:14 that will greatly enhance our nation's understanding
14:18 of UAP going forward.
14:20 The team's report, now available on NASA's website,
14:24 stands as a testament to NASA's and the team's commitment
14:28 to transparency, to the power of science,
14:32 and to the unwavering quest for knowledge.
14:35 We at NASA believe that studying UAP represents an exciting step
14:40 forward in our journey to uncover the mysteries
14:44 of the world around us.
14:46 By embracing a scientific lens,
14:49 we have ensured that our work is evidence-based and data-driven.
14:53 And by valuing transparency and openness, we have aimed
14:57 to foster trust and collaboration with the public.
15:02 I'd like to conclude by extending my deepest gratitude
15:06 to the team for their incredible dedication and service.
15:10 Their efforts have been instrumental,
15:13 and I truly appreciate the expertise and commitment
15:17 that each of them have brought to this endeavor.
15:19 And with that, I'll pass over to Dr. David Spurgill,
15:21 who chaired our study.
15:23 [ Pause ]
15:33 >> First and foremost, I'd like to extend our sincere gratitude
15:37 to the NASA administrator for entrusting us
15:40 with this pivotal study.
15:42 Your faith in our capabilities has been a driving force behind
15:46 the panel's approach.
15:48 The panel's comprehensive study
15:51 into unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP,
15:56 has led to several crucial findings, and I'd
15:59 like to elucidate our methodology
16:01 and those findings this morning.
16:04 We began by rigorously assessing the current state of UAP data.
16:08 Our goal was not to repeat the work of the arrow,
16:12 but to understand the nature of the reports.
16:15 Our goal was to produce a roadmap for NASA
16:18 to contribute to the understanding
16:20 of the nature of UAP events.
16:23 We looked at NASA's assets.
16:25 While they provide a comprehensive picture
16:28 of the ocean, the Earth's surface, and atmosphere
16:31 for studying our evolving planet,
16:34 they typically do not have the resolution needed
16:37 for UAP events.
16:39 However, by providing data on environmental conditions,
16:42 they can complement other data on UAP.
16:46 The current approach to UAP data collection has led
16:49 to a limited sample of events and limited data.
16:54 Stigma has limited reporting by pilots, both civilian
16:58 and military, so we know there's missing data.
17:03 For its analysis in other areas,
17:05 NASA always takes a scientific approach
17:08 of systematic data collection
17:10 that involves calibrating instruments,
17:12 multiple measurements, and ensuring sensor metadata.
17:17 Most UAP events lack this quality of data.
17:22 One of NASA's contribution
17:24 to the broader governmental effort
17:26 to bring these methodologies to create a data set is
17:30 to bring these methodologies to create a data set that's both
17:32 reliable and extensive.
17:34 And once we have a large sample of well-characterized events,
17:40 AI and ML tools, which are proving to be powerful
17:43 in so many other applications, will likely prove helpful
17:47 in identifying interesting anomalies.
17:50 It is essential to clarify, based on our current findings
17:55 and methodology, that we find no evidence to suggest
17:59 that UAP are extraterrestrial in origin.
18:03 Our focus in understanding the phenomenon, however,
18:06 regardless of the source, and previous work
18:09 from the IRO, has shown that most events are explainable
18:12 as planes, balloons, drones,
18:15 weather phenomenon, and instrument features.
18:18 And in any search for interesting anomalies,
18:21 the first step is to eliminate the chaff
18:25 of conventional events before moving
18:27 on to identify novel phenomena.
18:31 In this, the public's role cannot be overstated.
18:35 The panel envisioned a framework
18:37 that leverages crowdsourcing,
18:40 possibly via smartphone applications,
18:43 to capture a broader spectrum of data, ensuring more eyes
18:48 and ears on the ground.
18:51 Lastly, we delved into the safety concerns UAP present
18:55 within US airspace.
18:57 By integrating UAP collection
18:59 within our current aviation reporting system,
19:02 the panel believes we can provide insights
19:05 into potential safety risks.
19:07 NASA can reduce the stigma associated
19:09 with pilots reporting anomalies.
19:12 And fundamentally, by studying events we don't understand,
19:15 we advance our understanding.
19:18 So in conclusion, with a rigorous methodology,
19:21 collaborative efforts, public engagement,
19:24 NASA can be a key player in the whole of government approach
19:29 to understanding UAP.
19:31 Thank you.
19:36 >> Thank you so much to all of our speakers.
19:39 We will start taking questions.
19:42 For those in the room, we have a microphone over here
19:46 that we would ask you to speak into.
19:47 We will also be alternating with questions from those
19:51 on the phone line.
19:53 For those of you who are in the phone line,
19:54 please press star 1 to get onto the queue.
