While US intelligence officials have reportedly found no evidence to confirm that the unidentified flying objects (UFOs) were alien spacecraft, the newly-appointed Nasa chief said that the US space agency is looking into the phenomenon more seriously. During an interview, Nasa administrator Bill Nelson told CNN Business that he turned to the space agency scientists, asking them to look at the mysterious events from a scientific standpoint to get a better idea.
In April last year, the US department of defense released three declassified videos that showed US Navy pilots encountering what appeared to be UFOs. While the videos had earlier been leaked and published by a leading US daily, it was the first time when the Pentagon formally acknowledged the existence of such videos. The US Navy then released seven incident reports, revealing more details about the series of encounters between their pilots and ‘unidentified aerial phenomena’.
“I have talked to those navy pilots and they are sure that they saw something real. And of course we have seen their video from their jet. What is it? we don’t know,” said Nelson, the former Florida senator and spaceflight veteran.
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Even as the broad conclusions of US intelligence on UFOs have been reported, the full report is expected to be delivered to Congress later this month. The complete report could present a broader picture of what the US government knows about the mysterious flying objects.
“We don’t know if it’s extra-terrestrial, we don’t know if it’s an enemy. We don’t know if it’s an optical phenomenon,” said Nelson, while dismissing the possibility of an optical illusion. “We don’t think so because of the characteristics that those navy jet pilots described as they saw it move around,” the Nasa chief added.
On being asked whether Nasa should be more involved at this point, Nelson said, “Well we are… and I have started it. I have been here a month, and I have started it.” The Nasa administrator also said that the agency is not directly working with the Pentagon, but stressed that “if we find something, the Pentagon will want to know.”
