UFO studies are a high priority for NASA, says official

Astrophysicist David Spergel will be in charge of the study. He is the head of the Simons Foundation in New York City. It is anticipated to start this fall, cost a little more than $100,000, and endure for roughly nine months. During a “town hall meeting” on Wednesday (August 17) to address several programs of the agency’s Science Mission Directorate, representatives from NASA said the agency is working hard to adhere to that schedule (SMD).

At the town hall on Wednesday, Daniel Evans, assistant deputy associate administrator for research at SMD, said that “We’re going full force” on the UAP study preparations. “This is really important to us, and we’re placing a high priority on it.”

According to Evans, the study panel would be made up of 15–17 individuals. These people will include “some of the world’s leading scientists, data practitioners, artificial intelligence practitioners, and aerospace safety experts, all with a specific charge, which is to tell us how to apply the full focus of science and data to UAP,” he said.

After the town hall on Wednesday, Evans and his team intended to have NASA Administrator Bill Nelson interview their top picks for the panel. The process of officially appointing the panelists has now begun if Nelson has provided his approval.