19:58 We will try to answer as many as we can today.
20:01 We'll see how it goes.
20:03 Please, sir.
20:05 >> Thank you very much.
20:06 I'm Jim Nelson.
20:07 Thank you for being here.
20:08 Two quick questions.
20:10 One is how can we make the determination
20:13 of what something isn't when we don't know what it is?
20:16 And B, after a careful review of the data, if it's determined
20:22 that some, underline the word some, 10 times, UFOs or UAP,
20:27 originate from a non-human intelligence, what's the plan
20:30 to disclose that to the public?
20:32 >> And can you identify yourself, please?
20:34 >> James Fox.
20:35 >> Thank you.
20:37 >> I'm sorry, on what outlet?
20:39 >> Independent media.
20:40 Thank you.
20:42 >> Well, let me repeat.
20:46 >> It's on.
20:49 >> Let me repeat what I said.
20:52 I think it's important that you hear this word for word.
20:58 The NASA independent study team did not find any evidence
21:03 that UAP have an extraterrestrial origin,
21:08 but we don't know what these UAP are.
21:13 The mission of NASA is to find out the unknown.
21:20 I've said several times in my comments here today
21:24 that we NASA deal openly and we will be transparent on this.
21:31 And we're trying to address the question of there's
21:36 so much concern that there's something locked up, classified,
21:42 and that the American government is not being open.
21:47 Well, we are the American government and we are open
21:50 and we're going to be open about this.
21:53 We don't, again, I'm going to repeat that statement,
21:57 but we don't know what these UAP are,
22:00 but we're going to try to find out.
22:03 >> Thank you very much.
22:05 And is there a plan in place if it is determined that some
22:07 of them represent or originate from a non-human intelligence
22:10 to tell the public?
22:12 Is there a plan or?
22:14 >> If we are what I said we intend to be,
22:17 which is transparent, you bet your boots.
22:22 We will say that.
22:24 And I've tried to set the table for you
22:28 by telling you what I personally believe in a universe
22:32 that is so vast that could there be a replication of life
22:39 on Earth elsewhere in another solar system that is so big?
22:44 Of course I believe that.
22:47 The distances, it would have
22:50 to be a very advanced civilization.
22:52 The distances, you know, light years, hundreds of light years,
22:58 billions of light years.
23:02 But whatever we find, we're going to tell you.
23:07 >> Thank you very much.
23:08 >> Great. And we'll move on to the next question.
23:10 Please do identify yourself.
23:13 >> Thanks.
23:14 This is Joey Roulette from Reuters.
23:16 Question for Bill Nelson or any of the other panelists.
23:19 So you've appointed a director of UAP research.
23:22 Have you named someone to that role?
23:24 And what kind of investment are you considering making in this?
23:28 Is this going to be a new program office?
23:30 Have you thought of funding figures, et cetera?
23:32 Thanks.
23:34 >> Yes, we have.
23:35 We've already appointed the person.
23:37 They've been working there for a while now, like during the study
23:42 to help be a point of contact.
23:45 And we, you know, any budget discussions, of course,
23:49 are part of a very intricate federal budget request.
23:53 And so they're not something that we discuss openly.
23:56 But we will certainly look
23:57 at what resources need to be allocated.
24:00 >> Can you name the official who's in the room?
24:02 >> We will not give his name out, no.
24:04 >> Okay. Thanks.
24:07 >> Thank you.
24:08 We'll take another one from in the room.
24:12 >> Hello. Dan Rivers from British Broadcaster, ITV News.
24:16 I heard the word stigma mentioned several times that you want
24:19 to remove the stigma.
24:21 Is your message to pilots and other people
24:24 that this is no longer the preserve of cranks
24:27 and that you won't be laughed at
24:29 and that you will take them seriously?
24:31 Is that the takeaway?
24:32 >> That is exactly the message.
24:34 I mean, at NASA, we're scientists.
24:36 We love data.
24:37 We love all data.
24:39 And if there is something that needs to be reported,
24:41 and we want people to be able to feel that they can report that.
24:45 You know, we spoke in the open hearing that we had here just
24:49 a few months ago.
24:50 Dan, remind me when it was.
24:51 >> May 31st.
24:52 >> May 31st.
24:53 And we actually talked then about the --
24:56 we wanted to remove the stigma.
24:57 And we also did not tolerate any of the abuse that some
25:01 of our members of the panel were receiving,
25:03 particularly on social media,
25:05 for doing this really important scientific study.
25:07 So absolutely, we want pilots and both, as Bill said,
25:12 you know, both private pilots, commercial pilots,
25:17 military pilots to feel that if they see something,
25:19 they need to report it.
25:21 >> I want to say, and I want to repeat the way I said it.
25:26 We want to shift the conversation about UAPs
25:30 from sensationalism to science.
25:34 >> I think of this in terms of the signs we see
25:36 around for security, which say,
25:38 if you see something, say something.
25:40 I think in this context, we would summarize it as,
25:43 if you see something, collect high-quality data
25:46 on it, because then we can learn.
25:49 >> If I may, I just noticed in the report,
25:52 the GoFast incident was one that was picked out.
25:55 And that had been held up as an example of a very credible
25:59 sighting that you seem to be pouring doubt on.
26:01 Can you just talk to that?
26:03 >> I mean, we looked at that as one example.
26:05 And, you know, I think this is something
26:08 that Arrow has actually done a very good job of,
26:12 of going through the events.
26:14 And most events are going to turn out,
26:19 even if there are some events that in the end turn
26:22 out to be something novel.
26:24 Most events are going to turn out to be conventional things,
26:28 balloons, airplanes, and so on.
26:32 I think of the process of discovery of anomalies
26:37 as looking for a needle in a haystack.
26:40 And if you want to find a needle in a haystack,
26:43 you've got two choices.
26:45 Either you know exactly what the needle looks like,
26:49 and you design a very good filter to look for the needle.
26:53 It's called match filtering in sort of AI work,
26:57 machine learning, state of processing.
26:59 Or you don't know what you're looking for.
27:02 And with anomalies, that's really the case we're in.
27:04 We're looking for things we don't understand.
27:07 So if you want to find something strange in a haystack,
27:10 you better know exactly what hay looks like.
27:13 And you better be able to characterize that really well.
27:17 And that's why in a process like this, and this is something
27:20 that I think we bring to this as we look for anomalies,
27:25 is you need to know what typical regular things look
27:28 like under all conditions.
27:31 You need to know what balloons look like when pilots see them
27:35 under unusual conditions so that you can eliminate those events.
27:39 And that's why in identifying anomalies,
27:42 understanding the normal is a very important part of it.
27:47 And understanding that under different observing conditions
27:50 and collecting data in a uniform way.
27:54 I mean, this is what we do when we study anomalies
27:59 in space science or other areas of science.
28:02 And what we're trying to do is bring this approach
28:05 to this field by saying collect high-quality data,
28:09 understand the normal events.
28:11 And that's how we move things forward.
28:14 >> Thank you.
28:15 >> We'll move on to the next question, please.
28:17 >> Hello. I'm Nomia Iqbal from BBC News.
28:21 Just to follow up on the stigma question, UAP,
28:25 that term has been used in part to destigmatize UFOs.
28:30 The fact is most people use UFOs.
28:32 Most of the American public, most
28:34 of the world use that term.
28:35 So I wonder how much is the stigma still a problem for you?
28:39 And what are you practically doing to --
28:43 about it, really, to convince people?
28:44 And my second question, in your report I noticed
28:48 that you said AI is a very essential tool
28:50 for identifying rare occurrences.
28:53 Yesterday we were at this big AI summit
28:55 where you had 100 senators meeting all the big tech tycoons,
28:58 Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg.
29:00 And, you know, speaking to some senators afterwards,
29:03 they said we are concerned about AI.
29:05 We need it to be regulated.
29:07 Does that concern you?
29:09 Are you worried that it might hamper your work?
29:11 Thank you very much.
29:12 >> Well, two big questions.
29:16 First of all, do I personally believe that AI needs to be --
29:24 have some boundaries?
29:25 The answer to that for our existentialism, yes.
29:31 Can you do that within the appropriate bounds so that,
29:37 as I said in my remarks, that we're going to utilize AI
29:43 as one of the tools as we search for what is an answer to the UAP?
29:53 And so, no, I don't think that any attempts to --
29:59 that the Congress has underway to try to write a law
30:06 that would appropriately put guardrails around AI
30:13 for other reasons is in any way going to inhibit us
30:18 from utilizing the tools of AI to help us in our quest
30:23 on this specific issue.
30:25 Now, what was your other question?
30:27 >> Just how do you destigmatize the whole thing?
30:31 Because I know you call it UAPs, but, you know,
30:35 people don't refer it to in that way.
30:38 >> Yeah. Well, you know, there's a mindset.
30:42 We all are entertained by Indiana Jones in the Amazon
30:48 and finding the crystal skull.
30:51 So there's a lot of folklore out there.
30:59 That's why we entered the stage, the arena, to try to get
31:05 into this from a science point.
31:09 >> I think you can blame the X-Files for a lot of this as well.
31:13 >> That possibly, too.
31:15 But just remember what I said.
31:18 We, NASA, are trying to shift it from sensationalism to science.
31:23 >> Thank you very much.
31:25 >> Yes, ma'am.
31:26 >> And we do have a long line in the room,
31:27 but I want to give a couple chances to some people on the phone line.
31:30 So I'm going to go to the phone for our first question there.
31:32 Please do introduce yourself and ask a question.
31:35 [ Pause ]
31:41 >> The phone, can you hear me?
31:43 >> Our first question is from Marsha Dunn
31:45 with the Associated Press, your line is open.
31:47 >> Yes, hi, Marsha Dunn, AP.
31:50 I'm already receiving emails on Area 51 in Roswell.
31:54 So I would like to ask Mr. Spurkle, how much were you
31:58 and your fellow panel members hassled or bombarded by this sort
32:02 of thing during the course of your study?
32:04 And for NASA, are you not naming the director of UAP Research
32:09 for this very reason so that they're not hassled
32:12 and bombarded by the fringe element?
32:14 Thanks.
32:15 [ Pause ]
32:18 >> You know, I would divide emails and tweets into two types.
32:24 Right? There's some where people honestly are curious
32:30 about things they've seen, they've heard.
32:33 You know, there are things that are hard to respond to
32:36 like my uncle who's dead saw something strange
32:40 and you get a report.
32:42 And you know, that's not useful but that's harmless.
32:47 On the other hand, one of the things
32:49 that happened during the study and this may be part
32:53 of a bigger discussion of cultural behavior
32:57 on social media where people behave badly
33:01 and I would say harassed some of our panel members.
33:05 And that I think is, you know, was very inappropriate behavior,
33:12 behavior one doesn't want to see.
33:15 Sadly, I think it's part of a deeper problem
33:17 when people somehow feel on the web, on social media,
33:21 they can be nasty and hostile and we--
33:25 and sadly some of our panel members experienced that.
33:29 >> Yeah, I would just simply add to that to say
33:32 that not only were some of the things
33:38 that our panel members received during the course
33:40 of this study simple trolling.
33:43 Some of them actually rose to actual threats.
33:46 And as a result, you know, we at NASA take, you know,
33:49 the sanctity of the scientific process and the security
33:54 and safety of our team extremely seriously.
33:57 And yes, that's in part why we are not splashing the name
34:01 of our new director out there because science needs to be free.
34:06 Science needs to undergo a real and rigorous and rational process
34:13 and you need the freedom of thought to be able to do that.
34:16 Some of the threats and the harassment have been beyond the
34:20 pale quite frankly towards some of our panelists.
34:22 And yes, it's important that science be free as part
34:25 of that process.
34:27 >> Thank you so much.
34:28 We will go to another question on the phone please.
34:31 Please go ahead and introduce yourself.
34:33 >> Our next question comes from Tom Clark with Sky News London.
34:37 Your line is open.
34:40 >> Oh, hi there.
34:41 Thank you very much for taking my question.
34:43 I want to understand whether and how much--
34:47 you won't give us an idea of money but how many assets
34:50 or new research programs will be devoted
34:52 to this by the administration.
34:54 Because it strikes me that although the argument
34:57 for aviation safety is clear, there are other departments
35:02 and agencies responsible for that particular thing.
35:05 And as the report concludes, the likelihood
35:07 of there being extraterrestrial explanations
35:10 or truly scientific explanations for many
35:12 of these phenomena is very, very small.
35:15 Shouldn't NASA devote its research budgets and its efforts
35:20 to those much more likely and tangible signs
35:26 of extraterrestrial life through things
35:28 like the JPLO space telescope or extracellular planet detection?
35:34 >> Yeah, thank you for the question.
35:39 So yes, obviously we don't discuss budget openly
35:42 but we are committed to supporting the whole
35:46 of government study into UAP.
35:49 All of our data are open.
35:52 In fact, if you look at the report,
35:54 you'll see a very large sort of back, you know,
35:57 background material or supplemental material in there
36:00 because we literally released everything
36:02 because that's what we do at NASA.
36:04 We do have our key agency goals.
36:07 We have obviously our goals in the science mission directorate,
36:10 our themes that we follow and one of those
36:13 as the administrator described is the search for life elsewhere.
36:16 And we do that and he described the research beautifully.
36:20 I think he may be going for my job actually
36:22 but he described the research so well that what we need
36:26 to find is a rocky planet around, you know,
36:29 a hospitable star that isn't too violent, it is in just
36:34 that right place that has signatures of water
36:36 and signatures of carbon so the building blocks of life.
36:39 And we continue to strive to do that.
36:41 We do that with the James Webb telescope.
36:43 We'll be doing that when we launch the Nancy Grace Roman
36:45 telescope that even has a coronagraph around it to block
36:49 out the light of the neighboring stars and really let us look
36:52 at those possible planets and then beyond
36:56 that the next big telescope recommended
36:59 by the astrophysics decadal is the Habitable Worlds Observatory,
37:03 actually a mission designed to look for hospitable and find
37:08 like Earth 2.0 in another stellar system.
37:12 And so they really are in the forefront
37:14 of our goals at NASA.
37:16 So thanks so much for the question.
37:18 >> I'm going to ask--
37:19 >> Just jump in to clarify something.
37:21 Will you be devoting any new resource or research projects
37:26 to this particular area and given that's
37:29 where the interesting questions really are, should we spend,
37:32 should NASA spend time and budget pursuing the much
37:37 less likely task of finding signs of extraterrestrial life
37:42 in small objects within or close to the Earth's atmosphere?
37:46 >> So, I mean, most of our--
37:48 obviously our instruments are designed to look
37:50 for the phenomena that we study at NASA.
37:54 If any of our data are useful, if any of our data are applicable,
37:57 then we absolutely will be devoting that and turning
38:00 that over through our liaison to the whole government approach.
38:05 We are not at this time intending
38:07 to design a mission to do this.
38:10 That is not part of our kind of overarching NASA direction.
38:16 We are looking at providing some research support.
38:21 So if somebody wants to write a research proposal,
38:24 send it in through the regular channels.
38:27 We will be looking for ways to do that.
38:30 And we also talked about supporting sort
38:33 of the citizen science and the broader like repository of data.
38:38 Dan, do you want to add to that?
38:40 >> NASA's data are free and publicly accessible
38:44 for the entire world to download.
38:47 And we pride ourselves on that fact.
38:49 And it's this openness of data and our approach
38:53 which is why we're all here today.
38:55 To answer your specific question about devoting research budgets
38:59 to the potentially truly interesting ones, well,
39:02 I think as David said, you have to understand the chaff in order
39:08 to really understand and pinpoint the potentially
39:12 interesting ones, okay?
39:14 So we are in such a data poor regime at the moment that we need
39:18 to turn it into a data rich one to do that.
39:21 And we employ NASA's assets,
39:24 many other partners' assets as well in that quest.
39:28 >> And if your question suggests, and I do not know that it does,
39:33 but if it suggests that NASA ought to keep its nose out of this, well,
39:40 let me tell you, NASA is not a place that's going
39:42 to hide its head in the sand.
39:46 Now, is there interest in this phenomenon in other agencies?
39:55 In my previous life in the Senate, I was privy to talk
40:01 to the Navy pilots and to see the video of what they encountered off the coast
40:10 of California in 2004.
40:13 That was in a classified setting then.
40:18 But this is now.
40:20 And you have now seen that video.
40:23 And you have heard from those former Navy pilots.
40:29 Is that of a concern to the Department of Defense?
40:32 Of course it is.
40:35 And therefore, we're going to continue our search
40:39 from a scientific point of view.
40:41 It's going to be if those other agencies continued their search,
40:47 we're going to be glad to join in with them.
40:50 But our stuff is going to be open.
40:54 >> Great. I'm going to take one more
40:55 from the phone before we go back to the floor.
40:57 I will -- we have a lot of questions.
41:00 I'm going to hope we can stick to sort of one per person
41:04 and see how many we can get through.
41:06 So one more from the phone, please.
41:09 >> Our next question comes from Jeff Fous with Space News.
41:12 Your line is open.
41:15 >> Hi. I know the press release states
41:18 that NASA is still evaluating the independent study team's report
41:22 and its recommendations.
41:24 Does NASA plan to publish a formal response to the report
41:27 and its recommendations?
41:28 And if so, what timeline can we expect to see that?
41:32 >> So let me give you a quick preview about how this works.
41:35 So we have only very, very recently received the report.
41:39 And what you have seen today
41:41 in our press release represents our initial actions in recognition
41:45 of the urgency of this matter.
41:48 And yes, we will be following up as appropriate
41:52 with additional actions.
41:54 But of course, we need additional time
41:56 to fully ingest the recommendations and act on them
41:59 in light of, you know, budget and many other priorities.
42:03 But we'll be announcing more in the future.
42:06 >> Great. Thank you.
42:07 Please, back to the room.
42:09 Identify yourself, too, please.
42:10 >> Good morning.
42:11 Sam Cabral with BBC News Digital.
42:12 We've been talking a lot about since shift
42:14 from sensationalism to science today.
42:17 Has NASA been in touch with the Mexican authorities
42:20 about the rather sensational revelations earlier this week
42:24 of two allegedly non-human corpses?
42:27 And what of any importance do you attach to these discoveries?
42:30 >> I think David had a prep for that one.
42:35 >> Well, you know, this is something that I know I've only seen
42:40 on Twitter, so it's, you know.
42:44 When you have unusual things, you want to make data public.
42:48 I think of this as like NASA has one of the most valuable samples
42:52 from outer space, lunar rocks.
42:55 What do we do?
42:56 We make them available to any scientist who want to work on this.
43:01 We don't know the nature of those samples
43:03 that were shown in front of them.
43:05 If I was the Mexican government, I would --
43:08 are making recommendations to the Mexican government.
43:10 That's not our charge here.
43:11 We're doing this for NASA.
43:13 My recommendation was if you have something strange,
43:15 make samples available to the world scientific community,
43:19 and we'll see what's there.
43:22 >> I'll just add that one of the main goals of what we're trying
43:25 to do here today is to move conjecture
43:28 and conspiracy towards science and sanity, and you do that with data,
43:33 as David says, and that's the whole purpose
43:36 of this study and this roadmap.
43:39 >> Thank you.
43:40 >> Thank you.
43:42 >> Hi. Brandy Vincent from Defense Scoop.
43:45 Thank you all for doing this.
43:46 I actually have two lines of questions, if it's okay.
43:50 First, for Ms. Fox, what's the timeline and immediate actions
43:55 that NASA is pursuing specifically with AERO now
43:59 that the report has been completed,
44:01 and what mechanisms are NASA and DOD really using
44:04 to share information and collaborate securely,
44:08 and do you see more coming?
44:10 And then separately, for Mr. Spurgill,
44:13 I noticed in the final report a lot of the images and media
44:18 that were added were from DOD,
44:20 snapshots that we'd previously seen from DOD data.
44:23 Not much from FAA, if anything, not from other agencies.
44:27 Can you speak to why that is,
44:30 and what all you used beyond DOD to inform your report?
44:35 >> Dr. Fox, Dr. Spurgill, I'll pass it to you guys.
44:38 >> Sure. So, yes, our immediate actions, I think,
44:42 there was such a lot in those questions.
44:44 So, the immediate actions, we've established our director
44:49 of UAP research, they're working across the whole of government,
44:53 they're working very closely with AERO, they are the sort
44:56 of central point for all of the collaboration.
45:00 I'm not sure what else you asked, I'm sorry.
45:02 >> What mechanisms are you using to share data and information
45:05 with the Defense Department?
45:08 >> All mechanisms available to us.
45:11 As Dan eloquently said, all of our data are open
45:14 and public, so actually, I mean, we share everything
45:17 with everybody, so everybody can access our NASA data.
45:21 >> I mean, do you have like a specific repository or mechanism
45:24 or channel specifically with DOD where you're sharing information?
45:28 Can you just expand a little on how AERO and DOD are working?
45:31 So, AERO--
45:33 [ Pause ]
45:36 >> I'm happy to handle that.
45:38 So, as Nikki beautifully said, all of NASA's data is open
45:41 and accessible to the public.
45:43 If DOD on a specific instance need to tap our expertise,
45:48 then there are obviously secure ways of doing that
45:51 and we've done that by appointing our liaison officer.
45:54 And yes, we know how to talk to DOD in a classified space.
45:57 But again, most of what we do is unclassified and for good reason.
46:01 >> And the answer is actually straightforward,
46:04 that AERO is the lead agency in the government.
46:07 So, FAA reported events go to AERO.
46:10 So, they're the central collection agency and that--
46:14 actually, if you go to the AERO site,
46:16 they have a pretty complete list of things they've analyzed
46:20 and are trying to make public.
46:23 Though with AERO, and this is just something I think is worth
46:27 repeating in the context of looking at images that come
46:30 from military satellites intelligence community.
46:33 It's important to remember that things are--
46:36 images taken by military instruments are classified not
46:41 because of what's in the image but because of the nature
46:44 of the measuring instrument.
46:46 And I think this is one of the unique things
46:49 that NASA brings here is NASA is about openness and transparency.
46:55 NASA's-- when NASA makes measurements, NASA has a--
46:59 across all of the DODs, this program
47:01 of making its data open and available.
47:04 And of course, it's not making measurements
47:06 with classified instruments that enables it to do this.
47:10 And that-- one of the things that NASA brings to this space.
47:13 >> Thank you.
47:15 And just a really quick clarification
47:16 because I think it's important.
47:17 The NASA AERO liaison, is that official the same
47:21 as your new UAP head of research?
47:24 >> Yes.
47:25 >> OK. Thank you.
47:26 >> All right.
47:28 One more in the room before we go back
47:29 to the phones for a couple.
47:30 >> Thank you.
47:31 My name is Jacob Jensen.
47:33 I'm from the UAP, and I'm a researcher
47:35 at the National Aeronautical Research Center.
47:37 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:38 I'm a professor at the National Aeronautical Research Center.
47:41 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:42 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:43 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:45 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:46 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:47 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:49 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:50 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:51 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:53 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:54 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:55 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:56 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:58 I'm a professor at the UAP.
47:59 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:00 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:02 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:03 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:04 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:06 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:07 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:08 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:09 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:10 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:11 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:13 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:14 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:15 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:16 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:17 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:18 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:19 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:20 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:21 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:22 I'm a professor at the UAP.
48:23 What he said, if I recall having seen this on the nightly news,
48:29 was that he had a friend that knew where a warehouse was that
48:35 had a UFO locked up in a warehouse.
48:41 He also said he had another friend that
48:45 said that he had parts of an alien.
48:50 Whatever he said, where's the evidence, is my response.
49:00 He also said that he did interview over 40 employees at the Pentagon.
49:06 A long time ago, there was a TV show, Jack Friday, and he used to say,
49:14 "Just the facts.
49:16 Just the facts.
49:17 Show me the evidence."
49:19 Thank you, sir.
49:20 All right.
49:21 We will go to the phones again.
49:22 I know people have lots of questions, but I'm going to try to keep us to just to one
49:23 for each person.
49:24 Next person on the phone, go ahead and introduce yourself.
49:25 The next question comes from Gina Ciceri with ABC News.
49:26 Your line is open.
49:27 This is for Senator Nelson.
49:28 Your report mentioned that AI could be very useful in helping in this investigation.
49:29 How do you see that, sir?
49:30 I think it's a good question.
49:31 I think it's a good question.
49:32 I think it's a good question.
49:33 I think it's a good question.
49:34 I think it's a good question.
49:35 I think it's a good question.
49:36 I think it's a good question.
49:37 I think it's a good question.
49:38 I think it's a good question.
49:39 I think it's a good question.
50:00 I think it's a good question.
50:24 We use AI or artificial intelligence and machine learning throughout our NASA science portfolio.
50:31 It is an amazing tool for helping us to actually find often signatures that are sort of buried
50:36 in data.
50:37 And so a lot of our data are just sort of wiggly line plots.
50:41 We get excited about wiggly line plots, by the way.
50:43 But sometimes you see the wiggles and you miss a signal in there.
50:48 And by using artificial intelligence, we can often find signatures.
50:52 So one example we've had is to be able to find signatures of super storms using very
50:57 old data that really is before sort of like routine scientific satellite data.
51:04 And it's amazing.
51:05 And so just being able to use those techniques often can allow us to find things to actually
51:11 find the needle.
51:13 As David so eloquently said, once you've actually really-- it also helps us to really characterize
51:18 the hay.
51:20 And so you can start subtracting the hay and look for the needles behind.
51:25 So let me just take this moment to say-- to try to demystify AI and ML.
51:33 Thank you.
51:34 When a scientist-- and probably many of you in high school were trained to do this.
51:39 We had some data.
51:40 You took your data, you drew a graph, put a line through it.
51:44 You had data in two dimensions, x and y.
51:47 Right now, much of our data is in a much higher dimensional space.
51:51 And if you're working with something like Chats GPT, it's in a high dimensional space
51:57 of language or tokens, if you want to get technical, with 12,000 tokens in the Chats
52:03 GPT 3.5, for example.
52:07 And machine learning is a powerful tool for representing functions in high dimensional
52:11 space.
52:13 That means we get to work with data in a high dimensional space.
52:16 AI is very powerful, but it's no more powerful than the data you give it.
52:22 It's a way of-- we've got-- this is why it's very powerful, say, with NASA's weather and
52:28 climate data.
52:29 We've got an incredible amount of data.
52:32 And it's data that you want to do more with than just put a line on a graph.
52:36 You want to extract all that information or more information in that high dimensional
52:41 space.
52:43 And I think we're just really discovering the power of that tool.
52:48 And it's one of the tools NASA and-- I'm not just a scientist, but I think a lot of people
52:53 in a lot of different industries are using to learn new things about high dimensional
52:58 data.
52:59 But it always comes back to the data you feed into your analysis, whether it's a line on
53:08 a graph paper or a high dimensional space explored with machine learning.
53:13 And if you don't got good data, you're not going to learn things.
53:17 I'm going to add one sentence.
53:20 Sorry.
53:21 High dimensional does not mean high space dimensions, not interdimensional travel.
53:27 We're talking about multiple parameters here.
53:30 OK?
53:31 Great.
53:32 We are coming close to time.
53:34 I want to get two more questions, and we're going to do one on the phone and one more
53:37 in the room.
53:39 And hopefully if we keep our questions short and our answers short, we'll get to those
53:42 two.
53:43 For anybody who's here who hasn't had a chance to ask a question, you are more than welcome
53:46 to send an email, and we will try to get your questions as answers as quickly as possible.
53:50 So one more on the phone, please.
53:53 Yes.
53:54 Our next question comes from Peggy Holliger with Financial Times.
53:58 Your line is open.
53:59 Thank you very much.
54:00 And thank you for allowing me to ask a question.
54:03 I'm curious about you saying here that you want to work in crowdsourcing, but also you
54:10 speak specifically about the potential of using commercial assets as well as your own.
54:15 I'm curious about, can you just give me a bit more detail how you will do that?
54:19 Will that be through commercial contracts, or will you ask for voluntary reporting of
54:24 sightings?
54:25 And also, I think that's when you talk a lot about the importance of sensor, I'm going
54:30 to use the word harmonization, because there's no kind of harmonization between the way the
54:35 sensors work.
54:36 Presumably, that would be the same for the use of commercial assets.
54:40 You know, how does that use of commercial assets and crowdsourcing square with the sensor
54:44 harmonization that you talk about?
54:47 And who's going to pay for all this?
54:49 Thank you.
54:50 So let me just say a little bit about crowdsourcing.
54:54 Much of what we have in mind is taking advantage of the fact that there are several billion
54:59 of these floating around, right?
55:01 And they take, I'm holding up a cell phone for those on the radio.
55:07 They take wonderful, high quality images, have high quality metadata, record local magnetic
55:12 field, sound, gravitational field.
55:16 There's a wealth of data that a cell phone takes, and you can imagine designing apps
55:23 that make the images relatively tamper-free.
55:26 You can at least make it hard to do.
55:30 And I think if we have a collection where interesting events are collected by citizens,
55:39 hosted and you have multiple images of the same event, we'll be able to learn a lot.
55:45 And you know, one of the things NASA supports is citizen science.
55:50 And I think that the idea that if you see something you don't understand, collect data,
55:57 we aggregate the data and we learn from it is important in this context.
56:03 And just I think in some ways an opportunity to engage the broader public in doing science.
56:10 Great.
56:13 Our last question, please, from the floor.
56:16 Thank you all for doing this.
56:17 Joe Khalil with News Nation.
56:18 My first question is you've described harassment of some of the panelists.
56:24 While that is horrible and never a good thing, it does sort of come with the nature of public
56:30 officials.
56:31 You know, Mr. Nelson, as Senator, lawmakers get that kind of thing all the time.
56:37 Is that the justification for keeping this new position, director of UAP research, private?
56:43 Do you plan on doing that forever?
56:46 Is that a temporary thing?
56:47 Because it seems to cut against the dedication to being open and transparent if this person
56:53 forever is not going to be revealed or attended who they are.
56:57 Yeah, okay.
56:59 So at the time, yes, we are withholding that name.
57:06 Let's not forget that we've only just received this report.
57:10 And what we need to do now as an agency is come together and provide a cohesive and coherent
57:16 response to it that addresses multiple findings and recommendations.
57:21 We're only announcing initial actions today.
57:23 Will that person's name be disclosed to answer your specific question?
57:27 Potentially, yes.
57:28 But again, we need to ensure that the scientific process and method is free.
57:34 That's my response.
57:35 Thank you.
57:36 And just lastly, the report says that you relied on unclassified material.
57:41 You've given a very understandable description for why the DOD classifies certain images
57:47 and videos.
57:49 Why did you all not have access to classified material?
57:53 And could you have done that?
57:57 I have.
58:00 So just understand that.
58:04 Let the committee speak for themselves.
58:06 So one of the reasons that we restricted ourselves, this study, to unclassified data is because
58:11 we can speak openly about it.
58:14 And in so doing, we're aiming again to alter the discourse from sensationalism to science,
58:22 as Administrator Nelson beautifully said.
58:26 NASA personnel, as appropriate, know how to talk to DOD on a classified basis.
58:31 But the purpose of this study was to tell us what open data we could use in combination
58:37 with the power of science to move our understanding forward.
58:41 That was the purpose.
58:42 And we're speaking about it openly today.
58:44 And so one of the challenges--
58:45 And I'm afraid we do have to wrap up.
58:47 We are at time.
58:49 So thank you, everybody, for being here today.
58:52 Again, for those people who were not able to get questions, I do apologize for not doing
58:56 it in the room.
58:57 However, please send an email based on our press release.
59:01 You will have information to access.
59:03 And we will try to get you the answers we can.
59:06 And with that, we are concluding today's press briefing.
59:08 And thank you very much for being here.
59:14 [BLANK_AUDIO]